Ups and downs in Tanzania

After the great flying experience (see retro James Bond photo from Bara), we were picked up the next day by Ally, the organizer of our hike in Moshi. We arrived relatively quickly (in about 5 hours) at the destination on surprisingly good roads with little traffic. There, Ally took us to a local restaurant. The restaurant and especially the meat didn't look very good, so to avoid stomach problems, we ordered vegetarian food. Since then, everyone has the feeling that we are vegetarians, and only vegetarian food is ordered/cooked for us. We live in a small cottage with three rooms. The accommodation is very simple, but the host is very warm-hearted. We are served very good meals three times a day, which we did not expect to be included in the price. There are also four Swiss people staying at the accommodation. They have been living and working in Zanzibar for several years and speak perfect Swahili, but their Swiss shoes gave them away. On the day of our arrival, we visited the local market of the city with them. Since we were very tired from all the traveling and the Swiss people gave us a bit too many conspiracy theorist vibes, we went to bed quite early. It gets quite cold at night (about 12-13 degrees) and the rooms are practically not insulated - not so great. With a blanket and sleeping bag, we managed, but you don't really expect these temperatures when traveling to Africa.

The next day, we were looking forward to finally get some rest after having such a packed program last week (we are so tired!). That's why we booked an extra night at the homestay. But when we showed up for breakfast in the morning, suddenly our guide was sitting there and explaining the two hikes planned for today. Alright, we thought, no chilling then. Somehow, it seems like the Africans feel the need to entertain us tourists non-stop, which is very kind but also exhausting. Hiking in the rain and fog is also a bit less fun (in Näthu's case) or downright crappy (in Bára's case). But luckily, we are equipped with a raincoat (Näthu) and a raincoat, two sweaters, and a giant poncho (Bára). Of course, the view is not quite as expected (see picture). But when the sun finally showed after about two hours and we stood in front of an incredible waterfall, the situation looked better again. The guide is also a very sympathetic and incredibly helpful guy our age, with whom you can talk about anything. Except for the weather, which is much cooler and worse than expected (actually, it should be around 28 degrees and the dry season now, but because we have destroyed the climate, everything is different than planned), it is nice here. The official hike starts tomorrow. Keep your fingers crossed for a better rain-sun ratio.

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After the great flying experience (see retro James Bond photo from Bara), Ally, the organizer of our trek in Moshi, picked us up the next day. We arrived at our destination relatively quickly (about 5 hours) on surprisingly good roads with little traffic. Ally first took us to a local restaurant. The restaurant and especially the meat didn't look very good, so we ordered vegetarian food to avoid digestive problems. Since then, everyone has the feeling that we are vegetarians and only vegetarian meals are ordered/cooked for us. We live in a small cottage with three rooms. The accommodation is very simple, but the host is all the more welcoming. We are served very good meals three times a day, which we did not expect to be included in the price. There are also four Swiss people staying at the accommodation. They have been living and working in Zanzibar for several years and speak perfect Swahili, but their Swiss ON shoes gave them away. On the day of our arrival, we visited the local market of the city with them. Since we were very tired from all the traveling and the Swiss people gave us a bit too many conspiracy theorist vibes, we went to bed quite early. It gets quite cold at night (about 12-13 degrees) and the rooms are practically not insulated. Not so great. With a blanket and sleeping bag, it was fine, but you don't really expect these temperatures when traveling to Africa.

The next day, we were glad to finally be able to rest after such a packed program last week (we're so tired!). That's why we also booked an extra night with the host family. But when we showed up for breakfast in the morning, suddenly our guide was sitting there and explaining the two hikes planned for today. Alright, we thought, no chilling in that case. Somehow, it seems like the Africans feel the need to entertain us tourists non-stop, which is very nice but also quite exhausting. Hiking in the rain and fog is also a bit less fun (in Näthu's case) or really crappy (in Bára's case). But luckily, we are equipped with a rain jacket (Näthu) or a rain jacket, two sweaters, and a giant poncho (Bára). The view, of course, is not exactly as expected (see picture). But when the sun finally showed after about two hours and we stood in front of an incredible waterfall, the situation looked rosier again. The guide is also a very sympathetic and incredibly helpful guy our age, with whom you can talk about anything. Except for the weather, which is much colder and worse than expected (actually, it should be around 28 degrees and the dry season now, but because we have destroyed the climate, everything is different than planned), it is beautiful here. The official hike starts tomorrow. Keep your fingers crossed for better rain-sun ratio.