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Published: January 5th 2006
Hey! I’m back in Belgium now and have some time to explain you what I’ve done over the last 2.5 weeks…. Well just one word can tell you how the trip was: great! It was different then last time that I was in Africa. The first time was in Senegal 7 years ago. I remember that I had a big culture choc. When you see the poverty people experience in those countries and how they need to survive…. You can only thank God that you were born in a developed country and not have to question whether you will have food or not. And still most Belgians like to complain….anyway, my trip….
After the hassle of getting in Naiobi and after getting out until 5AM in the morning I had to wake up @ 7AM to start the bike trip! We first took the bus out of Nairobi and biked trough field were animals from Nairobi National park can migrate from one park to another. So we spotted the first zebra’s! Realy great experience to bike next to them and C them in nature like that! The first camp had a swimming pool which was great as temperature was 30C and
higher and as I (was) not a trained biker, after 20km in the heat on dirt roads I was quit tired…. Not the best start however things would improve The second day was already one of the toughest days on the whole trip, 80 km on dirt roads and quit some big hills. This was such a great experience, biking on the red sand of Africa! And the children either run after you with “Djambo” or waving hands like crazy! Others start laughing or say they are sorry we had to travel by bike as biking is something for poor people . The second day we camped with a Masai (Robert) and I didn’t put the top of my tent so that during night I had a great view on the African sky, the amount of start was just amazing and I enjoyed it a lot as I couldn’t sleep due to the wind. The third day was a really nice: 40km on red dirt roads towards the Kilimanjaro! This time we spotted some giraffes in the beauty of the African landscapes! Just amazing and much nicer to see them here vs in the National parks! After 40km we
Tim on bike...
Tim on his biketook the bus and drove into Amboseli National park towards our camping spot just next the park, under a nice tree with a great view on Mr Kilimanjaro. If you wonder what we had for lunch and dinner, well a kitchen was installed on the bus and every day Mandy made sure we had a great meal. I helped here out once in a wile with chopping and stuff, but she deserves a Michelin star for what she did! That evening we had a great meal with some of the wine I bought when we took of in Nairobi. Next day: visit Amboseli National park: great park saw all the animals except the lion! Anyway to see how the elephants are bading in the water was one of the nicest things we saw in the park, beside that: gnoe’s, zebra’s, bison’s, impala’s…, it was all there. We had breakfast in the middle of the park on a view-point. In the afternoon a short 20km bike trip trough Lake Amboseli which is dry this time of the year towards a masai village next to a huge red rock. On one side of the rock the park and the Kilimanjaro, the
other side the sunset into the African savanna. A great dinner with wine and cheese that day! 2 Masai guarded our camp @ night and we good chat with them around a campfire. Of course I wanted to know how live was with 2-3-4-… woman, what are there dreams, what do they eat etc etc,, a real highlight of the trip! In the morning we visited the Masai village and went into one of the houses. Can imagine that they were quit interested the first time John, the organizer of the event, passed by with his bikes, a bus and all the people that start setting up there tent in 10min,…. After visiting the masai village, +/- 20 woman from several villages around came to our camp to sell some typical Masai stuff. After that a 40 km bike ride to a camp side were I had a terrible night…..as like in the other camp-sides I didn’t put my cover on the tent, however this time I was under a tree …. With birds which made quit some noise (like 2 dogs did that night), during the night I already felt something like a spray …. In the morning I
campsite next to Amboseli NP
campsite next to Amboseli NP knew what this spay was in reality…bird-shit…just on the side of the tent were I was with my head….smart animals Anyway after a short night we took the bus into Tanzania to Arusha. Some free time and visited a local market. Just felt like Gene in “Gentse Waterzooi” (Belgian TV cooking-program)
After that a short 20 km bike ride to a campsite just outside Arusha. Great evening there with some good Baylis / Whiskey shots….4 was to much….and felt it the day after when we had to do a 90km trip (on a good road) Did 60km, drove even to far, passed the camp-side without knowing. (good experience as well as I drove trough a village and felt like the pope, had to wave to all the people on both sides of the road ) This was Christmas evening and decided together with Nash (our great local bus driver, and Maria and Karen to go to the church @ mid-night. Another highlight in my trip! We were sitting on the third row while people were standing outside the church….didn’t feel comfortable with it but Nash’es friend arranged that for us….so couldn’t say no. However it was quit an
experience to enter a stranger a church, everybody looking @ us of course. The mean differences: the speaker was not reading, it was like he was having a chat with the people and the priest, well he was making jokes. Then of course the people singing and dancing… great night!
Next day: Ngonongorou crater: nice nature, loads of game, however to touristy, there was even a traffic jam in the park. After visiting that park we drove to Arusha, had a great Christmas dinner with presents! A few Stellakes, bit of pooling and into bed. Next day 20km bike. Started in the rain (people laughing with us of course) and biked next to a train-track to our next camp-side were I didn’t had my best night….animals (don’t know which one) were jumping from one tree to the other and made quit some noise. The next 3 days in the mountains were just AMAZING! Biking trough rain-forest, off track little dirt roads next to banana trees, visited a “wine-monastery” @ a certain point the view was similar vs Tuscany, other moments the red sandy roads, and typical African vegetation….well, not enough words to describe it, have to do it yourselves… Didn’t
take a lot of pictures, just enjoyed the biking over there. (50km first day - rest-day - 60km 3rd day)
After these 3 day’s I had to recover a bit more as I didn’t feel great before we took of for a 65km on the slavery road towards Dar. (El Salaam) The road used by thousands of slaves, walking to the coast, before they were transported to Zanzibar. Well after 10km I decided to join Nash in the bus and had a great time over there as well. We arrived for the first time we saw the ocean! Had a great camp-side and dinner (pasta with lobster). After that a good drink together with Nash and some nice woman who stayed there as well…not enough sleep….. The last bike day was a short 20km towards our final resort were I rented a Banda. The 2 other days we visited Dar, I went back then to Nairobi were I relaxed a day before coming back to Belgium. Oh yes, the last day I finished a book about the other side of Africa….the problem Aids, poverty, the slums in Nairobi, murder and other criminal facts…..that’s the other side of Africa…(Mijn status is
biking on lake amboseli
biking on lake amboseli Positief - only available in Dutch) One of the funny things was when I was sitting in a taxi I passed one of the government buildings which said “This area is a non-corrupted area, if you notice something please report”….
Anyway, was worth going there with a bike, saw much more then when you would go with a jeep! Would recommend it to everybody and for the people who are interested in joining one of the great Escape Adventure trips with John and Mandy: www.escapeadv.com
Thanks Mandy and John and all my biking friends for the great time!
The 15th of Jan I will leave Belgium again and will arrive in Maleysia for my 5 months trip. What I will C and do…one big ? and one bid adventure, prepared it a bit but not 2 much….time will tell.
Thanks for the messages, it’s great to be away but also great to stay in touch!
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joost
non-member comment
nie te doen
wat een leven!! joegne-joegne