(22 July 2019 am)

We’re in Tanzania!

I’ve been typing the last couple days, but I haven’t been where I can post.  I’ll leave some of that text below so you can follow the adventure.  The big news, though, is that we have arrived in Tanzania!  Safe and sound!  Our luggage arrived this morning!  Praise the Lord!

My airplane companions (Les and Darlene) and I finally arrived in our hotel in Dar es Salaam last night after what became about 48 hours since I left home.  It wasn’t planned to take that long, and in all their years of doing this, Barb, Bob, and Anne say that they have never had any such trouble.

Brief summary: our delayed flight from Minneapolis to Amsterdam caused us to miss our connecting flight.  We then had to fly to Dubai, and then Nairobi (Kenya) to get to Tanzania by the next day.  With some more delays in the middle there, we finally made it in time for supper.  No luggage so I got a cute tourist t-shirt for sleeping.  Fortunately, our luggage arrived on the next Amsterdam – Dar es Salaam flight so it was waiting for us at the airport this morning. 

The rest of our party arrived on time to Tanzania and were waiting for us when we arrived.  They toured Dar es Salaam and the National Museum to learn more about Tanzania’s history and politics.  Then they met with Dr. Edith Ngirwamungu.  Dr. Edith shared her knowledge of Tanzania’s health systems, and she has quite a bit of knowledge because she conducts quality assessments of health facilities all around Tanzania.

Packing and flying

We’re off!  I flew out of MSP airport yesterday, 19 July 2019.  My friend, Madhavi, dropped me off on her way to work, and I got there even earlier than they suggest so I had time to explore a bit.  The plan was to fly from MSP to AMS (Amsterdam) with a 2 hour plus layover in Amsterdam to make the flight to Kilimanjaro airport.  Unfortunately, we were delayed leaving MSP by 1.5 hours because it took so long to fuel the plane.  (I don’t understand why it took so long and the pilot expressed his surprise too.)  Then, there was a backup in landing at AMS due to some thunderstorms in the area.

We made it to the gate for our next flight (AMS to Kilimanjaro,) and we could see that the plane was still there.  Unfortunately, they had already closed the door and would not re-open it.  We had to go to Transfer Station 6 to find alternate flights.  There was nothing direct, and even the same flight the next day was completely full.  They said that holiday season started this weekend in Europe so everyone is traveling.

Our new route is to fly Emirates airline to Dubai, arriving at midnight.  Taking the 1:55am flight to Nairobi with a 45 minute layover in Nairobi before heading to Dar es Salaam.  We’ll arrive in Dar at 8:10am only about 9 hours after our originally scheduled program.  Sleeping 2 nights on a plane is going to be a bit rough, though.

**Update before publishing** We didn’t make the 45-minute layover in Nairobi because we had to sit on the tarmac for two hours in Dubai waiting for the air traffic controllers to give us a time slot to take-off.  It was nearly 100 degrees Fahrenheit outside and it was after midnight.  Things got a bit toasty on the flight. We missed our backup flight too and are currently waiting for the next flight of the day.  If all goes well, we will land in Dar es Salaam at 3:15pm this afternoon. Only about 17 hours after our originally scheduled program. 

I hope our luggage keeps up with us!  I was feeling so proud of myself that I got everything into 1 checked bag and with room to spare.  It’s 28 lbs.  Plus, I have my carry-on packed lightly with computer, medications, my neck pillow and a journal.

It’s fun to shop for new travel clothes and gear.  They all need to be designed for comfort and extra functionality.  The designer in me loves to see what they’ve come up with. 

• Fabrics are wrinkle-free, easy to clean (but designed to not need to be cleaned often) and quick drying. 
• Travel pants have an extra pocket in the pocket to hold your keys more securely (useful for every day too.)  Side note, though, I suspect that the extra pocket is what triggered a pat-down at airport security on my way in. 
• Bags have extra security features and more pockets.  There is a clasp on my backpacks to secure the house keys that I won’t need for 2 weeks but also don’t want to lose. 
• Bags also have extra functionality and versatility.  My backpack can separate into two packs and the smaller one can attach on the front for counterbalance.
• I bought some fun disposable, compostable towelettes that grow from tiny to useful size with just a couple drops of water.

While it was fun to look, I didn’t buy many clothes or gear before this trip.  I have some good stuff from previous trips including some favorite standbys, and everyday wear is also good.  I’m still using my backpack suitcase from my first trip to Europe in 1998.  I sure hope we’ll be reunited tomorrow later today at Dar!