Holili-Tarakea-Moshi-Arusha 12-20 Feb ’22

Sat 12th. I crossed the border from Kenya into TZ. Only issue was that the system didn’t give me a receipt for my 50usd visa. I was staying in Holili anyway so a delay of 45 mins didn’t matter. I checked into the White House….Nice to see a few familiar faces. Had one mbege near the market. Elijah spent some time trying to get my zantel sim to work ( lent to me by a friend in England who had just returned from TZ. Welcomed warmly by everyone at Dubai and had a delicious kiti moto for dinner. Followed by a bit of a boozy session with my TZ immigration friend.

Sun 13th. Struggle with getting the sim to work properly. Visited ‘snake’ hill for old times sake. Then after 2:00 Mercy came over from taveta and we had a lovely kiti moto as an early celebration of Dad’s birthday which is on the 25th. Went over to White House for a couple of drinks and for Mercy to say hi to the owners.

Mon 14th. Left at about 9 for Tarakea. Went to Himo then caught a dala dala straight through to Tarakea. It took a couple of hours, but better than the 3 hours last time because I had had an additional vehicle change. Of course I knew exactly where I was going this time which made for a very relaxing trip.

Emil was waiting. I checked on the progress of the Guava tree that I planted in Nov….all good. Drinks later of course then kiti moto just around the corner from his house. It wasn’t too bad but was eaten in virtual darkness which was a bit weird. I again slept in the wooden cabin.. Emil was in the process of adding a little indoor toilet, but it meant rats had easier access to the building and he advised me to wear socks in bed to lessen the risk of my toes being nibbled. Took me a while to get to sleep….hearing or imagining the noise of rats running around; I didn’t see any..phew !!

Tues 15th. After a tasty banana porridge ( mituri ) I think, and taking pictures of Mt Kili, we caught a dala dala to Mwika, to then go to Marangu and Kilema. Unfortunately it was a market day and the dala dala took over 2 hours to do no more than 30 miles. Stopping and starting countless times.

At Mwika we got into a dala dala that stank of fish to go a shorter distance to Marangu. Then another dala dala to Kilema so Emil could visit 2 old friends . One of whom is diabetic and Emil was taking him some special bread. Nice to see Kilema again; I stayed there for a week in June 2020. On the way back we stopped in Marangu and I treated Emil to a lunch. At that point we parted company and I caught a dala dala to Moshi.

At least that 1 hour journey was very smooth, I think only one stop at a police checkpoint. I checked into the Kilimanjaro Htl as I didn’t feel like arguing over the orice at Basecha Lodge. The room was very comfortable with aircon and a good bathroom. The b’fast was adequate. I had 2 nights in Moshi. Had to use a cyber cafe for WiFi, altho Basecha did have it I discovered when I went there for a soda.

I found out in Moshi that the zantel wasn’t going to work….prob because it was automatically cut off when my friend left TZ last month. Maybe it was linked to the visa period. I bought myself an Airtel sim for 10,000Tsh….just over 3pds. Apart from generally wandering around during those 2 days I visited the police mess for drinks and of course had delicious tandoori chicken dinners at Kakas. The hotel had a big flat roof and a great view if Kili, so I was pleased I decided to stay there.

Thurs 17th. After b’fast I caught a bus to Arusha…a bit slow…2.5 hours instead of 2….but I was in no particular hurry. Had a coffee then met up with friend Styve who brought me to this hostel accommodation. A bit out of town…only a 15 minute walk….and a nice change from staying in a hotel. It’s set in nice grounds. Oh, called Green Garden.

My room is comfortable, although no water in the bathroom on day one. But lots of alternatives to wash. The b’fast is good….sufficient for me…fruit plus omelette and toast. There’s a nice big communal sitting area and I’ve had nice chats with fellow guests.

It’s rained a lot….every day some heavy downpours. My first dinner was a curry at Hot Plate, but disappointing that they weren’t selling beer to accompany the curry. Not sure why that was. I had drinks at Mc Ellys instead. Then for 2 days I didn’t have any appetite in the evening and didn’t eat anything; b’fast seemed to last me… Spent time reacquainting with Arusha. Met up with childhood friend Edgar a few times. Have met Mike, an old family friend, and looking forward to a chicken curry later today at his home.

So, I will have had 4 days in Arusha.. A nice visit, but time to experience something new/different. Yesterday I bought a bus ticket to Mwanza ( a 12 hour journey) for 35,000tsh..about 12pds. Felt a lot more like a tourist here…constantly being stopped. But got used to it after a while. One just has to be a bit rude at times, which I don’t particularly like. Wanted a TZ map. Guy on the street said 20,000. Found a bookshop across the road selling it for 10,000. Armed with that info I said to the street guy 7,000 take it or leave it. He took it…. That’s it from Arusha; 6 a.m. bus tomorrow morning to Mwanza on the shores of lake Victoria.