Descending into the valley

Finally! I always wanted to hike to or from the valley. I spontaneously join Allan, Nick and Adelia on their way down. They have a car down in Mkundi from where Allan hiked up to Mambo View Point yesterday. While we descend the 1400 m in around 4 hours with perfect weather and great views, several small kids ascend from the valley carrying huge sacks of mangoes for the markets up on 2000 m from where we started. What is one pack? 20 kg? What is one kid? 30 kg? Crazy!!

This year's emerald season came delayed. Everything is juicy and green, even in the valley. It is early afternoon. There is soon going to be a new shower from the sky. Our ways part and my plan is to go up to Mambo via the abandoned northern access road from Langoni to Mtae which is not drivable by car currently because of landslides. The others told me that it should be doable with a boda-boda though. This is what I go for now! The
motorbike pilot is pretty enthusiastic and rushes as fast as he can on the flat gravel road from Mkundi to Langoni. My ass hurts. The following part up into the Usambaras gets totally freaky. It is
barely a path. Would never be drivable with a fat BMW GS motorbike! And he goes up there with me in the back. I hop off frequently and help him push the bike upwards or walk 200 m while he works himself through the big sones and the mud. At one point we pass the construction machines which are repairing the road. It is being completely refurbished at the moment.
But where the machines left their traces is bare red soil. After the recent rain this part became soapy mud and the motorbike's rear tyre accumulates so much mud that it also gets on the chain which then falls of. Several times I help him to get the chain clean and back on so that we can continue. After the fifth maneuver I decide that this is nonsense. We share two mangoes and I send him back down home. I am faster hiking up alone 😂

So, we just made it up on 1000 m from where I now hike up to Mtae. It takes me around 2 hours. I do not meet anybody on the deserted road! Total loneliness! In Mtae on around 1600 m new rain clouds approach and it is becoming cold and dusky. I grab another boda-boda and off I rush up to Mambo View Point for a hot shower.Read more