‘Traveling brings us back to ourselves.’

Thursday, 20.09.

5.30 am

Ines and I are already sitting in the long-distance bus to Arusha. You can basically compare it to 'Flixbus & Co', but it is reduced to African standards.

Seat belts? Not available for everyone. However, we were lucky.

Air conditioning? Not available!

Breaks during a 12-hour bus journey? Twice, each for 3 minutes stop in the wilderness, where 50 people can relieve themselves behind the same bush at the same time. I decided to skip it and trained my bladder 😅

Arrival at 5.30 pm in Arusha. The pickup was arranged at the bus station by the owner of the hostel. Of course, it didn't work out. So we walked the 3km to the address given. When we arrived there, there was no hostel. We asked around - nobody knew the accommodation, the area didn't seem to be the most peaceful, and it was getting dark.

Yes, every journey also includes adventurous experiences and things that go wrong. After 5 phone calls, we finally reached the owner, and he sent someone to pick us up from our location. 30 minutes later, we were accompanied by a woman - she didn't speak a word of English. We walked through some alleys and backyards, our fear didn't decrease. Until she asked us to enter some small house. No sign of a hostel, just a back door, everything very creepy. When we entered, we wanted to turn around immediately. It wasn't an official hostel. More like a private rental, estimated 60 square meters where 15 Tanzanians and us lived.. It was already dark, and we simply locked ourselves into our room, but we didn't feel comfortable at all and knew that we urgently have to leave here tomorrow morning. It was dirty, noisy, and there was no water at all. We took care of each other and somehow made it through the night.

Crazy experience, but I don't need it again right away. There was no receipt either.

So, for those who want to go into hiding illegally, I have a good address..

Friday, 21.09.2018

But true to the motto 'Coffee in the morning drives away worries and sorrows', we made our way to a coffee plantation in Arusha. We spent the day in a small village far away from the hustle and bustle of the much larger city of Arusha in comparison to Iringa.

Everything was green, two guides who live there showed us the village, the people, and everything about coffee production. We got along right away.

From picking to roasting, grinding, and brewing - we were allowed to do everything ourselves and were so lovingly welcomed into this small community! It was a wonderful day and it was difficult for us to leave this place.

I have experienced many Tanzanians so far who have big houses and properties, but they don't maintain them or design them with creative ideas. But here it was great to see how much attention to detail the people put into beautifying their village! It gave me hope that there are also people here who care about such things!

After my hard duties, it was like balm for my soul. We sat in a small wooden hut, surrounded by trees and plants, heard a small river in the background, listened to the birds chirping loudly, and drank our own coffee, which was a delight! It was a successful vacation day!