Breakfast this morning was a hotel buffet, which we haven’t had since Turkey. It was nice to have some variety compare to our Airbnb go-to of granola and fruit.

From there, our travel day was full of minor annoyances. I would list them but they are boring. They all fall under the category I have already written about when it comes to Kenya: brittle and inefficient systems. Lots of processes that either don’t make sense, or straight up don’t work.

After all the friction it was a relief to finally board the plane. It was the smallest plane we’ve been on yet (2 seats on either side of the aisle) and I was proud that all our stuff fit under the seats and in the tiny overheads. Even with all Millie’s toys and accessories, we are traveling so light.

It was a short 50-minute flight into Kilimanjaro airport. The highlight was flying right by the mountain which was peeking (peaking? both work here I think, so suck it spelling police) through the clouds.

We landed and went to pick up our rental car. The guys giving it to us kept telling us all the ways they could overcharge us. When we finally got through with all the confusing paperwork, we set off. Everything in the car is in Japanese and the alignment is off.

As we drove away from the airport, Nick looked at me and jokingly said “What is wrong with us? Why do we do this to ourselves? Why aren’t we just on a tour like all the other Americans?” He is not wrong. Our whole day was annoying, but it’s also part of the experience.

The one hour drive to the town of Moshi was pleasant. The environment here feels much more tropical. Everything is very green and the plants are beautiful. It feels kind of like Hawaii.

Kids were getting out of school and we loved all the sweaters with stripes that match the Tanzanian flag. We saw Mt. Kilimanjaro for the second time in a roundabout.

We checked into our Airbnb. It has a cute outdoor kitchen, fire pit, and pool. $100/night goes a long way here.

We couldn’t stand to be in a vehicle again so we found a restaurant 15 minutes away to walk to. Us three white people walking through the outskirts of Moshi probably looked strange, but it felt safe. Millie didn’t bat an eye.

We got to the restaurant and it was so empty that we wondered if we had just walked into a private residence. But we saw the list of specials and a kind server sat us and took our drink orders. We then had one of the best meals we’ve had yet. We didn’t know ahead of time but it’s a vegetarian restaurant that trains young people to be in the hospitality industry. We had sweet cabbage dumplings, coconut and bean curry, fresh flaky chapati bread, beet hummus, roasted cauliflower, fresh pita, chickpea kofte, and more. Nick and I sampled the local beers.

Everything was so good that we even ordered dessert, which is something we rarely do. Millie couldn’t believe her luck. We scarfed down the chocolate cake and mango sorbet. The total for our whole feast? $30.

We walked back in the dark which felt slightly less safe but was quick. Based on our great dinner and the kindness of the few Tanzanians we have met so far, I’m excited to learn more about this place in the coming days.