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14 January 1999

The Kingsmill's Trans-Africa Overland Trip, Part 9: Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya

Geoff Kingsmill
2006-04-25 21:12:17

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jambu, jackfruit, starfruit, durian, coconuts, pineapples and bananas to name a few. We enjoyed a delicious curry lunch using the locally grown spices. We finished our tour with a swim on an idyllic beach with crystal clear blue water and coconut trees swaying in the breeze. Later that evening we took a walk along the waterfront and sampled the local culinary delights and combed the craft stalls. Su-lin especially enjoyed the freshly squeezed sugarcane juice.

After being spoilt for two days on Zanzibar, we parted company with Wendy and Mal and caught the hydrofoil back to Dar Es Salaam and were pleased to find Troopie safe and sound. We then headed for the biggest Supermarket in Dar to stock up on supplies. We were shocked to find a small minimart stocked with western foodstuffs at around four times Australian prices! Everything in Tanzania is very expensive. Diesel costs over A$1.00 which is almost 40 percent more than we were paying in Southern Africa.

The next morning we headed north towards Mount Kilimanjaro. Once again subsistence farming was evident. Plenty of corn, cassava, pineapples, mangoes and the odd chook. There are many roadside market stalls from which to buy cheap, fresh fruit and vegetables. There were large sisal plantations which is used to make ropes.

We decided to visit Usamburu Mountains which is a beautiful picturesque area some 1000 meters above the local plains where the mountains are extensively contoured for cooperative farming. We camped at the Lawn Hotel in Lushoto, owned by a Greek born Tanzanian resident. At 1200 meters the cool mountain air was a welcome change to the heat and humidity of Dar Es Salaam and Zanzibar. The next morning we drove to a viewpoint which provided a breathtaking view over the plains below. Here, two local enterprising brothers have set up a campsite and we were disappointed that we had not been told about this campsite by the Lushoto Tourist Information.

On Christmas ...