Travel Days (Sat 7/18 - Mon 7/20)

We left HBOI promptly at 2 am for our ride to Ft. Lauderdale airport, and I slept the whole 2 hour drive, and 3 hour flight to JFK. After a very short layover--really just the time it took to get from baggage claim to the international terminal, and go back through security, we boarded our 12 hour flight to Dubai. All things considered, it wasn't so bad. Emirates airline had really good food, for airplane food, and built in media panels to the back of every seat, with on demand movies, tv shows, and games. I slept, read my book--In Cold Blood, by Truman Capote--and watched Aliens vs. Monsters and some tv.

Sunrise in the airplane over Tehran

We had about 2 hours once we landed in Dubai before our next flight on Monday morning, and we wandered around the Duty Free shops. There really are Starbucks's everywhere. It was a shame that it was really smoggy/hazy on the way into Dubai because I would have liked to see the manmade and fun-shaped islands off the coast. But I got a glimpse of the city, and from the air it could have been any US city--skyscrapers and suburban houses.

Starbucks: They really are everywhere

Swine flu warning poster in the Dubai Airport

We landed in Dar es Salaam around 3 pm, and met up with the Tanzania coordinators, including Harrison, who had left a day early to set things up, and Liz and Deanna, grad students at UC Davis who were with us for a little while at White Oak.

We made it to Tanzania!

We drove to our hotel, only a few km away from the airport, but almost a 30 minute drive with all the crazy (opposite side of the road) traffic. On the way, we drove through the area Harrison described as "one of the most dangerous places" in Dar, and where the "squatters" live. There were shelters built from tin pieces and wood, and some makeshift shops and lots and lots of people along the roadside, and in the road itself, selling bits and pieces of clothing, materials, and food. One thing that struck me was the sheer number of people around. The streets and the area around them that served as sidewalks were packed with people, whether walking, selling or transporting goods, waiting for buses, or simply sitting on the ground. We eventually got to the hotel, the Landmark Hotel, which was really nice--hot water for a much needed shower, cell phone service, and a delicious Tanzanian buffet. What with the jet lag, I headed to bed right after dinner, especially since we have to be up and on the move at 7 am tomorrow.

The view from my window in the Landmark Hotel in Dar