The last few days have been transit days. A shuttle to a ferry to a bus to a ferry to a bus in order to leave Zanzibar.
Leaving Zanzibar
We spent a night at the same beachside camp in Dar with little stinging jellyfish bits interrupting the afternoon swim, and then embarked before dawn on a very long drive over rough roads to Arusha
Driving through the heart of town in early-morning traffic, I tried to imagine (or remember) how it would feel to see an East African city like Dar or Nairobi through fresh eyes. People everywhere, walking miles on dusty roads to work. Green folliage, grey and brown streets. Cars and matatus rushing by in apparent traffic chaos. Someone always selling something- produce, children's toys, umbrellas, maps, puppies.
On the road from Dar es Salaam to Arusha:
Road traffic accidents contribute a real and depressing % to mortality in sub-Saharan Africa
At one point along the drive, you could look up and see the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro floating, disembodied, in the clouds.
Kili, modestly
In Arusha we camped at a site aptly named "Snake Park," which housed all manner of local reptiles. I was offered the chance to hold a baby crocodile, but wimped out and let the handler keep his own hands over the mouth.
4 year old crocodile
Of course, I was later justified when someone else held the crocodile too loosely and he snapped his jaws in some massive chomps. Apparently a baby croc bite doesn't feel much different than a bee sting, but I don't like the idea of bee stings from each of the seeming 100,000 baby croc teeth.
