Leaving Denmark at the beginning of August was not ideal from a climatic point of view - 2 or 3 weeks later would have been better. The first two months of the trip I encountered extreme heat until I reached Ethiopia. It is incredible, however, how the body adapts to all sorts of challenging exposure from the weather. Hydration, no doubt, is the key to a pleasant trip. I rather drank too much than too little, and when John and Oddrun from Norway, took petty on me in Khartoum, Sudan and offered me John’s Camelbak hydration pack, it became a “piece of cake” to stay tanked up! But the early start also had it’s benefits, now that I have passed the equator. I will be escaping the “big rains” in most places, and the temperature is just perfect for motorcycle riding - between 20-30 degrees depending on altitude.

There is no question that the “hardship” places (Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia) are behind me, and everything became a lot easier from the moment I reached Kenya. I am constantly surprised at the level of infrastructure and “civilization”. It also helps that most people speak English now (Kenya and Tanzania). I am certainly looking forward to the trip further south towards Cape Town.

Leaving Nairobi on the morning of Friday 5/10 I was planning to reach Arusha in Tanzania. When you have to cross borders it is always difficult to estimate how far you can get in a day. Fortunately, Kenya and Tanzania have a so-called one stop border post at the Namanga crossing, and I got super service from both sides. For the first time since Egypt, I had to purchase insurance for the bike. It covers all the remaining countries I will be visiting and a few more. It’s called the COMESA yellow card insurance, and will set you back $ 120,00.

The distance from Nairobi to Arusha is an easy 300 kilometers, on reasonable roads. I arrived in Arusha late afternoon and started looking for my “Homestay” called Malaika, well hidden down some dirt roads, in an area called Sakina. The GPS is of no use, as there are no street names to relate to. I got some help from a delivery guy on a scooter, who was kind enough to call Malaika on his phone and get some directions. He took off with me tailing him, and 5 minutes later we were at my place for the night. The owner, a 27 year old Tanzanian lady called Farad, opened the gate to this little oasis, and I parked my bike safely in the courtyard. I immediately slumped down in the wicker chair on the terrace, and said to her: “You know what I could do with right now. A cold Serengeti or Kilimanjaro beer. Do you sell any?” No, she said, but I will quickly go and buy one at a shop nearby, which she promptly did. Needless to say that we hit it off instantly!

I had a lovely room in the house, and of course access to toilet and shower. Farad was an incredible hostess. Her and her boyfriend runs a tourist booking business as well as the homestay. They are also busy building their house at the foot of Mount Meru. The way it works in Tanzania is that you build when you have money, which means that start to completion could easily take a couple of years or more. But, as she said, we are not pushing anything. “I want everything to be exactly as I planned it, with imported wooden floor and other imported fixtures”. She certainly also had her opinion about politics. She thinks the Tanzanian people are too laid-back, and could do with some of the aggression that the Kenyans have. We are happy with things as they are in the country, and not critical enough of the government, and their decisions. 

I had planned to stay only one night at Malaika, but extended it for another night, as I got an opportunity to visit a church in Arusha. The second day I stayed at Malaika, a new couple couple arrived, a 27 year old Syrian engineer and his Kenyan wife. His right to work in Kenya had basically been taken away from him, as the Kenyan government are presently taking a hard look at foreigners working in that country, wanting to replace them with locals. Being a Syrian “on the run” looking for a job, is not an easy situation, and he has certainly done his bit to find jobs in the countries that would accept him, a.o. Sudan and Ethiopia. I did what I could to encourage him, and, thankfully, he has by no means given up himself. I wish him and his wife well in the future!

The time had come to say goodbye to Farad. After two days I felt like “part of the family”. I can only recommend her place to every person needing a place to stay in Arusha. Contact Malaika. Farad is also an excellent cook. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a chance to try it out, except the delicious breakfast she prepared for me, french toast, scrambled eggs with various vegetables, pancakes, potato mix, and coffee, all included in the $ 10,00 per night price. Thank you for a most excellent stay, Farad. It warmed my heart when she said: It’s going to be really empty and quiet around here, without you.