Wed 26th. Had a huge breakfast at Aurelia Htl, then an easy 10 minute walk to the port to catch the 9:30 ferry to Dar. An argument with staff who wanted us to put our luggage separately somewhere, but we refused. It got a bit tense when they blocked our way and wouldn’t allow us into the cabin, but we shouted a bit and pushed our way in !! I spent an hour and a half standing on the front outside deck on dolphin watch duty, but to no avail.
A nice approach to Dar….the skyline on one side and a couple of islands on the other with what looked like a tourist lodge on each. A bit of a melee…well, scuffle…to get out of the port. A walk to Sophia Hotel made even easier by the fact it was a public holiday and the streets were quiet. My first time staying at this hotel whereas Mark had stayed there half a dozen times. Checked in..big room with AC. I went walkabout…I bought some water; I bought Airtel Internet bundles; I checked the cost and timings of Tahmeed buses to Tanga; I checked the cost of a couple of hotels on Uhuru St; I finally ended up at the ‘Congolese’ bar for a couple of beers. At 18:00 I met Mark at the Lumumba St Bbq place where the chicken curry, although it was tasty, was overpriced at 12,000 as were the nans at 2,000 each because they were a bit small. From there we went to 24/7 opposite Riki Hill and shared a bottle of Konyagi before returning to the Sophia.
Thurs 27th. Had a very comfortable night’s sleep. The breakfast was incredibly basic…coffee with toast and jam. All you can eat, though..!! We left by 9:00 to walk to Kigamboni ferry terminal. It was a bit further than we expected but we had lots of time. A bit of a shouting match at the ticket office, but just managed to catch the ferry to the other side…only about 10 minutes. We were warned against taking photos…by then I had taken one.
Only a ten minute walk to the bus stand, and then we were shown the bus to Kimbiji (which wasn’t obvious). Just over an hours journey…hardly any stopping. 30kms I think. Apart from the last few kms, it was all tarmac.
At Kimbiji we bought bottled water then climbed aboard boda bodas to take us to Noreen’s beach side cottages at KamBaKochi…about 10 minutes away. We stopped along the way to buy a couple of small bottles of Konyagi. There had been some very heavy rain and 3 huge puddles were across the road on the way there. A couple of which we could drive through but one of them we had to off road to skirt the water. We arrived about midday but had to wait a few hours whilst the previous guests had their lunch and checked out. A lovely place to hang out. In that time I went onto the beach and had a swim. Both bedrooms are upstairs with en suite and balconys. Lovely view to the sea, with the beach being about 100 meters away. It was approaching 3:30 so we did the short 5 minute walk to the Lagoon beach bar. Nice location but one beer was ‘off’ and the small bottles of lager beer cost 5,000tsh, so didn’t leave a good taste..!!! Back by 5:30. Chilled until the fish and chips and salad dinner arrived before 7. A whole big fish each…delicious…but had to be careful of the bones, as always. And then early to bed. The bed was very comfortable and the room had a stand up / floor fan…
Fri 28th. Very little happened as it rained virtually all day. During what seemed like a change in fortunes we started a walk down the beach. Mark turned back about half way while I kept going in the hope of reaching the lighthouse at the end. I encountered a fast flowing stream whose sandy bands were being eroded away. I decided against trying to cross it as I couldn’t determine its depth….didn’t want to fall in the water with phones and wallet etc. Soon after I headed back it started to rain again and very heavily so I got drenched. Luckily I was shielded from the worst of it as I had my cap and a kikoi that I draped over my shoulders. A bit different from basking in hot sunshine all the time. Nothing to do all afternoon. Sat on the verandah looking at the ocean and the coral rocks. Decided against going back to Lagoon beach bar. Played sudoku. Took just a few photos.
At about 6:30 I went to find some limes to add to the Konyagi and water. Spoke a bit with Noreen the owner. Mark and I were sipping away quietly when dinner arrived around 7:30. It was goat meat in a vegetable gravy with chips and salad. Was concerned that the goat might be chewy but in fact it was quite tender. Noreen had arranged for 8 small Serengeti bottles to be delivered…very nice of her. And that was the day…very quiet…I can’t remember experiencing a day when it rained virtually nonstop. I was disappointed that I probably wouldn’t get to swim in the Lagoon, but at least I did have a swim in the ocean on the previous day. Incredibly relaxing location. The view was fantastic; it was made more interesting by looking over the coral at the waves breaking on the coral, and yet there was plenty of beach/sea in which to swim and not be in danger of hitting any coral. If you keep going down the coast you get to where you catch the ferry to Mafia Island. So, KamBaKochi was somewhere very different again, and a lovely 2 day break.