My comrades and I have finally made it to Tanzania!! We’ve only been in our home for about 5 hours, but we’ve already done so much. However, no matter how hard I try, my brain refuses to work correctly and I continue to yawn every few minutes. Jet lag is already setting in. Before hoping into my adventures in Tanzania, I feel like it is very important to first start with the travels.
My trip to Tanzania started on Friday evening. I left my hometown airport around 6:30pm and landed in Toronto, Canada around 10pm. That’s when the fun started. I had an overnight layer in Toronto. Luckily, I wasn’t traveling by myself, so instead of staying the the airport for 12 hours, we stayed at The University of Toronto. They rent out dorm rooms during the summer months for $40 Canadian dollars for a single; so if you ever find yourself in Toronto and have no place to stay, definitely check there! Our rooms were also less than a 10 minute walk to College St., which was the main social street of the local college town. After hitting Chinatown for some late night Chinese food, we walked down College St. Since we were out on a Friday, it was interesting to see everyone out and about, especially late at night. There were definitely a lot of people out, but instead of being in the bars, they were all about the streets. A little different from the states, where most people stay in the bars until they close, and then go home. After walking around, we went back to our rooms, and got about 4.5 hours of sleep. Our next flight to Ethiopia left at 11:20, so we got to the airport around 8:30; because missing that flight was not an option.
We met up with the rest of our group at the Toronto airport and boarded our 12 hour flight to Tanzania. About 5 hrs in, I was already stir crazy. Luckily with a lot of food interruptions, The Descendants and a few other Tv shows, I made it to the end.
Ethiopia airport was another story. Although we made it to our connecting flight to Kilimanjaro on time, maneuvering throughout the Ethiopian airport was a little difficult, especially with a time constant. Everything was disorganized, and we were never really sure were to go. But like I said, we made it to our flight on time; so by the time I was settled in my seat, the confusion of the Ethiopian airport was long behind me. The only thing separating me and Tanzania was just one short 2 hr flight.
As we flew from Ethiopia to Tanzania, the real nerves started to set in. The day was finally here. After long await, I was finally going to be in Tanzania. As we descended, I could see the amazing landscape of Tanzania.The different peaks, open land, and many animals as we got closer to landing. The view was breathtaking.
After going through customs and getting bags, we met Baba Jackie, one of the drivers of our compound, Usa River Rehabilitation Center. The drive to our compound was even more amazing, and I cannot wait to explore!!
The trek to Tanzania was long, but I am so excited to be here!! Here are some pictures of our trip.
Until next time!