joto! (Hot!!)

(Franatee near our current Arusha lodgings with Mt Meru in the distance)

This heat is a killer, its like Im in Africa or something. You can do stuff between 7am-11am...from 11-4pm is a furnace for pasty muzungu (whiteys). Watching kites (ie big buzzard things) circling overhead while you trudge along in the heat is.. interesting too.

Sunday we went to mass at St Teresa's Cathedral, escorted there by a random passer by. It was wierd being the only 2 white faces in a packed cathedral but we were made welcome and the Swahili choir was moving. Grabbed a coupla beers and listened to Gwen Stefani in the nearby Rafiki Bar. Did a solo walk into Arusha then a hasty retreat after being harrassed by every shyster/hard luck story in town (the New Zealand logo on my shirt did not help...nor the 1000 shilling note hanging out of my pocket oops)

Arusha is so green btw. Bananna plants and green stuff everywhere. Yet the rains haven't come yet...must be the volcanic soil. Moshi...not so green. A lot hotter too.

(Kili in background)

Drove there past our first view of Mt Kili (its bigger than Te Mata Peak) and brown plains filled with goats and dust devils (ie whirlwinds AKA genies moving around according to Arab lore, cue Christian Agulira 'Genie in a Bottle).

We went to Moshi to sort out some visa stuff. Depite the 'Corruption Free Zone' sign in the office (Tui add alert) we were held up for 3 hours while the immigration officers tried to extort money from us. Our Massai volunteer liason held firm and we finally got the stamps we needed.Grabbed a hot iced coffee (hm) in a ex-pat run bar watched flocks of swifts swirl around before heading off to cameo at the Building we will be working at. The wife and I have little offices right next to each other. Joy.
Chilled at home as people with loud speakers and causes walked past, tomorrow we see our mud hut I mean abode for the year.
Hurry up rains, Im sweating off kilos here.
Manfred