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16th december - 27th december

Overlanding across Afica in our Land Rover Defender: Tanzania

Andy Lees
2006-05-16 13:31:11

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mwanza - 16th december

a massive storm broke as we crossed between rwanda and tanzania. it was the heaviest rain we had seen for a long time and thunder crashed above us. after clearing immigration and customs we took shelter from the rain in the land rover and waited for the obligatory police convey to leave. the road from the border appears to be popular with bandits, who are more active than usual at this time of year, desperate for money and presents for their families (so i was told reassuringly by the customs man). it was frustrating having to wait, we had a long journey ahead of us and we had forgotten that we would lose an hour going into tanzania. so what seemed like an early start was now close approaching lunchtime. we didn't want to be hanging around at the border. eventually there were enough vehicles to justify the one policeman escort who jumped into the flash looking landcruiser in front of us. we were off. well, the landcruiser was off, and fast. it wasn't long before we were on our own, the landcruiser way in front, the lorry behind us long out of sight. so we kept driving, keeping our eyes open but there wasn't anybody about. after rwanda where there are people everywhere, tanzania, particularly in the west, is empty. the scenery looked different immediately, flattening out, uncultivated and covered in low acacia scrub. it was so different from rwanda.

the rains kept falling, water was running fast off the tarmac'd road, ditches were flooded. instead of the scorched plains we had in mind we were faced with a scene more like tv pictures of the aftermath of a tornado. it wouldn't be long before the big red road on the michelin map would end and become well, we weren't too sure what after all this rain.

we pressed on as fast as we dared (which was more or less full speed), we had a long way to go and the accommodation options in-between weren't particularly appealing. the sound ...