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Joburg to Nairobi
  • Stephen Prendergast
  • Stephen Prendergast

Joburg to Nairobi

A 121-day adventure by Stephen. Read more
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  • Stephen PrendergastJoburg to NairobiTraveler
    1

    Zanzibar

    November 2, 2024 in Tanzania ☀️ 27 °C

    Getting to Zanzibar involves either a plane or a ferry. So off to the waterfront we headed on time for the 12.30 pm sailing. I'd tried to book online earlier in the morning but the booking system froze and left the request in an incomplete state. No response to my WhatsApp follow-up. Arrived at the terminal and it became a game of cat and mouse with 2 big operators being fed by a small army of ticket concierges. Desperately trying to be the one guiding you to the ticket booth. Choosing the recommended Azam service we approached the window to be told it was sold out. And my online booking? Passport, was the response. And then a nonchalant scanning of the pages before a comparison to the screen. Clearly no booking. However he advised 'another' agent might be able to help. So we rebounded back to the entrance of the main building. "All sold out, but you can take the 2.30 pm. " It felt like an elaborate ruse to stop us from taking the opposition's earlier noon boat. It was more likely just part of the operational shambles that was always just about to collapse. My friend Chris and I had conceived a new method for this during one of our many Fonterra projects together. It was called the Scramble Approach. After a nearby lunch we returned to board, escaping the potential 10000TS fee for the bike. The 2.5 hrs crossing passed without incident and at 5 pm we stepped onto Zanzibar. It was here we encountered the recently introduced mandatory Zanzibar 'insurance', for foreigners. At $US44 it was an expensive scam. Already having insurance had no bearing on the mandatory requirement to purchase it, as a foreigner. So it was a tax. No insisted the young man responsible, it was insurance. Which I already have in spades. Yes but this one has a local number. You can tell how this went. Completing the online process and submitting the credit card details meant I could now also get the mandatory immigration stamp. I haven't worked out why it was required either. At 3 pm I received an email with my ticket for the 12.30 pm sailing, and my card got charged. Only the second time this trip I'd been required to request a chargeback to recover the funds.
    Our ferry disembarked in Stone Town. It is a smallish multistory, narrow alleyed, cluster of neighbourhoods guarded against sea-based invasion by an early 18th-century fort. Larger than that description suggests. It's not quite the Carcassonne equivalent, but it's stationed as the gateway to an approach by boat. Of course, there are many other accessible landing spots for the well informed invader. It's car free but the tuktuk and the load carrying flat deck, or half-caged, motor trike putt putt through its vein-like access ways. Our hostel introduced us to the sport of vertical stair challenge. Bikes stayed downstairs.
    We uncovered a nice local eatery cum BBQ where despite some initial inequities in food portion, in my favour, we both enjoyed it.    Read more

  • Stephen PrendergastJoburg to NairobiTraveler
    111

    Stone Town

    November 4, 2024 in Tanzania ⛅ 27 °C

    Originally I'd only considered 3 or 4 days in Zanzibar as necessary. It had all the hallmarks of a tourist trap. I've commented on that previously. Mingi was keen to go to see the turtles which were being bred in captivity on a nearby offshore island. You take a little boat from the beach in the morning. He'd spoken to the tourist desk in the fort and eventually reached an acceptable price, based on the discussion he'd had with a guide we'd met whilst having lunch awaiting the ferry. However on our way we met an older local gent who'd had a man with a boat as well. Same price. So off we went. Reaching the island we paid the local entrance and conservation fees of around 50000 Shillings, about US$20. Outside of tourist sites that would be considered steep. In the end getting up close and friendly with the turtles proved quite entertaining. After 90 minutes we headed back to Zanzibar and lunch. Deciding more activity was required I asked chatgpt to create a walking tour. It came up with a reasonable looking itinerary, but couldn't get google to give me a set of directions without a manual copy&paste. That was a fail. However I persisted and started out to the Cathedral on the way to Freddie Mercury's childhood home which was now museum. Mingi tagged along. It turned out to be a good way to wander the alleyways without getting stranded in the repetitive souvenir shops. Although some were quite original. Particularly the man who created necklace jewelery out of national coins. Heading back late afternoon, we encountered our morning gent. He strongly advised a trip to the rooftop bar of a local hotel, quite a posh joint, where it would be half price drinks for happy hour, with a sunset backdrop. It was a fabulous tip. We headed back to our preferred meal location after the beers. With our 2 night stay ending, I decided a few more days on the island would be warranted. It also gave Madeg a chance to rejoin us in Paje. That was one of the beach resorts on the eastern side of the island. Labs showed up and the transaction for the pointless 'insurance' was reversed as they didn't complete the 2 step processing in the required timeframe Wise requires. That was a lot of adventure back in the account.Read more

  • Stephen PrendergastJoburg to NairobiTraveler

    Hanging at the beach

    November 5, 2024 in Tanzania ☀️ 30 °C

    The ride out of Stone Town the next morning traversed the crowded alleyways which turned into traffic laden urban roadways as you exit the Stone Town footprint and encounter densely populated Zanzibar city. No escaping that. We rode into the "My Paje Hostel" mid afternoon. The hostel featured elevated rooms with steep narrow rickety outside stairs which clung onto the entrance way. These made the next night's hostel stairs look like a work of engineering splendour. The days passed effortlessly. It was great to swim in tropical waters, and there was theatre in the haggling with the moto or tuk-tuk drivers as we traveled to and fro. It was a pretty relaxed few days. Mingi rode off a day ahead staying on the coast rather than inland via the main route. I hung with Madeg, who'd arrived after skipping Stone Town after another few days in Dar es Salaam. Going for some dining variety we found a nice little restaurant serving good takes on burgers, pasta and kebabs. The next afternoon I caught up to Mingi 75 km later as he navigated back to the main road via the Chameleon Park. It was a short ride to Nungwi from that point. As our luck had it we ended up on the 3rd story of this hostel, necessitating further stair navigation. At least these were masonry and solidly built. Nungwi had a concentrated beachside layout. The posh lodges and restaurants occupied the sandy beach neighbourhood at the tip of the island. A pleasant setting if you were good with the prices starting at US$100. Meals and drinks extra. Both Mingi and I were recovering from some mildish stomach issues we attributed to our final Stone Town dinner. Simple meals were preferred. Cheap, simple meals. I didn't go snorkeling. Maybe I should have. I was considering Kilimanjaro more seriously. At a cost of around US$2000, that's the budget option, more careful management of available funds was required.Read more

  • Stephen PrendergastJoburg to NairobiTraveler

    North East Tanzania

    November 9, 2024 in Tanzania ⛅ 24 °C

    We chose the small boat option to return to the mainland. It meant we didn't backtrack to Stone Town and Dar es Salaam. A bit of sleuthing, a brief exchange with a cyclist who's done it recently and a trip to the beach front sorted the boat. Be here at 6 am for the first boat, said the skipper. Turns out 6 am was too late and he wasn't the skipper. Often 2 boats run but just the first is guaranteed, after that you wait for the boat to fill up. Arriving at 5.50 we were still 5 people away from those seats. Judging by the numbers I'm not sure they've ever had an issue with 2 boatfuls. The early start of 5.30 was just sleep we didn't get. The first boat pushed off at 6.15. There were 6 names, and 2 bikes, for the second. At 6.20 the skies opened and the forecast rain arrived in biblical proportions. We retreated to shelter as it pelted down for 45 minutes. Eventually the rain eased and the numbers flourished. We were on board and moving within the hour. More rain came through but the skipper and crew toughed it out as we sat largely under shelter. I'd prepared my rain jacket. Despite being at the front and catching the rain I avoided getting drenched, and too cold. The 2 hour trip took us directly across the ocean from Nungwi to the beach at Ushonko, in an almost straight line. Cellphone based navigation felt a bit precarious in the heavy rain and limited visibility. There were still a few other dhows and local fishing skiffs braving the downpours. An uneventful beach landing attracted a few hardy locals keen to play porter as the bikes were unloaded over the front. Anything for a few thousand Shillings it seems. We'd expected to be off loaded at Tanga, further up the coast, but the rest of the journey was to be completed by bus. We declined choosing to brave the clay roads that led back to the highway. It was a challenging day over rough dirt roads with trucks coming through pretty regularly. We'd been advised to depart from Tanga via its sealed arterial, but this was much more of an adventure. After 20 kilometres we reached Pangani and stopped for lunch. Then back into it as the day brightened and we headed for our evening stop, rejoining the main road after a nice downhill into the small town of Muheza.Read more

  • Stephen PrendergastJoburg to NairobiTraveler

    Tail wind redemption

    November 10, 2024 in Tanzania ⛅ 18 °C

    At 6 am the bike got a bucket rinse off in the bathroom to deal with the residual salt from the ferry crossing. We'd done the same thing using some local bowls after the crossing but the facilities weren't the best so determined it needed a second rinse. Our later arrival yesterday meant that task was delayed. Packed, lubed the chain, and headed off, a few minutes after our 7.30 target. we climbed to 320 m in the morning, but needed 650m of ascending to get there. Thems the climbs. Sunday traffic was moderate but some nice quiet periods in contrast to the riding into Dar es Salaam last week. Late breakfast at km 35, then onwards until a cold drink stop, as a pseudo lunch. As we got into the upper 300 m and turned more westerly the breeze came through pushing us up, as 400m arrived. The last 20km was gentle roads and wonderful tailwinds as I chased Mingi into Mombo where we were stopping for the night. I'd return here for later adventures in the Usambaras Mountains that dominate the landscape. With a hose handily positioned the bike got a 3rd and more comprehensive rinse for good measure. A good selection of street food turned into a decent meal finished off with a freshly peeled melon. The lodge was comfortable and quiet, and cheap.Read more

  • Stephen PrendergastJoburg to NairobiTraveler

    The final camping

    November 11, 2024 in Tanzania ⛅ 28 °C

    Nearly 100 km on today's schedule, but favourable road conditions. The conditions failed to deliver today with slight head wind. Stopped for a papaya at a small roadside stall. We've been improving the fruit game. Surprisingly, I let a local ride my bike. It almost never happens because the prospect of it going badly generally overshadows the event. Mingi also wanted a ride, which wasn't much less risky given the very different types of bike we were riding. Fortunately it was without disaster. Stunning landscapes again as we gallop to Moshi in the shadow of Kilimanjaro. We headed for the pre Same camping spot. Same was a further 25km, distance we'd do tomorrow before breakfast. The quarry was a feature for a few cyclists given it was free, well concealed and far enough away from the road. It was a nice spot to camp, for what was going to be the final time on this trip as my thoughts started to turn to the off the bike activities around the region. The presence of Kilimanjaro was undeniable, despite the fact it was 125 km away from our location. We got a fire going as dinner time approached using the very dry shrubbery and tree branches. With a very bright moon the stars were not as magnificent as some of the skies in Botswana.Read more

  • Stephen PrendergastJoburg to NairobiTraveler

    Moshi , the Queen Stage

    November 12, 2024 in Tanzania ⛅ 24 °C

    The final 50 km onto Moshi deteriorated into the remnants of the T1 experience. Noisy, narrow and back to head on overtaking. The consequences of heading for a bigger urban center. It was a stark contrast to the peaceful evening of yesterday. And today's 5.45 am exit from the tent. Only it's 3rd use on this trip. The simplicity of in town accommodation has been too appealing, and affordable, to ignore. Tent life takes you to quieter more isolated places though. Better night sky, more interesting soundscape and a breeze that reminds you of a less polluted place. There is also the aspect of urban temperatures, with the additional thermal heating from roading and human construction as they act like a heat sink. But ... We rolled back down to the B1 at just after 7 am. Breakfast would wait for 20km when we rolled into Same. The Green Parrot 🦜 lived up to its reviews on the iOverlander app. The longer stop a consequence of the earlier start, volume of food and some telecoms admin to recharge the data allocation. We'd taken the increasingly uphill kilometres as a bonus. Early start and camping credit combined. From there it was moderate uphill for 10 or so km before 50 km of largely downhill. Satisfying lunch at km 75 and then back in the saddle for the final 50. This was likely my last substantive ride on this trip. Barring a few transfer journeys towards Nairobi I was unlikely to clock any further destination rides in the final 2 weeks before jumping on the plane. I'd ridden much of Tanzania leg with the company of Mingi. He was a great companion. At half my age he jokingly referred to me as Papa, it was in an endearing manner. For the next few nights we were staying in the shadow of Kilimanjaro, as I considered whether I'd join a group and experience the highest point in Africa, just under 6000m. Mingi was determined to mountain bike to the summit, something that is growing in popularity, apparently.
    Karibu Tena. Swahili for you're welcome.    Read more

  • Stephen PrendergastJoburg to NairobiTraveler
    1The glorious 'Anglebox'
    1The glorious 'Anglebox'1Good cafe !11Just an expensive meal, rice is 3000 elsewhere1Green banana and beef.11

    Considering Kilimanjaro

    Nov 13–16, 2024 in Tanzania ☀️ 23 °C

    Kilimanjaro was clagged in for the next few days, so not much to see from the rooftop Cafe at Climbers' Home hostel, our stopping point. Mingi was researching tour operators for his mountain bike ride. I tagged along and ultimately ended up doing QA on the proposed bikes, which although relatively new were poorly maintained. It wasn't until a much higher spec Specialised appeared that we were happy. Small operators have a cluster approach to gear. They work out of the same or nearby buildings in groups. They get gear from gear warehouses meaning they don't pay attention to the condition of the kit. I'm not sure how the casual tourist manages that scenario unless they have a substantial understanding of both the gear and the mountain environment. Given the amount of hire gear in circulation, there is a reasonable number of tourists doing this.
    Over a couple of days in Moshi, I was fending off street-based tour hawkers. They latch onto you as you emerge onto the street and are difficult to politely shake off.
    The week's forecast for Kilimanjaro wasn't that great, with further heavy snowfall above 4500m (summit at 5800m) and rain below. Before I pulled the trigger on the $2500 - 3000 cost of the climb I wanted to do some multi-day walking on the Usumbaras mountains back towards Tanga.
    They're a smaller set of ranges that are home to mountain villages, forestry, and significant market gardens feeding the east coast and surrounds. Eating out whilst travelling has been pretty stress free. Although restaurants are generally honest, there are pricing bumps between locals and tourists in the bigger towns, and at the worst end gouging, if they can get away with it. 1 restaurant a hawker took me to added 10000 shilling ($6) to the meal price tripling it. Both sides pleaded innocence when I refused to pay. A local sitting nearby told me it was the hawker who told them to do it in Swahili. I guess he was coming back for his share.    Read more

  • Stephen PrendergastJoburg to NairobiTraveler
    1

    Usambara Mountains

    November 16, 2024 in Tanzania ☁️ 23 °C

    Leaving the bike at the hostel in Moshi I jumped on the bus to Lushoto, heading back down the road I'd come up just 4 days previously. The bus was a fairly basic version, and I was a little cramped with a fairly solid Tanzanian mumma in the other seat. Arriving at Lushoto I was met by the guide and got some lunch with the other couple who I would be joining for tomorrow's walk. From there it was off to Amnut Lodge a 5 km motorbike ride from the village. It was a bit further out than I would normally stay but it was all part of the walking deal, organised by the hostel management. During the bus trip I'd been offerred the chance to do a single day walk and as I was there it seemed like a good opportunity. It turned out to be some of the more scenic fauna of the area.
    It became the warm up to the following day's longer journey from Lushoto to Mtae, about 60 km. Today took us through the local nature reserve and then a visit to the waterfall. I joined a French couple as part of a guided group. Originally intended as a pre Kilimanjaro prep after the biking, but weather for the next week not looking great above 3000m. Let's see what happens later this week.
    As I was getting organised for dinner the power went off. A tree had fallen on the house connection and taken the line down. Fortunately solar lighting was available. Dinner was a disappointing repeat of yesterday's meal, which was wholesome but lacked zing, and meat. I'd returned for it rather than stay in town with the day's group, after they said it was already underway. I was asleep before the ABs game. Thankfully.    Read more

  • Stephen PrendergastJoburg to NairobiTraveler
    Sugar cane millIn action.

    Anmut Hotel to Malindi

    November 17, 2024 in Tanzania ☀️ 19 °C

    After yesterday's 10 am start, I organised an 8.30 departure. So at 9 we set off from the hotel. The guide arrived after 8.30 and then photos needed to be taken for marketing. Africa. Starting off was a climb up the dirt road that took us into the mountain villages. A decent climb to 1900m included more chameleon and the Colobus monkeys. They are notoriously skittish and scarper rapidly through the treetops as you arrive. The other side of the climb is the fecund soil of the Lukozi valley. The market garden to the region. It supplies an area down the coast through to Dar es Salaam, maybe further. Dark mocha-coloured soils, either tilled or planted, as far as the eye can see and beyond. It was pleasantly temperate with a covering of clouds. We wound through the fields on narrow tracks. Jumping the drainage trenches and walking across the sturdier planked sections. A tea stop with a serve-yourself approach was had, the proprietor arriving well after tea was served. Back on the trail the anticipated 2nd uphill never materialized. The rain did, however. Light at first it increased in volume just as we located a sheltered lunch stop around 2 pm. We stayed put until just after 3 when it eased sufficiently for the final 45 minutes to tonight's stop at Milandi. Where the power was out for the whole village. It came back at 5. Then dissappeared at 5.20, before finally coming back for the rest of the evening.Read more

  • Stephen PrendergastJoburg to NairobiTraveler

    Rangwi - the Convent stop

    November 18, 2024 in Tanzania ☁️ 22 °C

    There's no early start on this trip it seems. Breakfast at 8, cook lives off site. After we walked the first 2 km with the owner to his house, as we departed, it was likely it was him. The room was in need of a full rebuild and it was only the standard of the lodges I'd been paying $5 - 6 for. Throw in food and that's about $15 tops + $7 for the guide. At nearly $130 / day it wasn't great value. More good scenery though. The gardens continued right to the lunch stop the next day, around 40 km in length through the valley landscapes. At times no more than 500m in widths but often climbing the hills to expand that coverage. Around 2pm we arrived at the Nun's Convent our overnight stop, where we'd decided to push towards for a lunch stop as well, with the sky getting darker. They provided accommodation and meals to passing tourists. Nearly 70 nuns lived on site but many travelled to other districts to provide a range of educational and indoctrinational services. Catholicism is deeply entrenched in Tanzania, perhaps it's helpful. History will tell. Rangwi is a pretty small village which doesn't reflect the value of the surrounding agriculture. I'm not sure why. A quick loop around the village suggested the convent grounds were not much smaller. My legs were suitably tired so it may have been beneficial that the distances had been overstated despite my querying the advertised walking time. It was a bucket shower before dinner, a decent 20L pail of hot water supplied. To be diluted with the bucket of cold. Dinner and breakfast the next morning were hearty servings. The room temperature beer irresistible. A narrow single bed a real icon of the Catholic approach to sins of the flesh.Read more

  • Stephen PrendergastJoburg to NairobiTraveler

    Last walking day

    November 19, 2024 in Tanzania ⛅ 23 °C

    With some socks still to dry out it was probably useful that another late breakfast was in store. Today presented some additional company as well. I'd met Thomas from Germany at the convent. Similar age, we would spend today walking together, as would the guides. With his guide he was also solo walking this route. There were also 3 young German women, who I'd originally thought were Thomas's daughters. They were also 3 months into an African adventure. Obviously each guide has preferred lodges - where that's possible, but the last 2 days seem pretty aligned. Thomas was meeting his wife at a more up market lodge today, the rest of us were staying at Mugumba View Lodge. At 1900m it should provide stunning views across the lower plateau right through to a distant Kilimanjaro. As we left the convent ducking onto little pathways we grazed the vegetable plantings before ascending into the nearby forest. Large eucalyptus, Douglas firs and a smattering of other species dominate the forestscape. Barring some sort of side tracks we followed the local road. In good condition, it had all the hallmarks of a forestry service road. We passed through Shagayu Forest Reserve, before encountering the commercial plantings. In the midst was a derelict sawmill. Continuing on Thomas branched off and Costa and I headed to lunch. In the afternoon it was a short walk to the pottery spot, where local women make and sell items, before a trip into town and then a climb a few hundred metres to the lodge. It was spectacularly situated with views right across the plateau 1000m below. There were also peeps of Kilimanjaro in the distance as the visibility improved. An evening electrical storm was impressive, even this one that was small and passed in a few minutes.Read more

    Trip end
    December 3, 2024