Marangu Laundry Debate

Monday, September 5, 2005

Besides the pleasant campgrounds, the Marangu campsite had another plus to it: laundry service.

And oh, we were really ready for some truly clean clothes. The orange dust of the Serengeti and environs was still with us as it were.

The laundry service employed local women to wash the clothes. As we were staying here two nights, there would be enough time for our clothes to be air-dryed in the hot sun.

We were provided with a price list for individual items of clothing: 450 sch. for a T-shirt, 300 for underwear, 750 for pants, etc.

Jeff and I dug around in our lockers on the truck and came up with eighteen items altogether to be laundered. Our bill will be 10,500 schillings (about ten dollars).

It will be WELL WORTH IT .

I decided to handwash all our own socks and underwear though as there is a large metal sink by the shower building and there are clothes-lines to hang them on. I'd feel funny about some poor strangers having to handle our skivvies.

Our trip leaders, Wayne and Anne-Dorte, have much differing views on the subject of giving your undies to the laundry service.

Anne-Dorte, like me, feels that these women shouldn't have to wash strangers' underwear. Wayne feels that as the service is present on the price-list it is not an issue.

He grins and adds, "And as Mom isn't here, why not?"

We returned from our hike on Kilimanjaro to find a fresh-smelling pile of our clothes neatly folded in the hotel office. Ahhh! Lovely!