Trip to Arusha

I am glad I am based in Moshi (which means Smoke) and not in Arusha. The latter is the town I visited today (Saturday). It's actually more scenic, as its higher altitude (1300m versus Moshi's 800m) makes it greener. But it's also bigger and due to being a hotbed of Safari's everybody want's your business. The encounters are always nice and people don't harass me too much, but it does get tiring to explain what I am doing in Moshi for the fifth time in 30 minutes...

Today I just wanted to walk around a bit by myself, also with the goal of looking for a bicycle, since Arusha is bigger than Moshi. But the prices quoted were even higher. The "just walking" turned out to be rather difficult. Even when I checked at one bike store, they walked me to several others. A gigantic chain... But bikes were either too small or too crappy or both. I stopped looking when they were showing me an obviously used bicycle, trying to tell me that it was new... When I said it wasn't they 'proved' it to me by leading me to the area where the mechanics were. They were in the process of assembling new bikes. My comment that they were completely different models didn't puzzle them....

Oh well, I eventually just got away from downtown and walked into the surrounding hills. That was much better. No hassles and a very scenic view to the rain forest. I also came by the Arusha Convention Centre, which currently hosts the Rwanda trials. That of course happened 13 years ago. I wonder how long we'll have to wait for Darfur justice to be made? Compared to those two disasters Iraq or Afghanistan seem rather smaller problems. I do admit I did go to an Anti-Taliban walk in 1997 (or maybe it was 1998) and haven't been on a Darfur one - actually never heard of one being organized.

There were some interesting job offers posted. 124,000 Swiss franks for a translator job (spanish-english-french). Some law attorney jobs in Sierra Leone, and while the salary range didn't seem too high (40,000-60,000, with one for a deputy registrar being somewhere inn 90K range), but a daily living allowance of $115 doesn't seem too bad, either... Of course all were posted last year - one even in 2004!

The trip to Arusha to look at the bio diesel generator was postponed to "maybe" Friday... It's the whole reason I didn't cancel my Saturday trip, as who knows when I really get to go to Arusha. Apparently it's also possible to sit in as a visitor for the Rwanda trials Mo-Thu.

I made another attempt at buying at bike Sunday. I am glad I went for a run in the morning to get my exercise in, though. They sell either new crap from $100 or used bikes from europe/us, around $170-200, but in bad condition (bottom brackets loose, spokes missing etc). I saw a nice bike (Shimanore Deore DX!), but pointed out all the shortcomings (chain slipping due to being worn, bottom bracket loose, missing spoke...). They said they can fix it. I said, ok, I'll be back when it's ready and test it. They of course wanted me to wait there, so we walked to the mechanics place. Of course, they couldn't fix it all, though it was fascinating to watch the mechanic work. They said it is working fine - even though I demonstrated it to them 4 times it wasn't. Once I almost crashed into a street vendor when I was trying to give a very vivid demonstration. By now they will hopefully gotten the message that they can't sell me stuff that isn't working... In the worst case I'll never get a bike. I can take the KIDT bus for free, so at least that part is taken care off...