Dar to Mbamba Bay - out of Tanzania

Instead of cycling from Dar directly west to Mbeya, we are advised by our friends from Tanzania, to cycle first south and then cross west to Lake Nyassa (Lake Malawi). The first stretch is quite easy cycling with flat parts and nice tarmac (and head winds, which at the time seems hard, but wait there is more to come…).

Reaching Lindi we stop for a couple of days, enjoy the ocean from our sea view terrace for three Dollars a night, do our usual shopping (which takes lots of TIME!) and head west towards Tunduru and then Songea. First the road is tarmac, then it quickly turns into a corrugated sand/dirt road. The head winds are gone, but how would we love to exchange the dirt road with headwinds on tarmac!

The road is apparently under construction so we see lots of road building machinery but only few do actually perform work tasks.

But all in all it's a fantastic experience. Hardly any traffic, quite nice scenery and overall very friendly people.

The wind is not only playing with us.

Overnight stop at a primary school, Yann is preparing dinner. This is an unseen thing: a man cooking and his wife is taking pictures. Very strange these foreigners. 

Tiny scorpion on our bike panier! Chantal discovers it just in time while closing the bag.... DON'T TOUCH!

Although there is school, the attention is definitely focused elsewhere

Daily morning brushing of the school grounds. It's the first task the kids have to perform at school. The next one is to stand on the school ground, not move and sing the national anthem. 

Cycling with the French couple that we met just after Daressalaam.

Watch out: they fall out of the trees during midday break. And they are not of the tiny nice type, very big, at least 10 cm, with spiky thorns. 

Let's go shopping, this is all there is on some parts of this stretch. Luckily we went shopping before. But at least Yann can make a superb tomato sauce. 

Bicycles are means of transport for a lot of goods: here heavy wood.

Every now and then, the road is under construction. Let's get dusty.... cough, cough.

Early mornings are the best. But I have to admit it is not always easy to get up at 5.30 am. The temperature in the morning being more bearable, make's it somehow a bit less difficult.

Children...

...everywhere...

...and often smiling.

Trucks pass us fast and leave a big dust cloud.

Even the youngest must help to carry water (instead of going to school!)

This petrol truck of the road construction company stopped in the village and while we were watching, jerrycanes full of petrol disappeared into the village. (fuel theft!)

The daily TV programm is posted on the board 

Rather cycle on the single trail than push on the sandy road.

Some seem to be a little suspicious....

Lovely bicycle taxi.

Fire is used to get the fields ready to be replanted. A little bit scary to cycle by!

Kilwa Kivinje: a remote lovely place to rest a bit.

As it is Ramadan, the town's market becomes only alife when the sun has set. But then you can choose from fresh octopus...

... or would you rather have some mandazi?

... or fish?

Boat construction site...

... with tools (but what kind?)

Dried soil, apparently the remedy if you have stomach problems.

Kilwa Kivinje has seen some better times. Old market buildings from the German colonial era. 

Drying the catch of the day.

Big Baobabs along the way.

kids...

... kids

At a school: burning the broom work of the morning.

How is he going to pedal?

Midday break at the Indian Ocean: next time we'll see the ocean is going to be in South Africa.

Read it out loud in Bärndütsch!

Lindi: nature takes back abandoned houses.

Lindi: view from our terrace!

These girls loved being taken on a picture (or "picha" as they say here).

 Salt production: one of the major export products in this region. 

Ever wondered where your old second hand clothes end up? Well, in southern Tanzania where they are sold piece by piece on an auction. 

Mobile shop. 

It wanted to come along, but we didn't! Especially at it was on a rather delicate spot. 

Kid with lots of hair...

... with less hair. Style is everything...

Mama on bicycle with luggage and kid!

Shopping Mall and tailor in the same buliding. There is only the Fast-Food corner missing. 

Fetching water at the bore hole.

Full moon over the african sky.

This lady pretended not to understand English and let us babble 5 minutes in Kiswahili so we could buy some bananas before she spoke to us in very good English!!!

After a truck passed.

The landscape is gentle and foresty.

Buying some deep fried doughnuts and having a chat with the sales ladies. 

Hard working men!

Tunduru: there is a far west feeling in this town. It is in the centre of the gem mining region. 

Inquisitive looks from these three gentlemen. In reality, they were much nicer. 

Can't afford a real car? Here you go! Do it yourself...

Girls are trained early to carry their brothers and sisters. What a weight!

Wildlife corridor, luckily we only saw some baboons...

Asking for a papaya on the road, they ran for the long stick to get it for us.

Read the sign before you enter...

Magic!  And some hard work. 

Another hard working cyclist!

After 1 day of cycling on dirt road, the red soil is everywhere. 

A drunken man walks into Chantal who warns and shouts at him to get out of the way, they collide and fall. He has 2 little tiny scratches  and makes a big fuss out of it. Chantal keeping her calm after having fallen on her head (thank you, bike helmet!) bandages him, while he keeps repeating "What can you do for me? What can you give me? I need money to go to the hospital!" Always wanting to take money from the Muzungu!

Two kilometers down the road we are very fortunate to be welcomed by Wilhelm at the Villa Mossi. We can rest and recover after the accident! Thanks a lot!

Cycling on to Mbamba Bay.

There is no ferry from Mbamba Bay to Nkhata Bay, in Malawi but there is a cargo boat. When leaving Mbamba Bay at 2 a.m. some random guy wants money for the port exiting fee!!!! There is no port!!! After 30 minutes of discussion we leave Mbamba Bay, only to be told by the captain that now all of a sudden, our bicycles are going to cost us the boat ticket in surplus! Which before never had been a discussion! "Let's make money from the Muzungu!" We still enjoy  the marvelous sky with the uncountable stars above us.  Goodbye Tanzania!


Route travelled:


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