Trip to Msimbati in southern Tanzania

Highlights:

- Beach

- Dinner with fish

- Hippos

- Motorcycle ride

- Sunset and the (almost) full moon

- Boat trip

- Excitement for the upcoming work week

Friday: Arrival

Weekend - time to explore more of the land. So, on Friday, six of us - four volunteers and two locals (Tembo, a teacher and our guide, and Stanford, something like the house mascot, always keeps the mood up) - headed to Msimbati. We start with a Dalala (minibus). You've probably heard stories that in some countries the minibus is never fully loaded. There is no maximum number of people allowed, everyone gets on if they want to. This is also the case in Tanzania. So, I sit on a potato sack in a crowded bus. The bus ride takes two hours. Since our accommodation is in a park and the roads are difficult or impassable for regular cars, we have to switch to motorcycles. We somehow hold on to the motorcycles and ride under the palm trees to the accommodation (see pictures. Thanks to the other photographers for providing the pictures). Since there is a lot of sand on the way, the rear wheel keeps sliding. Pure fun for me.

Once we arrive, we are rewarded with a great view (see pictures) for the partly strenuous journey. If you want peace and quiet, this is the right place. No one comes by to sell beach towels, sunglasses, etc. The owner of this lodge is a 77-year-old Belgian. He has been professionally traveling in many African countries and now spends a large part of the year here in Tanzania. But not during the summer here, as it is too hot.

We plunge into the waves... There are plenty of seashells on the beach. It may be nice for collectors, but not for those of us who love to run into the water. But let's call it complaining at a high level. Later, we watch the sunset on the beach and then enjoy a delicious dinner (with fish and chicken). A bonfire is lit for us and we relax a bit (like the whole weekend). At 11 p.m., the first fishermen return from the sea. Our guide goes straight to the fishermen to see their catch. There are about 25 fish. We buy two fish, which are immediately gutted. In the kitchen, the fish are fully prepared and the fresh catch goes on the grill. So, the hungry mouths among us still get their midnight snack. I go to bed... tomorrow is also another day.

Saturday: Past the hippos to the Mozambique border

The next day, we have breakfast on the beach - as it should be. Then we start riding the motorcycles: 4 motorcycles, 9 people. So, 3 people sit on one motorcycle. It sounds good, I couldn't believe it, and it looked very funny. Poor Stanford. He had to sit on the luggage rack for the entire round trip. I still shake my head and smile.

At a gas station (see picture), we get ready for the two-hour drive. The border is not far away (42 km driving distance), but we drive leisurely through the country. I would love to drive myself. Nevertheless, I really enjoy the ride. On the one hand, we see the village life of the locals up close. The children play football, the adults sit together sometimes and 'tell their stories' (talk to each other). On the other hand, I can see the many small cultivated fields next to the houses. There are no large fields, at least not in this area of Tanzania. Every family grows some maize, etc. on a small field. Next to it, there is grass again or a tree.

We arrive at the Rovuma River. After crossing one of the river's branches, we board a boat and head towards the Mozambique border station. On the way, we see hippos for the first time. The captain keeps a safe distance, as hippos can be dangerous. At the border, we are not allowed to get out of the boat ourselves. We don't have a visa and want to avoid the hassle of getting one. So, no new stamp in the passport ;-) . We continue sailing upstream and come across a group of hippos again. We stop at a small island (20x10 meters) and get out of the boat to take a closer look at the big animals. I walk up to about 25 meters from them, then an adult hippo stares at me. I take pictures with my big camera (also attached to the gallery here). But I don't let it come to that and go back. At the same time, I hear someone say that they saw a crocodile on the other side and we should get back in the boat. It's no big deal, it quickly hides again.

We start our return journey. During the ride, the brake fails on one motorcycle. Solution: The passenger has to join another motorcycle team. The driver drives more carefully. So, now six people are transported by two motorcycles. But everything is fine, we arrive safely and start preparing dinner. The pictures give a good insight into the kitchen. Charcoal instead of electricity or gas. We let the evening slowly come to an end...

Sunday: Comfortable journey home

Sunday starts for me as Saturday ended: calm. We go to the beach again. Some of us go snorkeling, others play football and/or collect seashells. In the late afternoon, we board the boat for the return journey. We sail towards the sunset. As is usual near the equator, it quickly gets dark. Good for us, then you can't see as well how the water is coming into the boat. The boat is mainly used for fishing. Our belongings and ourselves, of course, will smell like fish after the ride. The wind gently pushes into the sails. The journey continues, lasting just under 5 hours. Due to the low tide, we are dropped off about 600 meters before the landing point. We carry our luggage through the fields of seashells to the beach. We take a Bahaji (Tuk Tuk) with six people and our luggage back home. We finally arrived home at midnight. Just in time to get enough sleep.

Conclusion:

A very welcome change from the everyday program of 'digging holes'. Gladly again.

And somehow, things are always more beautiful, funnier, or more exciting when you have experienced them.