Again sitting at a beach bar killing time waiting for supper2nd November
Again sitting at a beach bar which doubles as the local diving centre killing time waiting for supper. Yes, fresh fish and chips. I am at a dive resort in Kilwa which is has some ruins on a nearby island dating back to 800 ad which is a world heritage site. Unfortunately I was unable to visit them due to time constraints.

The ride down from Dar Es Salaam was uneventful except for a section of 60km which was under construction and the detour road consisted of sand and more sand which on a motorbike is extremely stressful. It’s a question of when and where will I fall! As anticipated I had my first tumble of the trip and fortunately there was a truck behind me and they helped me to pick the bike up, no easy matter.

First order of business on my arrival was to dive into the sea. The water is room temperature and crystal clear. Across the bay there were traditional Dows sailing with their tattered sails. A picture fit for a postcard.

3rd November
An easy days ride to Mikindani an old Arab port with some interesting ruins. On the top of the hill is an old German fort which has been converted into a 4 star hotel.

I made an immediate left turn and checked in after negotiating the rate down from US $ 150 to US $ 75. An unexpected surprise. In the bay were four SA catamarans from Durban.

The local kids were fascinated by my digital camera.. They all wanted their pictures taken.

4th November
What a day! Left early for the border (which consisted of a hut in the middle of nowhere) before proceeding to the Rio Rovuma River which separates Tanzania and Mozambique. The car ferry sank some years ago and has not been replaced. I negotiated for a local boat (if it could be called that) to transport the bike and myself across. After much haggling I agreed a price of US$40.En route we saw hippo’s, some large crocodiles and a solitary elephant.

However once we had crossed and my luggage but not the bike was unloaded. I was told that the quoted price was for loading the bike and the trip across, not for the unloading of the bike.

I explained that I had no more money at which stage I was told that the boat would return to Tanzania with the bike. In desperation I told the “boat fixer” that I would then give my US$ 40 to one of the Mozambican soldiers who were armed with an AK47 to stop them from leaving. Sense prevailed and the bike was rapidly offloaded.

With some trepidation I then left the river to follow a dirt track that was marked on my GPS to the nearest town 120 km away through thick sand and bush. Needless to say I fell several times although at slow speeds. At times I was not sure that I would make it in one day. The challenge after falling was picking up the bike. This entailed removing the entire luggage first.

After about 15km I found the Mozambique Border Post, another mud hut. This was the slowest and most frustrating border crossing yet as I was asked by 3 separate “officials” to unpack my luggage. They were looking for an excuse to find a “problem” that could only be fixed with money changing hands. In the end it cost me 40 metricals, about R15.

Two days later after the worst roads to date I arrived in Pemba a well known town for diving.

Hot and botherred after one too many fall (self portrait)

I was tempted to book into the 5 star Pemba Beach Protea Hotel but in the end settled for an expensive drink there, US$5 for a coke.

It is interesting to note that there is a large amount of oil exploration going on, on both sides of the border. The geologist's believe that there is a large basin under the Rio Rovuma. To date they have found commercially viable gas reserves. If so it will be interesting as there is currently a border dispute as to where the border actually is that goes back to colonial times.

From Pemba the roads have gotten slowly better with only the occasional potholes and the traffic is starting to increase. Sadly the road is lined with huts with the locals all burning the forest to make charcoal and clear plots of land.

There appears to be no control. Also there are frequently beautiful hand sawn hardwood planks for sale. In a few decades it will all probably be semi desert. Since leaving the river I have seen no animals other than goats. The only exception a beautiful baby baboon that a garage owner had as a pet.

Wash day

From here it will be a hard slog south. My goal is to reach Marloth Park by the 12th and fly back to Cape Town on the Friday the 13th. I am not superstitious. This means an average of 500 km per day for the next six days!

Any queries or comments drop me an email, I check them most days on rhuntdavis[at]mweb.co[dot]ca