A Quick Safaria in the Botswana Delta

This will be our last post for a while as we head into the Namibian desert for 9 days...

Thursday, June 23, 2016 – Maun, Botswana - Moremi Game Reserve

A special start to the day, with scrambled eggs, bacon, mushrooms and grilled tomatoes instead of the usual cereal and yogurt.  Then we were off to Moremi Game Reserve in the "Delta" region of Botswana.  This is a very unique region since the "delta" is very large inland wetlands that has been set aside as a game preserve.

Crossing a wooden bridge in the Morimi game reserve

We switched guides for this part of the journey into the Okavango Delta.  Supposedly the Moremi contains lions, elephants, rhino, buffalo, cheetah and leopards but our luck was not very good on this safari trip.  We did see elephants, giraffe, zebras and several types of antelopes but in small numbers.   We were in a bush camp, in our tents but without any restrooms.  For dinner we had a fabulous braai (Botswanan Bar-b-que) with the mandatory “pap”; previously described as ugali or nshima.  The big build-up to coming out to Moremi was that we would be camping in the bush and hear the animals at night.  In fact, most likely we would have some animals walk through our camp.  Other than seeing buffalo dung, we did not hear or see anything… the quietest night of camping we have had since the start of the bike trip.  At dawn there was a small group of zebra feeding a short distance away from the camp.

Friday, June 24, 2016 – Return to Audi camp – Maun, Botswana.

Baby elephant suckling 

Another early morning start (5:30) wakeup.   I’m not sure if we are on holiday or not as we are up and moving as early as we would be back home when working.  After a morning safari in search of predators, we returned to Audi camp in Maun around 1:30 pm.  All we found were footprints – none of the big five.  We did hear of a “wild dog” sighting but were unsuccessful in finding them.  This trip seems over scheduled with an attempt to get in quantity instead of quality.  It is very difficult to think you can find elusive animals with a quick morning safari, knowing it’s over a three-hour drive to get back to camp in time for the remaining scheduled activities for the day.   After having been on the safari’s in Tanzania, this trip was a huge disappointment.  Our guide was very quick to explain that if we had more time (another day), he was sure he could have found the lions. 

Some of our group then signed up for a bush plane trip over the Delta but since we had flown over much of Tanzania we decided it was not worth the additional expense.  We did make a quick shopping trip into Maun buying a power adapter (unique to southern Africa), snacks, and CHOCOLATE!  Dinner was again at the camp restaurant which was very good.

At dinner we learned that one of our fellow travelers had lost their passport on the bush plane ride, so there was somewhat of a panic in hopes that it could be recovered in the morning.  The passports have been in and out of our backpacks multiple times with boarder crossings, buffalo fence crossings, multiple hotels, etc.  So it is always a concern that you haven't lost the darn thing.

Tandem covered with disenfectant - bushman sitting on the
in the background

The buffalo fence crossings are unique to Botswana.  They have a hoof and mouth disease problem which is spread by the wild African buffalo to the beef cattle which is one of the countries major industries.  To try to prevent the spread of the disease, they have built long fences across major sections of the country.  When you come to one of the fences you have exit the vehicle with all of your shoes and dip them in a pad soaked with disenfectant and drive your vehicle through a pool of disenfectant as well.  At one stop they even made out driver spray all of the bicycle tires with disenfectant which left a white residue all over our bikes.

Saturday, June 25, 2016 – Maun to Ghanzi (han-zee), Botswana

With the lost passport to recover, we had a reprieve from the 5:30AM wakeup call and were allowed to sleep in until 6:30.  After breakfast the guide contacted the bush flight office and notified them of the lost passport.  On our way to the airport he got the call that they had found it on the plane, so everyone breathed a sigh of relief. 

We are frequently greeted by cheers, big waves, thumbs-up and
smiles as we ride down the road.  The tandem gets a lot
of double-takes

On the edge of Maun, we dropped the bicycles for a very flat 120k (75 mile) ride through the Kalahari Desert.  The vegetation is mostly low growing trees that are extremely drought tolerance with massive thorns like locust trees.  This area has a lot of cattle farming.  The cattle roam free along with donkeys and horses.  There are plenty of sharp things on the ground as well and there were 7 flats among the 12 bicycles, some with more than 1 flat. 

It was a very nice day for riding and we really enjoyed the mild temperatures.  After riding we packed into the truck for a 200k transfer to Ghanzi where we had the option to rent a small bungalow with its own bathroom including wood fired hot water for the shower (called donkey showers here – don’t know why) and real beds.  For the grand sum of $40, we sprang for the upgrade.  It is really nice to be able to make the trek to the bathroom in the middle of the night without having to find your shoes, get out of your tent and not worry about dragging sand back into the tent on the return trip.

Sunday, June 26, 2016 – Ghanzi, Botswana to Windhoek, Namibia

Two women from the bushman group

Our day started off at about 7AM with breakfast and then a walk with the local bushman.  These are the indigenous people who live nearby and are trying to preserve their way of life and culture.  It was a cold morning, probably in the low 40’s and they were clad in only a few animal skins.  They gave a tour of some of the local plants that they use for medicinal purposes and for dying pelts to make them water proof.  The group of 3 men and 2 women ranged from over 70 to 20 years of age.  We also had a guide/interpreter who spoke the local language who would translate for us.  They were quite entertaining and very hospitable.  It isn’t very clear that they will not be able to maintain their culture since they live in a settlement on land provided by the government similar to a reservation in the US.  They are no longer allowed to hunt the native animals as is their tradition, so they have to buy the meat and pelts essential to their way of life.

Bushman showing us how to make fire... no flint, no match

After saying goodbye to the bushman, we packed into the truck and started our nearly 500k trek to Windhoek, Namibia.  After about 175k we crossed the Botswana border with Namibia where we had to clear immigration on both sides of the boarder.  Then it was back in the truck to push on.  After a quick lunch stop for lunch in Gobabis, we continued on our way to Windhoek.  Again a night of relative luxury, staying in a guesthouse.  Then onto the infamous Joe’s Beer Garden for dinner.  Ted had a sampling of various native meats including crocodile, kudu and oryx. 

After tonight we are headed into the Namibian Desert and will not have access to wifi for nine days.  We will try to post again whenever we get the chance.

Riding into Botswana... well actually taking a ferry

Finally, a few minutes to organize a post with some spotty WIFI so we will try to catch up…

Sunday, June 19, 2016 - Livingston, Zambia

Our traveling van and companions at a rest stop

We transferred from our private bookings to the KE Adventure cycling tour.  After a leisurely (??) morning repacking and sorting luggage to accommodate the new trip, Waterbury lodge provided a driver to Waterfront Campground to meet up with the KE Adventure guides and greet all the riders.  We are 11 in all with riders from all over the world, including USA, UK, Austria and a New Zealander who is living in Japan.  Imagine our surprise when the other person from US, rode with Heidi on the all-female team that raced for World Bicycle Relief two years ago.  We were all amazed at that!

The rest of the day was spent putting the bike together followed by a quick 12 mile ride to the entrance of Victoria Falls and back.  Our accommodations have taken a drastic change.  We are now truly camping, think your basic dome test, sleeping bags on a thin foam mat and a shared campground bathroom.  At least they are flushing toilets and separated shower stalls.    A big step down from even Lake Manze Camp. 

Monday, June 20, 2016 - Into Botswana

 

An early start (wake-up at 5:15) and on the rode by 6:45 for our first 79 Kilometer ride (You do the math).  We rode to the “4 corners” area where Zambia, Zimbabwe, Namibia and Botswana meet in the middle of the Chobe river.  The river ferry was typical African chaos but with the help of our guide we had no trouble getting our passports stamped out of Zambia and into Botswana.   The trucks line up sometimes for days to make this crossing as it is the only route from Botswana to Zambia without going through Zimbabwe.  Then it was onto our truck for a very short transfer to our camp.  Lunch was at about 1 pm.  At 2pm we were back on the truck for a quick run into town to exchange dollars to pula (the local currency).  And yet another boat cruise where we saw many animals again.  It was the first sighting for many of our fellow travelers so it was exciting to see their reactions. 

Synchronized drinking from the Chobe River

During our short shopping spree in the Kasane, population 6000, we found a queen size duvet in a Woolworths (of all things) to supplement our thin foam mattresses.  When we went to check out the very nice young lady asked Ted a question and he just couldn’t figure it out… Beth finally did.  “Do you have a Woolworths Rewards Card?”  We just had to laugh.  But boy, the duvet made sleeping on the thin foam pads much, much better.  We had asked before coming if we needed to bring a camping mattress and were told we didn’t because we would have a very nice foam pad.  That was a significant overstatement.

Food is very basic but filling.  Breakfast consists of cereal, fruit, yogurt, coffee, tea, and juice.  Lunch was sandwich makings.  Dinner was beef stew and spinach.  Restroom facilities were very basic and Beth shared her shower with a spider and a cat.

Riding is very different from any other tour we’ve been on.  Because we are riding through wildlife habitats the guide is very strict about staying close together.  This translates to the single riding with guide leading the group and our truck following the last rider.  We stop every 20 K to allow all riders to regroup and have a snack of fruit and “sweeties” (candy) and refill water bottles if needed.  No granola bars, nut bars or any “typical” snack mixes.  Also no sports drink mixes like Gateraid.  The faster riders must wait for the whole group to reunite and the truck with snacks to arrive before we proceed to the next 20 K stop.  Since we are “middle of the group riders” speed wise this is not a problem, but it prohibits taking a break when you need it.  And the riding is very scheduled with multiple activities scheduled in the same day so it is “let’s go.. let’s go” after every stop. 

Tuesday, June 21, 2016

Another rest stop for the bikes

Another early start with the expectation that we be on the road by 6:45. The goal was 107 km before 12:30 to beat the heat and make it to our next planned activity.  We rode through a game park but had little luck.  The animals were quite scarce, maybe because of all the 18 wheelers on the road heading to and from the ferry.  We rode 80 kilometers as the headwind and flat roads took their toll.  It was a lot like crossing Kansas both in landscape and wind.  After we stopped we found out we had been rubbing our rear brake all day.  No wonder the riding was so hard.  Lunch was a pasta salad with chunks of cheese, hotdogs, canned peas and cucumbers with a choice of local “salsa” for topping.  Then it was onto the van for 200 km to the Makgadikgadi Saltpans.  The goal was to make the Saltpans by sunset but we stopped just short of the lake bed.  I have to say, the saltpans did not live up to our expectations.  We expected something similar to Whitesands; but it was a dried lakebed maybe more like the Bonneville Salt Flats. 

Our camp for the night was Planet Baobab.  A large number of campers were at this site so we ended in the overflow camping with two large buses.  There were only two toilets and two showers; very nice but nowhere near enough for all the people.  We ended up with cold showers. 

Temperatures have been mid 40’s at night and mid 80’s during the day.  The days are very full with little down time other than the van transfers which aren’t too restful.

Typical Day

5:15 wake up call – pack suitcases, clear test, eat breakfast

6:45 – On the bikes

12:30 – 1PM -  Off the bikes, lunch and hurry off to somewhere else

Wednesday, June 22, 2016 – Planet Baobab to Maun, Botswana

We had the pleasure of sleeping in to 6AM this morning and off on the bikes at 7:30!  The second huge pleasure was a 10-20mph hour tailwind during our 60k ride on a dead flat road.  Much more enjoyable than our ride yesterday.  Then another 120k transfer to Maun and the Audi campground.  We were here  by 1PM and have had time to reorganize things for our safari trip into the bush tomorrow.  So we are off the bikes for a couple of days.  And WAY off the grid.

White water rafting and Victoria Falls

Not sure when we might have access to the internet again and had some down time before meeting our cycling tour, so thought we would take the opportunity for a quick post to the blog.

Saturday, June 18, 2016 – Livingstone, Zambia

Zambezi river gorge below Victora Falls

We are staying at the Waterberry Lodge, named after the Waterberry tree which grows in abundance on the Zambezi riverbank.  It’s a very beautiful lodge with 7 huts and luscious gardens. Again the staff is excellent and the food is quite good.  The lodge is located about 15 miles west of Livingstone on the riverbank with a clear view of the Zambezi National Park in Zimbabwe on the other side of the river. We took an evening river cruise when we arrived and saw more elephants, giraffes (3 of them drinking), baboons, crocs and hippos that were in the park.

Our day started with a whitewater raft trip below Victoria Falls.  Due to the high level of the river we were only able to take a half-day trip instead of the planned full day trip.  The hardest part of the trip was the walk from the top of the gorge to the bottom.  Most of the climb down was on tree limbs which had been nailed together to form a ladder type step.  Luckily for those of less sure footing, porters were available to help.  Once

Walking down the makeshift ladder to the river

at the bottom, we were instructed in basic rowing techniques.  Most of the rapids were a grade 2 or 3, with 1 being the lowest and 6 the highest grade.  We did master one grade 4 and made it through rapids 10 to 25 without flipping or anyone falling out.  Like on all good rafting trips each rapid has a descriptive name; Oblivion, the Three Sisters and their Mother (gotta respect the mother) and the Washing Machine.  At the end we took a cable car to the top.  The guides, porters (carrying all of the equipment) and a few of the guests chose to walk up the steep path.

After lunch the lodge had arranged for a driver to take us to Victoria Falls.  What an impressive sight and you can really only see a small part of it at any given time.  We walked over Knife Edge bridge, again getting wet.  The falls are so tall and the water hits the bottom so hard, it’s like it’s raining all the time as you walk across.  On the far side of the bridge there are spectacular views of the falls and of Victoria Bridge.  Once we had finished our trek, our driver took us to Victoria Bridge.  Walking across, we stepped across the border into Zimbabwe.  Then we watched the bungie jumpers fall from the bridge into the canyon. 

Rafting one of the rapids

For dinner, we were treated to a traditional Zambian meal typically eaten with your hands.  Very similar to a traditional Tanzanian meal.  Cornmeal that has been ground very fine and then cooked to the consistency of playdough is used to soak up the other components of the meal and is used in place of utensils.  This is called Nshima here, Ugali in Tanzania.  This is a staple in the diet because it fills a person up, although seems to have little nutritional value.  We also had a variety of vegetables, all with tomatoes and onions, beans, chicken and beef stew.  A family might have one of the meats occasionally but typically only use what vegetables are grown in the garden or bought at the local shop.  We have not seen tomatoes growing but they must be plentiful and cheap. 

Sundday, June 19, 2016 – Livingstone, Zambia

Sunday, June 19, 2016 – Livingstone, Zambia

Today we had a relaxing morning, repacking for the bike trip portion of our trip.  We meet up with the bike tour group in Livingstone this afternoon.  It will probably take us between 2 and 3 hours to get the bike back together and checked out.  At least we had no problems with lost luggage in all of our travels so far and to be really honest, things couldn’t have gone any better with the whole trip so far.

Just a small section of Victoria Falls

Quick Update - On to Livingstone, Zambia

After a short night in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, we collected the biking equiqment from our hotel and flew to Livingstone, Zambia via Johannesburg, South Africa.  We spent some of the time on the plane sorting photos and have posted our "Best of the Best" from Tanzania in this photo web album.

A hint about using the web album.  Double click on a photo to enlarge it and click on the "i" in the upper right corner to get more information on the photo.  We have included descriptions of the photo with a number of shots.

On Safari in Tanzania

First, we must apologize for the length of time between postings.  We have not had any internet service at any of the safari camps and no electricity at one.  We will not be posting many pictures due to the lack of significant broadband.  We will post a small sampling of the more than 1000 pictures at some time and provide a link in this blog.  If you have the time we will have some fantastic pictures and, in this case, pictures are worth a thousand words.

Thursday, June 9, 2016 – Iringa, TZ

Elephants butting heads, not sure it was play or for real

After a traditional pork barbeque dinner with numerous peace corps volunteers and other visiting family and a night at Neema’s Hostel , we started the journey down the “endless road” to Ruaha National Park.   We were picked up by the driver at Neemas in a 4-wheel drive crew cab pickup.  He was expecting to take a party of 3 but we were a party of 5 (having added another Peace Corp volunteer and her boyfriend in Iringa).  Rather than wait for another vehicle we decided to get cozy for the 3 hour ride over bumpy dirt roads. 

Upon arrival at the camp we were greeted by the manager and staff.  If this is tent camping, Beth would camp every trip.  We are in a tent, but think a very nice hotel room in canvas with 5-star service.  All one has to do is asked and they will do their best to provide it.

First of 3 leopard sitings

After lunch, we headed out in the jeep for our first safari.   Amazingly we saw a large number of animals, including elephants, giraffes, impalas, water buffalo, baboons and numerous birds.  Made us wonder how they could top that! 

All meals at the Kwihala Camp were included and were excellent.  Amazing considering you are roughly 40 miles by rough dirt road from the nearest town of any size.  Dinner was served by the dry river bed each evening with all the guests of the 6 tent lodge sharing a table and experiences.  You are walked to and from dinner by a staff member with a “torch” (flashlight) to make sure the path is clear from elephants, baboons, monkeys, lions or whatever else may be in the bushes.

Friday, June 10, 2016 – Ruaha National Park, TZ

Giraffe and friend removing parasites

The morning started with a wakeup call and coffee delivery at 5:30 AM.   Then off to find the animals at 6:00.   The camp is at about 3000 feet in elevation and it is almost “winter” here, but Tanzania is just 8 degrees below the equator so the early mornings were in the mid-40’s.  Since we were riding in a modified Toyota Landcruiser with open seating where the bed would normally be, it can be pretty chilly with the air blowing by at 20-30 mph.  The camp provides blankets and hot water bottles for your comfort. 

Again we were treated to an amazing array of animals, adding zebras, hippos and MORAC (Misleading Object Resembling A Cat).  Just before heading back in for lunch, we saw three lioness sitting in the shade on the riverbank.  Then it was back to camp for lunch and a quick nap before tea at 4:00.  This was a British colony after all.   After tea, we were out to try to get a better look at the lions.  Of course, we were distracted by a leopard on the way.   He was simply laying under a tree by the roadside.  He was very relaxed and posed for pictures until a 2^nd and then 3^rd jeep arrived.  It is common courtesy to radio if a hard-to-find local animal is found, but we were still able to get about 20 minutes of time to photograph this fabulous animal before anyone else showed up.  It is impossible to describe the stark beauty of this place and the grace of the animals that inhabit it. 

Saturday, June 11, 2016 – Ruaha National Park, TZ

Another early start and we have added hyrax (small ground hog), hyenas, jackals, and warthogs to the list after a morning spent looking for leopards.  We found 1 leopard, but only a quick glimpse before he disappeared into the thick brush.  At lunch we were greeted by the resident elephant.  Then back out in the afternoon for a longer time extending into a night drive.  We spent some quality time with the elephants and giraffe not far from our camp. 

Sunday, June 12, 2016 – Ruaha National Park / Selous Game Reserve, TZ

Female lion on the move

We left this fabulous national park about 11:30, but there was plenty of time for one last roll through the park before heading on to our next locations.  It is also time to say farewell to our traveling companions. 

We headed out a little later today (6:30 am) and less than 5 minutes from camp we find a lioness just strolling down the road.  Unbelievable! Even better she stayed in the open and we were able to follow her through the tall grass and up the game trail in our jeep.  The photographs are outstanding!  Then the call came that another guide had spotted wild dogs.  As hard as it was to leave our lioness, wild dogs are seldom seen in Ruaha, so off we went.  Unfortunately, they had left the riverbank by the time we got there and were nowhere to be found.  Plus, we were on a deadline to meet the plane that would carry us to our next stop.  Boarding the plane, we flew to Camp Lake Manza in the Selous (Se-loo) Game Preserve. 

Barbara stayed on the plane to continue to Dar es Salaam and onto Arusha to meet a friend coming in from Denmark.  They are planning to hike near Mount Kilimanjaro for the week.  While it was difficult to say goodbye, we leave knowing she is doing well in Tanzania.  Her Swahili is excellent and she has a network of friends, shopkeepers and cohorts supporting her.   As with all things, the Peace Corp has its positive and negative issues and she faces the challenge of being the only American in her very small village, but she seems to be thriving on the challenges.

Wildebeast in Selous Game Reserve
(guides say they are made of spare parts)

As mentioned earlier Selous is a game preserve, which means in addition to photo safaris, hunting is allowed.   The hunting is by permit only and very expensive AND kept in regions separate from the photo safaris.  We have already noticed, however, that the animals are viewed differently.  While quite nice, our accommodations are more rustic.  We are in a fairly permanent tent as before.  Our bathroom is adjoining but outside the tent surrounded by canvas sides and a partial roof.  We are also without electricity.  We have candles and kerosene lamps.  Selous is lower in elevations, so warmer and on a series of lakes therefor much more humid.  We will at Lake Manze Camp for two nights.   On the drive from the airport to the camp we added Wildebeest’s to our now long list of animals.

Monday, June 13, 2016                Selous Game Reserve/Lake Manze Camp

Hippos in Lake Manze

We started the morning with a 7:00AM hiking safari where we learned more than we ever wanted to know about dung.  The most fascinating part of the walk was watching the Ant Lions.  They are quite clever in how they catch the ants and then suck everything out leaving only the skeleton.  They are one of the “Small 5” here in Africa.  Then back to the lodge for breakfast and a jeep safari before lunch.   Finally saw a male lion; although quite young.  He was just getting a mane putting him around 3 years old.  In the evening we took a boat safari, which was a pleasant change from the rough roads the jeeps take.  Up close views of the crocodiles and hippos were quite interesting.  The hippos are much more impressive in the water than on land. 

Sunday, June 14, 2016                  Selous Game Reserve/Transfer to Selous Impala Camp

Croc diving into the lake... no swimming anywhere in Selous

This morning we packed up and took our suitcases on the morning safari.  As we reached the pride of lions seen yesterday the call came out – leopard kill spotted.  So off we raced!  A leopard had recently killed an impala and dragged it up a tree.  When we arrived, that’s just what we saw.  Hunting through the brush, a guide in another jeep spotted the leopard and we got a quick shot before he took off.  We have been told how unusual it is to spot a leopard and from the guides reactions to finding them, it must be true.  How lucky we have been to see three!

Arrival at Impala Camp returned us to professionalism and again a 5 star rating.  We are greeted by the manager and friendly, smiling staff, given a briefing about the camp, provided with lunch service and taken to our tent.  After a short rest, it’s back to jeep to continue hunting wildlife. 

Monday, June 15, 2016                Selous Impala Camp

Leopard reclaiming the full grown male impala he killed 2 days
 earlier and hung in this trees. 

Our morning started with a motor boat safari.   It was a very different way to view the wildlife.  We added Nile Monitor Lizard to our list but also saw many varieties of birds, hippos, crocodiles, elephants and giraffe.   We ended the trip with watching a giraffe get a drink out of the river.  This required a lot of patience since the giraffes are very leery of people and predators.  They usually watch for a long time before acting… never get in staring contest with a giraffe, you’ll lose.

Our evening drive finished a sunset viewing with champagne to celebrate the great time we have had in Tanzania.  Tonight was a loud night in the jungle with bushbabies (nocturnal tree monkeys) sounding alarms all night, giraffe wandering into the camp and the typical hippos leaving the river to graze and return on a path near our tent.  We are not positive but we may have even heard a hyena pack.

Tuesday, June 16, 2016                Selous Impala Camp/Transfer back to Dar

Nile Monitor lizard

What a morning!   We had barely left camp when we saw the elephants, a herd of about 20.  Then out to look for a mature male lion and wild dogs.  At this point that is about all we have not seen that we know of.  We have seen many animals we were not even aware we should be looking for.  While we found neither we found two lionesses and two young cubs nursing! And a leopard back at the tree to claim the impala he killed 2 days ago; this time in full view.  What a sight! 

After lunch, it was time to head to the airstrip.  On the way we saw two Nile Monitor Lizards fighting for territory followed by a bird catching a snake.  Lastly we saw Angolan Black and White Colobus monkeys.   Midday is when most of the big animals escape the heat and are very hard to see. 

Our flight back to Dar es Salaam was on a very small 6 passenger plane (including the pilot).  Our pilot, a lady from Kenya, did a very nice job and it was another great flight on these small planes.

 Typical Safari Day

5:30 or later       Wake up call with coffee, tea, juice and biscuits (shortbread cookies)

6:00-7:00            Out for a morning safari with a bush breakfast

1:00                     Lunch followed by a rest

4:00                     Afternoon tea

4:30                     Afternoon safari

7:30                     Sundowner (cocktails)

8:00                     Dinner

Giraffe drinking... after a long wait to see

Intro to Africa - Big City to Boonies

Moses, our driver running  back with gas

Sunday, June 5,2016

After a much needed night of sleep in a real bed at the Southern Sun Hotel in downtown Dar es Salaam, our journey continued Sunday morning with an episode right out of The Amazing Race.  We had arranged for our driver from the previous day to pick us up at the hotel and take us to the domestic airline terminal at the airport.   With no warning, he pulls over to the side of the road because we are “out of petrol”.  Lucky for us, there was a gas station just a few hundred feet up the road, on the other side of the busy four lane highway.   He looked in the “boot” and found a small plastic jug.  Telling us to wait, he proceeded to the run to the gas station and comes back with approximately two liters of gas.  He had to make a funnel out of a sheet of paper to get the gas in the tank.  We’re not sure how much really made it into the tank from the smell of gas on the driver as he got back in the van.  After many apologies we were back on our way to the airport with plenty of time to make our flight.

Beth boarding our first flight from Dar

The domestic terminal is quite small but did have a little café and grocery store.  We were very early for our flight so we hung out in the café and had coffee and a Coke Zero.  Now as most of you know, Beth is a Diet Coke aficionado.  That is as close to a Diet Coke as she has had

in two days. 

Our flight out of Dar was on a Cessna 208, a small turbo-prop that could hold about a dozen people and their luggage.  The pilot was from Scotland and did a great job.  It was a really nice day for flying without much wind or turbulence.  Check off another first.  We landed twice on dirt runways to get to our destination, the Mufinidi Highland Lodge.  The amenities were a little sparse at these remote runways, but both had flushing toilets which was a little bit of a surprise.

Approaching one of the grass field runways for landing

Having been in touch with Barb the previous night, we had tentative hopes that she might join us there.   After departing the plane, and watching the various farm goods being loaded, our hostess, Jeanee, got a call from Barb as she was trying to make all the various travel connections to join us.   In short, she had to hike 5km out of her village, take a bus to Mafinga, catch another bus to the nearest village to the lodge and then had the final 19 km of travel to the lodge unaccounted for.  With the timeliness of Barb’s call, Jeanne was able to get a cab to pick her up in Mafinga and bring her to a village where we were able to wait and meet up with her. 

Monday, June 6, 2016

Mufindi Lodge (with wood fired water heater to the right)

Mufindi Lodge was a wonderful stop, giving us time to adjust to the time change, catch up with Barbara and start our adventure.   The lodge is a working self-sustaining farm with cows, sheep, pigs, turkeys, chickens, a fish hatchery with several lakes and an amazing terraced garden with all manner of fruits and vegetables.  They produce their own cheese, coffee, hams and sausages.  They have a number of cabins and a lodge with a gathering room and dining area.  Needless to say, the food at the lodge was very good and incredibly fresh.  Originally the farm was strictly used for supplying food to the other safari camps run by the Fox family.  Not sure how many guests they put up in a season since this is in a remote valley of the highland region and well off the beaten path of other safari companies.  For our stay it was just the three of us, so we received a very personal touch. 

Beth & Barbara at the Mufindi Lodge fish hatchery

The Fox family has been in Africa since 1959 and is now are a major force in this area.  In addition to the Highland Lodge they have 4 safari camps in other more popular parts of Tanzania.  Near the Highland Lodge, they have established a foundation that has built a Children’s Village that services children whose families have been ravaged by the ongoing HIV/AIDS epidemic.  We took a horseback ride to the village and toured the facility.  In addition to the orphanage/foster care, they have a medical clinic, preschool and kindergarten on site.  It is set up as a small village with 6 individual houses for the children and “mamas” assigned to each house for cooking and oversight of the children when they are not in school.  The village has a garden area for growing as much of their own food as possible.   All of the children have chores to complete at their house.  Outreach programs service the surrounding villages to support families in getting appropriate medical attention, provide milk for the children, skills training and other needed support, but even the managers of the village admit it’s a bandage on a gaping wound.

Tuesday, June 7, 2016

Tea plantation on road out of Mufindi Lodge

Departing Mufindi Lodge, we traveled by car over bumpy, muddy roads to Mafinga.  To everyone’s surprise it had rained most of the night and continued to rain throughout the day.   We stopped in Mafinga to visit the local market.  Mafinga is considerably bigger than any other village we’ve been in and is where Barbara does most of her local grocery shopping.  The shopkeepers were glad to see her and curious about the Americanos with her.  We bought food for lunch and dinner.  After completing this basic chore, we took a cab back to Barb’s village.  Our original plan of taking the bus and walking in was changed by the rain.  Of course once we were outside of Mafinga the rain stopped.  

Barbara's classroom/lab

Once in her village, we walked to the school and toured the classrooms.  And then the necessary stop at Mama Regina’s.   If you’ve been reading Barbara’s blog you heard about Mama Regina in Maureen’s post.  Mama Regina runs a small “shop” where a limited number of necessities are for sale.   She has quite the exuberant personality, who had to greet us with hugs and free cokes.  Beth then gave her one of the bright orange “Albuquerque Bike to Work” bandanas she’d brought along as gifts.  Once Mama Regina figured out it was for her, Beth was hugged so hard, her feet almost came off the floor.

Wednesday, June 8, 2016

Beth & Barb at her house ready for the trek to Iringa

After breakfast at Barb's house we hiked the 5km (3.1miles) out of her village to catch a bus to Iringa.  There were frequent stops to chat with local villagers, students and other teachers from her school.  When we reached the highway, we waited only a few minutes to catch a local bus to take us to Iringa.  Needless to say, having 3 Americans on one local bus, one of them a  man over 6' tall, got a few looks.  Just to give you an idea of the bus, it was about the size of an airport rental car bus maybe 25' long with probably 10 rows of seats with 5 seats per row, the 5th seat being a fold-down seat in the aisle as the bus filled up.  After the 3rd stop from where we got on, the bus it was completely full.  We were all sitting with our backpacks and bags in our laps and under our feet for the remainder of the ride... very cozy, but worth the experience.

The market square in Iringa

After arriving in Iringa, we checked into our hotel for the night and had lunch in the hotel cafe.  Within 30 minutes, several more Peace Corp volunteers, family and friends had gathered on the cafe balcony.  Lots of greatings and catching up with each other as they are all traveling during their break from their assigned schools.  Then it was off to do some shopping in the local market and shop stands around the hotel.  Iringa is quite the busy place.

Leg #1 Complete - ABQ to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Airbus A380 double decker jumbo jet

Two level jetway to load the A380 with 500 people

We were both really beat after 36 hours of travel from leaving home at 9PM on Thursday night to arriving at our hotel in Dar es Salaam late Saturday afternoon.  Everything was on time and no lost luggage.  From New York to Dubai, a 15 hour flight, we were on an Emirites Air Lines, Airbus A320.  This is a huge doubled-decker aircraft that carries close to 500 people easily and our plane was packed. Even with the nicest seats in coach that I have ever seen it was still a REALLY long time on an airplane.

When we arrived in Dubai this morning, we had the lovely opportunity to go through security right after you exit the plane before you go to your connecting flight.  Luckily we had plenty of time and they were much more efficient than the TSA.  And the Dubai airport is HUGE... I think we walked over a mile to get from gate to gate.

Our driver was waiting for us in Dar as we cleared customs and we immediately were in a late Saturday afternoon traffic jam caused by the President of Tanzania's motorcade passing on the main highway into Dar.

We are leaving the bike suit cases and a large duffle bag with the bike trip essentials at the hotel in Dar while we tour Tanzania.  That will lighten our load considerable (about 150 pounds).  We come back to the same hotel for one night at the end of our Tazanian visit and then it is on to Livingston.  This was the plan all along since we are limited to just 33 pounds of luggage on our local flights over the next two weeks.  We are really looking forward to flying tomorrow.  We may have to land and take off on grass fields up to 4 time tomorrow to reach our final destination at the Mafinga Highlands Tea Plantation.

The very busy concourse at the Dubai Airport that goes on about as far as you can see.

Here we go again... Beth and Ted's African Adventure

We are off once again on another epic trip – an African adventure.  Why Africa?   Beth’s sister, Barbara, has been in Tanzania for the last year teaching in a small rural school as a Peace Corps volunteer.  So Africa moved up on the list of places to visit.

It has been quite interesting to try to plan this trip.   Beth started by searching out companies that dealt with safari trips in Tanzania.  African Travel Safari’s was highly rated so she began with them.  Narrowing choices on where and what to see became the challenge.  We wanted to see Barbara and see the Big 5 (elephants, lions, cape buffalo, rhinos, and leopard) on safari plus we hope to see hippos and giraffe as well.  

Where we will be in Africa

We initially decided this would not be a biking trip, but then found a bike tour company, KE Adventures, that runs a group tour from Livingston, Zambia (Victoria Falls) to Cape Town, South Africa.  Ironically both companies are based in the UK so we’ve been dealing with pound to dollar conversion and some interesting lessons in British slang.  For example, a trapezoid is a car bike rack.  Faf as in “It is a little bit of a faf to book, but very much worth it.” is slang for a hassle. But in the end, we think we have quite the trip planned.

Our first days will be spent in Tanzania.  We will fly into Dar es Salaam, the capital city.  Our time in Tanzania will encompass a visit to a tea plantation, time with Barbara in her village and time on safari.  We then transfer to Livingston to see Victoria Falls and spend a day rafting on the Zambez.  We meet our bike group in Livingston.  The next three weeks takes us from Zambia through Botswana, Namibia and South Africa.  You can see a more detailed map of places we will visit 

HERE.  

The bike tour should be a really different experience with “camping”…and  it is a mountain bike tour.  We have a new mountain bike tandem just for this trip, and we’re pretty sure it will get a lot of use.  Since 3 days will be spent riding dirt roads in the Namibia desert, we have been practicing our “sand” riding.  The tour has never had a tandem so we will be the first for them as well.

We hope to post to this blog and share our adventures with you; however, access to wifi is likely to be limited.  We will post whenever we can.  However, for this trip we will be taking our "Spot" satellite locator and you can at least see where we are or have been for the last seven days.  Click Here to see the Spot Locator map 

The new mountain tandem with front shock

We are leaving late in the evening on June 2^nd and after two overnight flights and 33 hours of airport/airplane time will arrive in Dar es Salaam on the 4^th.  We will try to post again on the 4^th from Dar or on the 5^th from our first lodge.

The tandem packed in 2 airline "standard" suit cases with 2 sets of tires... The front shock fork goes in the KE bag with bike clothes, helmets, shoes, tools, sleeping bags, etc.  All packed up it is 3 very full bags and 150 lbs of biking stuff!!