Cate and I only spent a night in Nairobi before catching a bus to Arusha, where we planned to do a safari. Little did we know we were in for more than we bargained for at the Tanzanian border.We had looked online, and knew it was approximately $25 USD to get a visa at the boarder - which we were prepared to pay. Inevitably, as we approach the customs window, the agent asks us for USD $100 PER visa!! In half Swahili and half English, we tried to explain that we only needed single-entry visas, which were listed at $25. The short-tempered agent proceeded to tell us something about a temporary year-long change in the visa fee to equal what the US charges Tanzanian citizens (which is $100) and that we had to pay. Long story short, we had to find an ATM and pay the increased fee. There is no doubt in my mind that the visa is not $100, but as the sole foreigners on the bus, we were not exactly in a position to argue.

Anyways, we quickly (or not so quickly for Cate!) put the incident behind us and set ourselves out to enjoy Arusha, and book a safari.As the launching-pad for safari's into two of East Africa's arguably most famous (and beautiful) parks - Ngorongoro Crater & the Serengeti - Arusha is a glimpse into what upscale African tourism looks like.There are literally hundreds of tourism agencies offering packages going into the parks, most for absurd prices.Needless to say, Cate and I do not have that kind of money to spend, and instead booked a day-long safari into the Ngorongoro crater through our hostel.