Dar Express

After climbing Mt.Kilimanjaro, MJ and I decided that the following day would be a great time to figure out our plans for our stay in Zanzibar. We started our morning bright and early with a dalla dalla  trip down to the center of Arusha. After breakfast, we wanted to book our flight to Zanzibar but quickly realized everything was either full or out of our student budget so we made our way to the bus station to attempt finding a bus from Arusha to Dar Es Salaam.

Initially we had no luck. All the companies were booked for the day. Luckily a woman working at DarExpress said there was a bus coming from Nairobi that could swing by and pick us up. She told us to go get our bags and come back in one hour and she would see what she could do for us.

We made our way back to the hostel, packed in 10 minutes and said our goodbyes to our friends and made our

way back to the station. Upon our arrival, the kind lady working at the station said she had managed to get us on the bus coming from Nairobi. We were so happy to hear that everything worked out. We didn't know what conditions we would be travelling in but we did know we were in for a 10-11 hour ride. 

I have travelled with many different bus companies in North America and Europe but I was incredibly impressed with the bus that picked us up. We had comfortable seats with leg room, air conditioning and TVs to watch movies in both English and Swahili. 

Although it was a long ride, it was pleasant, we felt safe and once we arrived in the bustling city of Dar Es Salaam, we quickly got in a taxi to our hotel by the marina. 

Our 20 dollar bus ride from Arusha had amazing service, including even snacks and Fanta during the ride. I would recommend this company if you're looking to travel from Arusha to Dar Es Salaam. It was a great experience making our way to our final destination, Zanzibar Archipelago!  

African Beauty Parlour

On my way back from Mount Kilimanjaro, I decided it was a great idea to get my hair braided like the African women I admired so much. Luckily my friend Kirsten had a friend that owned a beauty parlour down the hill of our hostel. So I showered up, ate some amazing pizza and made my way to Shalom Beauty Salon.

It is such an experience getting your hair braided here. Women are gossiping and listening to Swahili radio, it is such a fun environment to be in. We managed to share a lot of laugh and a little conversation. I think this might have been one of my favourite moments so

far here in Africa. It's not another tourist or sightseeing moment, it is just a regular gather of women getting their hair done. And I love it.