East Africa and Qatar Travel (Part 4)
From Lounges to Landscapes
Just before midnight on Thursday, June 1st, I found myself wandering Doha’s Hamad International Airport, hoping to slip into an Al Maha lounge for a cup of hot tea and a pastry, only to discover that every one of them was full. By full, I don’t mean that all the seats were taken. I walked from Concourse A to B to C to D to E and back again.
There are 17 lounges in the airport, but only a few accept my priority pass. By the time I found one for which I was eligible, I was zombie tired. “May I help you?” the clerk inquired sweetly. “Yes, thank you. I have a priority pass…” She interrupted. “I’m terribly sorry, but you’ll need an appointment, and there are none available. Would you like to reserve for breakfast?” “No, thank you,” I said. “Is there another lounge that might be available now?” She directed me to a lounge in another concourse, a location that was very, very far away.
The Doha airport is no ordinary airport. When I visited in 2023, it was the #2 busiest airport in the world. However, by 2024, it had surpassed Singapore Airport to become the #1 airport, capable of handling up to 65 million passengers annually. I walked to the end of beyond. “May I help you?” said the clerk. “Yes, I’m a Priority Pass member and I’m hoping to have a drink and a snack,” I smiled and continued,
“I’ve just walked a long way, and am so happy to see that you have plenty of seating.” “Madam, we are completely occupied.”
Well, that was not what I was hoping to hear. It was late (or should I say early); I was plum tuckered out and still unfed. I hoofed it back to the other lounge, which just happened to be close to the Oryx (my hotel), and made an appointment for 4:00 am, then walked trance-like to my hotel room, where I set the alarm, took a shower, put on clean clothes, and went to bed fully dressed. Fell asleep, as they say, before my head hit the pillow.
Waking up at 3:45, I made my way to the lounge, where the aroma of fresh coffee – from espresso to Americano to cappuccino to plain coffee greeted me. The lounge was already crowded. The full menu had not yet been laid out, but I gathered a modest breakfast, a croissant with cheese and strawberry jam, a tiny omelet, one black olive, one green olive, and a small bowl of what tasted like bean soup – simple, nourishing, and a refreshing way to start another long day of travel.
Before heading to Gate 33 for my flight to Dar es Salaam and then onward to Kilimanjaro, Tanzania, I browsed the Duty-Free shops and picked up dates filled with almonds – a sweet, chewy luxury bought for my mother. The temptation was too great, and those dates never made it back to Bluffton. Sorry mom.
On the bus shuttle to the gate, I struck up a conversation with two eye surgeons from London. The younger of the two offered me his seat, while his colleague, Rita, shared that she’d spent the past thirteen years doing medical missionary work in Dar es Salaam. When another passenger asked whether it was truly necessary to take medication to prevent malaria, Rita didn’t mince words. She firmly corrected the misconception that malaria was no longer a problem, pointed out where to purchase anti-malarial drugs, and delivered a sobering lecture on the dangers of the disease.
Once on the plane, I found myself in a window seat. In the coveted aisle seat sat a man from India, and between us, a traveler from Japan. I noticed there was a diverse array of nationalities on the plane, including the flight attendant from Thailand. One of the best parts of my East African adventure was the frequent exposure to a colorful tapestry of languages and cultures.
Finally arrived in Kilimanjaro, after two full days of travel, at 5:00 pm on Thursday. The fatigue was intense, but so was the excitement. Witress Emmanuel, owner of Namaste Safaris, picked me up at the airport. The drive from there to the Kibo Palace Hotel in Arusha, Tanzania, wasn’t long, but it had taken over two hours to process out of the airport; consequently, dinner didn’t happen until after 8:00 pm.
Day 4 – Friday, June 2nd
The day began far too early. Wide awake by 3:30, breakfast at 7:00, and a prompt departure at 8:00.
We traveled by Jeep through the Arusha Region, located in northern Tanzania and home to approximately 1.5 million residents and 120+ indigenous ethnic groups. The area is named after the Waarusha people—a group of Pare origin who settled near Mount Meru in the 19th century. Though they adopted many Maasai customs and speak the Maa language, the Waarusha are primarily agriculturalists, unlike the semi-nomadic Maasai herdsman.
Tanzania is an enchanting country, divided into over thirty regions, each with its own rich tapestry of cultural identities. While in Arusha, I learned about a few of the ethnic groups, including Witress’s tribe, the Meru, who live on the southeastern slopes of Mount Meru. They are known for cultivating coffee, bananas, maize, and beans. Witress also introduced us to the Chagga people from the Kilimanjaro area, an agricultural tribe, but mostly famous for being business-savvy, prosperous, and well-educated. And, then there are the Maasai, famed for their pastoral traditions and vibrant cultural heritage, known for colorful, intricate beadwork, their deep connection to cattle and the land, and, as I would later witness, for the Adumu, the jumping dance, where the Maasai men each try to outjump one another – the highest jumpers being considered the most manly and attractive to Maasai women.
A few weeks into our safari, one of our drivers told us, “I don’t need to jump high.” We asked, “Why not?” He threw his head back with a laugh and replied, “I just need chocolate, and then all of the women love me the most!”
It was explained to us that each ethnic group contributes uniquely to Tanzania’s economy and cultural mosaic, whether through farming, livestock, crafts, or traditional knowledge. The diversity here is not just geographical—it’s deeply woven into everyday life. If I understood correctly, all of the many tribes have strong connections and inter-dependencies that create a perfectly harmonious economy, each tribe concentrating on whatever they do best for the benefit of all.
Tanzania has a complicated history with many twists and turns. At present it is a republic with a mainland and offshore islands. Formerly known as Tanganyika, it united with Zanzibar in 1964 to form a single nation. The name ‘Tanzania’ blends ‘Tanganyika’ and ‘Zanzibar’ with the suffix ‘-ia,’ which means unity.”
As our Jeep cruised along the highway, Witress—our guide with a keen eye for local detail—gestured toward clusters of Maasai huts nestled in the landscape. Each hut, he explained, represents a wife. The largest groupings marked the homes of men with many wives; a status symbol proudly displayed for our modern eyes. As tribes become more contemporary, homes with tin roofs are becoming more commonplace, and I forgot to ask if each wife gets a tin roof house or has to live in a nearby hut. I felt fortunate not only to see but also to spend time inside their traditional dwellings, called manyattas, made of a mixture of mud and cow dung, some ash, and sometimes a bit of human urine, with a roof made from grass, reeds, or branches plastered together with dung for waterproofing.
We learned that children as young as three are responsible for herding goats and cattle. Along the drive, the landscape on each side of the road was fascinating. We saw large termite mounds, masses of morning glories, and strong-looking Maasai men draped in brilliant red plaid Shukas, their presence striking against the sunlit plains. Environmental challenges were evident, caused by a succession of years-long droughts followed by rains so heavy that precious topsoil washed away, carving deep gullies into the land.
Witress took us to a village for a delicious lunch before driving on to show us his expansive farm, where he grows mostly sunflowers and kidney beans. As the daylight began to fade, we met the able-bodied guardians hired by Witress who camp overnight to protect the crops. I would not want to be a trespasser while they were on duty.
On the way back to the Kibo Palace Hotel, we enjoyed seeing zebra, elephants, and beautiful birds, including the gorgeous Superb Starling and the Ring-Necked Crow, just a few of hundreds of birds and animals Witress would point out to us over the next month. Agave plants dotted the terrain, their spiky silhouettes catching the late afternoon light. Our journey had only just started, but it was already rich in discoveries and encounters. Awe-inspiring, and only the beginning.
Tamela is a proofreader and book editor; she hosts paint parties for adults, art and drama camp for kids, and is the art teacher at May River Montessori. www.tamelamaxim.com www.artposseproductions.com
