Tanzania is one of my favorite countries on this trip, with lush green hills and the friendly people. Jambo is hello in Swahili. Most kids were dressed in school uniforms. All of them just wave and say Jambo or good morning mister when we rode by. We had a tough eight consecutive days of cycling. It was rainy and muddy. We had no showers at all for those days. Our tents were wet most of the time. The last day of cycling more than made up for the rough conditions we went through.
Stage 49 - The three day rest was much needed by all riders. Some people went on a safari, while others just stayed in town to chill out. Some more adventurous people went to Zanzibar for some beach time. Even a group of people climbed Mount Meru. The start to the day was a wet one. Rain started to pour down around 5am. Our ride out of Arusha was very wet. This is the rain season after all. The hot and dry days of the first half became cool and humid. It was rather chilly in the morning, in the low 50's. This weather is almost like home.
The main circle in downtown Arusha marked the halfway point between Cairo and Cape Town. The ride was beautiful. We rode by coffee fields just outside of Arusha. The rolling hills in the morning became very flat in the afternoon. I felt strong on the bike today and got into camp very early. A group of us went to a shop near our camp site to grab a beer. We met the shop owner, John. He was drinking Konyagi, a Tanzanian spirit. He said it will make us strong. So we all took a shot with Sprite. It tasted like gin. Let's see if we are strong tomorrow.
Stage 50 - What happens when rain and dirt road mixes? Muddy road! Tanzania is so beautiful. The hills are so green and there are different shades of green too. We rode by endless fields of sun flowers, sugar canes, and corn. The morning ride was fun, we had a little bit of tarmac in the morning. Then, the tarmac ended. I was riding with Kari in the morning. At the end of the tarmac, there were two path to the dirt road: a big puddle of water and the dirt road. Kari went straight for the water in her mountain bike.
The rain started after lunch. The road was packed clay dirt with some corrugation. Once the rain started to drop, the road got slick and muddy. It was miserable and fun at the same time. I fell off the bike on a slow climb up because the road was so slick. I was covered in mud on my legs. The bike was very muddy as well. We also climbed 1400 meters today. I actually got into camp early today. But our truck hadn't arrived yet, because it got stuck in the mud. Good thing we are camping in a hotel, which means we have access to a shower. Very tough day indeed. We'll be on dirt for another six days, all bush camp.
Stage 51 - I slept on a couch last night. The rain was really heavy all evening. Rather than pitch the tent in the rain, I asked the hotel manager if I can sleep in the bar. He agreed! The rain was with us in the morning as well. It was actually fun to ride in the rain and the mud. The Chinese are building roads here. After 20km or so, there was a parallel road with packed dirt and even tarmac at times. We rode on it almost all day. The rain stopped by mid-morning and I felt really good. After lunch, it was all tarmac. The sun came out of the clouds in the afternoon. It was the first time we saw the sun in several days. The greenery surrounded us was even more vivid and stunning under the sun. To add to the beautiful scenery, there were big golden boulders scattered around. We bush camped tonight. A big thunderstorm came in right at dinner time. Luckily my tent was in high ground. It's going to be a wet and wild week!
Stage 52 - The rain started again last night, and it lasted through out the night. I thought we would have a wet breakfast. Miraculously, the rain ended at 5am, just before everyone got up. The tarmac also ended at lunch today. However, the dirt road was quite nice. There were so many local people on bikes, I just followed them to find the best line. Compared with other people, I was relatively clean. I got into camp just after noon. We camped at a game reserve post. It started to rain around 2pm. I was standing in front of a house. The local government official invited me to his house. He even offered me lunch. It was a modest two bedroom house. The entrance to his house is a big living room, with two couches facing each other and a couch in the middle. He sat in the middle couch for his lunch. The lunch was a big maize meal and less than a handful of meat dish. The dish had two small pieces of meat cooked in a tomato sauce. He mixed the maize with the meat with his right hand and ate it. There were no decorations in the living room, but there were some pictures on the side table next to the couches. There was even a picture of Pope Benedict. Of course the conversation went to the topic of marriage. He asked me why I'm still not married. Later in the afternoon, I opened a bottle of Konyagi, the local gin, and shared it with Jorg and Kari.
Stage 53 - It was a beautiful day. The road was hard clay, so we went fast. The sun came out and dried the road out. I was feeling real good after the Konyagi yesterday and went with the racers in the morning. I stopped twice at different shops. Each time, a local man talked to me about the trip. They asked about where we came from, where we are going, etc. At the end, both wished me a good journey. People are so nice here. I got into camp early again and chilled out the rest of the day.
Stage 54 - I planned to leave camp early today, but the sun rise was so spectacular that I had to stop to take some pictures. The clouds was in a pinkish color with blue sky peering through. The ride was fun for most of the day. I lost my water bottle cage yesterday from all the vibrations. The aluminum cage actually just snapped off in half. I also lost a water bottle. Marelie gave me a new bottle and Beate gave me a new cage. The new cage was too loose so I lost my bottle twice today! John and Rodney both found it and returned it. About 10km from camp the sky darkens and rain started to fall. We hit a nasty patch of deep sand. There is no good way to get through all that sand, especially wet sand. It took a long time to get through those last few kilometers. The storm never materialized. I was able to get to camp and dry out my tent. Rain started to drop again. It's been six days since I last showered. The rain rolled down from the truck's tarps and made a nice stream of water. I took the opportunity to wash my hair. It was so luxurious! Sharif, an Egyptian documentary film maker from New York took the opportunity to fully shower! Two more days until the end of this stretch!
Stage 55 - Wow, what a tough day! The road was very sandy, so it was hard to go fast and control the bike. The sky was clear most of the day. Last night, the sky was clear so the stars came out. With zero light pollution, all the stars were shinning through. After setting up camp, Jorg and I went into town and grabbed a beer with Kari. We talked about doing a motorcycle trip after TDA, since all of us are licensed. Thinking about the next trip already!!!
Stage 56 - Another mando day! It was worth the trouble of last seven days to get to today. It was the most beautiful ride by far, and top three toughest. The day started with an amazing sun rise. The early sun light painted the sky bright orange. Unfortunately I had a flat tire early from a tiny piece of sharp rock. The rolling hills became a steady climb. We climbed over 1300 meters on rocky dirt road. Eventually we reached 2400 meters above sea level, clouds seemed to be within reach. The view from the top was simply breath taking. But going down hill was very hard. I had to ride the brakes all the time, because the rocky surface did not provide any stability. Finally we reached tarmac! The next time we see dirt will be in Namibia.
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