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Published: December 31st 2007
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Finally finished with the volunteering and after 4 of my housemates contracting malaria (despite taking tablets) its definitely the right time to start moving on and travelling south on the good old bus network here...even on the coaches they manage to pack everyone in where there are clearly 2 seats together, we sit 6!!, then you also have to also get used to sitting still for hours not drinking anything so as not to risk the need of going to the loo (fine for the guys who just go at side of road but think a female taking a pee would have attracted enough attention let alone a mzungo/white girl!)- whilst in Africa...
First stop Lushoto for the Usamburu mountains with some other volunteers from Moshi we made our way up to Irente for some amazing views, the walk took a while and i got sunburnt 😞 ...but it was worth it for the amazing views...plus we stopped at a farm on the way where we were able to get proper bread and cheese!...I can't explain how good that is as there is barely any dairy in Tanzania (no reliable fridges to keep it fresh) and the bread is normally
awful white stuff that tastes bad..
One of the girls got sick so she stayed at the bottom whilst Tom and I decided to stay in these dodgy bandhas which basically perched on the edge of the cliff, it was the most uncomfortable night stay i've had, EVER, i think and i barely slept all night but we had the most amazing sunset and woke up above the clouds which was pretty cool... They're quite funny in Tanz about girls and boys staying in the same room so we became husband and wife for the night...always helps as well when out with the locals who seem to think that if you're single that means, obviously, you will marry them- why would anyone want to be 27 and not married!! Its quite funny, they're always so shocked at that prospect. After some negotiating on the price of our stay (got it for $1) the owner took us out to the local pub...well, it was someones front room where all the locals gathered together, drank awful tasting home brewed sugar cane beer by candle light (no electricity) got hammered...had a good night there speaking in broken kishwahili and stayed until it was
time to make a swift exit as even the fact i was "married to Tom" wasn't helping the- I will buy you and own you thing from one of the locals!
The bandha we stayed in was tiny, it fit 3 very small beds in it- the narrowest and shortest beds i think i've ever seen and i really can't describe how uncomfortable, and dirty, it was but would definitely do it again as the views were pretty special and it was good fun going to the local pub and restaurant....
After a few days in Lushoto/Irente it was time to get back onto the bus and I headed towards Bagamoyo which is the arts capital of Tanz...Its on the East Coast and is a mix of good beaches, lots of history, old German buildings, churches and slavery and lots of dance, music, wood carvings and art...They have a centre there where they teach you how to wood carve which is really cool...as I was only staying for a couple of days I didn't get to do the full thing from start to end but it was really good and amazing to see them at work- think it would
have been far too dangerous if i'd tried to do a whole carving anyway as you should see the tools they use...sure my finger would have come off! Stayed a few nights at a hostel next door to more volunteers which was cool but wasn't exactly the ritz (although i did have my own private bathroom- looks nice doesn't it!) all for just $12 a night - totally ripped off but not much you can do when theres no where else to stay! Loads of photos of all the history- Kaole ruins and beaches...
By time i got to Dar I was pretty knackered from the bus journey and arguing with the conductor about how much i was going to pay...not even the buses have fixed prices in Tanzania (at least not when it comes to being a white person!) but i managed to get it for the same price as the locals by refusing to move from the bus and paying anymore...Got to Dar to another luxury room complete with cockroaches and crappy internet and had an I HATE AFRICA moment- fortunatley i'm quite fickle and this subsided the next day...Africa is fantastic and beautiful and I actually
wanted to stay longer but it does get tiring have to constantly be a target being white (this actually got less once i left Tanzania where the locals were less pushy)...its a really strange feeling that i can't explain unless you experience it.;..
Dar is just a city with not much to see or do so moved on fairly quickly to Mbeya which is close to the Malawian and Zambian border, wanted to spend longer in Tanz as still so much to see and do but then would miss out on seeing other countries...plus Tanzania is hard work! Stayed just a couple of days in Dar which was more than enough- arrived after a 12 hour trip on the bus and got swamped the moment i arrived there (the bus stations in Africa are crazy!). Managed to dodge the fly-catchers and got to my pre-booked hostel where they tried to rip me off again (really was getting a bit tired of it by now!), they wanted more than 5 times the fee and you should have seen the state of it! Argued in Swahili (quite proud of myself for that!) then couldn't agree on the price so i stubbornly
left...clearly the network was at work though as once i had arrived and sat down in a hostel where i wasn't getting ripped off one of the fly-catchers from the bus station sat down behind me to try and sell me ticket to Malawi...Mbeya is pretty hardcore like that as I think they get fewer tourists so therefore a bit harder on the ones who do show up- tiring work and I have to say of all the places in Tanzania I would steer clear of here...Having said that, had a wicked few days with some of the locals, went out drinking some dodgy spirit called No.1, went for lunch and dinner round one of theirs and then managed to get away fine at the end too!
Anyways, that was it for Tanzania- not enough time and will definitely go back when i get a chance but at the same time if i'm honest, by time I left Mbeya- i was definitely ready for some new adventures in Malawi...its taken me ages to get these blogs out so i'll just keep them short and get on with Malawi (was a bit low on internet resource for a while there!)
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