Heading for Morogoro...
In the first 60 km out of Dodoma, I was stopped at road-blocks no less than 7 times !! At each was either a soldier or a policeman, as well as a customs officer or two, wearing their snow white ice-cream salesman uniforms… At one of the road blocks, a soldier asked to see my driver’s license… This was the first time I needed to haul it out since leaving home on the 1st of March… He walked around the bike, stared at the license in his hand and then handed it back to me and indicated that I should proceed….
We passed through the villages of Chifindze and Morande, and just after the town of Dumila, the road swung south for the final run into Morogoro. From about 40 kms out, I could see the mountains that hang above the town, dominating the area… I remembered them from my last trip, when Allan and I passed through here, stopping only to refuel, before continuing eastward for the coast…
This area has extensive maize fields, and is also known for its tobacco farming… Sisal is also grown on a commercial scale, and bundles of the “leaves†were neatly stacked along the road, waiting to be collected for further processing…
This granite mountain held my attention for a while... It looked like a shark heading up out of the water, with mouth agape... But then maybe I was getting delirious in the heat...
The ride to Morogoro was over quickly, despite the fact that there was heavy traffic for most of it… arrived at the Morogoro Hotel and Golf Club at about 2.00pm. I could have gone on to Dar-es-Salaam, but had not as yet been able to contact Steve Luker, and did not want to arrive at his house unannounced… The hotel in Morogoro had internet, so I chose to stay the night and get some rest…
Dodoma lies at 1150 m.a.s.l., and on the short ride to Morogoro, we dropped down to 450 m.a.s.l. The humidity I experienced on my arrival, was equaled only by that that I had got used to in Ghana… Sweat poured down my back, and drops from my forehead ran down into my eyes…. It was hot, and sticky, very unpleasant…
The intersection where Morogoro lies, between Iringa and Dar-es-Salaam...
While I was downloading mail in the late afternoon, the clouds that had previously been draped over the mountains behind the hotel, descended on the valley, and brought some of the heaviest rain I have seen for ages… It bucketed down for almost two hours, and only stopped altogether, after the sun had set… After the friendliness of the hotel staff in Iringa and Dodoma, I found the attitude of the Morogoro lot, a bit hard to handle… They were nowhere near as eager to please as I had become used to, and would not give me a flask of hot water, so that I could make my own coffee in my room… The cost of the one night I spent here was equal to the three I had spent in Dodoma !! Not a good value for money to stay !! I am sure there are cheaper places to stay in Morogoro, but I did not want to waste any time trying to find one… It was more important for me to get in touch with Steve in Dar…
I sent an email to Steve, explaining my situation, and added my Tanzanian phone number, hoping that he would be able to call me, which he later did… He explained that while he would be away for the weekend, a mutual friend of ours, Klaus, would be happy to put me up for a few days…
Rain clouds creep over the top of the Morogoro Mountains and prepare to dump their contents on the little town...
Big Fella stands waiting while I check out...
After breakfast, I left Morogoro, and headed for Dar… I had decided to ride the tank to empty, as I was not too happy with the fuel that I had received in Dodoma… The bike seemed noisier, and did not have the power that I was used to… At Chalinze, I stopped and took on 21 litres of “premiumâ€, and drank some water while a crowd of onlookers gathered around the bike…
A typical Tanzanian road scene... A truck in the ditch...
Then it was on to Malandzi, and Kibaha, light rain falling from time to time, but not enough to be of a concern… Closer to Dar-es-Salaam, it looked a lot worse, and I began to look for a suitable spot to put on my rain gear… I knew from experience that rain came suddenly, and heavily in this part of the world…
New petrol stations are being built every few kilometres along the road, some are as large and modern as this one...
There would not be time to change into rain gear, as I was suddenly into heavy traffic, and there was no way I was going to pull off and fiddle about with gear… I jinked my way past trucks, buses and cars, all spewing diesel fumes back at me… The main road leading into Dar, is Mandela Road, and I finally arrived at the turnoff to Bagamoyo, and followed this wide double lane road until I saw the Milimani Mall on my left.
As I have indicated before, anything can be delivered on a scooter, if you are brave enough to tackle the traffic...
I stopped to call Klaus, but received no reply from either of his numbers… I had a quick bite to eat at the “MarryBrown†and then after calling Steve, made my way back into the traffic and over to his house on the old Bagamoyo Road…
Amid the chaos and squalor on the outskirts of Dar, stands this building.... Go figure...!!
There I was welcomed by Janine and Deon, who now shared the house with Steve and his wife… After a cold beer, and a quick shower, we went down to the Dar Yacht Club, boarded a small ski-boat, owned by Richard, a friend of Deon’s, and then went out to sea to do some fishing and a lot of drinking !! An excellent balance of activities, I thought…
We trolled out past the three islands that lay just of the coast and then followed the flocks of terns and gulls that were dive-bombing a shoal of smaller fish… We managed to hook and land a small fish, a Bonito, but apart from that, the fish weren’t biting, and we weren’t minding…!!
Yachts and other motorboats lie at anchor just off the Dar Yacht club...
Richard the skipper, is a pilot for the Saudi Royal Family, and lives in Stone Town, Zanzibar, where he also runs a fishing charter company, in conjunction with a few of the hotels there… He flies for a month, and then fishes for the next month, while on “leaveâ€â€¦ It seems a helluva nice way to live, but it does have it’s down side…
Apparently, Zanzibar has not had power for the past three months!!! The undersea cable that runs from Dar, was damaged at the end of last year, and has not been repaired as yet… I had considered flying over to Zanzibar, but this bit of news changed my mind… I’d rather come back when the sound of generators did not fill the air….
An integral part of any Yacht Club, is it's bar...or so I've been told...
We made fast to a bouy in the dark, having motored across the bay while watching a brilliant sunset… We waited for a dingy to come out from the club and collect us, deliver the crew back to the “Salty Dog”, and then deposit us back on the slipway at the club… It had been a great evening out at sea, and I enjoyed feeling the power of the ocean under my feet again… It had been a long time…
After a pizza dinner at the Yacht Club, it was back home for a swim and a cup of coffee, before heading off to bed… It had been a long and hot day, but I was safe in Dar, at the very same destination that I had set for myself in 2008…
This time, I would be going further…much further…
The "Salty Dog", a 60 foot catamaran, based in Durban, had been sailed up here so that her owners could enjoy the seas in these parts... It is now on it's way to the Med...
Good to see things going a bit smoother. Have Fun !
Smooth sailing, I see! Happy for you.
It’s great to hear that you are safe and sound at Steve’s place. I’m glad you decided to go the long way round to Rwanda. I’m sure Big Fella is too!!!! You need to look after that back shock. I am looking forward to your “gorillas in the mist” adventure (something that’s on my bucket list). Hope you are lucky enough to get up close and personal with them and take awesome photo’s. We love and miss you, by the way Jessie sends a big lick and a wet nose to you!!