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. 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. Small pikipiki’s are everywhere and painted in funny themes. They really embrace the safari and wildlife tourism spirit. Everywhere there are people making beds, furniture, doors anything else from wood. They are actually quite good at it and some of the offerings are of very good quality. Strange that South Africans can’t get such small industries up and running.

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 ass off. Most travelling South Africans are to shit 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.

We 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. When they use the word Sanctuary in their name it’s even worse, the protected mosquitos will drag you out your tent at night. When you order food and they say it takes time to prepare good food, they actually do not have a chef and not much more than bread in the kitchen.

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. 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 heard correctly about the price. To our surprise this is the going rate for local self-run lodges.

 

As we ride I can’t stop thinking about the people doing these trips from SA to Cairo in 2 months or less. For one you can’t high tail it through these roads as they are really busy and congested with buses, trucks and slow moving cars. Then there’s the locals living next to the road, you have to be super awake to stay clear of them. Our average speeds drop to well below 100km/h on this 900km stretch. How the hell the bikers travel on these roads at speed is mind boggling, if you hit a kid or make an accident there’s few ambulances in the main centres or any emergency units, and you will be locked up as fast as you get your ass off the tar.

 

As with Angola over turning trucks is 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 pasted, the people are very 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.

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 the 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.

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.

Riding into Dar is much like any other African city and like riding through a town like Mthata in the Transkei. It’s congested, messed up, confusing and chaotic and most of the time smells like something that died weeks earlier. There are no or very little traffic rules that people obey and they pretty much do what they want within bounds, for some reason it all works. The city is also much like any other and if you have seen one you have seen them all, and that include Lusaka, Lilongwe and Lubango.

Since we started this trip I tried to debate and mull things over about the people in Africa with myself. Small towns and cities seems like they only offer the basics of what is needed to live and stay alive. Clothing, food, plastic Chinese buckets and basic building supplies. And so every second shop sells the same products at the same price, even food. It is understandable as most of these countries as really poor and people do not have the money for anything else. It’s sad and depressing seeing this, and it is a snowball effect, there’s no money so people do not pay taxes and rates to local municipalities and so they do not have money for roads and town infra-structure and so it goes on. Still people make a living and smile and do whatever they can to make due and put food on the table. I keep thinking about SA and how different we are.

One moment I think South Africans are spoilt, these people will use small bikes and bicycles as taxis, and they cart water and fuel in 20L containers on their bicycle to sell for whatever they can get. Maybe they have come to realise and understand over the years that they cannot trust and rely on a government for their existence, and if it is to be it’s up to them to make it work. It is maybe why we have so many Bangladeshi’s and Zimbabwe’s and other nationalities opening small shops in townships and why we have a xenophobic streak in SA. Maybe South Africans still think the government will provide the jobs and money instead of making plans and start doing things for themselves.  But then on the other hand we still do have the apartheid time influence on most South Africans. As South Africans we really have nothing to bitch and moan about, SA is working, we have so much more than our SADEC neighbours we are first world compared to them. At least it is inspiring to see people try and do things for themselves.

Now back to our visas … we tackled the traffic, with 2 bikes only, to make it easier, and went off finding the immigration office. After fighting traffic and heat for 45mins which was only around 5km we eventually found the office block and were immediate told to go park. Again a confused immigration official with a huge frown on his forehead told us we must go to Immigration headquarters as he cannot make a decision. So where is Immigration HQ? He proceeds to scribble a few street names for us. Thanks a bloody million Harold and myself said with all the sarcasm we can muster up. After another 2 hours fighting traffic and heat ended up at IHQ, and were told un-ceremonially it is closed for public after 14H00 everyday come back tomorrow.

The next day after another hour wait at IHQ a friendly official made it knows to us we must pay the visa on exciting Tanzania.

Moer!! All this and we must still pay, but Tanzanians do not have to pay into SA. So in the end Angola took us 6hours, Tanzania took us an entire day!

That’s Africa for you, love it hate it, it still is one of the best places to visit!