A Travel Experience
I love your show because I have traveled a lot. One of my "good" travel stories would take too long to
set up on air, but I wanted to pass it on to you anyway.
I'm a clergyman/journalist and was once on assignment for Lutheran World Relief, an international aid
agency, headed by a man named Bernie Confer, who had held the job for about 30 years. Bernie and I
both lived in Teaneck, New Jersey.
I was in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, having visited some Lutheran World Relief projects -- clinics, schools,
wells -- up around Arusha. I had two days in Dar before I could get a flight back to Europe. The "better"
hotel, the Kilimanjaro, was full so I was staying at the Agip, a somewhat seedy place.
Wandering the city, I was casually taking pictures; and was suddenly pounced on by two policeman, who
roughly grabbed my camera (a Nikon F, by the way); and informed me that it was
against the law to take pictures in that place. (I learned later that photos of the harbor area were
prohibited.)
I protested -- mildly, I thought -- but that upset them and they arrested me.
At police headquarters, a very stern captain asked why I was in Tanzania. "I am visiting projects of
Lutheran World Relief," I said, and explained that I had come down from Arusha the day before.
The eyes of the captain and one of the arresting cops lit up. "Lutheran World Relief!" he exclaimed. "Do
you know Bernie Confer?" I said that Dr. Confer had sent me on this assignment and that my itinerary
and papers to confirm this were in my hotel. "Where does Mr. Confer live?" the policeman asked.
"Teaneck, New Jersey," I said and added that if he would look at my passport, he would see that I also
lived in that town.
It turned out that the captain and the policeman -- cousins had lived in refugee camps sponsored by
Lutheran World Relief, and that their families were in villages where Lutheran World
Relief projects provided medical care and clean water. And both had met Confer on one of his visits to
Tanzania. For some reason, they remembered where he lived.
Suddenly, my status switched from being a foreign miscreant to an honored guest. My camera and film
were returned. They offered me a ride back to my hotel. "The Agip?" they said, "that is not
a safe place."
I explained that the Kilimanjaro was full because of the visit of an Israeli diplomatic delegation. "Do not
worry," the captain said, "I will have one of my men to watch you and your room. He will also see that
you get around town and to the airport."
So for the next 24 hours, I had a car and driver at my disposal, a policeman stationed outside my hotel
room at night and transportation to the airport.
I took down the names of both the policeman and the captain and had Bernie Confer write a very nice
letter of thanks to them when I returned to New York.
My travels have provided me with very many interesting experiences (including meeting in Hong Kong a
man from my home town of Sioux City, Iowa), but rarely has small-world serendipity been so helpful.
-Charles
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