We were packed up and heading out of the Serengeti shortly after noon on the 4th day.  From there we mostly retraced our path back to the Ngorongoro national park.  As we passed through the eastern Serengeti we got an even more impressive view of the migration than we had seen on the second day.  Pretty much zebras and wildebeests as far as the eye could see.  Our destination for the evening was the Ngorongoro campground on the rim of the Ngorongoro crater.  A very popular and crowded campground.  It was nice to have electricity tonight, but we missed the relative isolation that we had in the Serengeti.

The next morning we got off to another early start with a 6:00 breakfast.  Ngorongoro is an incredible place.  Apparently it was once a volcano on the scale of Kilimanjaro.  Over time the caldera collapsed and became a fertile and very isolated savannah.  Because of it its isolation it is pretty much a closed environment.  It’s isolation has also allowed it to be better protected from poachers.  It is one of the few places where the African rhinoceros can still be found.  After a quick breakfast we jumped into the land cruisers and headed down to the caldera.  We were immediately struck by the density of the animal population.  Large heards of buffalo, impalas, gazelles, etc. at very close quarters with equally large populations of lions.    A party of 14 lions attracted our attention (as well as an a large number of other land cruisers).  Of course our goal for the day was to see the elusive rhino – it is the only one of the big five that we have not yet seen.  There are reportedly only about 20 left in the park.  As we approached our noon deadline for departure it was looking like we were going to miss out.  However Solomon, out guide and driver, finally came through for us and spotted a couple of rhinos mixed in with a large herd of buffalos.  Too far away to get a picture of, but impressive none the less.

After the Ngorongoro crater we packed up and headed back towards Arusha and the end of the tour.  On the way back we stopped at a Maasai village for a tour.  It was a bit touristy but interesting none the less.  A few photos, a few souvenirs and we were off again for Arusha.

It was a very nice safari, and a truly amazing tour but it was nice to be headed home.  A bit of repacking and a lot of cleaning and we were ready to head home.

After last night’s late arrival in our Serengeti camp we were looking forward to lots of game viewing in the Serengeti.  The plan is to do a morning drive and and evening drive then doing a very early morning start the following day before heading on to our next camp at Ngorongoro.  The games drives did not disappoint.  Up to this point we really haven’t seen any of the big predators, but today would be different.  We saw a leopard lounging in an acacia tree.  Then there were the lions.  Lots of Lions.  I’ve got a shot below of a couple of big males prowling through the high grass.  My favourite, however, was the Cheetah.  We were headed back to the camp for lunch.  We were within site of camp when one of the drivers spotted a lone female lounging under a tree patiently waiting for an opportunity to get closer to an unsuspecting group of impalas.  We watched her for quite some time as she patiently inched up on the impalas.  it was apparent that she was much more patient than we were as hunger got the best of us and we went to our own lunch while she worked on getting hers.

After lunch we lounged around camp for a while to catch up on things before leaving for the evening game drive at 4:00.  More lions in the afternoon and various grazing animals such as the impalas below.  The drive was topped off by a beautiful sunset on the Serengeti.

The next morning we awoke early and had tea a biscuits before out 6:00 a.m. departure.  The purpose of the early departure was of course to try to to catch some of the early morning activity on the savanah.  We were not disappointed.  Shortly after sunrise we encountered a group of hyenas cleaning up after a kill.  A very good morning.  Then on the way back to camp again a very close encounter with a group of giraffes.  They are pretty much oblivious to humans.  Mostly we just get in there way.

Back to camp for and early lunch and pack up for our move to our next camp.

First a word of clarification about who is where.  When we left for Kili the plan was for Dan and Robin to join Dawn and Ross on Safari.  Dan was apparently not willing to give up on Kili.  After a bit of work he was able to find a pair of boots that would work for him.  Jackson, the head of “Bush 2 City Adventures” apparently has the same unique size foot as Dan so he loaned Dan his own boots.  So Dan set out on his own  Kili assault a couple of days behind us.  Well not quite alone – Dan, a guide, a cook, and 5 porters.  He is doing the seven day version of the route that we did.  We all wish him the best.  So Robin, who has been hanging around Arusha waiting for us to come down for the mountain, will join us on Safari.  Denise has bid us adieu as she has been met by her partner Ron and the two of them will be headed south for another 3 weeks or so.

So after the usual preparations 8 of us (John, Paddy, Carole, Robin, Judy, Lucas, Valerie & Max) set off on Safari in two land cruisers, 2 drivers, 2 cooks and what seems like a very large amount of gear.  Our goal for today is to see the Manyara National park.  But first we dump all our gear and cooks at our camp site.  It is really a bit too upscale to call a camp; more of a resort.  But no one complained after the rigours of camping on Kili.  No sooner than we arrived than we ran into Dawn and Ross, who were on the last day of their 5-day safari.  They seem to have really enjoyed their safari but were looking forward to flying home later today.

After Lunch we did our game drive through the Manyara National Park.  I’m not sure I can even name all the animals that we saw; but I’ll try.  Elephants,  giraffes, zebras, buffaloes, impalas, wildebeests, baboons, blue monkeys, satin monkeys, jackals and numerous exotic birds.   Below are some of my favourite photos for the day.

We will do another mult-day blog entry again.  Way too busy (and tired) to write during this period and of course I have no connectivity anyway.  Surprisingly there is cell phone coverage on large portions of Kili.

Day 4:

Today we start in Barranco camp and finish is Barafu camp.  We start the day with bad news.  Paddy had been up most of the night and has asked to finish the Trek.  Arrangements are quickly made for a guide and a porter to take her down and installed in a comfortable hotel until time for the safari.  We will all miss her smiling face for our remaining days on the mountain, but are confident that the guides will take good care of her.

We started the day by climbing the Barranco wall.  Calling it a wall makes it sounds more intimidating than it is.  It is a full on climb requiring both hands and feet but nothing technical or dangerous.  It takes us a bit more than an hour to zig-zag our way up the wall and are rewarded by awesome vistas all the while.  At the top we take a short break, pull the hiking poles out of our packs and begin our walk to Karanga camp. The hike to Karanga was absolutely stunning.  When we got there we found our mess tent set up for us and a hot lunch prepared.

After lunch and a rest we set off for another 3 hour hike uphill to Barafu camp.  The afternoon hike is much less pleasant.  Not bad, just an unrelenting uphill slog.  We finally reach Barafu a little after 4:00.  Judy and Carole are both feeling under the weather so immediately head for bed hoping to gather enough energy for the summit climb tomorrow.  The rest of us attend a briefing on the strategy for tomorrow than have an early dinner than off to bed for us as well.

Day 5:

Today we do the summit!  I am cheating a bit here since what I call day 5 starts before mid-night.  Judy and Carole are awoken at 10:30 and given the first test of the day.  If you can’t eat you can’t climb.  Unfortunately only a 50% pass rate; Carole was not well enough to climb.  Kudos to her for recognizing that she was not in condition to climb.  Rather than draining resources from the team she chose to stay behind and wished us well.

The remaining 6 of us were awoken at 7:00 (like we actually got to sleep) with hot tea and cookies brought to our tents.  It was well below freezing outside so we pretty much put on all the clothes that we had.  We got away a little after 11:30 for the assault on Kili; the 6 remaining climbers, the 3 remaining guides and Omarie who would be our summit porter.

The wind was howling when we set off – truly very intimidating.  But as we climbed we built up enough heat to take off one layer and after a bit the wind let up some.  But it was indeed a slow an gruelling climb.  It was not all that steep an incline, but at that elevation even walking on the level is a chore.  All you can do is keep trudging on and thing happy thoughts.  About 5:00 we started seeing hints of sunrise and I knew we were getting close to Stella point.

The guides timed it perfectly!  We reached Stella Point (elev. 5756 meters) right at sunrise – spectacular!  It was incredible.  Even more awesome than the view was our group of climbers.  We had a 100% success rate!  All 6 who attempted made it.  I was very proud of the group.  We we are very exhausted but we made it.  From Stella it is a short “scamper” over to our ultimate destination – Uhuru peak.  Uhuru is at 5895 meters so we had a bit more elevation to gain but it is a very gentle incline.  Of course everything is an effort at this elevation. 

It was a brief celebration at the top and pictures were taken to prove that we were there.  Than off we go for our descent.  It is a long way down to Barafu camp and our tents.  The guides took very good care of us on the way down.  Carrying our packs when necessary.  And when necessary holding us up as well.  We all made it down safe and sound.  Happy and exhausted.  Really exhausted.  We even tried to talk the guides into spending the night there so that we could rest.  They had heard it before and knew that what we really needed was to get to a lower elevation.

After a brief rest and a lunch we had to put the boots back on again!  Four more hours of hiking down to our camp for the night at 3100 meters.  The guides were right we immediately felt better as we descended to a lower elevation.  But it was really tough to get down there – the legs were gone.

Day 6:

Today we finish the trek and prepare for the Safari.  After the best sleep that we had had in many days we were awakened at 6:30 for breakfast and a celebration.  It really was a nice celebration and a lot of fun.  Three more hours of gentle hiking and our happy troop was down at the gate making it all official and ready to board the bus.  Tomorrow most of us will go on Safari.

It was a wonderful day today.  We got started around 8:00 headed for the Lava Tower at an altitude of 4650 meters.  Our Starting elevation is around 3800 meters so just a bit more elevation gain than yesterday.  However it is a much better trail than yesterday and a gentler incline.  Just a slow steady plod as we watch the scenery change.  At this elevation we are in the alpine zone.  What little vegetation there is is no higher than a meter.  The day started quite cool but we were soon taking off layer after layer of clothes.  At this altitude the temperature is quite cool but the sun is also much more intense than at sea level.  So it is quite pleasant until a cloud passes through (at the this altitude most clouds are at our level instead of above us).

We finally made the lava tower for a late lunch.  The plan is to spend a little time a lava tower and have lunch to help acclimatization (climb high, sleep low).  That is one of the reasons for the popularity of this route – the up and down terrain is harder, but better for acclimatization.  We suit up again for lunch and the beginning of the descent.  A fairly fast an rugged descent, but not too bad.  We are eager to hit Barranco camp and rest.  Finally on the horizon we see the multi-color tents of the camp.  Actually quite pretty for a camp.  Altitude 3940 meters I believe.

Tomorrow is a big day – up the Barranco wall then on to the summit base camp.

My apologies but this is going to have to be a catch-up blog entry that covers three days.  We have been very busy of late.  This may appear out of order as well.  Several earlier blog entries have been written but I haven’t been able to access them due to lack of internet access.  We had access in Moshi, but I’m afraid other things took  priority.

January 30th:

The last day of cycling into Moshi.  Not a long long day – 58 km as I recall – and not a much elevation gain.  Unfortunately it was a pretty rough day for some of us — notably me.  My third day without being able to eat much and I was not riding well to say the least.  Fortunately Valerie powered the tandem in to Moshi and we made.  It was also fortunate that we got an early start today in order to beat the heat and make the transition to trekking.  That worked well.  We started shortly after seven and got in before noon.

Two tasks consumed the rest of the day and didn’t leave much time celebrate the completion of cycling or resting.  We needed to pack up our bikes and biking gear and prepare for either Kili or Safari.  All in all a good cycling trip but tough.  I think we were all very challenged but rewarded with magnificent scenery.  No major injuries but certainly a lot of scraped knee.  Only Paddy and Carole came through unscathed; kudos to them.  Kudos also to the Friends of Usambara who provided such excellent support.  We had two great guides every day, they came up with van support when the saw how badly we needed it, and they provided excellent meals.  Mostly they and the other people of the Usambara were so warm an friendly.

January 31st:

The trek begins.  The friends of Usambara arranged to have our trekking and safari handled by a company the work with frequently – Bush to City.  They also seem to be excellent.  Started by a couple of young entrepreneurs that meet at a local university studying tourism.   Jackson (one of the owners), Mo (our head cook), Keddy (our lead guide) and a few others picked us up at 8:30 to take us first to Moshi to do some last minute shopping and then to Machame gate. We said good-bye to Ross and Dawn as planned.  We also said good-bye to Dan and Robin.  A friend had advised them to bring trail runners rather than hiking boot.  Our guides were pretty insistent that that we have to have safe gear (and even inspected our gear before departure) particularly with inclement weather predicted for the first two days.

Once at the Machame gate it was mostly waiting and lunch for us.  For our guides it was a major logistical feat.  8 hikers (us), 4 guides, 2 cooks, and 26 porters.   For our route, park regulation require at least 3 porters per hiker and prohibits them from carrying more than 20 kilos.  All bags had to be weighted in distributed to the porters.  It took a bit of time but all went smoothly and we were on the trail by about 1:00.

It was a big day of hiking today, but fortunately at relatively low elevation.  We started at 1800 meters and climbed to 3000 meters.  The fun part started around 2300 meter.  The inclement weather arrived.  This was no west coast drizzle.   This was probably the heaviest rain I’ve ever hiked in.  It finally cleared before we reached camp but the damage was done – we were soaking wet.  The tents were all set up for us and snacks were waiting for us in the mess tent – very welcome.

Attempts (mostly futile) to dry our soaking gear.  Than an excellent dinner and off to bed.  I much appreciated the great dinner since I’m eating again.  Unfortunately others are now taking their turn.  We are glad that we have two nurses in our group.

February 1st:

It was a mixed night for the group.  Some slept well, some much less well.  All were affected by the size and close quarters of the camp.  Probably only Valerie (who has trekked in Nepal) were prepared for the size and closeness of the came.  People are very considerate, but while we are still in the trees the camp is quite tight.  The staff is up around 5:00 to start making breakfast for us.  I got up around 6:00 and the others started filtering out of their tents shortly after.  Warm wash water is brought to each tent at 7:15, breakfast at 7:30 and hit the trail shortly after 8:00.  It is a real luxury to leave the tent standing and expect it to be standing again to great you at the next camp.

The trail today is quite vertical.  A fair amount of scrambling where poles just get in the way.  The guides are very helpful and the porters are absolutely amazing. They are carrying 20 kilos (often partially on their heads and going as fast or faster than we are on very difficult terrain.  The porters (and all the staff) work very hard.  I am very pleased to see that they are doing better.  When I was here 11 years ago the porters were often in rags and almost always had poor footwear – often flip flops.  They now seem to all have good solid footwear and warm clothes.  It is good to see the tourism industry having such positive affects.

We were obviously very worried about the rain today after yesterday’s adventure.  I was determined to protect my last pair of dry pants.  And stepping into those soaking wet boots was no treat either.  But we were lucky today, and we pushed it pretty hard to beat the afternoon rain.  A few sprinkles and we made it into camp just in time to dive into our tents before the rain started.  Thank you tent crew.  Fortunately the rain didn’t last too long  and the sun came out.  We even got a few thing dried out (a bit).

Time to close and get ready for diner. 

Today’s blog post is written by Ross.  Thanks Ross…

We had breakfast in the courtyard/secure parking area of the Savanah Guest House, again prepared by Stewart and, again, excellent.

I had been suffering typical gastro- intestinal problem and explained it to Omari, one of our biking guides. “No problem” he said. ” You can go in the bush. Just say” I am going to kill the lion” “. Thankfully, no lions were killed today.

The ride today was 53km, paved roads, and relatively flat. It felt like 100 km. The temperature was 37°.  The country we passed through was savannah type, wide open spaces, dry vegetation , few trees. We were all happy to reach our hotel where lunch was waiting for us.

For the first time in several days, we all started out riding but lost one rider to the heat.

At about 25 km we stopped in a little village where many Masai were congregating. They are tall and thin, dressed in colourful robes and very camera shy.

Aside from the heat, a successful day with no spills and the only flats on the guides bike, the junky one with the bald tires. Apparently they are rented bikes as they don’t do many guided bicycle trips. This explains a lot like why they don’ t have any spares or tools and do not know much about bicycles. Heart and a desire to please us they do have and we appreciate that.

Last day of riding tomorrow!

Today’s blog entry is written by John.  Thanks John…

Distance 53 km. Elevation varied between ~ 475 m and 600 m. The morning had us awake in Nick’s Resort with breakfast served on a spotless table setting on the rather garish blue,green and red bricked patio/driveway. Pancakes with either sugar or jam, omelettes, fresh fruit and juice along with coffee were served. Eva, the Danish manager has been managing this motel for about two weeks, and is doing a fine job. She finds the power interruptions most annoying as there is really not a utility company to call upon loss when power is lost.

At least three of us rode the sag wagon as illness struck two more overnight. A rain shower accompanied us down the driveway and out on the road south toward Same. We enjoyed a bit of pavement as we rode among fresh scrubbed school children heading to school in their respective uniforms. No doubt others before me have discussed the cheery nature of these kids. Big eyes. Big smiles. Lovely they are. The road suddenly became dirt yielding a profile not touched by a grader blade for months. Ross quipped that it brought to mind “High Blade Harry” back in Saskatchewan. Today, unlike much of our trip, the road is as much sand and rock as clay, making travel most difficult. Surprisingly, I had a gentle fall onto a rock surface when attempting to avoid Ross; a wee scrape on one knee was the outcome. Later Dan wore a mask of sand after trying to escape the tug of a sand trap. Recent rains have turned some of the ruts into mud thus we were back with sand gathering on both tires and fenders. We used water bottle spray to clean the derailleurs, however precious water could not be used to clean sand from Patty’s fenders, thus by noon her rear wheel was was rubbing badly.

Lunch was prepared by chef Stewart who served salad, fruit, juice and pancakes on wooden tables and benches adjacent to what appeared to be a “cafe”. I was greeted by “hello, how are you” from a 74 year old who learned his English many years ago in school. He introduced me to his sister-in-law who was busy counting money no doubt earned from her small store. Two more riders decided to ride in whatever vehicle was available rather than fight the humidity, and rough roads. Today our guides located a motorcycle with a trailer. The bikes were strapped aboard, and the passengers stood or sat as best they could as they bumped along toward Same. Dan, but an hour later, decided he preferred the bike to the trailer. He was worried that it was either going to roll over, or he would be thrown out.

We soon entered Mkomazi National Park where we hoped to see some “wildlife”. Dawn spotted a monkey crossing the road, but a giraffe’s neck amongst the Acacia was not to be seen. Somebody, at one of our frequent breaks heard a noise in the bush. Excited we were; all straining to catch a glimpse of —— a cow. And why not we were now in Masai country. Mid afternoon had us ogling Masai people who’d seen us on the road eyeing their cattle and houses. These people are tall, brightly garbed, but initially a little wary of this strange looking crew on bicycles trying to converse with them. We soon had the children close by looking at pictures of themselves on our camera screens. Nearing Same a farmer with a bit of stomach (most of these folks work too hard to develop such girth) and a reasonable ability with English asked where we were going and from where. When told he just couldn’t understand why we’d make such a journey on bicycles. Our reply was simple, “to meet and talk to folks such as he”. He gently laughed and shook his head. Later Michael and Lydia came to the roadside from their corn crop to introduce themselves. Each were dressed impeccably, Lydia in a bright pink blouse, colourful head wrap and dress; Michael in slacks and shirt. They looked prosperous, as did their neighbours. We were now on the outskirts of Same and on paved road; we’re now finished with clay, rocks, ruts, mud-holes and sand. The road carried us downhill into the busy town; our lodging located and showers quickly taken; bikes were then cleaned and tuned. Supper was for 1800 h prepared “by the best chef in these parts”; a Masai. His handsome assistant in western-style clothing was from another tribe. They would not have looked out of place in Vancouver. Good night. John

Today’s blog entry is composed of several posts from Lucas.  Thanks Lucas……

The first 17 km of our day were almost all downhill, some sections pretty rugged and steep. Most people in our group weren’t so fond of it but I found it to be pretty fun. We rode all the way down to the plains/savannah, barely visible in the distance of this photo… about 1400m of elevation loss. This photo is of one of the better sections of the trail down. Amazingly, the minivan that’s our support vehicle made it down the same road/trail we went down.

Once at the bottom of the long descent came a section on a hot, very straight sandy road then some single track riding on a sandy trail through the savannah. It was hot all day and we tried to find shade wherever possible when stopped, as evidenced in this photo of us all crowding under the shade of a tree. There were also a lot of thorn bushes, giving the section through the savannah the nickname “flat tire paradise.” Luckily, there was only one flat tire that needed to be repaired on one of our guides’ very worn tire.

After lunch came my favourite section of the day… a nice, small trail along the irrigation canals and rice patties. Apparently this is the time of year for them to prepare the rice patties, so there were a lot of people out working in them.Omary, one of our guides posing for a photo in front of Ndungu Lake. This is the source for the irrigation canals in the last photo. It would have been nice to jump into the lake but, unfortunately, fresh water swimming is not recommended in Tanzania due to parasites in the water.

Omary, one of our guides posing for a photo in front of Ndungu Lake. This is the source for the irrigation canals in the last photo. It would have been nice to jump into the lake but, unfortunately, fresh water swimming is not recommended in Tanzania due to parasites in the water.

Crossing a dam and then heading back into the savannah. Note the large group of kids behind Isa, one of our guides… they enthusiastically followed us for a very long way.

Did I mention that it was hot today?! My mom’s speedometer recorded a high temperature of 45 C along a road near the end of our day and it was often reading around 40-43 C during the rest of the day. Much, much hotter than the cool air of the mountains we left this morning.

Todays post is from Lucas.  Thanks Lucas…

Another good day of riding here in the Usumbara mountains, as we made our way from a Mkuzi to Rangwi Convent. Today, the roads were bigger which meant more traffic and larger, busier villages. It also meant a bit of an improvement in the roads, although still far from smooth pavement.

The first section was very bumpy, with a small, smoother trail on the very edge. It was a fine line between smoother trail and loose gravel though, sometimes changing abruptly between the two. This resulted in a couple of people getting a bit of road rash as their tires slid out from underneath them. Everyone is okay and were soon back on their bikes, but the remainder of the ride was done a lot more cautiously. 

We also had a few mechanical issues as one of the guides got a flat tire and one person’s seat bolt sheared off, resulting in a short ride into the next village using the rear rack as a seat. Luckily, the next village was a bit larger and we were able to repair both issues there.

The market was going on in town, which meant a busy, busy place. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to adequately describe the atmosphere, sounds and smells of a Tanzanian market. And it’s difficult to get a good photo of one with so many people not wanting their photo taken.

In terms of terrain today, there were definitely another few good, long hills to be climbed. We’ve learned that a description of “rolling terrain” or “a bit up and a bit down” means there are going to be some big, long hills. Just like distances quoted are an estimate not to be taken as truth (so far usually shorter than what we were told though) and “halfway there” actually means almost there. There was definitely some more beautiful scenery to take in today too. I especially love it when the roads wind around a valley and you can see it from way across the valley… the red clay roads standing out from the lush green vegetation.

One of the highlights of the day for me came towards the end with two different groups of kids. As we pass through each village, kids always come running towards us to witness these crazy foreigners on their bikes, to wave and say “jambo!” (hello) as we ride by. They seem to be able to spot us from a mile away! If we stop in a village, it’s not long before we have a large crowd of kids (and often adults too) staring at us. One of our guides explained to us that the locals really don’t understand why we’re riding our bicycles. He also explained to us that in Tanzanian culture, girls and women are not allowed to ride bicycles. In any case, we garner a lot of attention anywhere we go.

Near the end of the day, at the top of a hill, we stopped to rest and to regroup in some shade in a small village. The shade was under a large tree where a group of elderly men sat on a long wooden bench they’d made. They didn’t seem to mind us joining them and, as most Tanzanians we’ve met along the way, most were very friendly and welcoming. Soon a group of boys was gathered there as well, watching us closely. As with many groups of kids, we wondered if it would be okay to take a photo of them. At first a few said no, but then a few others said yes and soon after most of the kids were posing for photos for all of us and loving it when we showed the photos back to them on our cameras. Here’s one of them posing and then another with John and Carole showing them some photos. Note the large knife in one boys hand… even young kids often carry knives here!

Just before we arrived at the convent we’re staying in tonight, we came across a group of school kids. While a few girls enthusiastically posed for some photos, a boy practiced his English with Max, then requested he sing a song. When Max was done singing (a song I’m not familiar with), I asked the group of school kids to sing a song for us. One girl soon started singing “if you’re happy and you know it” and soon all the kids and all of us were singing along.

I think that those are some of the moments and experiences that I’ll remember from this trip for many years to come.

The post for today comes again from Carole (with a photo from me of a woman tending here field on a distant hillside).  Thanks, Carole…

Still no internet at Shellu Lodge in Mkuzi, so I’m jotting down (the old diary way) a few words on our ride through several high-perched villages.  After a breakfast that included peanuts and popcorn (no joking here), we were off… Again, the mud, the deep ruts, the steep hills brought us to the Usambara Highlands with its amazing vistas and friendly people. One hill in particular was horrendously difficult: a never-ending, rough and rocky, “straight-up” style slope! Impossible to take a break unless we wanted to walk the rest. Made it to the top without stopping, but I thought my heart was going to explode!!! The children cheered us on with squeals of excitement, waves, smiles and bursts of laughter (probably at our expense since we were going so “pole pole”); some were even running alongside our bikes (yes, that’s how slow the grind up was). The last few kilometres were a vertiginous descent on a slightly better road, but the Gods were not favouring us: the skies opened up and a torrential rain washed the red earth down the hill, covering our legs, our clothes and our bikes with reddish brown muck. What an adventure! What a day! But hey, on the plus side, we had a shower instead of a bucket to wash up that evening.

After yesterdays hard ride we have another day off the bikes at the Mazumbai Nature Preserve.  We are staying in the Mazumbai Guest house which adjoins the nature preserve. It is a combination of spectacular mountain vistas and manicured colonial charm.  The guest house was originally a coffee and then a tea plantation.  It is a quite nice place considering how remote we are.  Absolutely incredible views of the nature preserve and the surrounding countryside.

I think that we all slept very soundly last night after yesterday’s workout.  It was a late breakfast this morning at 8:00.  There is no food service here so Friends of Usambara has brought their own cook.  This morning we started the day with pancakes, fruit, popcorn and peanuts.  I’ve never had popcorn for breakfast before, but it actually seemed to work.

After breakfast most of us went for a walk in the forest.  The Mazumbai is called the Galapagos of Africa because of the diversity of the flora and fauna and because it has never be exploited by humans.  We saw a group of black and white colobus monkeys.  They are very shy, but we finally spotted them in the distance.  The picture below shows one of the unique trees we encountered.  It has huge roots that look like buttresses.  The ones on this tree were a couple of meters high.  Isa estimated that the tree was 100 meters.

We came back to the guest house for lunch.  Like breakfast, it was also very unique – and African vegetarian pizza.  At least that is what we called it.  It had a base of dough topped with various vegetables and spaghetti (left over from last nights dinner).  Without refrigeration the cook needs to make some adjustments, but Stuart seems to be quite adept at it.

After lunch it was time for much needed bike maintenance and then a very peaceful nap.

Ross has written the blog for today.  Thanks, Ross…

We were greeted by thin overcast skies as we readied to leave with a forecast of “chameleon” weather, meaning ” it can change”. We left our Italian host and Cypriot hostess, their two young children, two small black dogs, and a goose shortly after nine am and back tracked to Soni.

The 16 km to Soni went quickly as all but about 3 km was down hill and the road paved. Out of Soni we faced 7 km of tough climbing on hard packed clay road.  Initially the grade was at least 10 degrees but it settled down to just difficult after about 11/2 km. The 7 km also turned out to be 5 km, an appreciated error.

The road was rough but quite manageable to the lunch stop in Bumbuli. This was to be at the 50 km Mark but turned out to be 37 km, our second welcomed break. The temperature had been near 30° Celsius.

Our guiding crew prepared another excellent lunch, samosas, salad, roti, potatoes, fruit, juice, and water.

We left expecting undulating roads and discovered that this meant about 14 km of continuous climbing. The roads got progressively worse as we traveled, pot holes filled with water, washouts, rutted channels from recent rainfall, and rocks. Spirits were not high. We suffered at least 4 falls but luckily no injuries. Many places required walking our bikes through or around, and the heat persisted. The views, when we dared to look or when we stopped, were spectacular, green heavily treed terrain, hills and valleys below us, small productive fields, roof tops amongst them. We finally broke out at the top of the climb and continued on a  flattish but ever narrowing road to the Mazumbai Camp, a research facility that we will occupy for two days.

The facility is basic, nearly nothing for electricity, bucket baths, simple rooms, high in the hills, and, surprisingly, with cell phone coverage. It is a welcome stop and we
look forward  to a walk in the last untouched rain forest in Tanzania tomorrow.

The day’s planned 70km ride turned out to be 54 km. With lunch, it took us 8 hours to ride. We climbed 940 meters on the toughest roads any of us have experienced on a CCCTS ride.  We were grateful to have had our panniers transported for us under these conditions.

After yesterday’s hard ride we had a welcome day off the bike today.  The order of the day was a hike to Irente viewpoint.  A hike of about 15 km.   Before going up the hill we went into Lushoto to visit the friends of Usambara office and take a quick tour of the Irente market.  An African market must be experienced to be appreciated.  Very chaotic, very colourful and truly a wonderful way to experience the local culture.

After leaving the market we started climbing out of Lushoto and were welcomed by some truly spectacular views. Unfortunately as we continued to climb we ascended into the clouds.  When we reached our ultimate destination we found ourselves completely shrouded in clouds.  To bad we missed this opportunity but it was still a wonderful hike. 

After waiting a while at the view point for the cloud to clear (no luck) went on to our lunch at Irente farm.  Irente farm is a very picturesque German style mountain lodge harking back to days of German colonialism.  The picture below is the view from Irente farms.