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Tanzania 2 March 02, "Tribe?" "Zeeuw!" ....
After a long trip we finally landed in the damp heat of Dar es Salaam. Jeroen and Nathalie were waiting for us ("Karibu karibu")and we jumped in their tiny rented jeep. It was the beginning of something completely different (no more sailing). Was that really so? Read on and find out!
After a few sunny days in Dar es Salaam, where we stayed in Jeroens and Nathalies nice home in the Kawe neighbourhood, we set off for a trip into the country side. As the rainy season was just starting, the rain poored down, not only outside the bus, also inside. The trip was spectacular. The road went right through the Mikumi National Park, where we saw our first elephants! At first Jeroen thought his eyes were fooling him, but not long after that we saw about 20 of them, they are just too big to mistake them for something else. Antilopes and girafes followed soon. Not only we as tourists (wazungus) were surprised, the Tanzanians in the bus started making funny sounds too.
In the Mikumi lodge, where we spent the first night, we were asked to which tribe we belonged, Jeroen was happy to be able to fill in "Zeeuw". Miras tribal sentiments didn't go that far.
Next we continued our journey to the entrance of Udzungwa National Park. This is a beautiful area with rain forest, waterfalls and mountains. Some species of animals and plants are only found in this park. The best is that you are allowed to walk through the park, no jeep needed. We made two hiking trips with a guide in which we encountered different monkeys and 1 snake, looking very green and poisonous. Was it the deadly green mamba, or the ordinary, harmless, friendly green bushsnake?? We assume the first, of course (adventures need some help sometimes).
Next day, adventure needed no help at all. Feeling lucky that the dalladalla (local minibusses, fast and full) just stopped for us when we arrived, we jumped in. Not long after that...........(small cliff hanger)
the driver lost control over the dalladalla and we ended up in the maisfield. The bus was only cm. away from tumbling over as we escaped through the window. Miraculously, nobody got hurt because we were not driving very fast at that particular moment, but the ego of the busdriver evaporated visibly. With shaking legs we wobbled to the next bus, which fortunately was coming 5 minutes after the accident.
Later on we took the train from Mbeya (near the border with Zambia) to Dar es Salaam. It was a beautiful ride that lasted well over 24 hours and went through a big national park. We saw lots of wild life, some elephants, lots of antilopes, zebras and giraffes, buffalos, pigs and even a hyena. Very exciting!
Back in DSM we stayed with Jeroen and Nathalie and Mobi and enjoyed the luxery of their beautiful house and good company. Jeroen is setting up a solar energy business in Tz and my hands started to itch. I look forward to working again, and would like some kind of pioneering type of work too.
Some time later we went to the North to visit a Masaii village. The Masaii are one of the few people in tanzania that still hold on to their traditions. We were impressed to see that people take pride in living in very primitive circumstances, without water or electricity, in mud huts with straw roofs. The masaii live from their cattle (cows and goats) and move when the grass finishes around the village.
The Masaii are also renowned for their ability to walk long distances. We were told that they can walk 100km non stop, with cattle, in 24 hours. When goats are slaughtered for meat, their neck is cut and the blood is collected and drunk warm. When offered, I politely declined. Not very easy to explain to a Masaii that basically only eat meat and some ugali (porridge) what vegetarianism means, but we managed...
In the Mountains around Lushoto we met Jeroen and Nathalie and had a few days nice hiking in the mountains where it was cool and beautiful. On the way back to DSM we nearly had an accident with the jeroen�s new (but 20 year old) rangerover the front wheels blokked while we were overtaking an other car with 100kph. Fortunately the wheels didnot block all the time, more like some kind of ABS, and Nathalie managed to steer off the road into a small village. After a few ours tinkering with a mechanic that stopped to help us, Mira, Mobi and Nathalie hiked the remaining 250km to DSM and the Jeroens followed after a few ours when the axis driving the front wheels was dismounted. Scary but nobody hurt....