Day 3, 4 and 5

Day 3

We slept pretty well considering it was our first night in Tanzania. Our room is actually pretty large and comfortable, and even has a fan. 

At breakfast we caught up with Millie, the manager at More Than A Drop. It seems like they have been pretty quiet over the last 6 months but things are now slowly picking up. I think there are 3 other guests staying at the moment. At breakfast we had a chat with Alec from Austria who was looking for a bit of local information from us, hopefully he found our comments useful.

We spent the day on the terrace at MTAD.

Robert from ACTT came over mid morning for a coffee and also to bring the Tanzanian SIM card for my phone. We then spent the rest of the day making some basic plans for our trip. The weather was warm but not uncomfortably hot.

The restaurant here is open to residents every day and non-residents Tuesday - Friday but with a limited menu. We enjoyed a good evening meal with a G&T and some wine.

Day 4

This morning we enjoyed a view of Kilimanjaro with our breakfast. I still get excited to see it after all these years.

During breakfast we chatted with a different guest, Corby from Texas. He was also after some local advice on both safaris and the internet - again I hope we helped.

Mid morning we walked down to ACTT. All the staff were there except Vai. Robert had obviously passed on the message about “no hand shaking etc” as no one approached us but rather just said Hi from a distance. We have tried to explain that this socially distanced behaviour is now the new “norm” for us but  I am sure they think we are over reacting, given that life here is carrying on as normal with little mention or evidence of coronavirus.

We spent some time with Robert, making a brief itinerary for the first part of our trip from Mwanza up to Geita and Chato. We then had lunch at Mama Irene’s before walking half way back to MTAD and stopping on the terrace of Key’s Hotel for a drink.

On our return to MTAD we were met by Neema who we know from our last visit. It was nice to chat to her and catch up. She will be managing the restaurant tonight.

As we sat on the terrace we witnessed all the students returning after their Christmas break. They all arrived, laughing and chatting and hugging each other......typical behaviour for teenage girls in any country. It was nice to see them back.

For those that don't know, MTAD is an NGO that runs a “Hospitality School” with a B&B and restaurant. It offers a 1 year course in Hospitality to girls aged 18-20 who for whatever reason have failed to finish their schooling and have no formal qualifications. It offers them a chance to learn all aspects of the Hospitality industry, gain an official qualification and gives them a real chance of getting a decent job. All students spend time working in the B&B and restaurant during their training. So anyone staying or eating here is also supporting a great project.

Having had a large meal at lunchtime tonight we just had a light supper on the terrace.

Day 5

Today  we were awake early so were down at breakfast soon after 8.30. The girls were already hard at work in the garden raking up leaves and chopping back plants. The place seems to have sprung back to life with their return.

After breakfast Corby, our American friend walked down to ACTT with us to talk to Robert about getting a reliable internet connection so that he could continue to do some teaching via Zoom with students in the USA.

The schools in Tanzania don't open again after the Christmas break until the 11th January so school visits will not start until we are in Mwanza. We spent the morning working out how much computer equipment we could purchase from ACTT with money we had raised over the last year and then looking at each school’s performance over the last year to decide who would receive what. Robert has some limited stock of certain items so we are also trying to work out our donations using what he has available. By the end of the morning we seem to have come up with a list that works for us and him.

It was then lunchtime and Robert suggested we go to Kili Home Bar. This is one of our favourite places to eat in Moshi. Corby accompanied us and so we introduced him to some Tanzanian culinary delights including ugali and grilled bananas - both of which he seemed to enjoy. Corby treated us all to lunch as a thank you for helping him which was very nice.

Corby is looking for a house to rent for 6 months in Moshi and so after lunch we drove out to view a place that Robert knew was currently available. It was a nice place out just beyond KCMC (Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre) but it may be too big for Corby

Around 4pm Robert dropped us back at MTAD where we caught up with emails and my blog etc.

Having eaten a good meal at lunchtime, dinner was again a light supper on the terrace.