Tanzania to Malawi

Other than a fearsome haircut from the butcher of Zanzibar, left the island without incident. Next time I'll swot up on the Swahili for "Just a trim" - luckily I managed to remember and sputter out the word for stop - simama! simama! - while I still had a little stubble. Oh yes, one other incident - an internet cafe wiped out my memory card with a virus, losing me 1kb of photos. Hey ho.

So instead of risking card again have burned a cd - only to find myself in a place where the computers have no cd drives. So you'll just have to look back for the photos when I add them.

After Zanzibar and one night back near Dar es Salaam, we headed South through Tanzania. First through a lush tropical landscape and then as the road climbed the land became drier and scrubbier again. Climbing more, the air started to feel cold and fresh and there were stunning views. We drove for some time through a rocky alpine area where sunflowers were being grown along with some more wild looking white-flowered plants. All very Swiss Alpish. Half expected Julie Andrews to come skipping down the hillside to freedom.

From there we descended into an absolutely stunning valley, bordering Udzangwa National Park, where the road snaked along above the river. On either side scrubby trees grew, and between them, dwarfing them, bizarrely grandiose leafless baobab trees rose. Their twisted, bulbuous trunks were topped with ever decreasing branches and they looked like large vegetable roots growing upside down out of the ground. We camped amongst all this - possibly the most beautiful campsite I have ever seen. I could happily have stayed there a month. It was nothing but a space between the trees with a shower and candlelit toilet, and it was perfect. We watched the sun go down and the clear sky fill with millions of stars. A sight which may have been made even more mind-boggling by the consumption of a quantity of Zimbabwean cane spirit.

In the morning we drove to Iringe, then on through Mbeya, and a small town which I suspect may be the banana capital of Tanzania. Again, the scenery stunned at every turn. Gaining altititude once more, we were shrouded in a very wet mist, then descended through the rain to find a bush camp site, just short of the Malawi border.

Within minutes of arriving, we had been joined by dozens of children who had a great time playing with a football Chris gave them and generally running round in a state of high excitement trying to steal cutlery while we tried to put up tents, cook, erect a tarp for cooking under in the pouring rain and dark. The kids were great fun but somewhat exuberant - somewhere in the course of all this, my tent was knocked down. Yes, I had put it up properly! By the time I found it (hard in the dark when you are looking for what you expect to be a vaguely vertical structure), it contained three inches of water and a couple of frogs so I opted to sleep in the truck. Hopping out for a pee, I found myself calf-deep in a puddle and loved it. There was a real scooby-doo thunderstorm - you know, where the lightning is coming so thick and fast that it's never quite dark, and the thunder rumbles and grumbles and growls incessantly. The rain drumme on the roof, even drowning out the sound of the frogs and I fell asleep damp and blissfully happy.

The next morning was a stunning one. The sun beat down as we crossed the border into Malawi. Sitting up front in the cab I enjoyed even more wonderful views. Malawi is quite heart-achingly beautiful. Chris pumped up the music - some fabulous African stuff - and the whole world seemed to smile. People here seem friendlier than anywhere, smiling, waving, calling welcomes. The sun, the people, the music, the landscape... sounds naff, but it made my heart sing. Lake Malawi appeared before us - the far side not visible 40km away. We crawled up a steep and winding road, round potholes and sleeping cows, and eventually in the early evening we reached our campsite on the shore of Lake Malawi, at Mbambo, about 50k south of Nkhata Bay.

I thought that the driving might be tiresome, but the three driving days from Dar to Mbambo have been fantastic.

Will backdate this (it's actually the 19th today) and write some more catch-up soon. And go back and add photos. Thanks for your lovely comments, Kate. And for the wide african skies.

This blog

Sorry about the presentation of this blog - having some trouble getting photos to go where I want them. As well as a dodgy connection / power supply adding to the frustration by making sure I keep losing things.

Thanks for the comments. Dad, keep trying - one of your comments made it, so I know you can do it!
And just to let Callum know, the giraffes' kisses were moist but not slobbery.

Will try to keep up to date when I can!

Zanzibar

Zanzibar! How exotic can a place name sound?

A couple of hours on the ferry from Dar, and we were in Zanzibar. Stayed the first night in Stonetown, a maze of narrow streets. Old buildings with a very middle-eastern flavour, lots of arty shops and tourists.

Went to the sunset bar to - guess what? - watch the sunset, while listening to some excellent local music and watching the most energetic dancing I've ever seen. After that we went to a night market of food stalls where we sampled lots of local food, wandering from stall to stall. Had to try the famed 'Zanzibar Pizza' , which is like a very thin roti stuffed with beef and veggies and egg. Drank excellent spiced tea and spent some time chatting to the tea-seller's mate, and began, for the first time, to feel that I really am here. Much more like it!

The next morning went with a super guide to see some of the town's sights, including the dungeons of the old slave market where the mind boggled at the cruelty of what had happened there. Then we headed out of town for a tour of a spice plantation, which was interesting and quite entertaining. Children wove banana and coconut leaves into baskets, hats, frogs and bracelets with which they adorned us unsparingly. We met a flamboyantly entertaining coconut cutter who sang as he leapt up a tree. We tasted a number of different spiced teas and fresh fruits, before heading off to a delicious local lunch in the home of one of our guide's friends.



From there, a hot sticky minibus ride took us to Nungwe, a village at the Northern tip of the island. The sea is turquoise, the sand is white... We have a couple of days here to chill out before we head back to the mainland and are on the road again.

A long day's drive

Thirteen hours took us from Arusha to Dar Es Salaam on the coast. We left at 5am, drove for a little over an hour then stopped for breakfast. Through a break in the clouds we saw the great grey shape of Kilimanjaro against a patch of dusky pink sky.

Driving on, enjoying the journey with its views and smiling children waving as we passed, I realised that all I have been doing is looking at this country, not taking part in it. From this truck and that safari vehicle, I sit with other Westerners, looking out. In campsites we eat weetabix and barbecued dinners or pizzas alongside other 'overlanders'. So far there has been no interaction with local people, no local food. I have seen wonderful things, but it is so different from the independent travel I've enjoyed for so long in Asia.

Our campsite in Dar Es Salaam was right on the beach. After a hot sticky day on the truck it was bliss to leap into the sea.

The beers were flowing at the campsite bar, and it was in a relaxed and mellow state that I wandered back to my tent. While I fumbled through my bags just inside the tent, looking for a torch, I was surprised that the tent smelled pretty rank. A growly noise made me think that a dog might have got inside. While I was pondering the subject of dogs and zips, I found the torch. Shining into the tent, I discovered a man passed out on the groundsheet. I couldn't wake him. I called to McKenzie, who'd just headed off to the toilets, but it was Phil who appeared first. He couldn't wake this guy either. A couple of camp 'security' people joined us and eventually roused and removed him. I was a little unimpressed, but my worry was reduced by learning that this man wasn't just a random wino but a casual worker on the campsite who had been told he could use a tent. Unfortunately he'd been told to sleep in the one near a coconut tree, which pretty much covered every tent in the campsite. The poor chap was terribly embarrassed and apologetic.

McKenzie and I had got the giggles to the point where we decided we should go and chill on the beach with a wee dram. After a while we were joined by a guy with a dubious taste in posing-pouch swimwear, which he believed was best worn with the back somewhere below halfway down his buttocks. He engaged us in not unpleasant conversation, but all in all it didn't do much for reducing our giggles. Especially with one foot up on McKenzie's lounger, giving her a better view than she wanted.
A surreal evening.

Ngorogoro Crater

Camped last night on the rim of the Ngorogoro Crater. Despite fearsome warnings of hyenas tearing tents apart if they caught the slightest whiff of a morsel of food (had I spilt any dinner on my shirt?) , slept well. Up at the crack of pre-dawn to drive down into the crater.

The crater was teeming with life - elephants, buffalo, lions, hippos, gazelle, zebra, wildebeest and a rather elusive cheetah. This was a truly fantastic day. By the hippo pool, lions lay sunning themselves, gazelles approached warily but didn't get their drink - didn't get eaten either. Hippos had wave-making sex, the lions yawned and stretched, a variety of exotic birds did their thing. Herds of wildebeest mooched majestically...

Very excited to spot a cheetah, who instantly disappeared into the grass. Patience paid off and it popped up again a couple more times. The camouflage was amazing, even when you knew exactly where it was, you couldn't see it.


Could have stayed for days here. Nearly stayed forever when our idiot driver nearly killed us all on the way out. Rather alarming but nobody hurt, though very glad to see the last of him.

Returned to Arusha for overnight at campsite with showers - hurrah! Three days of driving in open vehicle had left us all more than a little grubby and dusty.

Hyenas in the Serengeti

Masai Village

The visit to the Masai village near Ngorogoro crater was a touristy and not very enjoyable experience. This wasn't a great surprise, but I went anyway as I hoped it would be a good photo opportunity.

Serengeti Sunrise

An early start so as to get some good wildlife watching in, starting at dawn. Had a slightly alarming meeting with an angry elephant, who didn't take a liking to our vehicles and for a while looked as if he was thinking about charging us or at least flipping us over. Our guide helpfully revved the engine and edged closer, then switched off. The poor thing was clearly quite distressed and it really seemed unkind to be there. As well as moderately unsafe. Eventually we persuaded our guide to back off a bit and the elephant moved away. Kind of helps you realise how big these guys are.

Serengeti

Set off to the Serengeti... Stunning scenery, getting more dry and savannah-like as we went. Travelling in open-top landcruisers for better viewing, driven by the most useless uncommunicative guide you could ever hope not to meet.
The vastness of the Serengeti is quite awe-inspiring. Before pitching camp we had a bit of a game drive, to meet the neighbours? Lying in bed that night, the lions we'd passed on the way to the camp site didn't seem too far away...

Into Tanzania

Views from the truck...

Joined the overland truck today and we headed South to Namanga where we crossed the border into Tanzania. Most of the day was spent on the truck - basically a rather well converted lorry with storage space below and seats above. As the day grew warm we rolled up the sides and knelt on the seats to watch the countryside go by. We drove through miles and miles of space. There were villages of circular mud huts, markets, herds of cattle and goats, but mostly space. Camped near Arusha.








Besieged by bangle sellers at the border