Quote:
Originally Posted by microbet
In what way are you treated differently in Kenya/Tanzania? Super deferentially? Jealousy/suspicion? Expecting bribes? How do you think being in a limo would have affected things? More danger or bribes or would people be more obsequious?
Kenya was much more British in attitude, so I wore black slacks, white shirt and tie. I had a driver, so people would assume I was someone important. The poverty was unbelievable in parts of Nairobi and when I tried to walk down the street alone, people would actually try to reach in my pockets. I had to get very physical several times, pushing people down, but they would just smile at me and start again. I gave up on that and had an armed guard for the rest of the trip. (and limos in Africa are just any dark colored Mercedes, lol.)
I think the difficulty in Tanzania was that I was with three other people (all Australians) and I was the only one on a diplomatic passport. The border crossing was just a little place on a dirt road and I was probably the first person they had ever dealt with that carried a strange American diplomatic passport that had a visa that was issued from the UK. (My important stamps were all British).
The guards handled everything, but I think it may have had something to do with bribes, an issue that we faced at every entrance to every park, road crossing and major village. I don't really blame them, the poverty was unbelievable.
My fancy passport, coupled with my wearing of standard hiking clothes probably made them feel that I was some sort of spy, lol. I've always told people that the danger was probably minimized to us to keep the tourist trade going, because there were several times that I felt our guards were on our side only because we could offer them more money.
There is no way I would consider traveling the way I did then at this age, but the truth is, i doubt I could have done much about a real serious problem even back then.