Crazy adventure safari

The last couple of weeks have been eventful... last weekend I was invited by a friend to his sister's high school graduation, which is a big deal here in TZ. I have already been to one and it wasn't an experience I was in a hurry to repeat, but it meant a lot to my friend so I agreed to go. So last Saturday morning I was ready at 8am to make the 2 hr journey...and by 11am everyone else was ready and the very old VW Beetle we were taking had finally decided to start! I knew the journey wouldn't be without its pitfalls, so when we got stuck in sand 5 miles outside Longido I wasn't surprised - the poor car was filled with 6 people and not designed for sandy, bumpy dirt tracks in the African bush!

We managed to get the car out without too much trouble and were on our way. But not for long. As we neared our destination, the village of Kitumbani, the car decided it had had enough and well and truly broke down. The boys tinkered under the bonnet for more than an hour but to no avail. Eventually a dalla-dalla (beat up old mini bus crammed to the rafters with usually a minimum of 20 passengers) came along and true to Tanzanian fashion, the people were very helpfu and agreed to tow us the rest of the way. Unfortunately the tow rope that we fashioned from the Beetle's one remaining seatbelt wasn't strong enough and kept breaking. In the end we had to abandon the car and jumped on the dalla dalla for the last few miles. To my secret relief, we arrived at the school just as the ceremony was finishing, but in time for food! Afterward we walked back to the car and pushed it into the village. By this point we were extremely tired and thirsty, not to mention filthy from the dust...my cream trousers were a very dark brown! We decided to stay and try to fix the car in the morning, so they boys bunked down in the car while I splashed out 3,000 shillings for a very questionable guesthouse (my room had a dead cockroach being devoured by an army of ants - who says you can't get luxury for 1.50)?! Miraculously, a mechanic had fixed the car in the night and by sunrise we were on our way home. This time thankfully without any drama...although many sightings of garanack, Thompson's gazelle, giraffe and kudu. I also saw some elephant tracks while the boys were trying to fix the car and followed them a little way into the bush before deciding it probably wasn't the nest idea in an area known for its lions. It was then that I had one of those moments when I thought 'what would I be doing if I was at home - and decided that I would have been in Tesco's with mum and gran. Sorry mum and gran, but I know which one I would choose!

This weekend I have spent a lovely days and night in Moshi, the town at the foot of Kilimanjaro. I went with 2 other volunteers and we had a great time indulging in semi-luxury. Moshi is fairly touristy so I was able to have a sandwich and a real cup of tea. Doesn't sound like much but 3 months of rice and beans is finally getting to me!

It's now less than a week until I leave Longido. I am very sad to have to say goodbye to my many new friends and of course the wonderful kids at school, but am ready to move on. I am heading down to Dar Es Salaam from where I will catch the train to Zambia to meet up with my overland tour group and begin my next adventure in Botswana and Namibia.