Idete

There are rumors of a rarely used campsite 7 km off the main road, just at the boundary of Udzungwa Mountains National Park. Very alluring! The access route was not mapped (now it is) and I have to ask a farmer on the field if I am supposed to be driving through maize and other crops in order to reach the camp? He confirms, shrugs and starts to lead the way what is just a single track for pedestrians and cyclists. He damn knows what he is doing and makes me aware of many hidden holes which would have swallowed my wheels entirely. Again I prove that communication is possible without a common language. Our paths part where the track gets wider and shows previous vehicle usage.

After a bumpy drive, the forest closes around me and out of nothing a ranger station appears. The only person around confirms the existence of a camp as well and – being totally uninterested – waves me into the direction behind the buildings and around the hill: "You will see." But what I encounter is grass up to my bonnet and thick bush in front of me. Aha? Not more than 50 metres away from the ranger, thick branches block my passage. He could have told me! I manage to cut them down with my hand saw and continue, just when I notice some Tsetse flies in the car. Huge ones! A few moments later I realise that it must rather be a trillion of them because once I switch on my headlights, all of them accumulate at my windscreen in a thick buzzing layer, blocking my sight. Hard work to get them out again!

With the daylight fading I am again stopped by a fallen tree and quickly realise that this is meant to be today's final destination. Neither axe nor saw will cut this thick thing in a reasonable amount of time. (Wurstdaniel would have managed though 😉.) According to the GPS coordinates, the official campsite must be just 400 m ahead.

Birds tell me to wake up. With coffee in hand I observe a mothish butterfly licking my soap. Only at the second glance I notice a reoccurring pattern: Every few seconds, prior to licking, the colourful beauty pees a drop of liquid onto my soap to dilute the surface. So damn fascinating! I can watch for hours. Which nutrients is it looking for?? My soap consists of just natural ingredients, based on sheep's milk with ginger (from Bremer Seifenwerkstatt). Yet another example for the true beauty of nature often being hidden in overlookable details.

I also hear some hippos from the nearby river and when I collect all my courage to walk the remaining distance to the camp, I can even smell them. The camp turns out to be a shaded area under high canopy with stone table and benches. Not much of a gain compared to my fallen tree spot 😛.Read more