fun in the sun

Well it has certainly been a while! Internet connections are few and far between and when we do have them, none of us have any inclination to do any writing!

we camped next to Lake Victoria – still in Tanzania. Didn’t get much sleep – between the noisy pub next door and the howling wind, we were quite unsettled! It was very beautiful . There is a hillside overlooking the lake and it is covered with houses, it looks a bit like Greece covered in dust!

So a bit of insight into our journey since I last wrote…

After 3 relaxing nights at Kapishya Hot Springs (and some very entertaining evenings) we headed for the border. We spent over 2 hours there, being sent back and forwards until Jen and I had the best idea yet and went and sat in the car, with the aircon on, while the boys braved Tundoma border post and all the insanity that comes with it! Jen and I were bothered in the car for all of 2 minutes, Jen had had enough and put her window shield up to block out the irritating vendors. This resulted in a very dumbfounded look from one guy and a fit of laughter from one that was watching this. We headed for Utengule coffee farm – really pretty. The next morning we had a fruit platter for breakfast, Gav and I were trying to figure out what to do with a lemon looking orange, after about 5 minutes of prodding and tasting we ate it, upon asking Jen what she did, we discovered she had squeezed it all over her fruit! Just a little bit of confusion ;)The girls hit the craft shop in Iringa – I got myself some crazy pants (Jen’s influence) and some kikois. We then had to contend with a traffic jam, Gav radioed us in awe of the taxi drivers here…”Al, I was 2 inches from your back bumper and the next thing I knew, 2 taxis had got in!” It seems as though we cannot escape road construction, Dad’s new motto “adapt or die” came into play when he started to bully the buses and overtake the trucks in between the 100m beacons.We were both dehydrated and starving after that drive – I wasn’t prepared to let go of the door handle or unfasten my seatbelt to get refreshments! Scary stuff! Gav and Jen adopted a different mantra and took the drive at a leisurely pace, frequently stopping for wee breaks and to buy paw paws and bananas. 

We camped at the Old Farmhouse that night. After dinner we went to the bar, the boys had whiskey out of packets and I think it gave them a new meaning to ABF because we left the bar pretty soon after! The next night we spent at The new Acropol, Still trying to figure out what was new about it!

For a change of scenery, we stayed at Peponi beach camp. There I was, sitting on the loo and a scorpion surfaced from the shower curtain. I ran to tell dad (who ws watching the soccer) and who promptly told me, while sipping his Jameson, “I don’t do scorpions”. I had to persuade the barman to come kill it for me! On the road to Moshi, dad received a fine, Gav saved the day when he threw a soccer ball to the guard! We ate a delicious curry lunch in Moshi and then drove through to Arusha where we camped at the Masaai Camp. This is around the time where I lost faith in our guide book, it stated that this ws the best campsite in Tanzania…no comment.

Huge relief on the 18th when I received my marks!  We did some stocking up and then drove to Karatu where Jen negotiated a good rate for us to stay at the Octagon Lodge! Next day we drove through Ngorogoro Park, saw a glimpse of the crater –bad mist and then headed into the Serengeti national Park. After driving around in the dark, we finally arrived at Mbalageti Lodge (I think that’s it’s name) and stayed the night. We were supposed to camp at Dik Dik but got a little waylaid!

And that is how we got to Mwanza.  until the next internet connection!