This installment of the Boarding Pass Stories goes to Dar es Salaam – via London and Dubai! 
The destination, the when(s), and the reason(s)
While working for an international non-profit, I traveled to visit field projects and to do an internal audit. It was a toss-up between Bangladesh and Tanzania and the latter was just a bit more interesting to me so that’s the one I went for. The trip was in 2007 and to get the cheapest price possible, I did a 2-stop itinerary via London and Dubai. I could have done a one-hop via Amsterdam or London but I was being thrifty with our limited funds. A 6-hour layover in London and a 9-hour one in Dubai were enough the wear me down. But it was neat to fly Emirates Airlines and to see the incredible Dubai airport (Atlanta to London was on my local airline, Delta).
The airline
Emirates was phenomenal. Though I flew coach, I felt I was being treated like a business class customer. The plane was the first I had ever flown with nose and underbelly cameras. I loved the camera viewing especially at takeoff and landing.
What fascinated me about this experience
Well, it was my first trip south of Egypt in the African continent so that, by itself, was fascinating. Dar was interesting. A mainly expat district helps expats stay as if in their country. But I greatly enjoyed my time at work, where I got to collaborate and eat lunch with Tanzanians who worked for the same organization. Their friendliness and soft-spokenness warmed me up immediately to them and, to them, I say asante sana!
