Downtown ArushaThe streets of downtown Arusha are generally crowded with pedestrians. Most people walk in the street (the sidewalks are obstructed by vendors). The commercial buildings are mostly one and two stories, with an occasional three or four story building. The Lutheran Mission Cooperation, where Dan works, is on the third floor of one of these buildings. Dotted in the landscape are a few high-rise hotels catering to the tourist trade. Tourism is the major industry in town, with safaris to Tarangire NP, Lake Manyara, Serengeti NP, Ngorongoro Conservation Area and Olduvai Gorge. Mountain climbing is also offered for Mts. Meru and Kilimanjaro. The recent global economic recession and unrest is keenly felt here. Commerce, however, is not confined to the buildings. Shops are generally small, but you can get most anything you need, including cell phones, money exchanged, clothing, pharmaceuticals (no prescriptions needed), or computers (sorry, no Macintosh dealers). If you find a fabric you like a shop will take your measurements and make you a shirt or a dress (any style) in two days. Vendors are not confined to the downtown market. Vendors often come to the front gate of the house to display wares . We have bought baskets, beaded necklaces, and batiks in this way. Milk is delivered daily fresh from a neighbor's cow (then boiled before using). Commerce is not the only thing going on in town. The United Nations War Crimes High Tribunal has a delegation here conducting Rwandan war crimes trials. The front of their building proudly proclaims " The Geneva of Africa". According to an article I read in the Arusha newspaper the UN is also trying to negotiate a cease fire or truce between the warring parties in Rwanda and Uganda. We sincerely hope they are successful.
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Turn
a corner and you may find a street with a large area that looks
like a flea market. Here you can browse for shoes, twine (in bulk),
or farm produce. If you nose into a parking place you will be approached
by several vendors offering different things . Outside a meat store
it may be bananas, oranges, or eggs (something not sold in the store).
Outside a clothing shop it may be hats or accessories. Parking is
free for the first 5 minutes. After that an attendant will approach
your car and write you a ticket for a parking fee, an hour or a
day (depending on what you pay), good anywhere in town. There are
no parking meters, only attendants.