For those that didn't see the movie 'Blood Diamond', TIA is a phrase they use to encapsulate Africa - it means 'This Is Africa' and really is self-explanatory. So this first post will be all the crappy things about Africa that we've had to deal with - some funny, some not at all...
After our short safari in Kruger National Park (will be in post #2), we headed to Johannesburg for the last couple of days in South Africa.
We thought it'd be fun to spend the first of our two nights in the city, so we ponied-up for a nice B&B in the 'nice' part of town and had a fun time in Melville, bar-hopping and eating too. Here's where we had dinner - The Loft - excellent food!
Despite all the warnings we had heard about JoBurg, we were having a delightful time, and ended up in a fun bar with good music, and were chatting it up with some funny dude from Durban. Then, out of nowhere, we suddenly found ourselves victims of a mugging IN the bar! Long story short, someone started a fight as distraction as someone else cut open E's pocket and P's purse. E's camera was stolen; P was lucky.
So the next day we ended up here, our 2nd visit to a police station on this trip.
After getting the necessary paperwork so E could claim her travel insurance, we headed to the Apartheid Museum and learned about the struggle that has come to define South Africa. It was a very interesting museum with a LOT of information. We had to enter in separate entrances, because P isn't white:
A plaque from the inside of the museum:
After swearing off JoBurg forever, we headed to our hostel near the airport as we had a morning flight the next day to Tanzania. And then, our best activity yet...dropping off the rental car!!! Goodbye Avis, thanks for an awesome vehicle!
Ending km-age...we started at 20,900 km!!
Our departure from JoBurg was without fanfare, and surprisingly all of our bags made it to Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, where we had a long layover to get to Arusha. We had a couple of drinks and a snack:
when all of a sudden P realized that Tanzania was an hour ahead of South Africa, and we had to rush to pay our bill and head to check in for our flight to Kilimanjaro Airport.
And of course, another TIA adventure ensued as we learned that our flight to Kili was full (after waiting in the wrong line for 20 min). After some arm-flailing and yelling, we got ourselves on another flight through a connection that everyone got off except us:
Upon arrival at Kili airport, the following TIA sequence of events:
1. Our driver sent by the hostel had a flat tire on the way to pick us up.
2. The Air Tanzania shuttle to Arusha was waiting for an hour to depart.
3. We finally get a taxi to our hostel.
4. Taxi stops mid-route, to meet a car going the other way, the driver of which hands a sketchy package to our driver. (drug deal, anyone?)
5. We arrive at Arusha Backpacker Hostel to learn that the hostel is full for the night and they've "rebooked us" at a hostel across the street.
this is at 11pm, by the way.
6. We head to "other hostel" to learn it is also full!
7. 20 minutes of broken English later, we are taxied to ANOTHER place (a B&B) where there is finally a room for us to crash in. We collapse, exhausted from the frustrating day of travel.
The next day was entirely spent trying to make arrangements for the rest of our trip, including attempting to book a bus/train/whatever to Zambia only to learn that it's virtually impossible for us to do this and actually get to Emily's wedding on time! (later resolved by eating it and booking a flight).
So there you have it...This Is Africa, friends!!
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