Africa Trip 2024 - Day 3, Flight to North Serengeti NP

 [This is post #5 of what will be multiple posts about our 2024 trip to Africa. To go to the first post in the series CLICK HERE.]   

We were up bright and early on Thursday, September 12, for our flight to Serengeti National Park.  We  checked out and hung around at the front desk, which is outside!

The "front desk" is under the overhang to the left.  I guess the fact that it is outside speaks volumes about their mild climate.

It was only a few minutes before Joseph arrived.  We loaded up and were off on the five minute ride to Arusha Airport.

Joseph with the Africa Dream Safari van.  It is a Toyota Previa!  That brought back memories.

Once we arrived at the airport, Joseph disappeared with our checked bags and our passports while we waited out front in the waiting area.
 

Waiting area outside of the airport

 He returned almost immediately with our boarding passes.  

Joseph with our boarding passes

We then proceeded "inside" to a different waiting area.

I put "inside" in quotes, because the front of the room is open to the runway. 

View from our seats in the waiting area.  On the left there is the nose of a plane on the tarmac getting ready to take on fuel from the fuel truck.

It wasn't long before a ground crew member came up to us and quietly said it is time to board.  He led us out to the airplane, with a brief stop at a baggage dolly to verify he did in fact have our checked bags.  There were only two other people on the plane.  The man in front in the picture below and one other.

Making our way to the plane.  Ours is the one with the orange tail, a Cessna208B Grand Caravan. 

We were quickly on board.  The checked bags went somewhere under the plane.  There were no overhead bins or space under the seats. Our carry-ons (our backpacks) went in an area in the back just inside and to the left of the door.  

There were 12 seats in four rows of a 1-2 configuration.  However the airline, Exel Air, lists its capacity as 13, so I guess the co-pilot seat can be used as a passenger seat as well.

We had three stops before our final destination at Kogatende Airstrip in northern Serengeti NP, with people getting on and off at each stop.

GPS tracks for days 3-11.  There is no track for day 12 which would close the loop from the blue line (bottom center) back to Arusha.  Red is the flight on the prop plane from Arusha Airport (lower right) to Kogatende Airstrip in northern Serengeti N.P. on the Mara River (upper left).  Darker green background is Serengeti N.P.  The somewhat lighter green to the east and south of Serengeti is the Ngorongoro Conservation Area.  Crow miles from Arusha Airport to Kogatende Airstrip is 173 miles.

At one stop I watched as a large number of people get off the plane next to us.  It was easy to see with the very small access hatch why they insist on small soft-sided baggage.

This plane is the same carrier and I believe the same kind of plane as ours. All the baggage which had been stored in the cargo hold is now on the cart next to the pilot.

 As we got further north, we could start to see animals.  We first saw them beside the airstrip.

A line of animals, probably wildebeest, walking parallel to the runway in the distance

It was not much further that we could even see them from the air.

A herd of animals in the lower right, with a line of animals streaming up and to the left across the stream.

There was so much to see that the time passed quickly.  We took off from Arusha at 8:45 am and landed at Kogatende Airstrip at about 10:45 am.  

 

Preparing to touch down at Kogatende Airstrip--just dirt and no noticeable lights.  At least there were no animals in the way, apparently not an uncommon occurrence.

There was probably a terminal building somewhere, but all we could see were the many safari vehicles waiting for their clients to arrive.  There are at least six or seven airlines that have scheduled flights to this and the other airstrips in the area.

Some of the many waiting safari vehicles.

We quickly met up with Fazal, our wonderful guide, who came out to meet us.  We got everything stowed in the vehicle, made a quick pit stop, and were off.

That's our vehicle, the khaki green vehicle to the left.

Our safari vehicle, like almost all of the ones we saw, was a modified Toyota 4x4 Land Cruiser.  There were two seats in the front which was essentially the cab.  For us in the back there were three rows of two seats.  There was an electric cooler between the last two seats filled with water and soft drinks.  There was a hard top that could be raised, making the van a great photography blind.  The sides of the vehicle were enclosed.  We did see a few open vehicles, but those were mostly used by a few of the camps that provided their own game drives.  The open vehicles cannot be driven between parks nor are they permitted in Ngorongoro Crater or other areas with lots of animals that might jump onto the vehicle, such as cheetahs and baboons.

Later in the trip overlooking the Mara River.  The top is not curved.  That is distortion from the wide angle lens of my GoPro.

I was a little too short to use the railing for taking pictures while standing on the floor.  However, when I took my shoes off and stood on the seats it worked great.

Of course, I could also shoot through the side windows. 

We were barely out of the entrance to the airstrip when we began to see animals, lots and lots of animals.  There seemed to be wildebeest everywhere.

Lots of wildebeest next to the road

As we quickly learned, where there were wildebeest there were almost always zebra.

Some of the many zebra

There were also a variety of  "camp followers", such as vultures, to take advantage of the animals that did not make it.

Lappet-faced vulture

However, we were getting these pictures almost on the fly, because our guide was making a beeline to the nearby Mara River with hopes of seeing the wildebeest make a river crossing.  

Yes, we made it to the river.  Yes, we saw a river crossing.  Yes, we saw a whole lot more and even squeezed in a "Hemingway style" lunch.  But all of that is the subject of the next post.

Africa Trip 2024 - Day 2, Second Day in Arusha

[This is post #4 of what will be multiple posts about our 2024 trip to Africa. To go to the first post in the series CLICK HERE.]  

For our second day in Arusha our Africa Dream Safari contact, Joseph, was going to give us an orientation of what to expect for the upcoming 10+ days then give us a tour of Arusha.  Much to our surprise he also came bearing gifts.

For me there was a Maasai beaded bracelet and for the Frog there was a shuka, the Maasai garment known as the "African blanket".   There was also a very nice bag

Gifts from Africa Dream Safari

The “Maasai” are a semi-nomadic people of East Africa.   Although there are more than 100 distinct ethnic groups and tribes in Tanzania, the Maasai are probably the most recognizable to Westerners. They are world renowned for their brightly colored shukas (traditional cloth garments), distinctive beaded jewellery, fearless cohabitation with the Big Five, as well as their ability to jump incredibly high.  All of that is pretty common knowledge from American TV, but I tried to find out a bit more about these particular items.

Maasai bracelet.  Almost all Maasai bead work has symbolism embedded in the colors and shapes.  I could find the meaning of the colors on the web, but I was reluctant to assign any of those meanings to jewelry which was specifically designed for tourists.  Whether it has a specific symbolism or not, it definitely has the "look" of Maasai beaded jewelry done with the tiny beads of brilliant colors.

Maasai shuka.  I normally associate the Maasai with bright red garments or shukas.  We saw many Maasai wearing such garments in different parts of Tanzania including normal day-to-day activities such as tending their cattle.  These are not "costumes" but what they actually wear.

The Frog with our escort back to the room after dinner at Maramboi Tented Lodge.  We had to have escorts at all of the camps after dark because of the real possibility of encountering wild animals.  However, not all of the guards were from the Maasai tribe.  At Mara River Camp the guard carried a bow and arrow instead of a staff and dressed differently.  He was a member of a different tribe.

However, their shukas can have a variety of patterns and colors.  According to this site, the origin of these brightly colored garments is not entirely clear since they traditionally wore animal skins. 

One explanation is that the Maasai cloth was brought in by Scottish missionaries during the colonial era. This sounds like a logical explanation since shuka cloth does often resemble Scottish plaid or tartan patterns.  That certainly seemed true for the Frog's shuka.  

According to the same website, shuka cloth today is usually manufactured elsewhere including China.   Apparently the Frog's gift of a commercially made shuka packaged in plastic is exactly how a modern day member of the Maasai tribe would buy one for himself.  Who knew?

Tour of Arusha.  After getting our gifts and receiving a short orientation about what to do and not to do while on safari, (mostly stay in the vehicle) Joseph drove us through some of the outskirts of the city.  Arusha is a city of over 600,000.  It is known as both an international diplomatic hub and also the jumping off point for safaris in northern Tanzania.  He showed us how people of very different socioeconomic levels lived adjacent to one another in mixed neighborhoods.

Clock Tower.  We then drove to the center of the city to see several of the usual tourist sites.  First was the Clock Tower.

Clock Tower in traffic circle in central Arusha.

The British had originally hoped to build a road from Cairo to Cape Town which would help unify their territories along the east coast of the African continent.  The clock tower is said to represent what would have been the mid-point of that road.  However, the road was not completed before the end of British colonial rule.  Arusha is probably not the midpoint for the road as it was eventually built.  In any case, it is still an iconic landmark in central Arusha.  It was interesting to think about being halfway between Cairo and Cape Town as we are driving around the traffic circle.

Arusha Declaration Monument.  We also passed by another monument,  the Arusha Declaration Monument.  I am not sure I understand all of its significance, but at least from Joseph's brief comments it seems to be a source of national pride.

The Arusha Declaration Monument

Sights on the street.  We continued to wind our way through the streets, which were a mix of cars, motorcycles, pedestrians, and various handcarts loaded with goods.  I originally shot the picture below to show the hand cart that the men were using and the deep drainage ditch at the side of the road.  At least here there was a curb.  In some locations there was no curb, just the deep drop off.

As I was taking the picture through the window of the van, a motorcycle darted by us.  That was not unusual, nor was the fact that he was carrying something large.  It was only after I looked at the picture after returning home that I realized the "large object" was a gas cylinder.  I can't help but think of all the many times I reminded my students to always always make sure there was a cap covering the valve whenever they moved a cylinder.  I didn't want them to accidentally break off the valve and turn it into a giant missile.  Not in my wildest dreams could I have ever envisioned moving a gas cylinder--without a cap no less--on the back of a motorcycle.

Motorcycles were common on the streets, often carrying large loads.  However I was shocked to see him carrying a gas cylinder on the back.

We later commented to our guide that motorcyclists in many parts of the U.S. are required to wear helmets.  He said they are also required to wear them in Tanzania also, but it is not enforced so at least half of the riders (his estimate) don't wear them.

I liked the next picture because I finally got a shot of a woman carrying an item on her head.  We saw them doing it everywhere. We even saw them occasionally carrying suitcases for guests that way at the Coffee Lodge.  It only seemed to be women.  I never saw a man carrying anything on his head.  I was so impressed by how well they could balance heavy loads.  They never seemed to need to steady the load with their hands.  In fact I saw one woman walking along the road with a very large load on her head, which freed her hands so she could talk on her cell phone.  I asked our guide how the women learned to do it.  He said they start very young and it just becomes second nature.

Arusha Central Market.  The real highlight of the morning, at least for me, was a trip to the Central Market.  Although there are smaller markets spread through the city, this is the large market in the center of town.

I had initially been a bit apprehensive about a walking tour through the market based on warnings in some of the guidebooks about potential pickpockets.  However, as Africa Dream Safaris had set it up, I felt completely safe.  We had a special guide just for the market.  He led the way, while Joseph brought up the rear.  Joseph had warned us ahead of time to only take pictures with our cell phones, but that was more than sufficient for this.

Fruits and vegetables.  There were fruits and vegetables of every imaginable kind.

Note the small bananas in the lower right hand corner of the picture below.  I wish we had those here.  We had them multiple times in our box lunches later in the week.  They were more the proportion size I prefer and seemed to taste just like what I think of as a normal banana.

The guide was pointing out a lot of things as we wound through the narrow aisles, but I have either forgotten most of what he said or did not hear the first time.

I was really impressed by the size and quality of the produce.  Both Joseph and the guide said that was due to the very rich volcanic soil of the region.

Wow, they are enormous

There seemed to be every kind of bean you could ever want.

Monkey bread.  Of course I had to ask what were those large things hanging above our head.  The guide explained they are known as monkey bread, the fruit from the baobab tree.  We saw baobab trees much later in our trip while in Tarangire National Park, but those trees were all bare since we were at the end of the dry season.

Monkey bread, the fruit from the baobab tree

Inside the hard skin of the baobab fruit is a white, sweet and sour tasting pulp that can be eaten straight, or drunk as a juice by soaking the pulp in water. A light drink made with sugar and water reportedly tastes like a pear-flavored lemonade.  

This site claims the pulp has six times more vitamin C than an orange, 50 percent more calcium than spinach, and plenty of flavor to add to many recipes.  It can also be easily dried and ground into a powder.  I was surprised to find out that the powder is now being touted in the U.S. and Europe as a super food and is available on Amazon.

I am pretty sure the cream colored chunky pieces in the center bag are the pulp from the monkey bread.

Not just fruits and vegetables.  The market had lots more than just fruits and vegetables.  We saw a huge mound of sardines.

Sardines

I think this woman was sealing sardines into individual plastic packets.  I was intrigued by the fact that she was doing it with a candle.

Sealing small plastic bags of sardines, some of which are piled on her right.  I think the brown things in the foreground are something else.

There was also a butcher shop. I don't know what the meat was, but lamb seemed pretty common at our meals when we were at the camps on safari.

Butcher shop at the market

They were even grilling some of the meat.  We did not buy any of the meat, raw or grilled.

Grilling some of the meat

Nor did we buy any of the many live chickens

Lots pf chickens with roosters that kept crowing

Spices.  However we did buy some spices from one of the vendors who was obviously a friend of the guide.  I don't know his real name, but he was introduced to us as Mr. Spice Man.

Mr. Spice Man

I did not ask where the spices originated, but I assumed Zanzibar.  Known as the "Spice Island", Zanzibar is actually part of Tanzania.  Historically it played a strategic role in the Spice Route, due to both to its geographical location off the coast of east Africa and its spice production.  The island specialized in the cultivation of cloves, becoming the world's largest producer in the 19th century.  According to wiki they are now a distant third to Indonesia, but still produce 7% of the world's cloves. Zanzibar has also been known for cinnamon and nutmeg.  I bought some ground cinnamon and some unground cloves.  I am not sure why I did not get any nutmeg.  For whatever reason it did not come to mind, probably because he was pushing so many other things.  In any case I am thinking I might be able to use the cloves and the cinnamon in pumpkin pie or some other goodies this Thanksgiving or Christmas.

By the way, I asked him if he knew where his shirt came from.  I tried to explain to him that it was from a university in Pennsylvania, a part of the U.S.  He had no idea.  He said he bought it at the second hand store because he liked the lion.  

Arusha Cultural Heritage Centre.  Next stop was the Arusha Cultural Heritage Centre.  It is a privately run art gallery.  Unfortunately it was getting late and we were both getting quite hungry.  We were also worried that we would miss the end of lunch at the Coffee Lodge.  We were also given no indication of what there was to see, so we ended up not staying very long.  Now seeing more info since arriving home, it is clear we barely scratched the surface of what there was to see.

Arusha Cultural Heritage Centre (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Arusha_Cultural_Heritage_Centre.jpg)

Tanzanite.  We did see a couple of things.  The owner talked to us about and showed us samples of tanzanite.   Tanzanite is a blue and violet gemstone found only in a tiny area (4.3 miles x 1.2 miles) near Kilimanjaro International Airport.  Interestingly it shows strong trichromism, meaning it appears either blue, violet, or burgundy depending on the orientation of the crystal.  Because of high demand and only one known location in the world where it is found, some predict the supply will be exhausted in a few decades. 

Ebony Carvings. The one thing I did hope to see even before leaving for Africa was some of the carvings from ebony.  Ebony is an extremely dense black hardwood.  It has been used to make intricate carvings for centuries, despite how difficult it is to work with due to its hardness.  Many such carvings are small, but the Cultural Heritage Centre has some of the largest and most intricate in the world.  I did not take many pictures, but some large carvings are in the background behind the musicians below.

Musicians outside the main entrance of the Cultural Heritage Centre.  There are some large sculptures in the background.

We also saw where a craft person had been working on a sculpture.  Unfortunately he was not there at the time  It was still interesting to see the simple tools used to create these beautiful carvings.

Wish we could have seen the sculptor working on this piece.

Of course I loved the large sculpture of the wildebeest crossing the river in the background.  I am still in awe at how sculptors can create something like this out of a piece of wood with just some simple tools.

Wildebeest crossing the river.

It was now nearly mid-afternoon and we were starving.  We returned to the Coffee Lodge to enjoy another buffet lunch in the garden under the shade trees. We spent the rest of the day relaxing in an attempt to shake off the still lingering jet lag, repacking in preparation for the flight to Serengeti National Park, and of course eating dinner.  A major theme of this trip so far had been all of the outstanding food.  

We turned in early.  Joseph promised he would pick us up bright and early the following morning for the trip to nearby Arusha Airport and the beginning of our safari.  That is the topic of the next post.

Africa Trip 2024 -- Day 1, First Day in Arusha

  

[This is post #3 of what will be multiple posts about our 2024 trip to Africa. To go to the first post in the series CLICK HERE.] 

After our 5+ hour flight from Doha, we landed at Kilimanjaro International Airport at about 7:30 am Tuesday, September 10. 

When first looking at the possible flights I was a little surprised that Tanzania was still more than 5 hours from Qatar.  Africa is huge and much larger than apparent from most common maps that use the Mercator projection which projects (and hence distorts) the round surface of the earth onto a flat map.  It exaggerates the size of countries nearer the poles (such as the US), while downplaying the size of those near the equator (Africa).

Here is what is supposedly the true size of the U.S. relative to Africa.

The true size of the continental U.S. vs the true size of Africa.  The tip of Maine is touching Qatar.  The southernmost point of Texas is almost touching the northern border of Tanzania. (From https://s3.amazonaws.com/thetruesize.com/mockup.html#?borders=1~!MTU3NTY0Njk.NDU0NTE1Ng*MzE0MTk4OTM(NjA3MjIzNg~!CONTIGUOUS_US*MTAwMjQwNzU.MjUwMjM1MTc(MTc1)MA~!IN*NTI2NDA1MQ.Nzg2MzQyMQ)MQ~!CN*OTkyMTY5Nw.NzMxNDcwNQ(MjI1)Mg)

 

BTW  In case recent travelers to Greenland would like to know, Greenland appears to be roughly the same size as Africa on maps using the Mercator projection. In reality, Greenland is 0.8 million sq. miles and Africa is 11.6 million sq. miles, nearly 14 and a half times larger.

Unfortunately the weather when we landed was overcast so we could not see nearby Mount Kilimanjaro, however that was the only slightly disappointing aspect of our arrival.  Everything else was fantastic.

We walked down the staircase from the plane and across the tarmac where we were met by the super friendly Africa Dream Safari representatives.  They whisked us through the terminal and out another door, down the tarmac, and into a separate small building, the VIP reception area.  Africa Dream Safaris is apparently one of only a small handful of safari companies that can use the VIP service.

The VIP area had its own screening machine for our carry-on luggage.  There was no waiting because we were the only ones there.  We barely sat down on the overstuffed couch and took a sip of the drinks offered to us when we were ushered into a small office, the dedicated customs officer.  He looked at our visas and passports, asked a couple of questions, and we were good to go.  While all of this was going on, someone else retrieved our checked bag.  They then ushered us into an Africa Dream Safaris van standing outside the door and we were off.  It all happened so fast I am not sure how long it took, but I am guessing 15 minutes.  There is no doubt in my mind many people from our flight were still standing in line in the terminal.

We were then off to our hotel, Arusha.Coffee Lodge.  According to the map, it is about 73 km or 45 miles.  However I never saw distances between sites in Tanzania listed in km or miles in any literature, always time.  It was about a 90 minute trip from the airport (east of Arusha) to the Coffee Lodge (west side of Arusha).

Here is a picture through the windshield of the van as we passed through one of the many villages along the way.  There are multiple things to note.

• Driving is on the left side.  I never did quite get used to that.
• The road is paved.  Most roads in Tanzania are not.
• Even though this is one of the few major roads, it is only a two lane road.  Plans to widen the road may be coming soon based on a major loan from Japan in 2022.  That would be a huge improvement because lots of very slow truck traffic kept the road at a snail's pace much of the way.
• Gas, at least at this station, was 3198 Tanzanian Schillings per liter or $1.17 per liter.  That would be $4.44 per gallon--definitely expensive by Texas standards.
  
• Just ahead is what looks like a crosswalk, but is also one of the many road bumps.
• Although only a few in this picture, there were motorcycles everywhere.  They used them to transport almost everything, including quite large items.  They are also a common means of public transportation.  We saw many young men sitting on them near intersections waiting for a possible customer.  Used in this way they are called boda bodas.  The motorcycles nominally drove on the far left next to the shoulder, but they tended to weave in and out of traffic and do all sorts of strange maneuvers.

Another means of public transportation not seen in the photo above is the slower but safer tuk tuk.  Built around a motorcycle, it has two wheels in the back where up to three people ride behind the driver.

Tuk tuk on the main road nearing Arusha

Arusha Coffee Lodge.  It was not long before we made it to our hotel, the Arusha Coffee Lodge.  It was fabulous and stood in stark contrast to the countryside through which we had just driven.  In almost every way it seemed like a throw back to colonial Africa.

Main entrance to the lodge on the left, restaurant straight ahead.  The outdoor luncheon buffet was behind these buildings under the trees. ( https://www.elewanacollection.com/arusha-coffee-lodge/photo-gallery)

 

Located within one of Tanzania's largest coffee plantations that dates back to the early 1900's, the hotel consists of 30 cottages spread out among the evergreen coffee plants under the shade of tall trees.

The paths wind through the coffee plants to the individual guest cottages.  The leafy plant on the left is a coffee plant.  They are kept relatively short to accommodate hand picking of the beans. Almost everything is in the shade of old growth trees.  (https://www.elewanacollection.com/arusha-coffee-lodge/photo-gallery)

Our cottage was huge.  

Cottage #3, our home for two days.  The couch in the foreground faces large doors that open onto a patio with outside seating.

 The bathroom wasn't too shabby either.

Bathroom in our cottage

One of the nice things about staying here while trying to work through our jet lag after such a long flight was the opportunity to explore several things on site at our own pace without the need for an Africa Dream Safari guide.  

Coffee Tour.  One of the things I had been looking forward to here was the coffee tour.  We were escorted by the very knowledgeable guide with one other couple.

Although out of season, this small group of coffee plants were in bloom.

Coffee blossoms with a Mother of Pearl butterfly

A few out of focus coffee beans

He showed us the cut trunks at the base of the plants.  They cut back the plant near the base every seven years and allow it to grow back from the roots.  They could do this up to seven times, so any plant could be growing on roots that were up to 56 years old.  We also saw multiple termite mounds.  To control these, they periodically brought in aardvarks.  We had to be careful not to step into the large holes the aardvarks created to go after the termites.

After a very detailed  tour outside, we went inside for a roasting demo.  Our guide actually roasted the beans in the small roaster on the counter.  Periodically he pulled out the beans and allowed us to smell them.  Even with my terrible sense of smell I could notice the difference after only a few minutes.

Roasting the beans

He had a full display of the different "roasts".  This wiki article explains many of the characteristics of each roast and labels them in terms of temperature.  What I did not realize was that it was primarily just how long the roast was allowed to proceed since the temperature increases with time.  All the various roasts are from the same batch of beans, just longer roasting time.  From start to the finish of the longest roast was only about 10 minutes.

 

We did not stay to taste any of the coffee since I was having a serious allergic reaction to something.  My eyes and nose would not sop running.  We still got to see and learn a lot.

Shanga.   The Coffee Lodge had a number of shops on their property that were also interesting to explore.

However by far the most interesting and unique were the Shanga workshops.  Shanga, the Swahili word for bead, is a self-sustaining enterprise that trains and employs people with disabilities to produce creative products.  The activities include weaving, glass blowing, beading, paper making and metal work, using recycled materials whenever possible.  These products are then sold in the gift shop on site and also around the world.  Having started with one individual in 2007, Shanga currently employs 34 disabled crafts people.  The disabilities include physical disabilities, the deaf, and the blind.  As noted on their webpage,  Shanga’s aim is not only to provide employment opportunities to those that need them most but also to remove the stigma that people with disabilities often face in East Africa.

The various workshops are located around a central courtyard.  We visited twice, but unfortunately there were not a lot of people working while we were there.  We did see a large group doing bead work, and several individuals doing glassblowing.  

Shanga courtyard.  The tree is decorated with necklaces made from glass beads.

 

We were intrigued by the bicycle parts incorporated into the spinning wheels.

 I did find a bead bracelet that I liked and a metal and fabric Christmas tree ornament.

 

Christmas tree ornament and bead bracelet.  As an unexpected bonus, the bracelet came in a really nice cloth pouch.

Walker, Texas Ranger.  We spent some time talking to the greeter/host/interpreter working in the Shanga courtyard.  He asked us where we were from.  United States.  Then we asked him if he had heard of Texas.  His eye lit up and said "Oh, yes!  Chuck Norris is my favorite actor!"  Apparently Walker, Texas Ranger is a popular TV show in Tanzania.  He was the first of several people we encountered who had the exact same reaction.  

Everything had been great and the people were so so friendly.  Anytime we encountered staff even walking the grounds they always greeted us with a smile and a "Jambo Jambo".  I especially appreciated the desk clerk at the hotel who found some anti-histamines for my allergy reaction when I asked for the location of a pharmacy.  It was an incredible first day in Africa.