Arriving at KIA

Landing at Kilimanjaro International Airport (KIA) was about like landing at any other airport. But that is where the similarities end. The airport at KIA is unlike any other airport I have ever been in. We departed the plane by a portable stair way that was wheeled up to the exit door. This was strange because this was a huge plane with several hundred people on board. We had to then walk across the tarmac about 5o yard to get into the terminal building. It was after 8:00 when we arrived and the temperature was absolutely perfect. With my feet finally on African soil, the real adventure was about to begin.

Once inside the terminal, there were two paths to take. If you had your travel visa for Tanzania as I did, there were three lines to get in to be processed. There was a separate line off to the side for people who did not have their visa. I was advised that you really wanted to go with a travel visa already in hand to avoid delays on arrival. However, Seda, the tourism guide did not have her visa so she went to the "need a visa" line. As it turns out, there were very few people in that line and she was at the bag claim area ten minutes before I cleared customs which was amazingly easy. The whole time I was in line, I could see the bag claim area in front of me. The airport terminal was very small and amazingly open. The doors to the terminal were all wide open. There were fans blowing to keep air circulating. It was getting warm in the building.

Bag claim was a small adventure in itself. The operation was simple. You could see the luggage being unloaded from the plane and brought right into the nearly open air claim area and placed on the conveyor belts. There were two baggage belts running when I was in line for customs check in. One apparently stopped working before I got through the line. A taste of African technology and efficiency at work and I haven't even left the airport yet. When the bags stopped coming on the one working line and mine had not made it yet, I began to worry a bit. But, there two more bag carts coming from the plane. They finally got into the bag area and two guys started loading the bags onto the one working conveyor belt. I swear, my bag was the vey last bag off the cart