a three hour drive through the bush to the border with tanzania for a reasonably quick crossing,just the normal trailing from counter to counter,fingerprinting and multiple papers being stamped. We had our first view of mount kilimanjaro peeking out above the clouds in the distance just a bit of ice at the summit. We dropped down into a vast open arid plain and drove along an excellent paved road passing the occasional masai shepherd and small settlements. the houses/huts looked much better built and maintained than in kenya and the absence of litter was remarkable. our guide phil said saturday is the day people are supposed to clean up their villagers and we saw some people doing just that. there were plenty of people walking purposefully about and we passed two markets where cattle was being auctioned and women selling their produce. as we approached mount meru,which dominates the area the landscape became more verdant with crops and trees,particularly bougainvillea and jacaranda planted by the original colonial powers,germany. we arrived into arusha,the hub for tourists exploring northern tanzania in time for lunch and a cold beer. in the evening we met our fellow travellers for the part of our safari. they had all just completed a gruelling 6 day trek to the top of kilimanjaro.