Duluti

I’ve come to Arusha for the weekend for a change of scene and because my work friend Kate lives here and invited me. As it’s Valentine’s Day weekend rumours are already circulating amongst colleagues in Dar es Salaam. Let them talk.

Early doors I was at the domestic terminal. It is so hot and sweaty at night that I chose to view getting up at 4am as a blessing. It avoided more hours of drenched pillow and sheet gymnastics.

Arusha is the hub of Tanzania’s safari industry and has recently had a new terminal constructed. I ventured through a sea of khaki to locate my bag. The new terminal has not been blessed with a baggage carousel so it’s a case of intercepting one’s bag as it’s flung across the floor.

Kate met me and we went for coffee and breakfast somewhere leafy. Then we joined some of her friends for a great walk around Lake Duluti with its views of Mount Meru. It hailed as we circled the lake but it didn’t dampen our fun. In the evening we went partying at a kind of pop-up event in the bush. It took some random navigation along rough tracks to find it but it was well worth it. A very fun day of socialising, in contrast to most of my recent weekends of slumping and recharging.