ARUSHA xxxxxxxxxAt the base of Mt. Meru you find Arusha, the beginning and ending point for most people who safari into the Serengeti. It's easy to arrange a tour upon arrival and there are plenty of people on the street too willing to assist. I recommend Safari Makers. I didn't find a lot to do in Arusha, but the place did have nice restaurants (my favorite an Ethiopian place called Spices and Herbs.)

I traveled in the very bottom of the tourist season. Souvenir sellers were desperate -- and rather insistent. So, I didn't walk much in Arusha. I relaxed at the Catholic Archdiocese Guest House, watching monkeys climbing in the trees.

It was dark in Arusha at 5:45 A.M. when I had to get a flight out of Tanzania. Both the travel agent and the sister who ran the guesthouse said it was not safe to walk alone before dawn. So, the guesthouse security guard walked me to the shuttle. It was the first time I had ever been protected by anyone armed with a bow and arrow. Nobody attacked us on the bridge (the most dangerous place on the walk) and I must say it had happened to me before on bridges in Africa.