Africa tour to the equator and back in 40 days
- Thread starter schalk vd merwe
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schalk vd merwe
Race Dog
schalk vd merwe
Race Dog
schalk vd merwe
Race Dog
Day 28 1/01/2011 Swiss farm-----Dar es Salaam
On New Year's Day we were up just after 6 am. Sepp made us an early breakfast as we wanted to get to Dar Es Salaam. Juan wanted us to go to the island of Zanzibar so we tried to get to Dar Es Salaam early in order to try and get on a ferry. We went along the A 14 south up to where it meet up with the A7 where we turned east towards Dar Es Salaam. This road was busy as it was the main road inland to the rest of Africa and Dar Es Salaam being a big harbour city on the Indian Ocean. We were not long on this road when I had another one of those near death situations. A horse and trailer was in the other lane coming like normal towards us but at the same time a big 4x4 was overtaking him at about 140 km/h and coming straight for me in my lane with his head lights flashing at me. My mouth was dry within one second and even though we were doing 120 km/h our self-there were no time to think and Juan and I just went off the tar onto the dirt while I could feel the wake left by the 4x4 passing me in my lane. There were upright concrete little poles near the road with trees behind and it was just a miracle that we did not crash. I was really shaken as it was so close. I felled like picking up a rock and turn back and chase him and smash his side window but in the end common sense prevailed. As it was New Year the guy was probably still drunk. We made Dar Es Salaam and made it straight to the harbour where the tourist ferries leave for Zanzibar. We wanted to get a price to go to the island with the two bikes and was immediately approached by some “agent's” in the street and given a price in USA $ which was a ridicules amount. We could not move in the street as “agent's” would approach you to sell you a ticket across. I told Juan that we should go and look for a hotel and come back in the morning at 5 am and buy tickets direct from the ticket office. The hotels on the beach front were all 4 and 5 star hotels and were very expensive. We ask some locals about some cheaper hotels and they gave us directions to one. We manage to get one at the normal R350 per room and had to do the same drill as before again where we check the shower first. It seems that the number 3 is the magic number in Africa as the 3rd room had a working shower. We left our luggage in the room and went to explore Dar Es Salaam a bit. We travelled along the beach front north and found the city much nicer than I have imagined the place before. In the northern suburbs there were up market houses like in Sandton north of Johannesburg and I had a good feel about the place. As it was close to sunset now and Juan and I had not eaten yet we found a South African Spur close to the beach front and had a good juicy steak for New Year as the menu and prices were the same as in the SA.
On New Year's Day we were up just after 6 am. Sepp made us an early breakfast as we wanted to get to Dar Es Salaam. Juan wanted us to go to the island of Zanzibar so we tried to get to Dar Es Salaam early in order to try and get on a ferry. We went along the A 14 south up to where it meet up with the A7 where we turned east towards Dar Es Salaam. This road was busy as it was the main road inland to the rest of Africa and Dar Es Salaam being a big harbour city on the Indian Ocean. We were not long on this road when I had another one of those near death situations. A horse and trailer was in the other lane coming like normal towards us but at the same time a big 4x4 was overtaking him at about 140 km/h and coming straight for me in my lane with his head lights flashing at me. My mouth was dry within one second and even though we were doing 120 km/h our self-there were no time to think and Juan and I just went off the tar onto the dirt while I could feel the wake left by the 4x4 passing me in my lane. There were upright concrete little poles near the road with trees behind and it was just a miracle that we did not crash. I was really shaken as it was so close. I felled like picking up a rock and turn back and chase him and smash his side window but in the end common sense prevailed. As it was New Year the guy was probably still drunk. We made Dar Es Salaam and made it straight to the harbour where the tourist ferries leave for Zanzibar. We wanted to get a price to go to the island with the two bikes and was immediately approached by some “agent's” in the street and given a price in USA $ which was a ridicules amount. We could not move in the street as “agent's” would approach you to sell you a ticket across. I told Juan that we should go and look for a hotel and come back in the morning at 5 am and buy tickets direct from the ticket office. The hotels on the beach front were all 4 and 5 star hotels and were very expensive. We ask some locals about some cheaper hotels and they gave us directions to one. We manage to get one at the normal R350 per room and had to do the same drill as before again where we check the shower first. It seems that the number 3 is the magic number in Africa as the 3rd room had a working shower. We left our luggage in the room and went to explore Dar Es Salaam a bit. We travelled along the beach front north and found the city much nicer than I have imagined the place before. In the northern suburbs there were up market houses like in Sandton north of Johannesburg and I had a good feel about the place. As it was close to sunset now and Juan and I had not eaten yet we found a South African Spur close to the beach front and had a good juicy steak for New Year as the menu and prices were the same as in the SA.
schalk vd merwe
Race Dog
Day 29 2/01/2011 Dar es Salaam----The island of Zanzibar
The next morning we left all our belongings at the hotel where we stayed. We stacked our stuff about a metre high behind the reception desk and only took clothes for 2 days along. We were at the harbour booking office just after 5 am. They quoted us much better prices than the street agents the day before but it was too expensive to take the bikes across so we bought 2 tickets. As the ferry was going to leave at 6 am we got a taxi to follow us to our hotel and left the bikes there and came back with the taxi to the harbour again. The ferry was a nice big luxury ferry and it took us just over two hours to get to the Island of Zanzibar. Zanzibar falls under the jurisdiction of Tanzania but you have to clear customs again. After getting off at Zanzibar there was a tourist information table in the open. We wanted to hire 2 bikes as we brought our helmets along. All the bikes were unfortunately rented out but he has got a friend that will rent us a car. His friend would be outside in the street in 10 minutes time. Not long after this his friend arrived with a Suzuki Jeep which had about 500 000 KM on the clock. He checked my licence and I paid him cash for 2 days car rental. No paper work no writing down my name no nothing he just gave me his cell no. and said that I must phone him when I bring the car back. He gave us directions of how to take the road north as that is the more scenic drive. The car was completely empty and he told me where the filling station was around the corner. We first went to put some petrol in and the attendant just wanted to fill up the car but I said no only 20 litre as the Island is not all that big. I only understood later why he wanted to fill up the car. After fuel Juan and I went for lunch first at an Italian restaurant overlooking the sea. After we waited a long time for the food I went to look in the kitchen and found it empty. The food was being prepared somewhere else and then brought to the restaurant. After lunch we took the road north. About 30 km north there was a road block and the police man wanted to see my licence. He gave one look at my licence and said no it is no good. I then said to him I also have an international drivers licence and that was also no good. There was also a young Swedish couple and the lady driver's licence was already confiscated by the police man. It was obvious that they wanted a bribe and I don't pay bribes period. The Swedish lady was in tears by now and begged me to help them get her licence back as she could see I took no nonsense of the cops. She said another couple paid a bribe and was allowed to leave but like me they also don't want to pay a bribe. After a lot of arguing with the cop I said to him. “Am I under arrest because if I am under arrest by international law then he must give me a phone to phone the South African Embassy” he then said no I am not under arrest and I can go but the car must stay and the same with the other couple. I managed to get the ladies licence back and they took a taxi north and we took one south. The taxis are 2 ton closed back Toyota Dyna trucks and they are so full the people hang out of the back. I was cross now and just wanted to leave the island. Juan was sitting in the back of the overcrowded truck. I was sitting in front and there were 3 seats. It was the driver then again a young Muslim lady and myself by the door. The Muslim lady started to talk to me again and I must say it cooled my temper down a bit. She wanted to know where I am from and I told her and again like the other lady 3 days back she proposed marriage to me. I was wandering if these young Muslim girls think I would be a good sugar daddy. I ask her the same questions that I asked the other lady and said to her that I am already married and would she be prepared to be wife no 2? That was OK with her and then I said that I am from the Christian faith and will she adopt my faith. She also looked disappointed and she said no she cannot leave her faith. After the 30 km we saw the Zanzibar police station and got off there. We went to enquire about my licence to see if it was legal for the Island. The high ranking officer said there is nothing wrong with my licence. I then said if he could send somebody along with us in order to get our rental car back but as it was Sunday he said we must come back the following day. I then went outside the police station and got a proper taxi and brought the taxi driver into the police station. I wanted the police to explain to the taxi driver that my licence was legal and then the taxi driver could take us back to the road block and explain to the cops that we are legal. We then went back to the road block and got the driver to talk to the cops who by now has changed shifts. I could see the taxi driver was embarrassed as he by now knew it was a scam. The cop also would not allow us to take the car and said the owner of the car was already there. So the scam works like this. The car is brought to you empty and you take the car to be filled up only to be confiscated 30 Km from there if you don't pay the bribe. The owner get a full tank of petrol and has the cash up front which he shares with the cops and that is why the cops phoned him to say that the car is there. If you do pay the bribe then they also share the spoils. We heard from 2 British tourists on the ferry back the following day that they took a taxi around the island and the driver had to pay a bribe at every road block but that was not going to happen to this vd Merwe. They can stick there romantic island up you know where. The taxi driver then found us the cheapest hotel possible and it was still over R 600 for a 2 star room. That night Juan and I went to the Freddy Mercury restaurant. They named the restaurant after him as he grew up on Zanzibar and was playing as a kid on the beach in front of the restaurant. The night there was about the nicest part of our stay on the island as we were going to go back to Dar es Salaam the next day due to the corruption and I was wandering of how much business they are losing because of this.
The next morning we left all our belongings at the hotel where we stayed. We stacked our stuff about a metre high behind the reception desk and only took clothes for 2 days along. We were at the harbour booking office just after 5 am. They quoted us much better prices than the street agents the day before but it was too expensive to take the bikes across so we bought 2 tickets. As the ferry was going to leave at 6 am we got a taxi to follow us to our hotel and left the bikes there and came back with the taxi to the harbour again. The ferry was a nice big luxury ferry and it took us just over two hours to get to the Island of Zanzibar. Zanzibar falls under the jurisdiction of Tanzania but you have to clear customs again. After getting off at Zanzibar there was a tourist information table in the open. We wanted to hire 2 bikes as we brought our helmets along. All the bikes were unfortunately rented out but he has got a friend that will rent us a car. His friend would be outside in the street in 10 minutes time. Not long after this his friend arrived with a Suzuki Jeep which had about 500 000 KM on the clock. He checked my licence and I paid him cash for 2 days car rental. No paper work no writing down my name no nothing he just gave me his cell no. and said that I must phone him when I bring the car back. He gave us directions of how to take the road north as that is the more scenic drive. The car was completely empty and he told me where the filling station was around the corner. We first went to put some petrol in and the attendant just wanted to fill up the car but I said no only 20 litre as the Island is not all that big. I only understood later why he wanted to fill up the car. After fuel Juan and I went for lunch first at an Italian restaurant overlooking the sea. After we waited a long time for the food I went to look in the kitchen and found it empty. The food was being prepared somewhere else and then brought to the restaurant. After lunch we took the road north. About 30 km north there was a road block and the police man wanted to see my licence. He gave one look at my licence and said no it is no good. I then said to him I also have an international drivers licence and that was also no good. There was also a young Swedish couple and the lady driver's licence was already confiscated by the police man. It was obvious that they wanted a bribe and I don't pay bribes period. The Swedish lady was in tears by now and begged me to help them get her licence back as she could see I took no nonsense of the cops. She said another couple paid a bribe and was allowed to leave but like me they also don't want to pay a bribe. After a lot of arguing with the cop I said to him. “Am I under arrest because if I am under arrest by international law then he must give me a phone to phone the South African Embassy” he then said no I am not under arrest and I can go but the car must stay and the same with the other couple. I managed to get the ladies licence back and they took a taxi north and we took one south. The taxis are 2 ton closed back Toyota Dyna trucks and they are so full the people hang out of the back. I was cross now and just wanted to leave the island. Juan was sitting in the back of the overcrowded truck. I was sitting in front and there were 3 seats. It was the driver then again a young Muslim lady and myself by the door. The Muslim lady started to talk to me again and I must say it cooled my temper down a bit. She wanted to know where I am from and I told her and again like the other lady 3 days back she proposed marriage to me. I was wandering if these young Muslim girls think I would be a good sugar daddy. I ask her the same questions that I asked the other lady and said to her that I am already married and would she be prepared to be wife no 2? That was OK with her and then I said that I am from the Christian faith and will she adopt my faith. She also looked disappointed and she said no she cannot leave her faith. After the 30 km we saw the Zanzibar police station and got off there. We went to enquire about my licence to see if it was legal for the Island. The high ranking officer said there is nothing wrong with my licence. I then said if he could send somebody along with us in order to get our rental car back but as it was Sunday he said we must come back the following day. I then went outside the police station and got a proper taxi and brought the taxi driver into the police station. I wanted the police to explain to the taxi driver that my licence was legal and then the taxi driver could take us back to the road block and explain to the cops that we are legal. We then went back to the road block and got the driver to talk to the cops who by now has changed shifts. I could see the taxi driver was embarrassed as he by now knew it was a scam. The cop also would not allow us to take the car and said the owner of the car was already there. So the scam works like this. The car is brought to you empty and you take the car to be filled up only to be confiscated 30 Km from there if you don't pay the bribe. The owner get a full tank of petrol and has the cash up front which he shares with the cops and that is why the cops phoned him to say that the car is there. If you do pay the bribe then they also share the spoils. We heard from 2 British tourists on the ferry back the following day that they took a taxi around the island and the driver had to pay a bribe at every road block but that was not going to happen to this vd Merwe. They can stick there romantic island up you know where. The taxi driver then found us the cheapest hotel possible and it was still over R 600 for a 2 star room. That night Juan and I went to the Freddy Mercury restaurant. They named the restaurant after him as he grew up on Zanzibar and was playing as a kid on the beach in front of the restaurant. The night there was about the nicest part of our stay on the island as we were going to go back to Dar es Salaam the next day due to the corruption and I was wandering of how much business they are losing because of this.
