OMAR the Taxi Driver

Suffice to say I’ve never met one like him in the States. But when we had a free day at the end of the safari and wanted to explore the area around the city of Arusha before flying home, we called for a taxi to drive us around. We thought we just needed a ride to our first destination, but Omar, the driver, took one look at us and knew we needed much more than that. We needed (again!) a guide… someone who knew the area, what we should see, where we should go… and someone who would be willing to take us there! He offered to be that guy, and negotiated a price with my son for his services to us for the entire day. It worked out well for all involved!

Maybe it was because our first stop was to a nearby ATM machine that he guessed we’d need a place to spend the money we took out, so he offered to take us to a shopping center where local craftsmen sold their wares. He parked the car, settled in, and told us to take our time, he’d wait for us while we shopped. And what an amazing marketplace it turned out to be… a huge building, filled in its entirety with tiny shops, open-door stalls, really, maybe six feet wide and twice as deep, every inch of the space covered with items on shelves or hanging on walls. There were trinkets, bead work, clothing, paintings… all manner of woodwork and arts and crafts. The owner of each business stood in the doorway and welcomed you in, following closely and offering information on any item you showed interest in, and always willing to negotiate on price. Painstakingly polite and friendly, they made it almost impossible to leave. Having successfully backed out of one booth it was only to be immediately greeted by the owner of the next, who insisted that since you’d visited his friend’s shop, you also must visit his. Then followed again the intense scrutiny  and hopeful sale of anything you looked at. Progress through the building was thus incredibly slow, and finally we insisted we had to stop and go back to our waiting guide!

Next he took us back to the Cultural Heritage Center that we had stopped briefly at the day before, a beautiful museum of African art which also contained a gift shop or two. I was glad to get back and make a few purchases of things I had seen the day before and later regretted not buying at the time. We browsed around some more, and then decided to get a quick lunch. Omar was happily visiting with people he knew in the parking lot. Asked if he was hungry, he gratefully placed on order which we picked up for him after eating ours.

He then took us to the parking lot of the site from which we could hike to the Mount Mero Waterfall – the subject of another post! It was quite the drive up to the starting point for the excursion. The road went steeply uphill and was deeply rutted and rough. Up we plowed and bounced, and, while worried whether his vehicle would survive the trip, I was fascinated to catch a glimpse of the rugged lifestyle of the locals who lived in primitive structures tucked in the thick vegetation alongside the road. Once we’d made it to the parking area of the park, to our surprise, Omar expressed his desire to join us on the hike itself! He grabbed his sandwich, paid his entry fee, and came along! I am sure it was a sight he had seen many times before, but the beauty of the hike sure beat the boredom of just sitting around and waiting for us. Besides, by now we were friends, and what better way to spend a day but in the company of the same?!

Surely we felt that as well, when he eventually got us back to the parking lot of our resort, shook our hands, and wished us well. We were almost sad to see him go! Thanks to his efforts and friendship, the day which started with so many unknowns, ended really well.

“It’s better to have a partner than go it alone. Share the work, share the wealth. And if one falls down, the other helps, But if there’s no one to help, tough!”

(Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 MSG)