We've arrived safely in Mbeya!! What an amazing trip from TO to Dar and then finally on to western Tanzania by bus. I have no idea what time zone I'm in physically but we are 3 hours ahead of London and seven ahead of NB and 11 head of Vancouver!
Jan & I met at Pearson Airport amidst the cheers of the gold medal men's hockey game on Sunday night (I was able to catch the nail-bitter of a game on the airport TVs). We were air-born by 9:15 PM on a "quick" flight to Heathrow. Our BA pilot made an amazing approach to the magnificent city of London, banking ever so slowly over the entire downtown area so that we could see the Parliament bldg., London Eye, Buckingham Palace, and the St.James Park. Because we landed by 9:00 AM and weren't due to leave again until after 5, we decided to take in a few sights in London. We were whisked into the city by train/tube and we emerged out of the underground into the early spring-cool morning. Not having much time, we hoofed it through St. James Park towards Buckingham Palace just in time to see the changing of the guard --- no sign of the Queen, of course. Our time was short, so we only took in the street sights and a bowl of Italian soup (highly over-priced) before heading back to Heathrow.
By 5:40 we were in the air & on our way to the wonderful country of Tanzania! We landed at about 6:30 AM into the heat and humidity of Dar es Salaam. Jan's friend, Sharmala, had arranged for a driver to pick us up and deliver us to our rest spot for the night BUT before that we had to drive through the morning rush hour from the airport into the city. We were traveling at speeds a bit slower than a fast walk! I know, because I watched several people pass us on foot. Lots of cyclists (some with more than dozens of egg cartons balanced precariously on the rear fender), taxis, & mini-vans. . . Toyotas are the favorite vehicle by far! We had several stops to make before getting to our hostel ; picking up bus tickets, $$, and food for our long bus trip on Wed. Our driver delivered us safely in his AC car (whew...what a relief) and Jan communicated with him beautifully in a mixture of Swahili and English. We rested up in preparation for our long bus ride to Myeba.
Yes, the bus "ride" --- the fourth and final leg of our journey. We thought it could take as much as 12 or 13 hours but in fact took 14 -- from 6:15AM until 8:30PM. And what an amazing trip. We traveled away from the coast into the countryside and within 3 or 4 hours were passing through one of the National Parks - Mikumi National Park. Now, Jan has passed this way several times before and knew that there was a chance we might see some game animals but she wasn't sure if we'd be lucky this time because everything is so lush and green this time of the year compared to the dry of October (when she has been here before). But luck was with us and we spotted some animals; several groups of giraffes; baboons resting along the roadside; zebras (one group crossed right across the road in front of us); some beautiful impalas with their elegant horns; and way off in the distance some buffalo.
Eventually we climbed up into the highlands of central and western Tanzania and perhaps I'll describe them in more detail later - I'm feeling rather fatigued. You wouldn't think I'd be too tired after dozing on and off on the bus all day long yesterday and then sleeping soundly through the night, never hearing the Muslim's call to prayer in the early hours of the morning. Sharmala has treated us royally with fresh fruit, farm-fresh organic eggs, and yummy spaghetti & green salad with tomatoes.
I'll end this blog for now --- but will do my best to keep it up over these next few weeks. And I'll see if I can figure out how to send pics too!
Cheers to all!