Moshi.... Near the base of "Mountain of the Moon"
After clearing all documentation at Nairobi immigration, when I came out of the airport terminal, it was already dark.
Got some Kenya shilling from an ATM. But Jerim was nowhere. He asked me to wait near a coffee shop while I was in Delhi, but half an hour passed by.
I contacted him with someone else's phone. But he was waiting for long and cannot trace me. In fact, I was waiting at some other coffee shop of same outlet. And the guy who came was not Jerim, it was his brother, Zack. Looks very sober and nice.
As long as we were on the main road, roads were very good, but as we entered into the interior, roads were horrible. As we left the main road, I saw some excitation in the eyes of the driver. "The city never sleeps in this part of Nairobi" he said. In fact, I could realize it. People standing in exotic dresses. A bit worried. Have I booked in this locality? Is that the reason of having a studio apartment at such a low cost?
No. He drove quite a long time after this area. Felt a bit safe. It's a 9 Storeys building. I was on the 8th floor. The room is spic and span. Attached bathroom with kitchen area, sofa, beds, TV, wardrobe, what not. It has a freeze, micro-oven and gas burners and Wi-Fi.
It was a very good and comfortable night.
Zack asked me to be ready early morning for the bus to Moshi.
Bus is good and clean. Reached the Namanga border well in time. At Namanga check post, things are very systematic. In no time I cleared the immigration to Tanzania. If you are entering Tanzania via Kenya, you must be vaccinated with yellow fever. I had yellow fever vaccine, while already in Kolkata.
There are full of Masai women vendors at the border. They are selling handmade jewelries. Though they are made of plastic beads. they are very costly. they charge you in dollars. the main thing I noticed is the jewelry they are wearing. By the weight of the earring, the ears have become ring. I was a solo traveler and that also gents, so they didn't show any interest in me.
Masai people have a unique culture. They are known for their colorful dressings and the warrior way of life. different colours of the jewellery has got different meaning related to the cattle. the cattle is their main source of food. Red, blue, white, orange, yellow , green , black all has got a specific symbolisation. While the Maasai have been crafting jewelry for hundreds of years, they didn’t start using the tiny beads. Before, jewelry was made of local materials sourced from nature, including twigs, horn, and bone. To make beads, women used seeds or clay, which were then dyed to achieve a specific color. European traders later introduced colored glass beads.
Reached Moshi at the evening. Mighty Mt. Kilimanjaro is so near and so gorgeous, peeping through the clouds.
Now is the briefing time by the organizer.... serious moment.
