Tues 7th Jan
Tanga
Tahmeed 07:30…conveniently close to Coast Safari, and even enabling me to have breakfast. We crossed on the Likoni ferry…it’s been a long time since I wasn’t a foot passenger. Me and Danish Peter seemed to get special treatment…we could stay on the bus…others got off and walked over to the other side to meet bus. 08:30 left from Likoni. Just after 10 arrived at Lunga Lunga. 11:15 we leave Horohoro.
No problems with immigration. A bit of a wait for the other passengers (there were only about a dozen of us) to get on, and an hour and a quarter to the bus stand at Chumbageni. Peter was staying at Phyllen hotel so he only had a 5 minute walk. I got a bicycle taxi to Ocean Breeze. It was fun, except when going over the little road bumps.
I checked into room 126 for 25,000…8Gbp incl breakfast… I showered to test the facilities and immediately determined that the shower didn’t work and I used the bucket provided.
I topped up with an Airtel ‘combo’ voucher and walked to the cemetary. The stones I put on Gpa’s grave last time had been spread around a bit during a bid to cut the long grass. The tree behind the grave had also been chopped down.
I think I went for a coffee at Mkonge htl, but I definitely went to Splendid View to see Adolph and enjoy a couple of beers. From there I went to SeaView to enjoy their chicken curry. The nan wasn’t up to its usual standard. It was good to see Deo again. Anyway, from there it’s only 5 minutes to Ocean Breeze.
Wed 8th Jan
I had a good sleep. Breakfast was its usual basic self. I went across the railway tracks to the DTB bank for some money. I took the opportunity to ask about Tahmeed and Tawarkal bus times and cost to Mombasa, for Peter. I also stopped by the Ratco office to ask about buses to Dar for me. It seems that the morning buses go via Magufuli bus stand ( 24kms from the centre of Dar)…grrr !!. The afternoon bus goes via Lumumba St in Kariakoo, but arrives in the early evening in the dark. Neither are great…
I went to Mkonge for a coffee, and Peter turned up to take photos for a friend who’s interested in staying there in the future. I saw the swimming pool for the first time. We spent a couple of hours chatting before catching a dala back into town. After freshening up I went to Splendid View.
I was a bit later than planned meeting Peter at Sea View because my Facebook post was taking forever to post at Nyumbani Hotel. In fact I gave up as the wifi was so slow.
We both had chicken curry; mine with rice and his with chips. We both agreed that what really ruined the SeaView atmosphere was the very loud music from the new children’s playground across the road. I went back to Nyumbani hoping to finish my upload and rejoin Peter at SeaView, but I ran out of time and went straight back to my room.
Thurs 9th Jan
I got going early as I wanted to get to Mwambani to look for Gpa’s house; Roger had sent me directions. After breakfast I walked to Ngamiani and got the dala heading along the Pangani road. I was surprised at how bad the road was; presumably the tarmac road is a long way off.
The boda ran out of petrol, so I had to walk the last 15 minutes. I found the beach road. Down to the beach and walked along looking up at the properties as best I could….through hedges and over steps broken by rising sea levels.
I asked a more elderly lady who was cleaning fish on the beach if the name Ras Mitoni meant anything. She pointed down the beach. I found a way up and towards a house that looked promising.
There was a plot next door. I called the gardener and asked his permission to see the house. He opened the gate and I took pics / vids of the house and garden. I was fairly sure it was the correct house..i.e. Gpa’s. I went back next door because one of the buildings was probably the guest house where we stayed in ’71.
Back down the beach and along and up through Mwambani Beach Villas.
Suleiman the caretaker said he’d take me to the main road as he was going shopping anyway. I asked about Lorraine Chittock, and as she lived next door, I went and introduced myself and we had a great chat for about 45 mins. Her dogs were there; I forgot to mention that I’d offered to dog sit in Oct when she visited her mother in England. Her mother had since died.
I got a boda lift to the Pangani road and a dala to Ngamiani stand…all for 1,500 (50p).
Then I got a dala to Mkonge hotel. I noticed for the first time a sign at a doorway saying Lead Memorial Hall, which was Mkonge’s original name. After a long coffee break I walked back to Ocean and after showering I paid my usual visit to Splendid View.
Partly because of the noise from Forodhani, I had dinner at the Tanga Institute. The chicken curry was nice but not nearly as tasty as the SeaView curry.
I think I just went to Nyumbani htl in the hope their WiFi was performing a bit better, then I went back to my room.
Fri 10th Jan
My first port of call after breakfast was the Ratco booking office. There were no regular seats available, so I got a VIP seat in the front section of the bus. The cost was 40,000 (£13) as opposed to 25,000. Oh well, it was to be a nice treat.
I headed in the direction of the Greek Church for photos; taking the usual pics along the way of the library and museum. I was told there was a Greek guy living up the road…just a few minutes walk. I called at his house but was told he was still asleep.
My planning was good because Phyllen hotel was only 10 minutes further on, and I called in to see Peter. Phyllen is on the edge of Chumbageni and I was interested to see what it was like. Nice enough but a bit remote and twice as expensive as Ocean Breeze. Had a good long chat with Peter as he had his breakfast and I had 2 cups of coffee.
The Greek guy had woken up, but had gone out with a friend. I passed through Forodhani Park and walked to the cemetary. I hoped to borrow a hoe/spade from the house across the road so as to do a bit of clearing around Gpa’s grave, but nothing was available. I walked to Mkonge for my coffee; Peter turned up an hour or so later.
I walked all the way back to Ocean; I definitely needed a shower after that. Then on to Splendid and back to SeaView via an off licence. After a while Peter arrived and we sat inside SeaView to escape the noise, until dinner was ready and we moved to a table on the verandah.
Peter was leaving the next day too…back to Mombasa. I’ll definitely pay him a visit in Bamburi when I’m back in Nyali in 3 weeks time. His first time to Tanga and he really enjoyed it. I went back to Ocean, drank my spirit and set the alarms for 04:45.
A great Tanga visit; certainly a bit different to usual.