Heading South...Kinda
I realise now that one of my original posts - about why I'm doing this trip and blogging about it as well has been buried deep in the menu on the right hand side. This has left at least some people with nothing better to do than read about my travels a bit lost. If you feel this description fits you, give this a read and thanks for the support!
I ended up staying about a week at this horse safari place (called Ndarakwai), helping out where I could (basically sorting out computer issues - anitvirus etc...).
The elephants were great - extremely intelligent things with an impressive repertoire of tricks and commands they respond to (/understand!?).
On one of the days I was quite keen on joining one of the horse safaris but I think both Carlos and I realised that my equestrian skills would be stretched too far if we happened across a herd of wild elephants or a cheetah!
I did get a chance on the last day to ride however, and did some game viewing - I saw a herd of impala (and a lone eland that had been adopted by them). Even though this was in the relative safety of the training ring, I was quite proud.
After my week at the camp I headed back into Arusha with Emily - an ex-overland truck driver who had been giving Reiki sessions to both the horses, and Carlos.
I then spent a couple of relaxing days around Arusha - staying with the same friends as before. I stuck around there until Wednesday - where I moved into some cheap guest house right in town opposite the bus station - the bus was to leave at 0600 the next morning! That evening I got a dalla dalla out to a really nice venue where another family friend happened to be up from Zambia exhibiting her artwork. It was the opening night of the exhibition and wine and good food flowed generously. She did really well, selling more than half of the paintings in just a couple of hours! Most of them were really great but unfortunately a bit over my budget!
I worked out that if I had bought one, I'd have had to fly back to Sweden within the following 36-48hrs or have to go out on the street begging!
Anyway some of my friends insisted that I took a taxi back to the guest house and not another dalla dalla and, perhaps seeing my stubbornness, stuffed the taxi fare into my shirt pocket! It was only 2030... there were still plenty of dalla dallas! Anway, I was very grateful!
The next morning we set off eastwards pretty much on time. Yes, east... I thought I'd be heading south! Iringa lies almost exactly due south of Arusha, we were heading back to Tanga via Moshi! After a couple hours of having the sun in our faces I cleared my throat and asked the guy next to me if this was really the bus to Iringa?
"Yes", he laughed, "there weren't enough passengers so we are going the long way round to find some more!"
14 hours and much discomfort in my lanky legs later we pulled into Iringa. Now I had to find a place to stay :S being 20:00 already and with all my luggage, I felt quite uncomfortable. Hearing the Muslim call to prayer made me slightly less worried - perhaps because I figured surely no-one would rob me while praising Allah!?
Thankfully there was a plethora of cheap guest houses just two streets down from the bus stand and I stumbled into the first one I saw.
"Sorry, we only have a double room." the man at the desk said, "you will have to pay extra for it."
I opened my mouth to protest this, but instead asked how much a double costs. 6000Tsh (about 30sek)! It really wasn't worth going to check if the grubby place next door had single rooms. I'd splash out.
The next morning I took my time eating breakfast (two samusas and a chapati with a cup of sweet, spicy tea) before jumping on the dalla dalla out to my cousin's place about 40kms away.
After arriving and chatting for a while got a lift into the bush and spent the rest of the day relaxing at a dam fishing. Walking back on the single path home, predictably, I got a bit lost and ended up trudging though a dambo (wetland). As for the fishing - I caught nothing but some aquatic flora (no, you can't fry that in batter you know who you are!).
Having spent a couple of relaxing days meeting people, checking out the farm lands and planning my next move, I've decided to head off to Malawi tomorrow where I'll spent a few days waiting for the ferry (the Ilala) to make it's way around the lake, then cross into Mozambique. I also had the opportunity to download some "in-flight" Portuguese lessons in Arusha which I should really listen to a couple of times before I get there!
The slightly more adventurous route into Mozambique is at the coast, but this would mean having to go back to Dar for a couple of days and procuring a visa as there isn't really a proper boarder post there apparently, just a guy in a canoe who will paddle you across if he has the energy. It sounds like it would be great fun, but would cost me almost a week and a half with all the red tape and traveling!
That's all the news for now... not sure how good the internets are in Mozambique but, as always, will do my best to keep the updates coming in and take lots of pics - I've filled one of my 4GB sticks already (most of them rubbish but anyway)!
Oh and for those of you who are wondering, my anti-malarial drug (Larium) hasn't yet had any serious side effect (apparently you can get some really psychotic nightmares!).
I ended up staying about a week at this horse safari place (called Ndarakwai), helping out where I could (basically sorting out computer issues - anitvirus etc...).
On one of the days I was quite keen on joining one of the horse safaris but I think both Carlos and I realised that my equestrian skills would be stretched too far if we happened across a herd of wild elephants or a cheetah!I did get a chance on the last day to ride however, and did some game viewing - I saw a herd of impala (and a lone eland that had been adopted by them). Even though this was in the relative safety of the training ring, I was quite proud.
After my week at the camp I headed back into Arusha with Emily - an ex-overland truck driver who had been giving Reiki sessions to both the horses, and Carlos.
I then spent a couple of relaxing days around Arusha - staying with the same friends as before. I stuck around there until Wednesday - where I moved into some cheap guest house right in town opposite the bus station - the bus was to leave at 0600 the next morning! That evening I got a dalla dalla out to a really nice venue where another family friend happened to be up from Zambia exhibiting her artwork. It was the opening night of the exhibition and wine and good food flowed generously. She did really well, selling more than half of the paintings in just a couple of hours! Most of them were really great but unfortunately a bit over my budget!
I worked out that if I had bought one, I'd have had to fly back to Sweden within the following 36-48hrs or have to go out on the street begging!
Anyway some of my friends insisted that I took a taxi back to the guest house and not another dalla dalla and, perhaps seeing my stubbornness, stuffed the taxi fare into my shirt pocket! It was only 2030... there were still plenty of dalla dallas! Anway, I was very grateful!
The next morning we set off eastwards pretty much on time. Yes, east... I thought I'd be heading south! Iringa lies almost exactly due south of Arusha, we were heading back to Tanga via Moshi! After a couple hours of having the sun in our faces I cleared my throat and asked the guy next to me if this was really the bus to Iringa?
"Yes", he laughed, "there weren't enough passengers so we are going the long way round to find some more!"
14 hours and much discomfort in my lanky legs later we pulled into Iringa. Now I had to find a place to stay :S being 20:00 already and with all my luggage, I felt quite uncomfortable. Hearing the Muslim call to prayer made me slightly less worried - perhaps because I figured surely no-one would rob me while praising Allah!?
Thankfully there was a plethora of cheap guest houses just two streets down from the bus stand and I stumbled into the first one I saw.
"Sorry, we only have a double room." the man at the desk said, "you will have to pay extra for it."
I opened my mouth to protest this, but instead asked how much a double costs. 6000Tsh (about 30sek)! It really wasn't worth going to check if the grubby place next door had single rooms. I'd splash out.
The next morning I took my time eating breakfast (two samusas and a chapati with a cup of sweet, spicy tea) before jumping on the dalla dalla out to my cousin's place about 40kms away.
After arriving and chatting for a while got a lift into the bush and spent the rest of the day relaxing at a dam fishing. Walking back on the single path home, predictably, I got a bit lost and ended up trudging though a dambo (wetland). As for the fishing - I caught nothing but some aquatic flora (no, you can't fry that in batter you know who you are!).
Having spent a couple of relaxing days meeting people, checking out the farm lands and planning my next move, I've decided to head off to Malawi tomorrow where I'll spent a few days waiting for the ferry (the Ilala) to make it's way around the lake, then cross into Mozambique. I also had the opportunity to download some "in-flight" Portuguese lessons in Arusha which I should really listen to a couple of times before I get there!
The slightly more adventurous route into Mozambique is at the coast, but this would mean having to go back to Dar for a couple of days and procuring a visa as there isn't really a proper boarder post there apparently, just a guy in a canoe who will paddle you across if he has the energy. It sounds like it would be great fun, but would cost me almost a week and a half with all the red tape and traveling!
That's all the news for now... not sure how good the internets are in Mozambique but, as always, will do my best to keep the updates coming in and take lots of pics - I've filled one of my 4GB sticks already (most of them rubbish but anyway)!
Oh and for those of you who are wondering, my anti-malarial drug (Larium) hasn't yet had any serious side effect (apparently you can get some really psychotic nightmares!).
safari njema kane...and watch those mozzies in malawi and mozambique eh? x j
ReplyDeleteKane this sounds like so much fun man.
ReplyDeleteGlad its all going good. Keep posting when you have time, because these posts are hilarious.lol. I can't wait to get back to Zed every time I read them. the pictures are amazing too!
Take care man.