Being scammed in Tanzania

Our first impressions of Tanzania weren’t great. After being fleeced again for a visa (another US$50 for me and free for Bhav) we were fleeced for the minivan ride to Mbeya, from where we planned to catch the train or bus to Dar es Salaam. The “bus company employees” that hoarded around us at the bus station also tried to fleece us but it wasn’t until we took a minivan to the train station (a surprisingly attractive art deco building) that Bhav had her shoes stolen (she was wearing my Nepalese flip-flops) and someone tried to pickpocket my wallet. It was either that journey or the one back (having discovered that the train was delayed by over 24 hours) that Bhav had her mobile phone stolen from her bag.

In the end we decided to get to Dar by minibus. During the 3 hours we had to wait for it to fill up with customers I decided to get off and buy a drink for the journey. Upon returning to the bus I discovered it had dissapeared. Fortunately it returned less than 10 minutes laters but Bhav and I were no doubt the source of much amusement for our reactions to it driving off.