Tanzania

Hi all,

This is my attempt at a blog. Arrived at the airport and there should have been someone there waiting for me. Came out and saw many names but mine, of course. Turns out that the person waiting for me had the sign rolled up and, although I had never seen him before, I was supposed to recognize him.

Welcome to Tanzania. Saturday was the first day that I had more than 5 minutes to myself. Went downtown on two separate occasions, to buy a handphone and look around. To say there isn't much is an understatement. Typical African city but with a few diffences, where else do you see some Kenyan bushmen in their red outfits roaming the city. Also, saw a bushman similar to him on The God's must be crazy.

The hotel I am staying at is probably a 3 star, maybe but it is a 10 minute walk to our partner's office. It is also a 3 minute walk to a fairly decent restaurant,and the beer is good, Stella Artois.

The traffic is very disciplined compared to other countries, even better than in Montreal believe it or not. There isn't that incessant tooting of the horn and they generally follow the rules of the road. The roads are also in quite good condition.

Work is pretty hectic and undisciplined, as is the norme in Africa. Dar Es Salaam is right on the east coast and the Indian Ocean. There are regular ferries to the island of Zanzibar, the spice island. It's about a 90 Minute trip. I'm not sure if I'll get a chance to go there. Our trip is slated to begin on Tuesday and our route will take us around Mt. Kilimanjaro, more to come on that later.