Cape to Cairo 2010

Today we rode from Ngorongoro to Nairobi, Kenya. The ride was long and arduous because the road conditions were tar and gravel interspersed all the way to Nairobi. When it was tarred, it was badly potholed,and when it was gravel it was so dusty that you couldn’t see 20 metres ahead of you.

Although we only did roughly 500km, it took us from 7am until roughly 4pm and that included a border crossing but no other stops other than that.

Because there were no stops and we were simply making distance today, there were unfortunately no photo opportunities so today’s entry is unfortunately bland and limited to text.

We are going to be in Nairobi until Sunday the 25th because the bikes are being serviced here, having tyres changed and generally making sure that they are ready for the next leg of the trip and so I will not be updating the blog again until the night of Sunday the 25th.

We have now completed 7000km of our journey and have just passed the halfway mark. On Sunday we head up to Isiolo which is the start of the most difficult leg of this trip. The leg from Isiolo to Marsabit to Moyale on the Ethiopian border is only a total of 500km but 2 days of motorcycling hell through bandit country in northern Kenya and road conditions rumoured to be the worst of the entire cape to Cairo trip.

The highlight I suppose is that we will cross the equator on Sunday or Monday and then we are into Summer.

Today was a rest day…hmmm, seem to be saying that a lot lately!!

We spent 8 hours in the crater this morning looking at the wildlife which is just unimaginable relative to any other game experience in the world. Our ranger Moody had such incredible and diverse knowledge of the crater and its animals that it made the experience all the more memorable. Historically, the Masai tribesmen, as part of the initiation into manhood, had to kill a lion. This has happened here for hundreds of years and has resulted in an instinctive fear by the Lions for the Masai, to the extent that the Masai graze their herds of cattle in the crater and when the lions see them coming, they run away…hard to believe but true!!

Our stay at the Ngorongoro crater lodge has been everything that I remember it to be and more. There is not a single element about this place that I can complain about..&Beyond, you guys have done a terrific job all around and I will definitely be back again..well done.

Tomorrow we have an early departure at 6.30am to collect our bikes from Karatu and to make our way to Nairobi, Kenya, the 6th country on our route. Tanzania and its people have made such a lasting impression on us that whilst we are sad to be leaving such a magnificent country, we are both anxious to get back on the bikes and to continue our journey. The road has some fantastic stories still to be told!!!

Lion, Buffalo face off…Buffalo 1, Lion 0…although the lion was well fed.

The real McCoy!!

Badly wounded Hippo….Moody says the result of a failed Lion or Hyena attack.

The Masai still graze their cattle through the crater.

…and a good time was had by all!!!

We left Maramboi Tented Lodge after breakfast at 6.30am to make a short run to Karatu approximately 100km away where we have left our bikes for the next 2 days whilst we are at the Ngorongoro Crater. They wont allow us to bring the bikes into the crater for safety reasons.

The Ngorongoro crater Lodge is owned and managed by &Beyond (ex cc Africa) and they have done an amazing job with this place. I was last here in 2006 with my wife Ferne and it is still as magnificent as it was then. Although not a low budget destination, it really should be on everybody’s ”bucket list” of places to visit one day.

We got to the lodge early enough to shower, change and get down into the crater for the day which was awesome. We saw 3 of the big 5, plus Cheetah and the usual antelope, zebra and Wildebeest.

The crater itself is truly magnificent. It was created 2.5 million years ago through the collapse of a volcano and has left a 21km by 19km crater with such an incredible and diverse abundance of wildlife that even the cats here are too lazy to hunt at night or with much vigour.

The Rooms at Crater Lodge

Views from the Rooms.

Interior shot.

View from the Bog.

Bikers on Safari

Beautiful Old Male.

Not a horse’s Ass.

Cheetah on the prowl.

2 Seriously grumpy looking old boys.

Even scavengers can be cute.

2 Lazy youngsters.

Today was a well deserved rest day after the last few days of heavy riding. We spent the day exploring the edges of Lake Manyara, its wildlife and the local nomadic fishing village. The Lake retreats approximately 1km during the dry season (now, and hence the nomadic nature of the fishing village) and leaves a massive area of dried out marsh that is flat enough to play cricket on.

The lake borders onto the local game reserve so there is an incredible diversity of animal and birdlife but none of the big 5.

Tomorrow we have a short run of approximately 100km to Karatu where we will leave our bikes at the Manor at Ngorogoro and be collected by the Crater Lodge ( http://www.ngorongorocrater.com/default.php ) where we will spend the next 2 nights.

Local fisherman cleaning fish…and hungry scavengers standing by (this pic is not photo shopped)

Massive flat dry marshland from where the lake retreats.

Storks in flight.

Beauty (flamingo) and the Beast (maribou stork)

Dugout canoes at the nomadic fishing village on the edge of the lake.

We rode from Dodoma to Manyara today. Whilst the road of today was expected to be much of the same as we experienced yesterday, there were patches that were better, and there were patches that were MUCH worse. For the riders who live in the Cape and are reading this…Esselbank is like a highway in comparison!

Our ride was 350km through unbelievably beautiful countryside (I know that I keep saying that but Tanzania is MAGNIFICENT!!). We have ridden upcountry and the environment has become a lot more lush than we experienced further south.

We stopped for lunch at a roadside shop just before Babete and had the most delicious chapattis and sweet chai tea…not sure if it was actually delicious or we were just ravenous!

The Chinese activity in Tanzania is evident too. They are building a massive (and much needed) road between Arusha and Dodoma which should be complete within a year.

We are spending the night at Maramboi Tent camp (http://www.tanganyikawildernesscamps.com/camps/maramboitentedcamp/ )which we stumbled across but Thank G_d we did. This place is amazing. On arrival, even though we did not have a reservation, we were welcomed with cold towels and something to drink before sitting down and enquiring about accommodation. The staff, the service and the quality of the rooms are awesome and it is incredibly well priced for a full board rate. I HIGHLY recommend this place to anyone who is coming to Tanzania and wanting to stay around Lake Manyara.

In fact, we like this place so much we have decided that a 2 day well deserved rest is necessary!!

The “good” part of the road to Arusha.

Dale riding in.

Massive dry riverbed which floods in the summer.

Roadside tea and Chapattis

Roadside Cafe

Curious bystanders.

The Chinese furiously swapping their US Gvt bonds in exchange for African mineral rights!!!!

Maramboi tented camp…Awesome!

Maramboi staff.

Sunset over lake Manyara.

Today was the first day that we truly experienced the roads that we can expect going further North. We did a 320km ride of which the 250km between Iringa and Dodoma (The Tanzanian Capital) was gravel, intense corrugation, rocks the size of rugby balls, pits of soft sand and you name it, it was all there.

Although this road was difficult it traversed some incredibly beautiful parts of Tanzania with a greater concentration of ancient Baobab trees than I have ever seen anywhere else.

These 250km took us no less than 4 hours to do and we are both exhausted.We are spending the night at the new Dodoma Hotel in Dodoma which is great….comfortable rooms, good food and good service. Its 21h30 and I am in bed!

Somewhere between Iringa and Dodoma

Water break. It was HOT!

Katie decided to have a little snooze after I parked her and went to find a bush.

Miles of beautiful but dry barren landscape.

Today was a well deserved rest day at the old Farm House Kisolanza. Spent the day tinkering on the bikes and getting in some much needed exercise.

The farm has some beautiful walks around it. We are both really impressed with Tanzania and have met a lot of foreigners who have elected to settle here and rave about the quality of life. It really is a beautiful country with extremely friendly and welcoming people and can see why foreigners are drawn to Tanzania.

Met a couple of Aussie guys who found themselves here a few years ago and have decided to settle and make a life in Tanzania. They are also bikers and have been a great source of local knowledge for the the roads that we will be tackling over the next few days.

Tomorrow we head for Dodoma along the road that links Iringa to Dodoma which is approx 300km of dirt, rock, potholes and culverts….Looking forward to the change.

Kisolanza.

Kisolanza

Andy (left) and Mik. 2 Aussies that have become locals.

Nothing beats an African sunset!

I have come to the conclusion that it is not the accommodation that we are staying in that is the problem, but rather my expectations that require amendment, because notwithstanding the 1962 gold award winner of last night, I had a warm and comfortable night with minimum flea bites.

We rode from Mbeya to the Old Farm house at kisolanza (http://www.kisolanza.com ), just outside Iringa which was approximately 400km today. The Old Farm house is beautiful and worth a visit under ordinary circumstances.

We are planning on spending the next 2 nights here so looking forward to the R&R as both Dale and I are finding the long days on the bike taxing on the back and shoulders.

Generally an unremarkable day today other than the fact that the Tanzanians don’t believe in the concept of no overtaking on a blind rise which has resulted in more than a few heart stopping moments today.

We are currently 5,750km from home.

Beautiful Tanzanian Landscapes

Dale and his hoss…

All kinds of ways to transport heavy goods (bricks in this case)

Tanzanian Highlands

Today we left Malawi and crossed into Tanzania but not before getting our first traffic fine of 10,000 Malawian kwacha (negotiated to US$50) for doing 65km/h in a 50km/h zone! Whilst Malawi is a beautiful place, its officials, like anywhere else are anything but.

Our experiences at the border posts have, contrary to what has been explained to us, been relatively pleasant and painless thus far. Like in most places when dealing with officials, if you smile, are polite and just generally accommodating of the fact that they dislike being there themselves, the process is pretty smooth and easygoing.

The frustrating part about the border posts are the vulture like black market money changers that swarm around you looking to change the currency of the country you are leaving (or USD) into the currency of the country you are going into. This is generally a nuisance because you are either getting fake notes (had that) or you are being screwed on the rate, or both, either way, it is our experience that if you have to change at the border post, change just enough to purchase the 3rd party insurance required (unless you purchased comesa insurance at home before leaving) and some fuel etc until you can get to a formal bank to do a proper change.

We rode about 450km to Mbeya, Tanzania from Nkhata Bay, Malawi and we are now 3 days ahead of schedule which is great as we intend having a 2 day break at the Old Farmhouse outside Iringa tomorrow night.

We have both found the change into Tanzania materially noticeable relative to Malawi with regards to general development, infrastructure and commercial organisation not to mention UNBELIEVABLY BEAUTIFUL countryside.

We are spending the night tonight at the Mbeya peak hotel which won the Tanzanian hotel of the year award in 1962, and they have done nothing about it since then, including the furniture and linen.

Mbeya is a typical sprawling African town which is actually great to be spending the night in. We watched the Netherlands / Spain soccer Final at a Shebeen called “2000 Grocery” which between the uber strong beer and the local ladies of the night proved to be a very entertaining evening.

Beautiful Malawian children

How not to negotiate the Malawian roads…

Enough said…

Magnificent Tanzanian Landscapes.

The Mbeya Peak hotel where a room costs R120 (US$15) a night.

The view that a R120 a night room buys you…

2000 Grocery, where the beers are cold and the ladies are scary.

Today we Travelled approximately 350km North from Senga Bay to Nkhata Bay along Lake Malawi. Because we left quite early we took an easy ride stopping frequently to take pictures of busy Saturday morning markets and people going about their lives.

We are spending the night at Njaya Lodge in Nkhata Bay which requires one to travel approx 3km along what might have been a road 1000 years ago! The lodge itself is SUPER Basic which is not a problem but hygiene doesn’t feature highly on their list of important factors which for me, is! To all you pariahs that have been ragging about our cushy and comfy trip so far, scroll down!!

The town of Nkhata Bay is a small but busy typical African town which is dominated by its market which in themselves are always fantastic to walk through because of the people, the signs and the variety of goods.

We were originally intending to spend another day in Malawi but have elected to move on into Tanzania tomorrow so that we have a little extra time to deal with some expected poor road conditions between Iringa and Ngorogoro in Tanzania.

Sunrise over Lake Malawi at Senga Bay.

Roadside Market on route to Nkhata Bay

Woman carrying these massive piles of wood on their heads…

The barber shop at Nkhata Bay where you can get your hair cut and confess at the same time!

Market vendors..

Fishermen on Lake Malawi.

My shower at Njaya Lodge…not the George V but close!