Everything we needed was there and it boded well for the rest of the country. Suddenly, lots of people spoke English and there were Asian people and Land Rovers everywhere we looked! Next we travelled a few Kms west to Masasi for some hiking and immediately we were in Africa. The ladies of our hostel had it made - they did all their work first thing and the place was spotless by 9am. After that they sat about and gossiped inbetween laughing at the white people along with everyone else. It’s our gift to Afric:; being laughed at every day.They don't get a lot of tourists here; it’s a Roadhouse, journey-breaking type of town and mostly caters for businessmen and government sorts in fancy white pick-up trucks. Although still Wazungu, we weren't treated like tourists for two days and that was welcome. But they didn't really understand why we wanted to walk in their hills. Maybe it was our poor Swahili or their total lack of English.

The roads started off so well but by the time we had foolishly decided to drive for 13 hours, all the way to Selous National Park, the tar had gone and the ruts and pot holes grown to the size of a Land Rover. On and on the road went until the sun came and went and we were driving through kidnap country in the dark.

The park was beautiful and, despite breaking down right next to the only watering hole for miles in the late afternoon, it was a great adventure to visit one of the lesser known parks where usually only planes and helicopters venture. The road to Dar es Salaam was hardly better but soon modernity overtook us and we found ourselves in hotel/petrol station/supermarket land. Dar has got some bad press in the past but we found it to be a city navigable by foot and on the whole the people are friendly and we saw no crime. It reminded me very much of small Indian cities and not just because of the amount of Indians there but because of the way everyone trades and interacts in the street.

And Zanzibar more than lives up to its reputation for hospitality and mystique. I've wanted to go there since I was about 13 years old and it didn't disappoint. We stayed in a pretty cheap place but it was still in one of the old houses and the owner friendly. We spent our money (and you do need to spend to appreciate the place) in the bars and restaurants of Stone Town, which are numerous and good quality. Not even the bouts of tropical rain dampened our spirits, only adding to the ambiance of the place. In fact, after the rains we went walking through the crooked streets which were empty save for the odd goat and mischievous child. We even hired a 250cc motorbike and drove to white beaches on the other side of the island and visited one of the parks in the centre. And we only fell off the bike once.

After, we drove up to Arusha and the cynicism grew as the disparity between the haves and have-nots, between the tourists and the locals, got bigger. After a quick shop in an empty Shoprite supermarket we went down to the craft centre to buy some ethnic tat. We read it was the place to go as the money went directly to the craftsmen who made the stuff plus we heard it was big and had a little variety. It was big and so were the prices. Everything was in dollars and the tourists inside were all American, little of whom we had seen in our campsites. The staff behaved very strangely and through the entrance a red carpet was unrolled. In stormed four overdressed men with dark glasses and earpieces followed by a local dignitary and Slick Willly himself, all silver hair and suntan. We were told to wait as the Clinton posse disgorged itself from the six mini-vans. His entourage numbered more than 20. We assumed there was family, press, UN officials, Americans they picked up in hotels. Who knows…. .

The road from Arusha to Nairobi pushes up on to the highlands of the Rift Valley and Masai country and the scenery is fantastic. We finished this part of the trip with a drive through Nairobi. If you think the drivers in northern Tanzania are bad...

Photos

Mtwara Hotel
Selous Game Reserve
Do you have any Diesel?
Zanzibar by bike
Zanzibar Town
Zanzibar beaches