Sat 20th. That morning a bucket of hot water was brought to my room so I was able to have a pleasant wash. I left at about 10:00 for the bus stand. Had tea and chapati first then found the first dala dala to get me to Lushoto. I got a front seat but had to wait half an hour before departure. A leisurely and scenic drive to Lushoto. Arrived at the Stand in the town centre. I walked back towards the Lawns Hotel. Krisha was half expecting me and offered me a nice room for 30,000 , but excluding breakfast as the room price was so reasonable. I settled in , chatted with Krisha a bit ( she is the niece of Tony Nikitas who retired to Morogoro 6 years previously). It was 8 years ago when I stayed one night with Dad and Tor; we had the room with the ‘Roman bath’.
Then I went walkabout in town. I discovered the Usambara Coffee house behind the bus stand. Very enjoyable freshly ground coffee and good conversations. I went there every day and with Mark on day 3. But day 1 being a Saturday, I found a bar showing English football, and in fact they kindly put the Spurs match on for me. I returned to Lawns late afternoon, by which time Mark and Jane had arrived from Arusha.
A very pleasant 3 days in Lushoto. Every morning I went down the road for breakfast of chai and mandazi. Sunday and Monday I had my one large meal in 2 different restaurants on a road parallel with the main road through the town. Both times I ate Pilau which made a nice change. I did exploratory walks around Lushoto. On Sunday I watched football again. A Masai guy stood in front of the TV at one point, but as he had a simi and rungu with him, I wasn’t going to argue…!!!But when it was pointed out that he was blocking my view, he was very apologetic.
Lots of chatting with Mark and Jane at Lawns. The Bar area was very cosy, and especially when the log fire was lit in the evening. I decided on a change of hotels fir my last night to be near the bus station…a 5 minute walk. A good decision as it continued to rain the next morning. I bought my bus ticket for the following day. Hotel room was large with a big bathroom and a little balcony. Fine on the face of it, but the water supply was terrible. Managed to get water through the pipes on Monday afternoon but on Tuesday morning the water was non-existent…even the toilet didn’t flush. Had just enough bottled water to brush my teeth.
I enjoyed walking around Lushoto, but there wasn’t much to do there. To make the most of the area you need to go on hikes and to the View points.