The plane landed at Kilimanjaro Airport (also known as “KIA”) around 7:30 pm and as usual, first thing was to get the visa and exchange money. Then I tried to find a taxi that would accept to take me to Arusha for 25.000 shilling, which was the price quoted in my guidebook. Unfortunately, it turned out that this price was totally out of date because of local inflation and the low US Dollar, so in the end I had to agree to pay 50.000 (approx. 50 Euro). Pretty annoying as this ate big part of my budget, which I just had changed into shilling. The ride was quite long, about half an hour, and almost boring because it was already dark and there was not much to see on the road. I liked the music tape though – and I am ashamed to say that the driver told me it was Enrique Iglesias…

I guess I was pretty tired when the driver asked me if I wanted to go on safari and if I had already booked with someone. While the ‘No” slipped out of my mouth, I knew I had made a major mistake. He knew my name, the hotel where I was staying and that I had no plans for my stay – when you read about tomorrow, you will find out why it is fatal to give that information. In addition, when we arrived at my hotel the guy suddenly wanted 5000 shilling more than initially agreed and I had to argue really hard not to pay them!

The place I had picked to stay at in Arusha was called The Outpost. (I was hoping that my guidebook was more reliable with its accommodation description than with the taxi fares.) I hadn’t booked a room and just trusted that I was lucky – which once more I was. The hotel turned out to be very cosy, yet maintaining a clear African note and distinct style. It was listed in the ‘mid-range’ category but I was determined to give myself a little treat after the low budget standards of the last two weeks. And it was sooo worth it…My ‘room’ turned out to be a cabin in the garden, which I had totally for myself. Everything was clean and decently furnished; I had a real toilet (YES!!), a sink and warm (!!) shower, it was fantastic. In the end I paid 32 Dollars per night, including breakfast. They also had a restaurant and internet access on the premises. The staff was friendly and comparing this with Ethiopia, it felt like arrival in paradise. After having checked my emails and deleted another 2000 spam messages, I went to bed.

(For more info and pictures of this wonderful place, please check out www.outposttanzania.com - or have a look at my pictures!)