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Tanzania Mavanga

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  • TravelerOutOfComfortZoneInAfrica
    Day 7

    Massai Dorf

    January 28 in Tanzania ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

    Irgendwo nicht weit entfernt von Camp Atupele liegt ein Dorf der Massai. Die Massai sind eine der größten Stämme in Tanzania und sind sehr bekannt, da sie sich auch in der Öffentlichkeit traditionell gekleidet präsentieren. Das Dorf habe ich heute kurz nach meiner Ankunft und einer Runde schwimmen im Pool besucht.
    Ich lerne viel darüber, wie sie Feuer machen, darf ihre Gewänder tragen und auch mal mit ihnen und den anderen Gästen Tanzen (Springen) 😃
    Außerdem erzählt uns Paul, ein Krieger des Dorfes, viel über das nomadische Leben seines Volkes: Welche Tiere sie besitzen und von welchem Nutzen diese für sie sind, wie sie ihre Zeremonien feiern, der Alltag des Dorfes, wie sie ihre temporären Hütten bauen und noch vieles mehr.
    Wenn ich hier Dorf erwähne ist es beispielsweise wichtig zu wissen, dass sie immer mit dem grünen Gras weiterziehen. Solange es frisches Gras für die Tiere gibt, bleiben sie an einem Ort, so wie sie dort bereits seit 6 Jahren leben.
    Und das Beste waren natürlich die Mini-Simbas - kleine Babyhunde 😍🐶    Read more

    See translation
  • TravelerJoburg to Nairobi
    113
    Day 84

    To Mbuyumi

    October 27, 2024 in Tanzania ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C

    Breakfast consisting of boiled potatoes and boiled egg was slow to arrive, slightly delaying my departure. I was heading off on my own, with Mingi staying for his second day. I'd also looked at the option of going Northward and looping back via Arusha to Kilimanjaro to end in Dar es Salaam. It would be a more beachy environment for the end of the trip. But it meant riding away from Mingi and potentially not getting to Dar, or Zanzibar, if things changed later.
    Staying with the revised Eastward route also provided for a break at the end of month 3 on the bike. Leaving the 4g Royal Lodge I quickly dropped the 150m back to the T1. From there it was a gentle downhill to the start of the gorge formed by the Udzungwa Mountains, part of the extended national parks that span Tanzania. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Udzungwa_Mountains . They would feature again tomorrow. Trucks passed in clusters probably because of the benefit of numbers when the inevitable mechanical occurred in a harder to reach location. Arriving in Mbuyumi I checked out a few lodges and settled on what I hoped would be the best of a bad bunch. I grabbed a beer from a nearby pub and headed to the shower. The beer was good. I headed out for dinner and ended up chatting to Jenefa the owner of the 10k distant Crocodile Camp. She also owned this joint , which a moto rider had deposited me at. The camp was a local favourite of the overlander community. It had had its troubles following Covid. The distance and few recent neutral reviews was sufficient to dampen my desire to make it there today. I'd eyeball it on my way past tomorrow. It was an adventurous walk up the road in the dark trekking back to the lodge, which by moto seemed so close.    Read more

  • TravelerJoburg to Nairobi
    42132
    Day 82

    Down to Iringa

    October 25, 2024 in Tanzania ⋅ ☁️ 27 °C

    The day started with a dollop of downhill sprinkled with headwind and warming temps. I had added my light jacket, dayglow orange, as a chill barrier, and useful hiviz for the traffic. It lasted a lot longer than the temperature dictated. There wasn't a lot of useful road shops before lunch and I resorted to my days old fried bread as I pedalled. At least the rolling landscape of yesterday's road was less pronounced today. I dropped a couple of hundred metres before a steep uphill into town. The bigger regional town of Iringa sported a few western hotels, coffee shops and fancier restaurants for those inclined. I was. The better equipped 4g Royal was my 2 night location. I'd had some help finding it from a local tour arranger/guide who'd seen me arrive. He'd also suggested The Alexander Hotel as a better quality restaurant. It turns out also a bar for many of its safari tour operators. The assistance was at least partly self interested. Iringa sits between the prime Kilimanjaro National Park and the smaller southerly National parks. It's likely an easier environment to navigate than the main cities of Dodoma, Arusha or Dar es Salaam. Especially for tourists who are covering that mix of sites. A late lunch became an early dinner of pepper steak chips & salad. Delicious. Despite forgetting to give strict instructions on medium/rare. Medium was still very tender. Mushroom sauce tasty. I left the coffee till tomorrow. And forewent the beer for a later event, where it would be more reasonably priced. Back into tap to pay land, via phone, the trip funds once again contributing directly. After a leisurely stroll around town I located a nearby pub, grabbed a celebratory beer, chatting to locals and catching the last of the local football derby. Mingi would arrive tomorrow and I'd do a bit of sight seeing, some laundry and rest the legs. And the coffee.Read more

  • TravelerJoburg to Nairobi
    12
    Day 81

    Mafinga , solo

    October 24, 2024 in Tanzania ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C

    I set off by myself at 7, leaving Mingi to rest his legs after the exertion of yesterday. Good honest km in the early morning cool. A proper shoulder meant less traffic hassle. Breakfast on the go gave way to chewing up K s. The fried bread doing the business partnered by an intermittent cold coke or similar. At 45km I stopped at Nyololo for some mid-morning soup, and then got into the next 40. Bagged another 1000m in climbing with a terrific set of rolling hills in the last 20 km. Steep downs followed by equally steep ups. The awful 4 row rumble strips aren't laid at that steepness, presumably due to speed risk. I'd been hopping the bike, leading the front wheel skywards as it hit row 1, mixed results on the rear. Checked into the aptly named Classic lodge after reminding the owner she offerred both $12 AND $9 rooms, which would be suitable for the bike. Amusing beer at local bar "The Don" which looked like a pickup joint full of young women around tables sipping drinks. Rinse and repeat the following day seemed likely.Read more

  • TravelerJoburg to Nairobi
    1
    12222
    Day 80

    Headwind Hell

    October 23, 2024 in Tanzania ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    Optimistically I was advocating for a 100 km+ day to get us to Iringa in 2, rather than 3 stints. There was a bit of uphill in that so it was going to be an ask. Starting early, no breakfast included in the accommodation, meant no reason to dally. Right out the gate, there was a blustery headwind. In these conditions I put my head down and just ground it out. It never eased up and when we rolled into Makambako at the 56 km mark mid afternoon we'd both had enough. It took 3 ATMs before I found one that understood Visa properly and spat out a wad of Shillings. Getting a beer and a feed helped restore a more normal tempo, with the previous day's mishap a thing of the past. We both had some leg pain from the ride today so hoping overnight recovery would be sufficient. Makambako really championed the tuk-tuk fleet. They'd been a presence since entering Tanzania which didn't feature the same, overloaded and batterred, Toyota Sienta runabout craze as Malawi. But here there was a tuk-tuk lane bollarded to prevent cars and trucks from entering, and only just wide enough at the bollards for a tuk-tuk to pass through. Naturally a ride was required. Heading out to get some fried buns, for an on the go breakfast tomorrow, I noticed the street intersection had turned into kitchen street.Read more

  • Michi, derRainy season, the juicy season
    5
    Day 34–35

    Lunji Coffee

    December 9, 2023 in Tanzania ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C

    At Lunji coffee farm I meet an overlanding couple from Switzerland. Aye, how refreshing to talk to them! I realise that they are my first tourist encounter after a whole month of travelling 😃! During the past 15 months they drove down from Europe via Western Africa and arrived here from Mozambique and Malawi.

    Lunji I visited in January 2022 already but have not stayed here. This is one of my favourite places in Tanzania and I could come back every time! Now, the weather is great and the coffee even greater! Luckily I am able to talk to Paul who is running the coffee and roasting business. He studied in Germany and lives with his wife and kid here. Through his mother-in-law they also distribute their coffee in Germany (though being roasted here). Paul just send 800 kg over to her to be able to cope with all the Christmas orders 😁.

    The farm tells a vibrant history throughout the past century. The oldest coffee bushes are 70-80 years old! Unfortunately, they are affected by a fungus disease which has been introduced in the 20th century, leading to huge losses in crop yield. Paul's plan is to replace them in future with new promising varieties, step by step. Anyway, they have different lots with different varieties already, which I very much sympathise with because this kind of diversity offers a great chance for customers to taste different coffee types. Also, they process their coffee either "natural" or "honey" which both result in intense fruity aromas which I very much appreciate 🤤. There is also a 5-days anaerobicly fermented coffee with promising taste. Had to buy a full kilogram of that, too 😅.

    There are great hiking opportunities to Mount Mbeya and it is interesting to learn about the environmental challenges the farm faces nowadays. Next year they will also be producing avocado oil!    Read more

  • Michi, derRainy season, the juicy season
    22
    Day 27

    Abandoned beauty of a road

    December 2, 2023 in Tanzania ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    I decide to take a "seasonal" side road for further surveying of these absolutely gorgeous mountains. Even after yesterday's heavy rains the seasonal aspect would not have been a problem because after a while the road deteriorates to a well-overgrown and thus stable single trail. Strange. You still see its attempt of wanting to be a "real road" but that must have been years ago! It is completely abandoned and I start to ask myself, why? I have to leave the car many times to assess the drivable surface ahead. According to the map, a bigger river crossing might cause troubles. But when I reach the bridge, it is still in top condition! Perfect spot for a lunch break.

    But then, behind the next hill I learn the "why". In a rather inconspicuous location the path has been underwashed. People have partly repaired the damage on one side with wooden trunks but the wood is very loose and slippery. Additionally, to the other side the "crossing" consists of soft soil which gives in when walking over it. Deeply underneath there is now a stream flowing. The whole crossing offers a width of 2 m and my car's track width is about 1.80 m. With the loose wood I have no room to maneuver. If one wheel slides off, the game is over and I get stuck in a place where nobody can help me out 🫤.

    Half an hour later a farmer appears and tells me that it will be impossible to cross with my car. Usually, locals say that everything is always possible and especially then it is not. Now I feel supported in my decision.

    I turn back and enjoy the challenging track, the pretty landscape of hilly farmland, the low clouds and even a distant glimpse on the lake which I did not notice when coming from the other direction! Yet again I found a wonderful and remote place where probably not many travellers have been before.    Read more

  • Michi, derRainy season, the juicy season
    Day 26–28

    Civilization

    November 30, 2023 in Tanzania ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    No, I don't mean the computer game. I ... ehm ... stop! I *do* mean the computer game. "Civilization VI" to be precise, which features one type of game victory – "through religion" – where you send out missionaries and priests to convince other civilizations in the game's artificial world to believe in your word of truth.

    So, here I am, in a diaconical guesthouse, being successfully converted by two young German social volunteering ladies to be theirs now. I did not introduce myself as Jesus, by the way.

    In the afternoon, a local friend of them teaches us how to bake traditional wheat bread which withstands long journeys without moulding. He presents to us fancy whole-grain flour for which he first had to buy grains and then go to a mill. You cannot easily find it in shops. When mixed with water, it sticks surprisingly quickly (I am to some extent an amateur bread baking evangelist). We then bake it in a pot, wrapped in a freshly cut banana leaf and heated from both sides by charcoal. Great scent emerges! I get a full half of it, but the girls can keep the flour (they should breed a highly potential sour dough with it 🤤!).

    Previous to that, I already felt my stomach rebelling slightly. Something must have been wrong with my lunch in town. Now, after baking: lack of appetite, followed by extensive surveying of my accommodation's bathroom. Oh my holy mightiness, why do I deserve a *squat* toilet now? But, finally, all the training of my past bush days pays off. My thighs are steel and will probably not fit into my freshly tailored linen pants tomorrow.

    And here is where the yet untouched bread joins my game. With small sips of masala chai and chunks of this crunchy tastiness, I manage to cure my body back from shaking chills to the energy overdose required to compose these introductory lines of the Third Testament. And off I slide into the night.

    Victory? No. At midnight, some greater force (in my stomach) decides that the game of lunch digestion is not yet to be finished 🤢. But the following morning I rise again like a reborn!    Read more

  • Michi, derRainy season, the juicy season
    1
    Day 23–24

    In Liunji I begin to understand

    November 28, 2023 in Tanzania ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C

    We arrive. She falls onto her knees, kissing my hand and thanking me for the ride 😅. I get introduced to Leo, the young security guy with the only village moped, and decide that staying here in the village could also be a nice option. But nobody speaks English. With hands and feet, the base of my intention is communicated. Still, I have to wait many phone calls until things proceed. I am handed the phone where – for the second time this day – a guy asks me about my purpose and tells me that I should have registered in the district office before coming to Liunji. What is going on here 🤔? I explain to him the idea of being a tourist and that his claim is ridiculous. How should foreigners know to register anywhere in advance? Finally, Leo leads me through fields of coffee bushes to meet the village's chief. A young, calm and fascinating person with authoritarian aura. I am granted permission to camp next to the dispensary.

    In the dark, during my dinner preparation, Oscar arrives on a motorbike. A talkative boy who – in a loose conversation – manages to interrogate me thoroughly, asking about every item around my car and … about my purpose of coming here 🙄. "I just looked on my map and thought that it might be beautiful here! I am innocent of whatever you accuse me!" Only now he tells me that he is the village's executive officer. With a mischievous grin he asks "And you are sure you didn't come here for the minerals?" 🤦‍♂️. So, that’s the reason for all this creepy suspiciousness in this mountain region!

    The following morning, we have an official gathering where I am supposed to be introduced to some other persons in charge. But nobody apart from Oscar and the ladies from around the small market square appear. I share my favourite Tanzanian coffee brew with them. In turn, I am asked if I wanted to try their "bamboo juice". For sure! A cloudy, watery drink, sour, sweet, slightly sparkling. The girls start to giggle. It contains alcohol! After a regular-sized mug I already feel dizzy and this is where I notice that the ladies are sharing a two- or three-litre plastic bucket of the same "juice" (Ulanzi). Alright, let's get drunk at 07:30 in the morning! This also explains why all the ladies in the previous villages where laughing and going wild when I jumped out of the car in search of lunch. By noon, they must have been thoroughly drunk already!

    Oscar turns out to be a splendid lad and spends half the day hiking with me around the hills and introducing me to the secrets of his village. I see the coffee tree nursery and get shown how they extract their bamboo juice. The first time in my life I see yams plants, we visit avocado, cassava, maize and beans farmers and I learn that they keep their cattle mainly for natural manure production. "It's much better than all artificial fertilizers" Oscar proudly states, pointing me to a pit where all sheep and goat poo is collected for later use on the fields. They also keep happily grunting pigs in wooden cages. After harvest, the coffee pulp is reused as fertilizer as well. Aye, what a beautiful place this is! Descending down to the lake is not an option anymore because a round-trip would take a whole day and massive cumulus nimbi are accumulating above us. My new family demands taking a picture in front of my mobile home and with a half-broken heart I continue my journey into the unknown void.    Read more

  • Michi, derRainy season, the juicy season
    8
    Day 23

    No road to Makonde

    November 28, 2023 in Tanzania ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    I try my best to get a glimpse on lake Nyassa. From top of the Livingstone mountain ridge the lake opens in front of me. Or, at least the misty sky reaches farther down than expected and blends neatly into the water, forming an infinite horizon. That must be it!

    Unfortunately, my attempt to drive down the incredibly steep slopes is boycotted by roadworks 🤷‍♂️.

    During the last days I noticed that people are different in this area. They are skeptical, don't approach me, don't try to talk to me. In one village after lunch an executive officer appears and asks me for my
    purpose of coming here. "Hmm, tourist? No purpose?" She isn't able to understand that I found myself in this place just out of intrinsic motivation. I should have registered in the district office an hour drive away from here. And I should have brought documents and permissions for moving around here. What the heck?    Read more

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