A Morning in Moshi

A Morning In Moshi

January 7, 2013

(Day 1)

Moshi, Tanzania

 

Our first day in Tanzania proved to be a special one.  We woke up to the view pictured above.  The peak at the center of the photo is the top of Mount Kilimanjaro.  It is very rare that you can see the peak of Kilimanjaro because it is typically covered by clouds.  We were very lucky.  It seemed so surreal to think that in a matter of a week we would be beginning our trek up the mountain with the goal of reaching the top five days later.  However, before we would begin that piece of our adventure, we had plans to spend some time in the city of Moshi the morning of the first day.  In the afternoon, we were scheduled to participate in a ribbon cutting ceremony for the new educational facility that was built as a result of our fundraising efforts.

 

All ten of us gathered in front of the hotel, and from there walked into downtown Moshi.  Our first stop was the Exchange, where we would convert U.S. dollars to Tanzanian schillings.  The conversion rate was about $6.00 U.S. to 10,000 schillings.  So...for about $600 U.S. you could be a millionaire in schillings.  We chose to stop short of the million dollar mark, but did convert enough money to cover our expenses while we were in Africa.  The reality was that U.S. dollars were accepted almost anywhere we went.   The benefit, however, to converting to schillings was that prices were often lower if you paid in schillings.  For example, when our group went out for drinks on the night of our arrival, the bill was $56 U.S. or 56,000 schillings (which equals less than $36 U.S. or a $20 savings just by paying in schillings).

 

 

The hazard of traveling in a group was quickly evident.  Our group was swarmed by a locust of street vendors and shop keepers, all of whom wanted the opportunity to sell us their wares.  While a few people would enter a shop to look at an item, the remaining members of the group would remain outside and try their best to fend off the street vendors.  The following are photos from our morning adventure in Moshi.