We had our last night in a proper bed for a while and headed off to Arusha in Tanzania early the next morning so really didn’t spend any time in Kenya (an absolutely perfect excuse to come back). It was a good six hours drive on bumpy roads with hidden speed bumps over the border and into Tanzania. By all accounts the roads we travelled today were some of the best the truck had seen on this trip thus far (the truck had just come from three weeks in Uganda) and we’d seen some of the bruises others had from landing hard after a bump before being launched again. There are speed bumps all along the main roads, with no warnings or markings at times so its all about the drivers eyes. If he sees them, fine, we bump over them slowly but if he can’t see them and its too late, those of us to the rear of the truck are launched skywards. This is no exaggeration. Sometimes the black skid marks before the bumps give them away but its all a bit random.
The truck is driven by an Australian chap who looks a bit like Woody off Toy Story and is great fun. The seats run down either side of the truck but face inwards and there are no windows, only tarps that are rolled up when we’re driving.
Up the front, just behind the cab is an area that’s known as the “beach” – a big flat open area that has big cushions on it. When we’re travelling the tarp comes off and you can hang out the front or sides of the truck but I’ve learnt not to smile too wide up front on the beach or you become a human fly trap. You kind of do regardless as the flies stick to your face as you’re flying along.
All our gear is stored in 3ft deep lockers under the seatsand there is no glass windows, only tarps that we can roll up or leave down. Most of the time the tarp on the side facing away from the road is up but makes being in the truck a bit like being in a convertible and the hair takes a beating.
The part we drove through from Matanga (at the border in Kenya) to Arusha in Tanzania was really really green. We got a brief view of Mt Kilimanjaro as it peeked out behind clouds (bit difficult to see here).
We camped at a place called Snake Park in Arusha and apparently it is one of the more secure places we stay at. The place is guarded 24x7 by local Maasai who sit, watch, patrol the border of the camp keeping watch for other people and animals. The countryside around is fairly plain - neither beautiful nor ugly but once the local Maasai appeared with their herds of cattle or goats, it seems to come alive and changes to be vibrant and beautiful.
There were some Maasai villages close to where we were staying and the kids were just delightful, filthy as anything but still delightful. Maasai men are polygamists and a village consists of one family and each wife has a house for her and the kids. These kids were brothers and sisters.
The truck is driven by an Australian chap who looks a bit like Woody off Toy Story and is great fun. The seats run down either side of the truck but face inwards and there are no windows, only tarps that are rolled up when we’re driving.
Up the front, just behind the cab is an area that’s known as the “beach” – a big flat open area that has big cushions on it. When we’re travelling the tarp comes off and you can hang out the front or sides of the truck but I’ve learnt not to smile too wide up front on the beach or you become a human fly trap. You kind of do regardless as the flies stick to your face as you’re flying along.
All our gear is stored in 3ft deep lockers under the seatsand there is no glass windows, only tarps that we can roll up or leave down. Most of the time the tarp on the side facing away from the road is up but makes being in the truck a bit like being in a convertible and the hair takes a beating.
The part we drove through from Matanga (at the border in Kenya) to Arusha in Tanzania was really really green. We got a brief view of Mt Kilimanjaro as it peeked out behind clouds (bit difficult to see here).
We camped at a place called Snake Park in Arusha and apparently it is one of the more secure places we stay at. The place is guarded 24x7 by local Maasai who sit, watch, patrol the border of the camp keeping watch for other people and animals. The countryside around is fairly plain - neither beautiful nor ugly but once the local Maasai appeared with their herds of cattle or goats, it seems to come alive and changes to be vibrant and beautiful.
There were some Maasai villages close to where we were staying and the kids were just delightful, filthy as anything but still delightful. Maasai men are polygamists and a village consists of one family and each wife has a house for her and the kids. These kids were brothers and sisters.
In this one village there were about 50 kids born to eight mothers and the father was 87. His youngest wife was 24 and the going rate for a wife is around 14 cows (worth US$400 each). Its quite a lot of money here so the more wives a man has, the more wealthy he is deemed to be.
I could have stayed all day and played with them (and this is from someone who isn’t into kids). I started a bit of a trend by swinging one girl round by her arms, like Dad used to do to me, and then they all wanted a go. At one stage I had one up on each arm and had them both off the ground and moving then thought better of it – I was worried I’d clang them both together! All of the kids were absolutely filthy, flies crawling all over them but they seemed happy enough, not hungry and most had serious attitude which made them very endearing.
I could have stayed all day and played with them (and this is from someone who isn’t into kids). I started a bit of a trend by swinging one girl round by her arms, like Dad used to do to me, and then they all wanted a go. At one stage I had one up on each arm and had them both off the ground and moving then thought better of it – I was worried I’d clang them both together! All of the kids were absolutely filthy, flies crawling all over them but they seemed happy enough, not hungry and most had serious attitude which made them very endearing.
We moved on that night to a fairly tidy camp that night close to the Ngorogoro Crater where we were heading early the next morning. The scenery got more beautiful with giraffe and baboons wandering the roads. We saw Lake Manyara from a distance but could make out clouds of pink which was 1000s and 1000s of Flamingos. The road sides through the villages were lined with people selling bananas, all different coloured tomatoes and other vegetables. When we got to the camp, us girls were all sized up by a 6’5” Maasai chap who was looking for a white wife…..
2 comments:
What an intrepid journey you are undertaking, but it sounds fun also. The bus trip would have left you exhausted, but you were travelling in the right style for the trip you did. I loved the photos of the little children, and they all looked so appealing. What amazing conditions they live in, but it's the only lifestyle they know. They all seemed to be in good physical condition. I'm so pleased you have managed to update your blog. Great reading.
Margaret.
Hi Guys,
I've missed your posts but am glad there is a little coming through...
Great stories, (love the OktoberFest poster behind you in Madrid, were you in a german bar?
I can imagine that truck being very uncomfortable, specially across bumps, had similar "bad road conditions when we drove from Buenos Aires to Iguassu, pot holes everywhere.
Looking forward to some more posts and pics.
Ladi
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