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Diary - Tanzania - Dar-es-Salaam to Malawi (11th Oct to 17th Oct)
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After more chores and having met up with the Dutch since our break on Zanzibar we decided that we had spent plenty of time by the sea and we should go and sit on a beach on Lake Malawi instead. Before leaving Katie had to complete her role as tour hairdresser and trim Roy’s and Sandy’s hair. With Roy being less paranoid she decided to practice her technique and produced a Mohican, turning him into ‘German Roy’ for a few hours, before having to complete the job.
Leaving the beach meant we had to go through the craziness of the ferry for one last time. Before leaving town we needed some more Gas, but the only place we knew about was the main refilling plant within the docks. Normally they only deal with their own bottles and these tend to be giant size. However with true African helpfulness they welcomed us and provided hard hats as we were taken around the plant. Our tiny little gas bottles looked like toys compared to the massive industrial sized ones, but as promised they we filled in minutes and at an incredibly cheap cost.
Tanzania driving is crazy the buses hare passed at break neck speeds making the car feel like it is as light as a mini, not as heavy as a Rhino. Limiting their moments till it gets really exciting during a blind corner or over the crest of a hill. Their saving grace is the use of the lights, flashing them seems to give them complete control over the road! Steve has also adopted some African style of driving, which is why he has now been caught speeding and joining Katie in the naughty books. This time we managed to do 78kmph in a 50km zone, however unlike Uganda, we were greeted by a happy police officer who explained we would have to pay a fine of 20,000shillings (£10). Within five minutes we were back on the road having paid the fine, taken a photo and ensured we were given an official receipt.
With a long and sweaty driving day the last thing you want to find out is that your planned campsite is rubbish and expensive, but this is what happened once we left Dar-es-Salaam. Turning up to a shabby motel with nothing but a dusty car park to camp in was not what we had planned. Then the clueless receptionist decided to rub salt in the wounds and was wanting to charge over double compared to our previous campsites with amazing sea views. With no room for haggling, preferring not to get the business, we decided to move on and found a possibility another 60km further. If the previous one had been bad, this was beyond words, demanding less money but for nothing more than a dusty patch of ground with no facilities. Frustrated and tired we felt we could do better on our own. So being the adventurers we turned and drove back down the lane about 1.5km and pulled off into the bush. We were still travelling with the Dutch, so wild camping feels that much nicer when it there are more people. We found an open area away from view of the road and set up for the night. The sun set turning the sky into a beautiful golden colour, finally allowing ourselves some deserved relaxation. |
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The next morning we were woken from a great nights sleep by somebody shouting ‘Hello… Hello… Hello…’ followed by ‘Uh!’ and then silence. Taking Sandy’s lead we all evacuated the tent to empty surrounds. As we finished breakfast the guy we had seen at the camp the night before turned up, saying that we needed to pay as it was still their land. After explaining he must be mad and that no signs said it was anything other than empty bush, we packed our stuff away. Snaking our way through the trees towards the road meant leaving a somewhat bewildered man, holding a registration book standing in the middle of nowhere. Of course 5km further and we had to stop to brush our teeth and finish getting dressed properly.
The bulk of Africa has a limited amount of choice when it comes to vegetables, mainly being limited to onions, tomatoes and potatoes. You get the occasional extra like carrots or peppers; however they are then expensive and limited to one out of ten villages. The other option is to spend almost a week’s budget on imported stuff in an over priced, rich mans supermarket. Therefore you can understand our excitement and delight when we discovered a little English country garden at The Old Farm House (Kisolanza Camp). The instant we found out we could get a basket full of Leeks, Marrows, Cabbage, Turnips, Broccoli, new potatoes and a variety of herbs we placed our order. Not having really thought how much space 10kg of veg would actually take up.
We also hadn’t given much consideration as to what we would do with it all when we had it. The next few days were then spent thinking what and most importantly how to cook most of it. Although short lived it is a real treat to have some variety and it only adds to the lengthy process cooking becomes when travelling with Roy and Sandy. Instead of our normal twenty minute, quick as you can meals, cooking can now last for hours each night. That time is easily doubled if you add the debating and talking time from earlier. It is great to spend time doing the things you wish you had time for at home, part of the great reason to do the trip over a longer period.
Having had a disappointing afternoon trying to find an Internet Café in the reasonable size town of Mbeya we headed off to find our campsite. While on route we pulled into a lay-by to get some fruit. Only to be surrounded by frantic ladies thrusting trays of different fruit through the window, shouting out prices. Luckily only one window was open, much to the disappointment of those that ran the wrong side. With so much chaos it is difficult to know what to do and who is selling what, when all you can see dozens of random heads and fruit piled high inches from your eye balls. As it happened by the end of our spending spree, Katie had to spend the remaining part of journey surrounded with pineapples, passion for eating and more bananas than she could possibly hold.
Our last nights camping in Tanzania was spent at a community based campsite called Bongo camp, just outside Mbeya. The campsite is in the heart of a little village next to what seemed to be the community centre. With no fences or boundaries meant that the local kids sat with interest looking at the fancy cars and stuff the strangers had. It wasn’t long before Katie made her self known and started to play games with them. Of course the benefit was that they kept away from the rest of us, but Katie doesn’t play quietly so after some song and dance, they made paper planes and chased them around like possessed lunatics. Whether the children slept as easily as Katie did that night is unknown, nevertheless it is wonderful seeing her interact with such ease and gripping children so easily. Who knows it might even tempt a career change! All this play meant Katie failed to help with dinner, giving her the punishment of ALL the washing up.
The more we travel through Africa the more we realise that it must be such a confusing place to live. People go from their own mud house, with no running water, a drop hole toilet, no power and then catch a motorised vehicle into town, where they then go to an Internet Café! We were gradually eased into new developments over time, where they are thrust upon Africa as if they are essential for survival. Travelling through Tanzania also makes you realise that with no real taxable economy, how can things ever improve quickly, especially when the country is almost four times the size of the UK. |
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| German Roy |
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| Swim Time |
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| Ferry Packing |
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| Chaos Off The Ferry |
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| Strange Way To Break Down |
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| Police Fine |
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| Wild Camp |
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| Buying Onions |
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| BBQ Burger and Eggs |
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| Rare Washing Up Time |
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| Fruit Overload |
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| Community Camp |
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