Tanzania

At last we’re away. Kev and Simon decide, on the toss of a coin, that t’would be better to take the dowh from Mombassa and meet at Dar. So we pack up and say our good byes. Stop in town to get new fuel gauge for Rob, but not in stock at either Impala or CMC, which left Rob with a sh*tload of shillings. Filled up front, top jerries and both tanks. Headed out of Nairobi at 11:00 and made good time despite a couple of detours arriving at Namanga at about 14:00. Had lunch then went to fill up again to use Rob’s shillings - no petrol. So filled a 50l plastic + the rear tank plus 2 * 25l cans of Robs. Rob then bought various artefacts to use up the last of the money. Good selection of goods in the border shop. Went on to the border and were through in 45 mins. Kenya officials disappointed/surprised that we had a valid circulation permit. $60 to Tanzanian officials for road tax and on we went at 15:45. Road still in good condition but Kili and Meru shrouded in mist. Arrive in Arusha at about 17:30 but the first place we tried had no room, so went to the massai campsite (run by a Scot) where we find The Girls’ Land Rover parked up, but no girls. Have a beer and meal and relax.

Think I’m oversleeping - am feeling lethargic. Go into town to get Rob’s fuel gauge - success! Have a look at the Tdis at Coopers then go the market to order up some overland trousers. Will be ready at 16:00. Look at some of the souvenir shops - much better quality than Kenya. Price up independent safaris. Should be $30 + $10 (crater) for the vehicle per day plus $15/person + $10 camping. Go back to the campsite and do some washing then back to town for the trousers. Look OK though he got Mark’s and Rachel’s confused. Back to the campsite to retire to the bar and chat with the owner who has been tree planting to stabilise the opposite slope and Tim and Jane from the Kamuka truck. A heavy storm comes in but get washing etc in just in time. Eat at the bar as too wet to cook and The Girls turn up having just got back from the crater. Have a few beers and retire.

Reasonably efficient start, reorganise the vehicle to leave behind the ‘not required’. Then into town to get some fresh veg and petrol (for the stove). Leave at about 11:30 and stop for lunch just after we leave the tarmac to have a herd of cows driven past. Head on up a very impressive escarpment and head for what we assume to be the crater. Enter the park at 16:00 and driving up the road, suddenly have a view into the crater. Not what I expected but quite stunning. Drive round to Simba campsite and have dinner with zebra and buffalo eating around us.

Waken to an overcast drizzly day but looks as though should clear quickly. Get to tourist office for 07:30 and collect our ranger Godfrey, could have made off without one but he was useful. Drove down the descent which took low, low on some places and get to the crater floor. Drove around for a while, spotted a snake, then followed some others to where three male lions were comatose, impressive beasts but very lethargic. Leave them and go on to the hippo pool - full. Quite active hippos too. Then spend about an hour driving through empty plains - boring, disappointing. Got all the way round then started finding game. Wildebeest and zebra and some very impressive bull elephants. Look for rhino and find three lying down. Go for lunch with the intent to return.

Lunch is at a pleasant lakeside spot, plagued by swooping kites, Mark and Rachel both lost out. After lunch go back to the rhinos and spend about 45 mins watching mother and offspring (about 2 years old). Get reasonably close and should have OK pictures. Carry on and by the end have seen 8 rhinos. Leave the crater through the forest - more elephants. Steep climb but mostly in high ratio (Rob driving). See some hyena on the way to the ascent road. Leave the park at about 15:30 and drive on. Make good time despite throttle return spring breaking and get back to Arusha at about 19:30. Have another bar pizza and chat for a while.

Pissing wet overnight which meant no view of Meru or Kili. Left the campsite at about 10:00 and had a brief stop in town after negotiating the Moshi (Mushy) Road for the last time. Bought a couple of massai spears for 4000 TSH, the guy wouldn’t barter but was cheaper than the others. Left Arusha at 11:00 and stopped in Moshi to get some provisions for lunch. Lovely spot, a grassy clearing by a stream and the bread, both brown and white, was delicious. Drove taking the road for Tangu. A wonderfully scenic road running down the side of the rift with cliffs rising beside us. Road very good until Mombo after which it was graded dirt being prepared for tarmac. Some diversions round new bridges, some of which had caused problems for locals, one bus stuck, one lorry on its side. Stopped for the night in a grassy area just off the road with a stunning mountain overlooking the site. Mossies and locals in evidence.

Found I had a large blister on the side of my foot which I presume was caused by burning in the footwell.

Watched Orion set in the West

Back on the road and onto Kirongive. When got to the main junction the road improves dramatically and it’s a cruise from there. Have battery problems and have to bump start at one point but found the +ve battery lead was loose, so suspect that may have been the problem. Stop for lunch of samossas at the road junction before Dar, and don’t really need to get out of the vehicle. Get into Dar early afternoon and go out to the Oceanic - road very bad.

Find where The Girls are parked up, stop there and retire to the bar - where we stay drinking Castle beer. About 10 each we reckon and fish and chips in the middle. Rob goes to move the cars mid evening and mine sticks in 1st gear. Got it out and get it parked but in hindsight don’t know how. Retire under the mossie net well drunk.

Ugh. Not as bad as Ma Roche’s but still very slow. Get basically organised to leave the vehicle then Rob informs me the bus leaves in 15 mins and he’s going. I get ready, Mark and Rachel don’t, so we head into town, sus out the ferry ($10 + $5 tax). Sit around drinking coke until departure at 13:30. Changed $100TC at 455/- per $. Just settling down when a chap comes round and asks to see our yellow fever certificate. I have mine but Rob doesn’t have his. Crossing quiet on a very impressive and fast cat. 2hrs to Zanzibar. A little hassle getting through health (bribe sees us clear) then get stamped in by immigration where we find a note from Mary Lou. Get guided to their guest house and book in. Go down with them to the floating restaurant then eat at the street stalls nearby. Appetite OK considering the previous night.

Meet Simon and Kev there - they’ve had a great time on their cockroach invested dhow. Retire to the Africa House for a soda then on to the Bottoms Up for a few vodkas and a Whisky Black!

Mitu’s spice tour. Meet Kev and Simon plus the four Aussie girls at the port roundabout and head off in the pickup. About 20 people on the tour. To the Anglican church for Mitu’s view of the true slavery history and a bit of botany then on to the palace ruins - snack of donuts provided. From there Mitu gets into his stride and does explain a lot about the cultivation of pineapples, bananas, manioc. Driving along he throws out 5/- coins to the kids who run behind shouting Me Too...

Get to the experimental station stopping at various places to show mint, lemon grass etc. At the station another chap takes us round, licourice, nutmeg, Chinese apple, starfruit, cardamom, and the lipstick plant - everybody in our party get well smeared. Really good - cinnamon bark, jackfruit etc. Tasting where appropriate. Finish off with an all you can eat lunch of rice (black pepper and cinnamon) and fish curry. Buy a display pack of spices (1500/-) and then get tattoos in Indian ink painted on (200/-). As The Girls get them done then Simon & Rob it’s fairly obvious I won’t escape and end up with a single seagull sea scene. Return to town and meet Mark and Rachel, eat at the food stalls and go to the Bottoms Up bar. I stick to Whisky Black, the rest on vodka. The evening highlight being the squids and clams discussion of engine maintenance.

Manage to get breakfast before leaving the Pearl at 07:15 to catch the Flying Horse at 07:45. Crossing a bit rougher and some of the locals suffered, but OK. Dar by 10:15. Checked Post Restante but nothing. Decided to look for a bus back to the campsite and found The Girls parked at UNICEF. So waited for them (plus Tim and Jane) then had a pizza for lunch (ham and cheese pizza - not cheese burger, no ham and cheese pizza - here we’ll write out the order). Ended up getting the shuttle bus back. Sitting around the campsite worrying about my foot when Guy and Celia turned up so had a jolly evening with them plus Tim and Jane, but no alcohol as too, too expensive. Did a bit of surgery on my foot as worried it was going to get infected, so opened it up and doused it in Videne powder then put a clean dressing on it. I just hope, t’would be very nasty if it got septic. Meanwhile Simon collapses again. It’s a capital, alternative English speaking and Jane from Kamuka is here - sounds like malaria.

Hadn’t realised how long since I’d done basic maintenance but checking back it wasn’t in this log, i.e. more than one month and over 4000 km (on my speedo). Forgot how much running around I did in Kenya. Long overdue.

Try to seal the underseat tank with some goo from Guy & Celia. re-carpeted the driver’s footwell to try and prevent my foot getting burnt again.

ML, C and Rob went to UNICEF but get the big NO, so we are clear to leave, but Simon is very crook, so won’t go until tomorrow. The white got a bit more service from Kevin, new engine mounts and a bit of a tune up. Mine started OK after the filter change so the battery seems OK.

Spent the evening chatting with the Encounter Overland driver. At first I thought him a bit vague (about his truck) but he was quite knowledgeable about Africa and had some sensible advice for places to visit.

Convoy. Back on the road. Leave at 08:30 and fill up.

Spare tank still leaks which is a shame. Stop at Chalinze again for 11s of samosas. Also buy some more engine oil (5l) as my stock is getting low. As we start to climb again the white shows signs of slowing and soon stops. Clutch is slipping. Kev takes over to verify and it looks like another engine out job. Further along the road Guy and Celia have a puncture so help with that as trucks power past.

Enter the Mikuma park on transit and stop for a late lunch. Don’t expect to see much game as the grass is 4’ to 5’ high, but do catch sight of some elephants, baboons and a wart hog. Others see more. Climbing away from the park the road winds into the mountains along valley and is very picturesque. The trees at the side of the road look like gigantic bonsai, the trunks very thick then thinning suddenly. Stop about 16:30 as Simon is failing and Guy has a wheel bearing to tighten up. Rob and myself get a haircut courtesy of Mary Lou. Evening clear and starlit so retire under the mossie net - wonderful.

An interesting day punctuated with stops. Get away at 08:20 after we managed to wake Rob and ML. Stopped fairly quickly for a photo stop. White one is suffering but keeps going even up a very long steep climb, marvellous scenery. Stop before and after Sao Hill to snack on boiled eggs and potatoes. Carry on to Chimala and stop for a beer. Tanzaniain pilsner isn’t getting any better. Stop for the night on a track just off the road. The blue is leaking oil again from the inlet manifold gasket. The white suffers another puncture. Check the dressing on my foot. Seems to be healing well.