Random Thoughts on Tanzania Part Two

Transportation. Everywhere We have been in Tanzania is seems that
everyone is in a perpetual state of going somewhere. Maybe it's no
different than in the U.S., except that it takes them so long and they
use so many different forms o transportation. There are six kids on an
adult-sized bike, a guy with 30 dozen eggs precariously strapped on
the back of his bike, guys riding on cow-drawn wooden carts on top of
huge bails of hay, guys pullin fully-loaded cart themselves, guy on
motorized skooter with side-saddle woman with baby on the back, and
everything else you can imagine. And then there are the buses - small
minivans with 30 people crammed inside and hanging on the outside and
12 feet of sticks, palm fronds, and other possessions strapped to the
top. And, of course, people walking everywhere, in the case of women
often with water bottles, baskets of vegetables, or huge stacks of
firewood balanced on theie heads. I guess this is just one more way
that people make it happen here.

Entrepreneurship and Commerce. Everyone here seems to be selling
something here. The blacktop roads in Arusha are absolutely lined with
small stands or just blankets laid out with merchandise. From small
bags of coal to leather furniture to tennis shoes to all sorts of
produce. Monica says she hopes someone has the money to buy some of
this stuff.

Zanzibar Vultures. One of the few downsides to the Zanzibar beaches
are what we have come to call the "vultures". These guys wander the
beach trying to sell you something, starting with a swim-with-the-
dolphins excursion, working their way down through your "no's" to
their final ditch effort, a small ebony key chain that they hope you
will buy just because you like or feel sorry for them. You can't walk
down the beach without them approaching you with "jambo my friend" and
walking along side you. A Americans, shaking them was difficult at
first, but we got the drill down pretty good after the first day and
they left us alone after that. When they approach, we would say
"hapana asante, pole baba".

Tanzanite. In the late 60s or early 70s a hobby gemologist found a
strange blue stone in the hills above Arusha. After sending it to
Tiffany's for evaluation it was determined a unique stone and
Tiffany's suggested it be called Tanzanite. Even today it has only
been found in this one spot and comes out of just 5 or 6 mines
operating there. It is infinitely more rare than diamonds and will
reportedly run out in the next decade or so, making it even more
valuable. The stone can ramge from pale blue to darj blue and is
supposedly very beautiful, although we did not see one.