Fri 1st…I had my breakfast in Bagamoyo; I was aiming for a leisurely travel day. Took a boda to the bus stand. Arrived a bit early; my understanding of reporting times and departure times seems to be at odds with the local staff. So instead of leaving at 09:00, I actually left just before 10:00. I think someone had taken my seat, but I managed to get the very front seat by the door. So, it was to be the Segera route , passed a few sisal estates, and on to Muheza.
The driver was a bit slow…Good from the safety perspective but frustrating from the time of arrival perspective. I disembarked at Muheza, determined not to use the longer route via Tanga. After much discussion….and time was running out…I got a boda to catch up with the bus that had already left. It turned out it wasn’t going to Pangani ( where I needed to reach before going to Ushongo Bay), so I turned back to Muheza. That cost 1000tsh. There followed further discussions with the boda boda drivers and I’d virtually resigned myself to staying the night in Muheza when one guy offered to take me to Pangani for 12,000tsh..or 4gbp.
That was good enough for me for the 42kms journey. The road was rough but not uncomfortable, and the journey took 55 mins….so, good value. I was dropped off near the beach where there were a couple of places with accommodation. I had a drink then discovered there were no rooms available. I walked into Pangani town; saw a tourist information place; a guy eventually took me to Holy Lodge……I was lucky to get a room as it was the beginning of Ramadan and for some reason Pangani was popular. The room was self contained but only cost 10,000…or 3gb. I had a chips mayai near the boda stage and retired to my room. Apparently the place doubled as a brothel, but I didn’t see or hear anything.
Sat 2nd….I walked off with my rucksack to find the ferry. Decided to draw out some money but the ATM declined. Went for tea & mandazi whilst waiting for the bank to open. I questioned the cost of by b’fast and got the girl to reduce the price from 1000 to 600 tsh. Figured out with the lady at the bank that there was a cash withdrawl limit of 200K and I’d been trying to take out 400K. 200K was enough to see me through Ushongo Bay.
I paid my 200tsh for the 5 minute ferry ride across the Pangani River. I caught a bus on the other side for a 20 minute ride, after which I had to get a boda for the 15 minute ride to the beach…that cost 3,000. Mark had recommended Drifters but the boda driver said it had closed down. I was dropped at Mike’s Lodge; walked through without seeing anyone; saw a sign saying Reception; got talking to the guy and found out his name was Mathias….the very same guy who was friends with Mark , and by sheer chance I had arrived at Drifters which had reopened in December. I negotiated the price down from 50usd or about 115,000tsh to 50,000tsh. Still above my budget, but considering the location and I had a little cottage with some bougainvillea and facing the sea, I decided it was good value.
The drinks and food were a bit expensive, but as I got a nice big breakfast, I was able to eat from my stash of cashewnuts gor dinner !! Just on the 3rd night I treated myself to lovely fish and chips..15,000. I spent a very pleasant 3 days at Ushongo Bay. Nice long walks along the palm tree lined beach. There were lots of fishing activities going on …. not just the boats going out to sea, but hand held nets being used just offshore. I liked the angle of the beach down to the sea….not too deep and not too shallow. Although, rising tides had knocked down the front wall of Drifters bar/restaurant area. One big coincidence ( because I’d remembered the name), just a couple of hundred metres down the beach was Tides where my aunt Angela had holidayed 7 or 8 years ago. Unfortunately now it’s run down following a land dispute , but in the process of being renovated. Ushongo Bay… a beautiful relaxing place.
Tues 5th. A couple of days previously I met Mike from next door with a guy called Joseph. It was my good fortune that today..Tues..Joseph was travelling by car to Tanga, and I got a lift all the way. They even dropped me off at the SeaView hotel. And we took a little detour before Tanga, to Mwambani to try to locate my grandfather’s house. Well, I was young and plot sizes have reduced, so we weren’t successful in finding it.
Not much to say about Tanga that hasn’t been said before. It has a very slow pace of life. It’s relaxing. It’s were I grew up and was our weekend destination from the sisal estates. I stayed there for one week, and it gave me a chance….using a photo my uncle Roger sent me….to locate my grandfather’s grave. A few years ago I couldn’t step into the graveyard because of long grasses and bushes, but some clearance had taken place. After a few false starts….on day 4 I was convinced I’d found it. Lining up the edge of the house across the road and the electricity pole, and finding lots of reinforced concrete that Roger said he’d used, mission accomplished.
Every day when I visit the grave, I could only work a maximum of 1.5 hours….because of the heat. Anyway, it was a good excuse to go from there to the Swimming club. I covered the grave as best I could but it needs more work done on it. Most days I went to the Mkonge hotel as well as they had good wifi and good views across the harbour. 4 of the 6 nights I had dinner at SeaView…delicious currys. One afternoon/evening I went to the Yacht club….a top Premier league game was the main attraction….but just nice to see the Yacht club again. I walked all the way back into town that night….maybe a little bit risky….but figured 20:15 wasn’t too late and I did my usual quick march routine. 40 mins wasn’t too bad.
I paid a couple of visits to Splendid View Htl to see old friends, and it’s a place I’ve stayed before. SeaView is a bit more upmarket at 35,000..or 11gbp…compared to Splendids 10,000..or 3gbp. But they’ve put a/c in room no. 8 at Splendid and they’ve offered me a good rate, so I might stay there next time. What else? Had a long walk to Tanga Beach Hotel, but disappointing as you couldn’t even see the sea….only mangrove trees.
So, that was my week in Tanga. I discovered that a PCR test was no longer necessary to get back into Kenya. Of course I wasn’t 100% convinced but decided to head back to Holili on the 12th. I bought my ticket the day before and was sat behind the driver. It was only a 20 minute walk to the bus office, then 15 minutes to the out of town bus stand at Kange. 5.5 hours to njia panda just before Himo. Nice views of sisal along the way and the Usambara and Pare mountains….passing through Korogwe where I was born.
I decided to have kiti moto in Holili and stay the night there, before crossing into Kenya the next day. I had started my Tanzanian journey in Holili on 12th February and it was coming to an end in Holili on 12th April. What an adventure; what an exciting 2 months.