Sun 23 June 2019: Since I have to wait until Monday for my documents, I decided to do a circuit of Kilimanjaro National Park.,
The first 75km is uphill on reasonable, if twisty roads. It’s cold and I realise I probably should have worn my leather jacket. Before long I have passed 5 000 ft (1 500 metres) and soon reach 6 700 ft (2 050 metres). Kili is about 19,000 ft (and a bit) (5 900 metres), so I’m more than 1/3 the way up.
En route I receive some messages from Lars, asking me to send TS100,000 to his cook who is going to bring the documents on her way home. That’s nearly US $45, more than DHL charged me to send some stuff back to Zim! I only have 50,000 on me, but I say I will send rest to him by PayPal.
On this stretch of road, the villages run into each other; there is no open road to speak of. When I stop for fuel and to send the money, I am surrounded by guys asking questions about and arguing over my bike. What’s this? How big is the tank? How many carburetors? How much oil does it use? And so on and so on. Funny thing is, the questions are always the same.
Then suddenly the villages stop and I’m running through a pine forest. This ends and shortly after the tar ends too. The gravel road is not too bad, mostly, and I can keep up a steady 40kph in places :)) What villages there are, are much less developed than lower down.
On my left Kilimanjaro looms over me, shrouded in clouds; no sign of the summit, sadly.
On my right the plains of Kenya stretch into invisibility. On a clear day the view must be amazing; unfortunately, today there is an impenetrable haze, and the mountains stand out merely as shadows in the mist.
The area is clearly very fertile with crops of potatoes and maize everywhere. Banana trees abound – apparently there are some 20 varieties of banana locally.
People are friendly and wave and are generally happy to have a photo taken
except for these two who wanted me to pay them.
The little kids were great fun though, running along, giggling and then getting very serious as soon as I point the camera in their direction.
Finally, after 45km or so, the gravel is replaced by a bowling green of a road, complete with verge. This lasts for 30km and then becomes a normal secondary road; still pretty good though. It’s been a strenuous ride – some 6 hours altogether for 240km – and I am glad to pull into the campsite again, both me and the bike covered in dust. My back and shoulders ache; I could do with a hot bath and a massage.
Finally, however, from the garden of the hotel just around sunset I do get a view of the big mountain.
I forgot to mention that this morning I got chatting to a lady who lives next to the campsite – turned out she and her husband own the hotel – who wanted to come with me on the mountain tour. I succeeded in convincing her this was a bad idea, but anyway, she invited me to have dinner when I returned. So, after sorting things out and a shower, I headed to her place – very smart and very modern – where I was treated to a banana and meat stew – a Chaga traditional dish (the Chaga are the local tribe) and some very pleasant Chilean wine. Thank you Irene.
Then I headed over to the hotel for coffee and end up chatting to the barmaid, Petra. Here I’m subjected to the same questions as before: Do I have a wife? Do I have a girlfriend? Do I like only white women, or do I like black, Chinese and other women too? Have I ever had a black girlfriend? Am I looking for a woman? Why not? It’s hard to tell if this is just out of curiosity or something else. I decide it’s just curiosity and avoid getting in too deep.
Then, “Oh my gosh, look at the time!” And I head back to my tent, my little bed and my cosy sleeping bag!
Mon 24 June 2019: Next morning I can take my time as Fatuma, the cook, is not arriving until 1100. We meet up as arranged, and I tell her Lars asked me to send her TS 100,000 – I’m going to suggest to her that I think that’s a bit much – and she says, “You sent 50,000; that’s OK!” Case closed as far as I am concerned. I still wonder what Lars was up to.
After that I get some cash as fuel stations do not accept cards, fill up and head off towards Arusha and Meserani. I took the bypass around Arusha; it is a magnificent new road and virtually empty. I soon find out why; it goes on forever!
I eventually reached the main road again and suddenly the bike loses power. It’s clearly not firing on all cylinders. I limp along to one possible campsite, decide it’s not the one and head off to the next. The bike is running better and I suspect it is either a spark plug issue or an ignition coil issue. Anyway I reach the next candidate campsite and pull in to Meserani Snake Park. I’m delighted to see, as I enter, what looks like a very well equipped workshop.
PJ’s workshop; complete with Miami green defender
Meserani Snake Park – bike ready for TLC, tent and overlanders accommodation
Later in the bar, with tent up and bike settled in what I think is normally an overlanders’ cooking lapa, I meet Ma and PJ. PJ, it turns out, is an expert on things mechanical, while Ma is an expert on most anything else, related to the area.
Over my dinner, I explain my issue and arrange to bring it up to the workshop next morning. It’s a noisy night as the campsite is next to the road, and it’s a major road!
Tue 25 June 1029: Next morning I checked the plugs – dubious, the coils which seem to be OK all right, and the condensers, one of which appears to be defective. Anyway, after breakfast I bring the bike up and we discuss the issue and possible causes and solutions. After a few further checks we agree that is it now running well and, in spite of the risk that the problem may resurface, there’s not much more to be done.
PJ arranges for a friend to take me to town to look for replacement plugs and condenser. Surprisingly, sort of, it turns out that all the little Chinese bikes running around use the same plugs as me. And we find some condensers; only the fitting is not right, but that can be modified if the need arises.
When I come for dinner that night, not really looking forward to another tasteless burger in a soggy bun, I am told about the “family dinner” that I would have been included in had they known I was staying another night. It turns out there is plenty – more than plenty – and instead I get a very tasty cottage pie which I share with two Kiwi travellers.
Weds 26 June 2019: I had decided, after talking to a South African couple last night, that since I was here, and unlikely to be here again soon, if ever, that I would try to arrange a trip into the Ngorongoro crater. I do this after breakfast and a bit later I am on my way to Keratu, the last town before the Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA), from where I will be collected for the day trip.
At Kudu Lodge Campsite, I am the only camper. Later a South African couple arrive. They are part of a 6-vehicle group doing an Eastern Africa safari from Cape Town. Dinner in the lodge is quite a posh affair and quite excellent; I ate too much!
Belfast-2-Belfast-By-Bike 