Home » Tanzania » Day 9. Sun 29th September Kigoma

We arrive at Kigoma in the early hours of the morning, and anchor in the harbour. The itinerary states that we will be ferried to shore in fishing boats, but this hardly seems feasible considering that this is the last port of call and all the passengers must get off, and indeed it turns out not to be the case. I take advantage of the offer to use the officers' facilities to get a shower, although I must say that the loos have not been nearly as bad as we had feared - a bit smelly but I've seen much worse at pop festivals in Britain.

Day 9. Sun 29th September Kigoma

DaveMidgley
2005-10-22 12:18:07

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We arrive at Kigoma in the early hours of the morning, and anchor in the harbour. The itinerary states that we will be ferried to shore in fishing boats, but this hardly seems feasible considering that this is the last port of call and all the passengers must get off, and indeed it turns out not to be the case. I take advantage of the offer to use the officers' facilities to get a shower, although I must say that the loos have not been nearly as bad as we had feared - a bit smelly but I've seen much worse at pop festivals in Britain.

The ship finally moors by the quay, and we disembark with very little fuss.
A 2 minute taxi drive takes us the the Tanganyika Beach Hotel, made famous by Michael Palin in "Pole to Pole" under its alter ego the "Railway Hotel". It's name was changed when it was removed from the control of the railway company and privatised, but a sign saying "Railway Hotel" still hangs at the front.

Shortly after arriving Ken informs us that there is a problem. After visiting the Gombe Streams NP, the next leg of our journey is to be a train ride from Kigoma to Dodoma where we are to be reunited with Pete, Auxies and the Land Rovers. However, there seems to have been a mix up with the ticket bookings, which were made in August 2001, but now seem to be for the wrong day. Ken leaves us to our own devices while he tries to sort it out.

We have actually arrived in Kigoma much earlier than expected, due to the Liemba having fewer passengers and less cargo than normal. We walk into town, but, being Sunday very little is open. We find the Jane Goodall Institute, but it appears to be no more than some offices, also closed. The heat is vicious, so we return to the hotel for some major laundry and lunch.
The hotel is right on the lake, and we discuss swimming, but although Ken says it is safe several members of the group have been reading about the dangers of bilharzia, (not to mention the tiny fish that takes advantage of any hapless male bather who relieves himself by following the trail of urine and swimming up his penis) and we decide against it.

At lunch Ken tells us that he is still having problems with the train tickets, and must go back tomorrow morning while we are at Gombe. He also issues us with instructions on what to if chased by a chimp - they say you should hang on to the nearest tree, but don't explain why.
While we are having lunch Ken is approached by a young German chap who is travelling round Africa. He tells us that once a year he leaves his wife and family in Germany and sets off by himself to travel in Africa. He has just arrived on the overnight train from Dar es Salaam, and has heard that we are visiting Gombe in the morning. He asks if he can share our boat, and Ken agrees.
A couple of brave souls venture back into town. The rest of us read, sleep and do laundry for the rest of the afternoon.