30 Hours and a Day

Does anyone else feel like going through security is a dance?

I have over a dozen stamps on my passport, so I feel pretty savvy going through airports. I can do the whole security thing without thinking while texting and still move faster than most of my fellow travelers. I also pretty much always travel alone, so that helps.

So when I got pulled aside at Dubai's international airport not once but twice to get full body searched in a private room, it threw off my mojo. Turns out the metal detectors just can't handle underwires. (feminist soapbox: REALLY?)

When I get through and fall into herd mentality as we head towards our terminals. It's a fancy airport, with light displays, comfy seating, and I hear waterfalls somewhere just beyond immigration. I see signs for A-D, but can't find F. A helpful attendant sees my confused face and directs me to an empty corridor, at the end of which is a coaster:



I am the last one in and squeeze into the last row between 3 gents. We drive around the giant airport, past the cargo warehouses, past business offices for UPS, FEDEX, and other companies I don't recognize. We drive past all the mobile home-like structures where the maintenance technicians hang out, and I start to get very concerned. I see the planes for my airline just hanging out on the tarmac with walk up staircases. I am sure I am in the right place and headed to my plane, but I am concerned this 7-hour layover is going to be on a bench on the tarmac. Wouldn't be the first time.

We pull into Dubai evening traffic, and I start to wonder what I am actually in for. I mean, I said I wanted to try to have an adventure in Dubai, I guess.

To my relief, after 40 minutes we pull up to a small, one level building similar to a large bus station with planes out front. Whew. I might not get to go adventuring, but I got to see a glimpse of the city on my shuttle ride. The terminal has wifi, tables, bathrooms, and snacks. I had to go through security again, but this time I knew to just head straight for the little room for the body search. With a coffee and a sandwich, I settled in for some serious homework time. No complaints here.

We took a 737 from Dubai to Kilimanjaro, easy peasy. I was preparing myself for something much smaller. The sunrise from the flight was amazing. I had spent 25 hours in complete darkness, so even though my body thought it was 3am, as soon as the pink light started coming through the open windows, I was ready to rock and roll. Unfortunately, there were still several hours of travel and thus nowhere to go.

Morning at Kilimanjaro Airport was bright, fresh, sunny, and breezy. It is an adorable airport with one runway, and I realized why I had such a hard time finding flights without tons of layovers. It seems planes only use it as a stopover on their route from one place to another.




Immigration was unnecessarily difficult, par for the course, but I walked out of the airport with all the stamps, Tanzanian shillings, and luggage I needed, so I was grateful. A taxi drove me an hour into Arusha and I got to sightsee along the way- Mt. Meru, Mt. Kilimanjaro, farms and fields, small towns, men arguing over chickens, women carrying bags and babies, lots of construction.

I don't know how some people can do 30 hours of travel and then hit the ground running. The last thing I want to do upon arriving in a new place is trying to navigate new language, currency, traffic, customs, and climate while I am tired, sore, dirty, hungry, thirsty, and mentally worn out. Just thinking about it makes me cranky. I made a beeline for a shower and several liters of water as soon as crossed the threshold of my hostel. Then with my feet propped up I started researching safaris from my bed.

You know where this is going.

I woke up 4 hours later feeling pretty good. It always surprises me how important phones are, in any corner of the world. I started sending some messages and in less than an hour, I was meeting with a man about an elephant.

YES.

TOMORROW I SEE ELEPHANTS.

His company is called the "Big 5"- elephants, lions, leopard, rhino, water buffalo. But all I heard was HUNDREDS OF ELEPHANTS.

Then, as if life couldn't get any better, one of the staff at the hostel offered to walk with me to get dinner since it was after dark. We went to a food stand, crowded with locals, not a foreigner in sight, hot coals burning on the grill, kids and babies wandering about. (These are all good signs when it comes to the delicate art of choosing street food!)

Another sign what we were about to get was LEGIT was that they made me order in Tanswahili.

Chipsi Mayai- potato wedges and egg (FRENCH FRY OMELETTE!)
Kuku Rabo- chicken half



It's been a good day.




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