We spent day 100 of our trip without ceremony. The morning we set off from the 'old farm house', run by fourth generation british-tanzanian expats, and spent the following night at 'Mantis lodge', a moslem father and son establishment for local conferences and travelers. At Mantis lodge we set up our rooftent on a bare clearing next to a water tank on cement stand, folded out our little chairs and opened a soda each. Nothing about the camp site was romantic. I surveyed the bare compound, and the men playing chinese checkers a few meters off. We were both weary from the day's drive, felt a bit out of place, and crawled into the tent early. Latenight someone idled their car loudly right outside our tent for what felt like hours. We eventually ask them to please either turn off the ignition or move the car. They left.
The next morning, like almost every morning, I try and remember where I am. It's a uncanny and almost funny feeling. I know that I am in our tent and that we're on our trip, but where are we actually? What camp site, what village, what country? The little canvas walls have a way of blocking out the world. But then as I wake up I start to recollect the events of the day before and place them in order and context again.
There hasn't been a single day when I could accurately predict what our lodgings for the night would look like. Of course one sees a photo and a name on your phone, or read what amenities are available in the guide book. You see the icons reading 'potable water, pet friendly, hot shower, electricity'. Later you get a sense what "basic facilities" mean in the guide book, or what reviewers mean with "great hosts" or "ablutions can be better". But each new camp or lodge has been totally different from the mental picture I formed on the way there. For instance:
At wannabees lodge (day 95), the bed is made sideways. At Pugo forest reserve (day 96) no-one is allowed to camp without an overweight ranger. At Upepo lodge (106) a paper sign reads "please don't rest or walk under the palm trees". Utengulu coffee lodge has the most amazing cuppuccinos and also a deserted squash court. At Mutinondo you can take a soda from the honesty bar and do a 10 hills hiking challenge. The receptionist/owner co-authored 'trees and plants of Zambia'. Lake Tanganyika resort (day 94) smells really, really nice. At Kapisha Hot Springs (day 90-92) there is a upstairs tv room with cartoons to keep children out of their parents's hair. In more than one place in Zanzibar the towels were folded like swans. At Deo Volente guesthouse (day 82) the braaiplace has 'lekker man lekker' written on it, and the owner's son brought us shots as a welcoming drink.
The eccentricities of budget accommodation are endless. But everywhere we are met with smiles and 'karibu sana' (you are very welcome). In Zanzibar we were often greeted with "Mr Simba - welcome!" Or even "Mr Jesus, welcome to Zanzibar!", owing to August's impressive beard and mane of hair.
We are currently heading to Arusha where we will meet up with Aug's parents and spend the next 10 days on a safari with them (safari is swahili for journey) to serengeti and surrounds. I haven't been able to spot kilimanjaro due to the clouds, but my first peek at Mount Meru (the second highest in Tanzania) impressed me a lot.
There are so many other things to tell, stories and impressions, deep things to ponder and funny things to laugh at. Oh, and we also had our first rain of our whole trip! And its starting to become really warm and humid now, enough to get on our nerves sometimes. But we're still healthy and happy and learning so much. Asante sana! Safari Njema!
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