Will Pate’s Blog - Tales from a Gen Y internet guy

Lessons from Arusha

Published on 13/04/07
by willpate

As I scratch the surface of understanding Africa, I’m always left with more questions than answers. Still, I’m learning a few things that may be of use to those of you travelling to these areas. First stop, lessons from Arusha.

People

It’s all about trusted people. You need taxi drivers, city guides, restaurant owners, people you can trust for everything. Have multiples. Our group had a fantastic experience with a taxi driver named Noel, email me if you want his phone number.

Wherever you go, you carry the reputation of the other people with you and the local people you’re seen with there. Look in the eyes (pop your sunglasses off if you’re wearing them), smile, say “jambo” (hello) and shake the hands of everyone you meet in your travels. This applies especially in rural areas. If you’re too far away, put a big smile on and wave to them. These gestures mean a lot.

Many kids seem to know “good morning” as a greeting for mzungu, regardless of the time of day. Acknowledging their existence with a simple “mambo” (informal hello) will put a big smile on almost any kids face. Carry some bubblegum in case you get swarmed by a group of kids that hold your hand and are so lovable kids that you want to take them home with you.

The Hustle

There is a whole industry of agressive hustlers in Arusha, especially around the hotels. Arusha is a big tourist and safari destination, so it’s a great place to run game on whiteys.

Expect to be swarmed by dozens of people the moment you step onto the street or sidewalk. They will try to get you to agree to meet them later, buy something later or go to some event later if you won’t buy right then - and then chase you down
everytime you step into the street after that.

Many will just yell “mzungu” (white foreigner) or “white” at you and slap the hood of their cab or shove something in your face. They are the easiest to get rid of by simply ignoring them or a wave of the hand that you’re not interested. A definitive “samahani” (sorry) seemed to be the only thing that worked on the persistent ones.

Smooth talkers will engage you in conversation and then go in for the sell. They will follow you the entire way of wherever you walk. I got ripped off by a dude that guided me around the city all day, introduced me to his family, and seemed solid. But charged me about 100x what I should have paid for a SIM card and some prepaid minutes, got about 4 months worth of local salary out of me in one day, then hit me up several times after for more money because his family needed it. Respect the hustle, but don’t let them think you’re a mark.

Technology

If you’ve had to pay cash when the restaurant or hotel can’t process your Visa because the phone lines or Visa network is down, had to deal with random power outs, or got the “network problems” recorded error when trying to make a cell phone then you’ve started to see how many technology challenges there are in Arusha. First off, it’s hard to do anything when power is unreliable or just plain hard to come by.

When a farmer pulls out his mobile phone on the side of a mountain to make a call, your safari guide answers his mobile while you’re in the middle of a national park surrounded by water buffalo, or you realize that almost every one person ricketey snack shack in the villages sell prepaid mobile minute cards; you’ll see that mobile is spreading like fire in Arusha. Almost everyone in the city has one, it’s more rare in the rural areas but you’ll still be surprised like we were. SMS is the communication method of choice, above voice calls.

All the locals we talked to recommended CellTell as the best in Tanzania. You should be able to get a SIM card for your unlocked phone for about 3000 TSH (Tanzanian Shillings) and get some prepaid mintues cheap too.

Traffic

Do not underestimate the willingness of drivers to run you over. On my second day I had a taxi driver (the one time I used someone other than Noel) that hit a kid and sent him off his feet in front of our cab. He just honked and moved along after the kid scrambled to his feet, I was in utter horror. Don’t assume for one second that that car is going to slow down just because you’re directly in its path.

The Funny

The funniest thing I saw was a guy in a small village outside of Arusha with a red shirt that said “Chretien’s Alberta Liberals”. Anyone that knows Canadian politics will understand why that shirt ended up on the back of a barefooted dude in rural Tanzania. If you’re American, that would be the equivalent of a “Clinton’s Texas Democrats”.

Security

The locals may tell you that if everyone just dropped the walls and gates and guards from their homes and businesses they would have nothing to wory about. But there is probably a reason that there are security guards literally everywhere you turn.

Try this little experiment. Go to the hotel front desk, tell them you lost your room key and give them your room number. If they don’t ask for picture ID, or even your name - you’ll quickly realize that the local security procedures are ill prepared for even the most basic social engineering.

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