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THE ROUTE
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Through Tanzanian heat and rains
The desert climate of the Udzungwa National Park makes it easy to spot stars.
I leave the Baobab Valley campground early on the morning of May 25. I want to reach Dar Es Salaam early enough so I can stop at the French embassy and get the emergency passport procedure going as soon as possible.
Leaving the Baobab Valley campsite.
In the past, it was possible to get extra pages added to a passport, but with all the new biometric requirements, you can’t anymore. The emergency passport is a small passport valid for one year with ten pages. It is likely I will have to stop later on to get an extra one, maybe in Asia.
Baboons on the road. They move fast and are hard to photograph.
The road to Dar is interesting. Going east, it first travels through a rain forest, then through the Mikumi National Park.
Best sights are often in the morning.
Around 8 in the morning, crossing the mountains is a guaranty of seeing the best landscape, with fog lifting up. Driving alone is a big change from the Americas. I now listen to my iPod a lot more and do fewer breaks to eat lunch. I still don’t speak to myself.
On the road to Dar Es Salaam.
As I cross Mikumi National Park, I don’t see much wildlife. The major road divide the Park in two, and animals stay away of it, except a lonely giraffe who watch me going through and gets back eating leaves
The only wildlife I will see in Mikumi.
At 1 p.m., I am in Dar, and wait for the embassy to open. The climate in the city is brutal. The temperatures are high, at 40 degrees C in the shadow, and the humidity is horrendous. I am getting closer to the Equator, and the sun is now strong, worst than when I was in the Americas.
Waiting for the embassy to open.
At 2:30 p.m., someone accept to see me. I convince them to make me the emergency passport even if there is no emergency, and also let my present passport valid, as I need it to re-enter the U.S. at the end of my trip. They finally accept, and tell me it will take two to seven days. It is out of my hands now, and I go to the historical city center to find a place to sleep.
Dar Es Salaam streets, always busy and hot.
My guidebook is ten years old, and the city must have change a lot. Therefore, when I get to the addresses I have, it looks like the hotels are closed since many years. Eventually, after two hours, someone tells me they have a parking lot at the YMCA. I get there, and take a room for two nights. For 10,000 shillings (US$7.5) I can have a bed with a mosquito net, and my truck in a secure place.
In the following days, I try to survive the intense heat. I walk the streets of Dar, and enjoy this city where the Arab influence is clearly visible. People in the street are more cosmopolitan than in the other places I visited, and are easier to communicate with. Africans, Arabs, Chinese and Indians form the melting pot flooding the streets. The harbor started in the 19th century as a fishing village and is now a bustling city. Driving is a nightmare here, due to the small streets filled with people, chariots motorcycles and other vehicles.
The city central “Kariakoo” food market.
The third day, I receive an email from the embassy to inform me that the passport is ready. I go pick it up at 2 p.m., pay US$40 for it, and leave the city immediately after. I will now go north to Mount Kilimanjaro, and then pass the border to Kenya.
The Pare Mountains, marking the border between Kenya and Tanzania.
For a long time, I have been debating whether I should visit Ngorongoro and the Serengeti National Parks. Unfortunately, the very high price of entering and staying in the parks doesn’t work for me. Every day there would cost me at least US$100.
The Masai Steppe.
What I decide to do instead it to use a small road on the slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro, cross at Oloitokitok, and then enjoy the Kenyans parks, supposedly cheaper. It takes me two days to get to the roof of Africa. Unfortunately, the visibility is very bad, and I can’t get a glimpse at the mountains. I am not in an area where it is the dry season anymore, so in the next countries, I will get a lot of rain, which makes camping more difficult, as I have experienced in the last days. Cooking under the rain is a pain, really. Eventually I hope the sky will clear up, so I would be able to take a good shot of the snow capped Kilimanjaro…
Country borders often follow physical borders. In this case, the mountains form a real wall.
I spent nights in campgrounds, under the rain or in the fog. Most of the time gas stations or hotels have an area where you can camp and cook for US$3. Today, May 29, I will attempt to take the road to the border, on the slope of Kilimanjaro. The road has the reputation to be difficult, and may be cut, in which case it will take me few hours to go back and find a more convenient road.
25 Responses to “Through Tanzanian heat and rains”
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Jolane Bedford May 31st, 2010 at 8:01 am
Greetings from West Brook High School in Beaumont, Texas!
BONJOUR!
This is finals week and we will start our summer break next week. My students have been so interested in following your trip all year and our world map is filled with dots representing the places you have stopped. They constantly check with me to find out how you are doing (not all of them have the internet). Since it was the end of school and you were by Ngrongoro, some of my classes watched the old movie “Hatari”. If you have ever seen that movie, then you know it was all filmed in Ngrongoro and we talked about looking at the same type scenery that you were looking at and how envious we were.As a result of your visit with us, Adrienne (the girl with long blond hair) won a wonderful journalism award from an editor in Austin who read the article she wrote about your visit in our school paper. We have a huge district and it is was a thrill to see an another article about you in the school “bragging rights” publication. Your visit was a highlight of our school year.
We will continue to follow you this summer and will update our map in the fall.
Wishing you the best,
Jolane Bedford
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Nick,
It’s okay to talk to yourself, just don’t reply!
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Dr. JoyMaria May 31st, 2010 at 12:51 pm
Hello Jolene (via Nick):)
Would you mind sharing Adrienne’s article with Nick’s bloggers? We would love to read it. Or, if this is not possible or of interest, please consider sharing with me for our newsletter as this would be quite inspirational to the children and teachers in South Africa, who are also following Nick’s expedition. Please email me at joymaria57@gmail.com.; subject line: Nick’s blog, and I will gladly share all the details. Thank you in advance.
-dr. joyMaria -
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Bill Kane May 31st, 2010 at 3:52 pm
Nick, when did you change license plates,(the last photo) is that something I missed from the beginning? Good luck on your travels, I envy your experiences.
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MattinOhio May 31st, 2010 at 10:35 pm
I want to be in Ms. Bedford’s class.
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looks like you have some good followers.– hope this passport works out for ya.
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Nick,
I noticed you have street tires on your Cruiser. Stay on the pavement as much as possible if you are in rainy season. I think you would need some good mud tires to do any off roading. Stay safe!
Todd -
Good to hear everything went well with the passport. I hope your A/C works and you’re driving with it! It’s getting pretty hot here in the States too.
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I hope the weather is favorable for you while you travel to Kenya. Awesome pictures as always!
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David Brzeczek June 2nd, 2010 at 2:48 am
Nick,
It’s been a while since I checked you status but I’m glad I did. I’m still in Djibouti and wish that I could meet you. You journey is awesome. I hope you enjoy Africa as much as I have. Kenya, Uganda and Ethiopia are all very beautiful countries from what I have seen and the coffee around these parts are awesome. If you feel like taking a detour to Djibouti feel free to contact me.
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I also noticed Nick’s new license plate and was wondering about the story there… maybe it’s a Tanzanian regulation and a Tanzanian plate is needed in that country. Though personally, if I had a choice, NY (or other USA) plates would not be my first choice in some of the countries on Nick’s itinerary, especially since Nick’s a French citizen.
The blog and your experiences, Nick, continue to be fascinating, and I wish you continued good fortune and safe travels.
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Houman June 3rd, 2010 at 5:59 am
Hi Nick
l love what you do mate, drive safe and good luck buddy,
you are an inspiration to lot of us stuck in the daily rot.
good luckwe are watching you :}
from Australia -
NYHombre June 3rd, 2010 at 9:46 am
Hey Nick, visiting your blog again and I’m glad to see that you are humming along just fine. That is so cool about that class from Texas. I can imagine those kids following you and learning about geography and culture simultaneously. Drive on buddy, that cold Brooklyn Lager is waiting for you here in NYC when you return.
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Christine June 4th, 2010 at 6:44 am
Hi Nick, Thank you again for keeping us updated on your travels. It’s a wonderful way to live vicariously! 🙂
Have the last two entries been removed? (I believe they are for the 20th and 25th of May.) I only get to check your updates periodically, and seem to have missed those two dates, as I’m unable to find them….? Any help you (or others) can provide would be much appreciated – just so I can go on with the ‘vicarious living’!Stay safe!
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Podgorsek Family June 4th, 2010 at 7:58 am
Hello Nicolas,
The first picture I couldn’t believe we could actually see the stars!! Then the next picture the heat of the sun looked like if I stayed too long on that one my computer screen would start to melt. Wonderful, wonderful pictures!
The traffic makes NYC look like the country. Amazing job with your photos and blog.
I think it’s great that the schools are following you. I think would make it so much more interesting to learn about the different places following a person around the globe.
Next time we have a glass of wine we will make a toast in your honor.. ” Safe Travels”
Dan, Lisa & Bryce -
Kara M. in KY June 4th, 2010 at 11:14 am
It’s good to read that things are going well. We are still loving the photos. I was just wondering of Nick, what have you named your car? Surely driving through Africa alone and considering a conversation with yourself, you must have thought about a name for your car. After all, it is a main “character” in your current adventures. Hope all continues smoothly.
BTW…it’s okay to answer yourself as long as no one is watching.
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Lupster June 4th, 2010 at 5:08 pm
Nick,
Keep on trucking – you are doing great! We are proud of you!
God bless!
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Nick, we miss you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Come baaaaaaaack!! A big hug from your budies budies budies… (Jack needs it more than anybody) 😉
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anselme June 9th, 2010 at 9:36 am
Didier Brunet de Chateauneuf notre cousin comme le tien également nous a fait part de ton tour du Monde avec Toyota et nous te suivont depuis le Mexique avec joie. Toutes nos félicitations et que d’aventures!! J’ai 84 ans Yvette 82. Tout cela nous rappelle nos séjours en Algérie en indochine en Haute-Volta en Côte d’Ivoire et au Sénégal. J’espère que l’on te verra en Charente nous parler de tout cela. Courage tous nos voeux pour la suite…
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Bill Castello June 9th, 2010 at 1:33 pm
Nick,
Seriously!!!! COME BACK!! I can’t take it any more! Bring a monkey too!! We need some brain power here!!!
BC
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Nick,
You mentioned that some of the people you are meeting in Africa want to exchange addresses. Maybe you could pass some on to the school groups and they could write them. My daughter and her friends would be interested in writing to someone in Africa. I am glad you have the generic license plates. I was worried about your driving thru Iran with New York plates on the truck.
The pictures are amazing, thanks so much for sharing.Judy
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You are a very smart person!
