TANZANIA
“Pole Pole” in Swahili means slowly slowly! That is how the laid back people of Tanzania live life in this east African country. Everywhere you go you hear Jambo, Jambo….hello hello with broad grins and inviting faces.
The moment we crossed the border into Tanzania it is as if we entered another continent, the people are doing things differently here. There's much more Pikipiki's running around doing taxi duty and the riders love their bikes, they dress them up with fake flowers and neon colour rattle can spray paint.
Let me go back to the border crossing between Malawi and Tanzania.
For one, up until now I considered all border officials as the lowest life form on earth, they are rude, power mongering officials with only one thing on their minds and that is to make life hell for anybody on the other side of the counter. Enter the Tanzanian border official - individuals with smiles, they have hearts and a sense of humour of some sort. Harold and myself looking at each other in disbelieve, Twilight zone or something?
On the AA border crossing schedule SA residents still needs a visa for Tanzania and it cost US$50 per person, that's a lot of beer money! We have heard that that might have changed and Harold inquired at the counter as we slide our passports over. Funny, as Tanzanians do not need visas when entering SA.
ROADS TAKE A HUGE BEATING WITH THE HEAVY TRUCKS AND TRAFFIC
Without ceremony the lady official was off with our passports into a room behind her, and came back without them. Wait there she said! After 20min another official with a straight face come calling us and instructed us to follow him into the room. There's 4 of them sitting and one talking on a cell.
Oh ****, we thought, what now! The older one ended his cell conversation and informed us that we are indeed correct there is a new directive out for SA passport holders, no visas needed for Tanzania anymore SA passport holders but because they do not have it on a stamped piece of paper they will stamp our passports and we must report to Immigration in Dar Es Salaam for them to make a decision whether we have to pay visa cost or not.
AROUND R30 FOR BEERS AND FOOD PER PERSON.
We were bowled over, Harold had the look of a man that was just bitched slapped with a 3 day old fish in the face, wet and nasty. This is not possible, border officials that are actually nice and gave our dollars back to us, there must be a catch, why would any border official do anything more than what is expected!?
We know moving around in Dar Es Salaam would be hell, so we said to the man we would actually rather pay for the visa than spend a day running around Dar standing in queues trying to convince another one of his border official species not to have to pay for a visa. No..no.. you go, we make you a favour he said! Ya..riiiiight mate! We left looking very confused and baffled with our US$100 back in our pockets.
ROAD SIDE RESTAURANTS, THE BEST FOOD AND DIRT CHEAP. GOATMEAT WITH CHIAPATA'S
Little did we know this would come back at us!
Tanzania really is a freaky place. The people are much more colourful bunch than the previous African countries we have crossed. They are just as friendly and inviting, with big smiles and waves but their way of doing things are different.
PIKIPIKI'S EVERYWHERE WITH SPARES AND MECHANICS IN FULL SUPPLY.
All along the main road to Dar Es Salaam we past small villages. The road is lined with lodges and small road side bars in zebra colours and Safari names. They really embrace the safari and wildlife tourism spirit.
Everywhere there's people manufaturing beds, furniture, doors and anything else from wood. They are actually quite good at it and some of the offerings look like very good quality. Strange that South Africans can’t get such small industries up and running.
THIS TRUCK GETS A TOTAL ENGINE OVERHAUL NEXT TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, ONLY THE BLOCK WAS STILL IN THE TRUCK.
Tanzania also turned out to be the cheapest we have paid for accommodation on the entire trip. For a double room with shower, TV and what not, we paid the same as for camping in other countries! Beer cost R5-R7 for a beer and every locally owned lodge is affordable.
The moment you want to stay in a lodge owned by South Africans or Swiss or some Expat you will pay your *** off. Most travelling South Africans are to **** scared to stay in local lodges so they rather pay over inflated prices to stay at places where they can connect with a white face.
FARKING MAIN ROADS, I HATE THEM!
We also figured out some people verwar kak en kwaliteit. When a white expat lodge owner and that include any lodge run or owned by white Europeans or South Africans, say their lodges are eco-friendly you must know you will pay top dollar for a dump with showers with no water and a long drop. I know I generalise a bit, but there is reason for it.
When they use the word Sanctuary in their name it gets even worse, the
protected mosquito's will drag you out your tent at night. When you order food and they will tell you it takes time to prepare good food, what they actually say is we do not have a chef and not much more than bread in the kitchen, we will go kill one of the neighbours old chickens.
EVERYBODY SELLING THE SAME STUFF
The first night in Tanzania we stopped at Makambago for petrol and by the time Harold and Linda got to the pump there was no more fuel left. We decided to look for a place to stay in the town, but like most small towns it is run down and looks dodgy to say the least.
While waiting for them to look for other stations I drove up their main road and saw a lodge that looked like a safe place to stay, it was behind big white walls. In the end it turned out to be a very well looked after place, run by Sarafina Takunda a black Muslim lady. We paid R150 for the room including TV new bed and breakfast.
ABOUT R500 BUYS YOU THIS GROOVY
KOOI
This was cheaper than camping rates! She was extremely helpful, arranging for us to eat at a nearby bar and the best from the place was its innocent presence that overwhelmed us. Even the next day at breakfast joking about all the Chinese materials that was used to build the place we thought we did not hear what she said about the price. To our surprise that is the going rate for local self-run lodges.
SOME EVEN OFFER SAUNAS
As with Angola over turning trucks are also a national sport and past time in Tanzania, we can only surmise that there’s none or very little training and qualification needed when applying for a license. Driving is SA is 100% safer than in the other Africans countries we have traveled, these are extremely dangerous drivers, going into the opposite lanes in blind corners, passing in the face of oncoming traffic and every other dangerous manoeuvre you can think off.
NATIONAL SPORT, OVER TURNING TRUCKS, TANZANIA IS ON THE OLYMPIC TEAM.
In Iringa we stopped for something to drink and I notice for the first time while checking the bikes for leaks or parts busy falling off, my bike’s radiator hoses are still swollen up after 15min standing and the other three bikes hoses are back to normal. Not more ****, I thought! But this can’t be good, so I swopped the radiator caps with Elsebie’s bike to try and figure out what is going on.
That afternoon while looking for place to stay I notice water weeping out of the bleed hole, which is the bloody seals I have just replaced 1000km back in Malawi! I double check to make sure I fitted the seals correctly. I did, and now it is even more confusing because it means the bike is not releasing the pressure in the system after the bike was switched off. For some reason this have damaged the seal.
IRINGA AND THE **** HITS THE FAN AGAIN. THE DAKAR START TO PISS OUT WATER AGAIN FROM THE BLEEDHOLE
We were still 300km away from Dar Es Salaam and as we get further away from SA getting parts to us will become more of a challenge. My sense of humour is fast replaced with frustration. I am constantly thinking what’s going to break next, or when I come around a bend seeing one of us next to the road the first thing going through my mind is what de hell has broken now. I can help myself with basic mechanics but I do not have the mechanical know how to deal with radiators or blown gasket type repairs.
DAR ES SALAAM AND IT'S SWELTERING HOT WITH HIGH HUMIDITY
I pretty much missed all the scenery and animals next to the road while passing through the national park on route to Dar, as I had to get miles behind me to Dar before the seal let go and lose all the water in the radiator. Strange, when I ride it does not seems to lose water, but as soon as the bike is parked 10min later it drips water from the water pump weep hole.
