Nick’s blog: From spears to Pajeros, welcome to socialist Tanzania
At Namanga, the border between Kenyan and Tanzania, I found a small hotel with clean linen and for dinner, acceptable chicken and chips. Omelette in the morning predictably washed down with tea set me up for the day. The bar was noisy but quietened by four and eventually I got some sleep. Tanzania was less familiar than Kenya and while signs and indices of safety were reduced because of the presence of beer, it was quite safe.
There was a ’steppe’ feel to the Masai plains. Expanses of short grass were hemmed in by Mount Meru to the east and mountains in the distant west that undulated in such a way as to form several horizons when the sun set. Further along, volcanic soil gave the area more fertility and wheat fields and pastoral life generally began to be more prominent than the nomadic herding of livestock generally observed from the road.
At Ayrusha I changed some money and had an egg chop at the Seven-Up Restaurant on the right as you enter the town. Egg-chops are a cross between a Scottish Egg and a haggis and served hot are delicious. Initially there was a feeling that the level of prosperity of rural dwellers was higher than in Kenya. In the northern regions of Kenya, huts had progressed from round houses to wood and mud, here mud daub had already moved on to breeze block. Masai tribes people walked along the road holding spears whilst four wheel drive Pajeros booted along at high speed. This only further perpetuates the paradox of how an ancient way of life can co-exist with a modern one.
On television, in the café, his Excellency the President of Tanzania is addressing an important symposium attended by most of the countries of Africa. One statistic he held out for review was that in the USA, each individual uses 23 000kws of electricity per year, whereas in Africa it is 600. He continued to tell the audience of delegates that 30% of all Africans have no access to fresh water. Next up was the President of Rwanda. The analogy he offered to allude to the differences between Africa and the first world was that to get a container of goods across any one of the borders around his land-locked country required 29 signatures. The cost of getting that container to the coast cost $5500 while the cost of shipping it from there to Holland was only $1100.
Days past as I rode across Tanzania. The landmarks of time passing were more spaced apart than in Kenya. From what I could see from the road was the start of spacious Africa. Riding south towards Korogwe, tree covered mountains descended down from the sky to sit on my east side whilst the massive Masai Steppe sloped off to the western horizon and beyond. The road bisected this land as if to cut it in half just here, separating the mountains from the plains. Pointy-leafed size plants sat in rows and stitched together the land for miles. Patches of maize interrupted this flow of vegetation that grew as far as the eye could see. The plains brimmed with sisel. Houses rose in stature from clay to unfaced breeze block to a full-frontal cosmetic finishing of scree and paint. Life in socialist Tanzania did appear to function better than any other African country I have so far seen. Quiet in it’s industriousness, mango pickers sit by the plastic buckets full of the fruit, their days picking done. No point picking more than they can sell, otherwise the fruit would over-ripen, and in any case, they only had a limited supply of buckets, so better laze about until the commerce is completed.
As more days past it seemed that I would be on the road forever. I saw no end in sight. There was still a long way to South Africa and then I had planned to ride up and down India. South East Asia would follow and then Australia but it was the awesome last leg of the length of the Americas that was so intimidating given the shortness of time.
After Korogwe the sizel plantations disappeared only to be replaced by bush and the sound of cicadas. Peaking between the foliage, small brightly covered houses complemented the green and brown.
There were very few private vehicles on this stretch of road. Steep fuel prices must be taking effect and a private vehicle was surely beyond the parameters of what most families could afford. I passed trucks carrying bags of charcoal trussed in Grey sacks and tied with sizel that had been twined into rope. Buses were the only other vehicles and they kicked along at 80mph, expressly delivering people to all parts of the country. The mountains steepened but somehow seemed tamed. Patches of cultivation began to creep up the slopes to the tree line and the trees continued up to the clouds. Down below, we were as ants, toiling along our thin Grey line offering as to the Gods our Herculean task to get to where we needed to be.
By Chalinze the road turned left for Dar es Salaam and right for Morogoro. As usual a life of its own spread around the junction to provide chaos and all manner of services. Cooked chicken hung next to fresh pineapples and sodas were stashed in crates. In time such chaos would have been turned into a community after which houses would have been built. Perhaps after more time services will have been laid on and then acknowledgment from neighbouring communities that this one adds to the collective needs of the region and is then given a name, in this case Chalinze.
Always, small white butterflies litter the highway like bits of paper. Smells of wood smoke from the village charcoal factories, hang in the air, hitting me at speed pungently. I once asked the bike racer Robert Dunlop what he saw as he raced around at 170 mph and he said he actually recognised people in the crowd. I see trees on the skylines of mountains, boughs weighed down by the sundown breeze. I see lizards run between a break in the grass. At a slower speed than Mr Dunlop I see goats in peoples houses as I ride past, tables and chairs in the darkness and flashes of peoples smiles.
All day buses pass and stop, painted in bright colours and prayers - Inshaallah. Sizel, maize, tobacco grows in the autumnal sun. The sweet smell of tobacco catches my senses as the bike continues to work hard, 10,000 miles since its last service and already 4,000 miles since the last tyre change.
Further south the rains fall in the morning and progress is slow. Potholes, anyone of which that could break a rim, appear in there thousands. One less than nimble move and the bike ends up on the back of a truck until someone can heat up the rim and hammer it back to life. One hit to hard and the wheel is ruined. By the thousand, trucks, animals, children and potholes, all have some negotiation with the road that thin Grey line where we all live.
Soon, over the mountains on the way to Iringa, armies of baobab trees stalk us as we pass through their forest. This is one of the greatest forest regions of baobab trees in the world, and like the Ents from Middle Earth, they have upside down shapes with branches of arms and fingers that look as if they want to engulf.
Nick, good to hear your still with us mate. Tanzania sounds a nice country, we hope the roads continue to get better as you travel south.
Unbelievebly the weather here is similar to what your getting (not as hot) so the bikes out and the car confined to light duty.
Still no photo of lions in your tent tho….. hahaha.
Sounds as though the R1 is gasping for a good service to, amazing bike that. Especialy with the treatment you give it.
Steve
Hi Nick,
Was wondering if you had dropped off the edge. Good to hear you are making progress. It gets better from Tanz as you go south - unless you take a wrong turning !Hope to see you in Zim.
Mike
Hi Nick
Just discovered this blog - so felt compelled to join in. Is there no end to your ambition? Only when you get home I guess. Anyway good luck and safe riding - and more power to your elbow - and the bike’s. Stay safe
David
Hi Nick, very happy to hear you made the Moyale to Isiolo ride. Easy from here!!
James and Gen (we met you just outside Wadi Halfa, blue Land Cruiser)
Guys
i’m through the worst, it was hard across the Kenyan Desert and amazingly the bike held out as did the tyres not a single puncture. I’m fine, its my job. I’m also in Lusaka and will be posting loads of stuff as we head towards good internet connections and fast upload speeds. Hope you’re enjoying my little story. I’ll try and get back to some of you individually over the next few days, please watch the site and I’ll get in touch and THANKS
Nick
Hi Nick, fantastic news to hear that you’re through to the other side as it were… and I must agree with Steve, I too am amazed at the R1, I was and still am an ardent Honda fan, hence the name Blader but I’m slowly starting to realise that Yams are pretty amazing machines, mind you… it’s REALLY about the rider innit..!? (street slang for the people in the valleys) ha ha.. sorry
until the next blog..
Stay safe Nick
Garth, the pobl of the valleys say iznt itt not init thats midland speak as far as i’m aware.
Yams are realy good bikes, I ride one as well, haha. mind I have owned a few Hondas as well.
Nicks R1’s though seem to like the abuse he gives them and it realy is abuse (not even allowed to clean them!!!!!!!! eh Nick?)
Bloody brill journey though so far Bud.
Steve
Hi Nick, Hope all is going well ….so far !!! Will you still be keeping that date in Cape Town with the Hairy Bikers??? Glad you have managed to get ‘the leads’ you needed… looking forward to keeping up with the videos. P.S. Do you need someome to clean your ‘bike?????
Tricia and Alan.
hey nick, well done, good to hear from you!
Hi Nick glad to hear you are through the worst,we really enjoy the photos Brilliant!!!!Keep it up and stay safe….Wayne and Ju
Hi Nick,
Glade to hear that you made the Tanzanian crossing with little incident, and that the bike and tyres performed so well, that is incredible given the circumstances. It’s going to be funny at Yamaha dealers around the world when all these chaps come running in to trade their Beemers in on an R1 to do real adventure riding eh?! The mental stamina that you are showing even now is truely incredible and you will need your reserves for the last legs of the journey. We are planning another “Nick Out” next month and I will send you some pics via Dr. Taylor and hopefully you will be able to get them where you are. We are loving every minute of the ride hear and hope, even with all the heavy work, you are doing the same. “It is not what we have done that we will look back on years later and regret, only what we did not have the courage to do when we had the chance to do it. That is what’s called not living.” Go mate! GO!
Hey DE. Send me those pics too, please, and we’ll put them on the site. Hope you liked the HG polo shirt and stuff.
Cheers,
Michael
Hi Nick,
We’re still travelling in your tracks. Just got out of the terrible Moyale to Marsabit to Isioli bit. Inspired by your speed of travel we took our Land Rover over the limit. The result was that two of our shocks exploded and we had to continue without them for the last 50km and into the dark. With the area being notorious for bandits it was quite an exciting drive. Now we are in Nairobi and the car is getting fixed, next we’re of to Uganda and Rwanda. So, we wonder how you are doing. It must have been terrible driving these hundreds of kilometers of corrugation, our shocks explode, but for you on the R1 i can not imagine how your wrists, arms, neck and back must have felt after driving that piece of road. Lots of respect and support!
Joop and Rian
Thanks for the lesson in local dialect Steve… I’m always getting things like that wrong..! nice one
Garth….. Dim Prob, mate.
Nick, the folk at Gelert shop, Porthmadog send thier good luck & regards.
catch up in a few days mate (Monday on???) by skype ?
Steve.
Micheal Walshaw… Nick mailed me… your books will be on the way Monday mate.
Joop & Rian…. I dred to think what state Nicks bike will be in when he gets back, motor … NO probs, its the rest of it…… aaaarrrgggghhhh!!!!!!!!
Nick…. saw your piece in MCN re saving fuel…… “keep chain oiled and adjusted”… where that come from????? hahahaha I hope Jim read that!!!!!!
Well off to BOF Rally now, back Monday, Nick. mind how y’go. We’ll have a few beers for ya.
Steve.
steve:
i saw the MCN article, i also smiled at the reference to the chain maintenance!!, must have been a “ghost writer”???
Hi Nick
Great to hear from you - we wondered where you were!
Penny here from Ulysses South Africa. Sorry to hear that you are going to bypass most of us here in SA should you find yourself going thru Upington on your way to Namibia give me a call +0832967749 and I can direct you to our chapter in Upington - similarily we have a chapter in Namibia and I know the guys there would love to host you for a braai or just a beer depending on your time. Let me know please. Safe riding.
Kind regards
Penny
Ulysses South Africa National Office
cell 0832967749
phone 0437353556
mail: ulyssessa@telkomsa.net
HI NICK this is niranjan skoda from india , u are doing a great ride nick we are a fan following in india
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