Feddy

We were in Arusha to purchase materials for one of the water projects and as a treat had lunch at a new place that operated a disco at night and was a normal restaurant during the day. The good thing about all African restaurants is that they provide toothpicks – maybe to some that’s not important, but when meat becomes lodged between your teeth, a toothpick is useful.

This place also supplied complementary peanuts as well and I’m particularly partial to peanuts!

After we had finished our lunch, I noticed there were a few peanuts left in the bowl, so I scooped them up and tossed them into my mouth.

One crunch and a stone that was among the peanuts broke one of my molars – ouch!

Word amongst the expats was that there were no good dentists in Arusha. I had been to the one in the Salvation Army complex at Njiro but the experience was not that flash. At one time, three dentists had at least one finger each in my over-stretched mouth, the problem I already knew was a broken filling. They decided just to grind off the jagged bit, but in the process managed to cut a hole inside my cheek! Apparently the drill had slipped.

To repair my molar, it was decided that I should go to Nairobi and find a dentist there.

Although there is a border crossing, it was a hassle-free trip to Nairobi on the reliable Riverside shuttles.  Mags and I decided to spend the night there because the return shuttle did not quite work in and I needed some smart shoes because we had been invited to a wedding.

Nairobi is one of those busy, bustling African cities where you have to watch your step, of course we stuck out in the crowd but we had been there before and spoke the language – Kenyan Swahili is not as perfect as Tanzanian Swahili [parochially speaking]. So we were comfortable checking out the shops and making my purchase of [trendy] light suede shoes.

Waiting to cross the street, a tall man wearing a tidy brown suit approached and smiled at us.

‘Hello,’ he smiled, ‘do you remember me? I’m Freddy from the hotel.’

‘Greetings.’ I replied in polite Swahili.

‘I just have to go to the pharmacy,’ he said, ‘then if you like, we can walk back to the hotel together.’

We were not finished and did not particularly need a guide, so neither of us gave him an answer – we thought he would be lucky to even find us.

Not ten minutes later, after check out a shop, I returned to Mags and found her talking to Freddy.

‘Freddy does not have enough money for his medicine,’ she said, ‘have you got ten thousand shillings?’

It seemed a lot for medicine, but I handed Freddy a shiny new ten thousand shilling note.

‘I will pay you back at the hotel.’ Freddy smiled politely.

‘Did you recognise him?’ I asked Mags as he walked away.

‘No, not really, I thought you did!’ She replied.

‘There goes our thousand shillings then.’ I said glumly.

We had been conned and never saw Freddy again!

Shortly after this incident, a smartly dressed man strolled up and smiled at us.

‘Hello, do you remember me? I’m Gideon from the hotel. I’m in town to buy some medicine, then if you like, I will walk back to the hotel with you.’

‘Are you sure you have enough money?’ I asked with an element of sarcasm. ‘We have been tricked once already today! Sorry mate, you will get no money from us!’

Gideon’s reaction was vociferous with the uses of several English expletives and he did not leave us in any doubt about his attitude towards foreigners. He was trying to intimidate us!

We walked in the direction of a patrolling policeman, which got rid of the angry Gideon.