Mainstory: My expedition to Arusha and Moshi

In today’s fast moving, action packed world, holidays are to moments to be treasured. Last year just before Christmas, I made the most of my holiday and travelled from Kampala to the Tanzanian town of Moshi. It was to be my first Christmas away from home; a real experience of places where the past and the present meet. Kampala to Nairobi The journey was long and hectic. The bus was full to the brim and the lingua franca on board was certainly Kiswahili. Leaving Kampala at around 3pm, it took six hours to get to the border town of Busia.4:00 am found us at Nakuru where coldness was enough to draw anger. A cup of coffee or tea was the easiest solution. As if to gain from our predicament, just outside the bus stood several hawkers selling jackets to the chilly passengers. The wee hours of the morning had us stop at the Nairobi Akamba office for an hour. We had enough time to refresh ourselves and have a light breakfast meal at the nearby Akamba passenger’s restaurant. Nairobi to Namanga – Arusha From Nairobi’s industrial area, the bus snaked slowly as the scenery changed from large commercial farms to the expansive Maasai planes that stretch deep into Tanzania. The Maasai really do occupy a huge area and their traditional lifestyle is to a great extent still intact. Occasionally we would pass by a small boy with a large herd of goats or cows. The land was dry and sparsely populated. A semblance of life returned as we approached Namanga, the border town of Kenya and Tanzania. Here we found several Maasai selling exquisite craft materials. The sight of the Maasai women with numerous rings on their ears was breathtaking. After having my passport stamped, I rushed to the Tanzanian immigration office. I was quite taken aback by the details of the Tanzania visa stamp. At the top most corner it was clearly written that, “ALLOWED TO STAY FOR THREE MONTHS. EMPLOYMENT WITH OR WITHOUT PAY IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED.” I had to pinch myself to remember that I was entering Tanzania not Europe or the US. I mused what this implied for the practicability of the East African Community. Namanga to Arusha was largely the same story as we continued deeper into Maasai territory. I wonder how the white colonialists did not see that this was one community not to be divided with their illogical borders. Arusha Arusha was a great sight as it appeared much greener than most of where we had been passing. It is surrounded by some of Africa’s most famous landscapes and national parks. Beautifully situated below Mount Meru on the eastern edge of the Eastern Rift Valley, it has a pleasant climate and is close to the historical Serengeti, Ngorongoo Crater, Lake Manyara, Olduvai Gorge, Tarangire National Park and Mount Kilimanjaro, as well as having its own Arusha National Park on Mount Meru. Arusha is steeped in history. Official documents preceding independence to Tanzania were signed by the United Kingdom at Arusha in 1961. The Arusha Declarations for Self Reliance in Tanzania were signed in 1967. Our own Arusha Accords were, as the name suggests, signed in Arusha on August 4, 1993, by representatives of competing factions in the Rwanda civil war. In 1994 the UN Security Council decided by its Resolution 955 of November 8, that Arusha should host the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. More importantly, Arusha also hosts the headquarters of the East African Community and the Kilimanjaro International Airport. On top of international flights the airport does handle lots of domestic flights for the East African region. It is a great infrastructural boost to the tourism industry of Tanzania. The city plays host to numerous safari companies, hotels and lodges. Arusha is also the Hindi word for the rising sun. Arusha’s clock tower is supposedly situated at the midpoint between Cairo and Cape Town, therefore representing the halfway point of the old British Empire in Africa. I was also told that the slang name for Arusha city among the locals is “A-Town”. Moshi Travelling from Arusha towards Moshi is simply a downhill movement. Even a cyclist can make it. The road is very smooth and mostly straight. There is just one sharp corner that has claimed its fair share of lives of speeding drivers. After over 24 hours of travel, we finally reached our destination - Moshi. With high temperatures for the month of December and January, Moshi was a comfort for some of us. Moshi is situated on the lower slopes of Mt Kilimanjaro, a volcanic mountain which is the highest in Africa. It is a home to the Chagga and Maasai tribes. The city comprises two major roads, based around the central reference point of a clock tower, the north-south road to Tanga and Dar es Salaam and an east-west road to Arusha. Thanks to the government of Tanzania, local authorities, the Catholic and Lutheran missions that give Moshi a universal primary education and the highest literacy rate in the area. The main hospital serving the area is Kilimanjaro Christian Medical College which was opened in 1971 by the Good Samaritan Foundation. Moshi town is a fast growing tourism spot with many whites using it as a set off point for the adventure packed Kilimanjaro Mountain climbing. Because of this, the town is home to numerous hotels and lodges. It is alleged that one of the lodges, Crown Hotel, is owned by the Ugandan leader Yoweri Museveni. He is loved and revered in this town where some consider him to be their ‘good son.’ Only good things are said of him in Moshi. At a peak of 5,895 meters, Kilimanjaro is said to be a home to almost all the climates of the world. Annually, approximately 15,000 people attempt to climb the mountain and approximately 40 percent reach the peak. At the peak, there is a sign posted by the Tanzanian government which reads “Congratulations! You are now at Uhuru Peak, Tanzania, 5,895 m. ASL; Africa’s Highest Point. World’s Highest Free-Standing Mountain; One of the World’s Largest Volcanos. Welcome.” The sign is covered in travel stickers from past trekkers who have left their mark on the top of the peak. In Moshi, I stayed at a place called Soweto, where I could see the view of Kilimanjaro from my window. I was also taken to the University College of Cooperatives and business Studies where President Museveni once taught during his days in exile. I enjoyed the pilawo rice meals that Tanzanians are so good at preparing. Just imagine a spiced dish of rice that is topped with a coconut flavour. At the slopes of Mt Kilimanjaro, I attended a feast where the climax was a specially roasted goat; a delicacy by the Chagga people. On New Year’s Day I went to Arusha for a picnic with my hosts. We spent most of the day at Lake Duluti a small but deep lake surrounded by a forest reserve. I enjoyed the barbeque and the old Tanzanian music that was being played at the bar. The forest reserve also serves as a home to many monkeys; we could see the African Colobus monkeys swinging from tree to tree. If you are planning to visit Moshi and Arusha, do not forget to try tasting the famous Serengeti and Kilimanjaro beers. I am told they are the best in the region. And Moshi has got a bar at every street corner. The Arusha and Moshi expedition connects the past to the present. It is a journey worth making in a life time. Contact: ssenyonga@gmail.com