Arriving in Moshi
One of the reasons for doing this blog, is that I really struggled to get my head around what would happen when we arrived and what Moshi was like. Hopefully this will fill in some gaps to help others.
Landing at Killi airport and going through immigration you very quickly realise you are in the heart of Affica, it might be the main tourist airport but this works at African pace.
Tired Westerners meets African paperwork and bureaucracy in no rush to get anything done. For the numerous Europeans hadn’t organised visas, hope you enjoyed that queue folks.
No rush getting through immigration anyway, the baggage handlers were even less of a rush, so just get used to it.
We organised a taxi in advance from the hotel but it didn’t turn up on time, this was a bit uncomfortable, no taxi, no phone signal, no cash,surrounded by dodgy looking locals and no idea how far away the hotel in Moshi was – alarm bells starting ringing.
Out of the blue, a guy came up and checked our name and said our taxi driver was on his way and would be about 30 mins which was a relief still we got in the cab. It appears road worthiness isn’t a requirement in Tanzania so we spent an hour in a car with a banging suspension, bouncing over potholes and talking about football with the driver – this is Africa after all. He supported Arsenal and learned a lot of things about Plymouth Argyle he hadn’t been expecting.j
Most of the references to Moshi are that it is the centre for trekking in the region. So I was expecting something like Cusco in Peru or Pokara in Nepal, with a mix of shops and plenty of trekky type folks wandering around and enjoying a beer.
But it isn’t like that, it is a really busy transport and commercial hub developed as part of the German empire. It is a great chance to see what real Africa is like away from the tourists.. People speak English and don’t expect much in the way aircon, but there is plenty of Premier League football in every cafe and bar !
We didn’t see any other Western faces around and we were a bit of a curiosity with Wooksies red hair. I guess it it was a bit intimidating initially but we got used to it.
it is worth bearing in mind that Arusha is the alternative town and it a bigger version of Moshi, do expect something similar. We based through it and it was much bigger.
Inevitably there are street hawkers waiting for some jetlagged tourists, they were all harmless, good humoured and keen to relieve you of your cash. I ended up with this souvenir woolly hat, the last thing in the world I needed but it was useful for snowboarding !
We stayed at the Kilimanjaro Crane hotel, which was probably the best in Moshi as it was a conference centre and even had a pool.
Wooksie wasn’t too happy with it but this is Africa, things don’t work like they do in the UK, though maybe some better training for their plumbers and electricians might help.
I offered to move to the Hilton – oh hang on, there isn’t one. Anyway, the electricity worked most of the time, we got the hot water working on the second day and the pool and grounds were fine – definitely the best choice available and the staff were always really friendly and helpful.
We later discovered that people arriving for treks and safaris stay at variety of resorts and specialist western hotels within 20 mins of the airport, we did this on our return from Zanzibar for convenience.
They are very nice, well equipped, and very boring with no sense of adventure or being in Africa, so we don’t regret our trip to Moshi but I doubt we will be going back !
There was a view of Killimanjaro from the hotel roof lounge, sadly it is always covered in clouds we discovered – its up there somewhere
