Africa or Antarctica?

On the first day of the hike, we had better luck with the weather. It still rained a little bit. We hiked mainly through different villages, where we could observe the daily lives of Tanzanians up close: how they do their laundry, how children go to school, how work is done in the fields, how women carry various things on their heads. We even saw prisoners who had to transport heavy stones while barefoot (they don't get shoes).

In the evening, we arrived at a lodge that was originally run by Germans. As so often before, we experienced that from the outside, everything seems very luxurious, but upon closer inspection, the accommodation was somewhat shabby. For example, before each meal, we were given a warm towel to wash our hands, and our luggage was taken to our room. Even when we sat outside to read, an employee came every 20 minutes to ask if everything was okay. At the same time, the room was somewhat dirty, the bathroom was moldy, and the installations were on the verge of collapse. However, the outside area was very beautiful, with diverse plants and various seating areas.

However, there was a big problem: the temperatures are dropping and dropping. It is sometimes around 10 degrees at night, and the rooms have no insulation at all (in fact, there are windows everywhere that cannot be closed), and there is no heating or anything similar, of course. That's pretty tough. When we met our new guide in the evening, he told us that it will only get colder from now on. At one place, temperatures are expected to be around 7 degrees at night and 14 degrees during the day. I (Bara) smiled, as I didn't want to be unfriendly, but internally I was crying. When you've just read that it's over 30 degrees in Switzerland and you're freezing with three sweaters in AFRICA during the SUMMER vacation, your good mood disappears. It should also be mentioned that the showers on the hike either have no hot water or maximum one drop per second. At the latest when you start thinking 'I would rather be working in Switzerland right now', you realize that it is not good at all. The first major travel crisis has arrived. It wasn't that bad for Näthu, but he also found it rather uncool and would have preferred to already be on Zanzibar. We then discussed whether we should cut the trip short and go somewhere else. We agreed to start tomorrow's hike first and then see what to do next, but we were sure that we wanted to leave at least one night earlier. Fortunately, the organization is very professional and flexible to our needs. So we can decide spontaneously.

Fun fact: The guides inform each other so well that the new guide already knew that he had to 'shout' at me to make me understand something, as according to the main organizer, I hear really poorly. :P

Thankfully, the next morning the sun was shining and it wasn't so cold anymore. We were able to complete the entire hike in a t-shirt. It didn't rain. - What a relief. The physical activity also felt good. We hiked 23 km and almost 1000 meters of altitude in just under 6 hours. Our guide was proud of us but also very exhausted, as he said we were the first ones to complete the steep part without a break. It was evident that we are from Switzerland. During the last ascent, he was glad that Näthu and I were chatting comfortably and he didn't have to speak anymore. We saw a lot of interesting things again: monkeys, chameleons, and many warm-hearted locals who were incredibly excited every time we used our Swahili basics. The children even burst into screams of joy and followed us part of the way. We were observed very closely every time. Sometimes you could hear someone shouting 'Muzungus' (white people) in the distance. People waved at us everywhere. Now we are at the homestay of the brother of the first host, where we spent two nights. The accommodation is simple (we sleep in a tent in a small house and there is no electricity), but the hosts are incredibly warm-hearted. We are now sitting by the fire (yes, it's warm!) and having a beer with our guide, with whom we get along very well, and waiting for the little bushbabies (something between a koala and a monkey) who apparently come to visit in the evening to steal food. The host's father is telling us about his life, and our guide is translating. The people are incredibly warm-hearted and genuinely happy about our visit. It is nice to experience an authentic and honest side of Tanzania away from tourism.

Tomorrow we will continue hiking and spend the night in a very simple accommodation in a monastery. We will not have reception there, so we will not be reachable despite having a Tanzanian SIM card.
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Do you prefer Africa or Antarctica?