Mombasa to Dar

---

Peponi

So where was I? Tiwi beach... It's been a beachy few weeks... And a wet few weeks. After no rain at all for 3.5 months I certainly seem to have caught up with it and it looks like I'll be stuck firmly in the middle of it for some time. In fact I don't really mind all that much. So far the rain has been predictable - mostly late night/early morning - and even when it does come down during the day, despite the invariably ferocious deluge, the sun is usually out moments later, drying my clothes and re-baking the muddy earth roads.

Tiwi itself was more or less dry the whole time we were there. It rained only the once overnight and then only a little and by the time the ceaseless ocean wind had built back up to full strength (usually by about 10am) and clouds that might have lingered overnight were whisked away towards Nairobi, leaving the afternoons hot and humid and perfect for a pleasant mix of wallowing in the sea and propping up the bar.

The tidal range - with Tiwi being so close to the equator - was a real surprise to me. For some reason I had assumed that tidal extremes were driven by latitude and that sitting as we were on the equator there wouldn't be all that much difference between high and low. How ignorant of me! There must have been at least 4m range at Tiwi (about the same all the way down the coast as far as I've been able to tell) and at low tide the sea was back perhaps 200m from the steep sandy beach where I'd pitched my tent. Mornings were spent flopping about on said beach, or walking out onto the sandy tidal belt looking at the shells and crabs and expansive views up and down the coast. Beer 'o clock invariably came early and from midday we'd be lounging by the bar or down on the sand, drinking quickly before our 'Tuskers' had a chance to warm up... For a grand total of 7 Euro we picked up 3 large Red Snapper right off the Dhow and braaied them in a little fire we made on the sand, garnished with fresh lime, garlic and olive oil and washed down with more beer and wine.

In short it was perfect and we spent 3 happy days in this decadent fashion, glad simply to be washed up on the beach with nothing very pressing to do. Marcel will probably correct me on this, but I think it was the first time (or at least the first time he'd spent a whole day) in weeks, or months, where he wasn't either driving or else up to his elbows in grease under the truck. In fact the poor old truck was still giving problems (this time with the fuel pump which had started gushing diesel all over the road while awaiting the ferry in Mombasa), but partly because it couldn't be fixed without the necessary (and absent) spares, and partly because I think he just couldn't be bothered anymore, he wisely decided to take a break and give himself some time off of a few days. A holiday from holidaying so to speak. That's not to say he didn't work on the truck at all - cold turkey like that might have killed him 😉 - he did spend one day tinkering with the electrics, but at least it was grease free work!

On the third day we were surprised (so say the least!), but very pleasantly so, to see Cliverson strolling down the beach: a hitch-hiker we'd picked up in the Omo Valley and last seen wandering off into the desolate village of Turmi before we set out for Omorate and Lake Turkana. Turns out he was staying in Mombasa and just beaching it for the day, having spent - if I recall his words exactly - a "bloody terrible" month or so hitching around Ethiopia before fleeing back to Kenya perched on the metal bars over the back of a cattle truck for a 24 hour, non-stop, bone jarring hell-ride down the Moyale road to Marsabit. The man is tough. If not certifiable. We had a good catch up though and it was good to see him.

Anyway, day 4 was time to leave and we left mid-morning for the Tanzanian border - amusingly (I thought) called "Horohoro" - a couple of hours drive South along the coast. The drive was beautiful down to the border: lush green vegetation with massive Baobab trees overhanging a wide, smooth, mostly empty tar ribbon of a road. One grouchy little bastard threw a stone which pinged off my boot but no damage done and it failed to dent my mood.

We had a small scare at the border when the immigration office realised that the 2 children didn't have entry stamps into Kenya - the official in Nairobi not having thought it necessary to waste the ink it seems. But with a bit of feigned ignorance and plenty of patient sweet talking, Marcel eventually convinced them it was all okay and we were through. Another very easy border, even considering that brief scare, and about an hour and a half later we were moving on - with the nice tar now giving way to bumpy but firm gravel - into Tanzania.

Actually it was VERY bumpy. The first 60km or so to Tanga - the run-down, but I thought rather charming, leafy and spacious coastal town that was our first stop - was a picture of rural beauty, but the gravel surface was hard and corrugated and rutted to hell. It did at least stay dry and once I got used to the off-roading again I began to rather enjoy myself. So long that is, as your kind of fun is bouncing a heavy bike around a loose rocky corner at 70kmph to suddenly find - with absolutely zero warning - a foot wide trench cut diagonally across the road in front of you, forcing a rapid, even tighter turn to hit the gap as close to right angles as possible, and a burst of gas to lift the front end and carry the front wheel up and over the abyss... 2 massive thumps, but with the bike otherwise no skipping a beat, and I was through, my heart sliding sickenly back down my throat and settling a little nauseatingly into my stomach. Fun fun fun! 😊

The road passed through swampy river crossings - all well bridged - and scattered palm and mangrove trees lined the banks and hillsides. A few kilometres before Tanga the tar started again and on the outskirts of the town I waited for the truck to catch up. We picked up a few supplies but otherwise didn't linger long and at about 4pm headed South out of town on a narrow dirt track to Peponi beach.

"Peponi" in Swahili means "Heaven" and it truly is a fabulous spot. Not too flash, not too basic (read: clod beer and hot showers), and just about perfect for my modest tastes. A big, but nicely spaced out camp site, set just meters from the beach, has shelters for tents or if you prefer there are a scattering of little bungalows with beds and hammocks and private toilets. I pitched my tent about 5 meters from the lapping sea (it just happened to be high tide) and jumped directly into it. It was like a bath - not the refreshing dip I had been hoping for after a not too long, but certainly very hot ride - so I waded out again and went off to jump into the swimming pool instead, which while still lukewarm, seemed practically icy after the near boiling sea. There I stayed for about half an hour until a familiar and urgent craving drew me up and away to the bar. I don't wear a watch, but I might be tempted if I could find one with, and I'm picturing crisp amber lettering here, "Beer 'o clock" stamped 12 merry times around the dial. Let me be the first to say I am a man of simple, even basic, pleasures and Peponi provided, well *most* of them in abundance.

We went snokling out to a Sand bar island - the pictures I think can speak for themselves here - and otherwise just chilled in the sea, the pool, the bar. The beach life was continuing to treat me very well.

Dar es Salaam (and back again)

On Friday 19 March the fire truck and I took to the road again and made for Dar. I have since been micolyting over Dar, left again, gone back to Arusha via the Usambara mountains, back again to Peponi and returned to Dar and Zanzibar and much of this is now getting on for 4 weeks ago. Clearly I'm a bit behind and in my laziness I'm going to rush over these couple of weeks quickly so I can start my next blog update with "Dar part 2" and Zanzibar, which I hope to be uploaded in a week or so. In short I rode around a lot, covered much of the same ground, got rained on plenty, failed to see Kili through the clouds, and generally killed time as I waited for Easter and the arrival of my good friends Dirk, Sacha (and separately) John & Nicola in Dar es Salaam on 5 April. As I sit and write this it is a beautiful blue sky day in the Utengule mountains just North of Malawi and I'm due to head South towards the lake in a couple of hours. Life is good and it's great to be heading South again. I plan to spend a few weeks relaxing on the lake and should find some quality time to upload my latest photos and get up to speed with this blog thing. I hope everyone reading this is well and keep the comments coming - always nice to know who's reading my drivel. Until next time.

---

Comments

[Anne]

As my boss would say "brill!!!....Great to hear from you again - and enjoying a bit of RnR. And judging from the photos alone I wonder whether you will be able to leave that place and journey on! Good to know that you have others to enjoy it with too!! Bye for now! Anne

[Kate]

How's the ipod bro?

[chrisdy]

actually its working again! well the lock button doesnt work anymore, but otherwise it seems ok. result! :)