Tarangire & Marangu - Tanzania
Ernest & Nazeem drove us and the Swiss to the
Airstrip to catch our flight back to Arusha. We were
overnighting there at Flycatchers guesthouse before carrying onto
Tarangire but Hans & Gratiziana would be catching their flight back
to Europe later that night from Kilimanjaro Airport.
On the way to the airstrip we came across yet another troop of
Vervet Monkey's, each time we had seen these on our game drives
Ernest had called them Blue Balls on account the males have
bright blue Gonads! We were used to it but the Swiss seemed a
bit shocked so I said to Ernest "do you know what the Monkey's call
you? What he said? Black Balls I replied"!
At first he looked in disbelief then I said "and they call me and Hans
White Balls", he burst out laughing. We met Ernest again in 2009 and
immediately greeted each other with "Jambo Black Balls, Jambo White
Balls", not sure Hans saw the funny side of it though!
Katavi to Arusha is just an hour if you fly direct but we had to
go all round the houses to collect other folk before we got there,
first stop being Ruaha NP. We would be driving here ourselves in a
few weeks time so while they were loading the new passengers we
hopped out for a loo stop and to stretch our legs, if anything Ruaha
seemed even hotter than Katavi!
As we started to taxi for take off
again, a Bull Elephant calmly walked across the runway to join
four other's under a tree causing us to wait till he was clear,
first time we have had a flight delayed due to Ele's, just glad he
didn't choose to cross as we were landing!
By the time we had stopped at Dodoma to refuel it was nearly 5pm
when
we landed at Arusha and 5.30pm when we reached the
guesthouse. Hans & Gratiziana's flight wasn't until 9.30pm so they
planned to take a shower and have a bite to eat but at the
guesthouse they learnt the people we picked up at Ruaha had a
flight leaving at 7.30pm so they would all have to leave now for
Kilimanjaro International Airport about an hours drive from
Arusha - Hans was not best pleased and we can't say we blame him, it
was a shame as we had got on well with him and Gratiziana and in the end had to rush our
goodbyes.
As they left we walked up the road to get some cash from the
local ATM, then it was back to turn on Rupert's fridges and re-pack
our stuff before it got too dark, by now it was cloudy and much cooler
than Katavi so we were glad to be indoors for a change.
At the guesthouse Abdul the Tanzanian partner in Flycatcher's
informed us the bank transfer we had set up before going to Mahale
to pay them had not been received in Switzerland! So now we had to
phone our UK bank on the Sat phone to find out what had
happened but after numerous failed attempts at getting through we
gave up.
I also needed to phone my brother to check if he had received the
probate forms from us to sort out Mum's estate but again the Sat
connection was so bad we had to abandon the conversation. We
would have to try both again in the morning which was a pain as it
would delay us, finally at 2.30am we fell into bed.
Up at 7am Sarah the cook prepared us a nice breakfast of fruit,
toast, eggs, tea & coffee after which we filled the water tank
and jerry's while Sarah filled our two flasks with hot water to go.
Before leaving Arusha we needed to do email and check the bank etc,
the first internet cafe we found who would let us connect the laptop
had a virus so we abandoned that to find another but the connection
was very slow, when you live in the first world you don't appreciate
how hard
it is at times to do just the simplest things out here.
At least the Internet allowed us to confirm the payment to
Flycatcher in Switzerland had left our account on the due date so
where the hell was the cash? We called Renate in Switzerland
and she confirmed the money had still not arrived, obviously a
concern considering it was thousands of Dollars but both her and
Abdul had been very good about it, trusting us to sort it now we
were out of the bush.
All our bank would say was the transfer had taken place and Renate
should check her end, in the end it took a full 14 days for the
money to arrive in Flycatcher's account, no explanation
why this was, it could have been the Swiss banks fault but after paying £25 for the transfer to start with
it was really
annoying, banks are like parasites, who needs em?
After all this it was early afternoon by the time we started out
for Tarangire which luckily is not that far from Arusha. Even so we
didn't reach the park gate until 3.30pm which chatting to the
rangers was too late to enter the park that day. The permits being
24 hours we drove back 5km to Zion camp and decided to enter the
park early next morning.
The one and only time we had been to Tarangire before was in
the early 90s when we travelled through Tanzania as part of an small
overland group. Then we were on our way to the Congo, then known as Zaire
where Mobutu
was still President and where his army was rioting because
he was not paying their wages so the trip was
fraught at times to say the least. However our memories of Tarangire had
been good ones, the abiding image being our camp had a view down the
river with loads of Baobab trees and large herds of Ele's so we were
looking forward to exploring it on our own.
The only problem was after the shambles of the Serengeti (see Dec 06) we were
very sceptical about the state of the public campsites in
Northern Tanzania so before heading to Zion we chatted to the
rangers about the possibility of taking a special campsite. They told us they had one
special site called Simba which would cost us $50 p.p.p.n, instead of
camping on the public site which would cost us $30 p.p.p.n. This didn't seem
too bad, if the special was good then it would probably be worth
paying the premium, we agreed to look
at both sites first thing in the morning.
Zion is a Masai run community campsite and after our experience at the
hands of the Masai at Riverside camp outside the Talek gate in
the Masai Mara (see Dec 06) we were very reluctant to stay on a
Masai run site again, however, in this case we had no choice.
Just 10 minutes from the park gate Zion
is probably best described as functional because considering your so close to
the park there is little or no bush atmosphere. We have found
that tends to be true of most of the parks on the Northern Tanzania,
Southern Kenya circuit. However if you reach Tarangire late in
the day it is convenient as an overnight stop, although at $10 per
person a little pricey for what you get.
Mind you we did have some excitement with the local wildlife, as
we started setting up camp a village goat came along to watch intently from outside the wire
fence. Suddenly he decided it was a good idea to join us
and began
crawling under the fence but then halfway through he became firmly stuck which
kicked off a cacophony of bleating!
Our
first thought was is this some sort of scam like in Saudi Arabia
where the Bedouin would hide in the road side ditches and when a
likely looking punter came into view would toss
a knackered old goat out of the ditch in front of your car as you sped
down the supposingly deserted highway. If you hit the goat and then stopped
you were instantly surrounded by irate Arabs demanding compensation
for the goat, after
a while you became very wary of any goats with a limp!
Anyway this goat was stuck so fast we had no choice but to go
over and wrestle with him and the wire until eventually we got him free,
whereupon he stalked off bleating with indignation.
Back at Tarangire bright and early we picked up a ranger and
drove around to the special campsite. On the way we stopped by the
public camp site where a mobile safari company group
was already camped taking over most of the site. It wasn't the same
site we had stayed at in the 90s, apparently that was now a picnic
spot, this site was too close to the main track for our liking and
had views of the two lodges nearby so it looked like the
choice had already been made for us, we just hoped Simba was as good as they
said!
As soon as we saw it we liked Simba, no roads or tracks nearby and a
small herd of Ele's browsing in the bush nearby, the only downside
was with lots of trees we also had Tsetse flies but that goes wherever you are in most Tanzanian
parks. We decided to pay the extra and take Simba which meant our total cost per
day with entry fees would now be $US175, for all those
who think we do this just to get away from the cost of living in
the UK, think again!
After taking the ranger back to the gate we headed back to set up camp,
we decided to use the ground tent and
by midday we where all sorted. As we were working the Ele's came even
closer obviously not bothered by our presence which was nice.
Also nice was the group of Masked Lovebirds flying
around the camp, we had never had these around camp before,
brilliant green with black faces like the ones you see in
UK pet shops. We call them Masked Lovebirds as that was what they
used to be called, nowadays they are listed as Yellow Collared
Lovebirds which we think is far less descriptive.
As the day got hotter so the amount of Tsetse increased,
our only defence was to swot as many as we could, those we managed
to get were quickly dragged off underground by some large black
Ants, a fitting end for a Tsetse we thought!
After an afternoon game drive with a lovely sunset we arrived
back at camp just before it got dark and quickly lit the fire. With
G&Ts before dinner we could hear the distinctive call of a Pearl
Spotted Owl and afterwards Hyena. Scanning round with the spotlight
we picked out some eye's but they turned out to be nothing more sinister than a
scrub hare and some Dik Dik (small antelope). However, later we heard a Leopard close
by and then the panic cry's of a Wildebeest so we went to bed
wondering what we would find in the morning.
As it happened it was a very quiet night and in the morning
nothing was amiss, it was quite cloudy, an indication the rains were
on their way. Heading to the main gate we passed a Jackal den with
six adults and two youngsters outside but as soon as we stopped they
disappeared underground.
We stopped by the Tarangire Safari Lodge to see what it was like
and use the loos, the lodge has nice views but it would cost the two
of us $200 per night to stay there plus $70 per day park entry fee
and $40 per day for Rupert, a total of $310.
We also found the old campsite we had stayed at in the 90s now known
as the Matete Picnic site. It is still a lovely spot with great views down the
river so it is a shame they don't allow you to camp there anymore, as
in the 90s we could see Ele's, Zebra and buck moving down the mostly
dry river bed.
Africa is a big place but it is still a small world so while we
were there who should turn up but Abdul from Flycatcher's guiding a
small party of tourists around the park, he told us the money we
had sent to Switzerland had finally arrived so that was one less
worry.
It remained cloudy all morning which was the death knell for
taking photo's so we were pleased when by midday the Sun started to
appear. Continuing on we reached 'Poachers Hide' an infamous Baobab
tree which had been used as a hide by poachers for years. Although still
alive the tree is completely hollow inside and poachers had made a
small doorway so they could crawl inside and then hidden from view
could scan the surrounding countryside for likely prey, probably
Elephant.
They had even driven pegs all the way up the inside of the trunk
so they could climb up inside the tree and thus get a birds eye view of
the surrounding territory. Sadly today poaching is still rife in Tarangire
as it is in all of Africa so
God knows how many animals met a brutal end from here.
Returning to camp we came across four Lioness and a male lion
sleeping under a bush but it would be many hours before they became
active. Arriving back at camp at 5pm it was still very hot so lots
of Tsetse and also some bee like insects which seemed to be nesting
high up in a nearby tree, they don't bother us but if you walked
over to the tree some flew around and became agitated and swarm when
you try and wave them away - we decide to leave them well alone.
None of the trees nearby was suitable for hoisting the solar
shower up so we used it to heat the water then pumped it up using
the electric shower which is part of the water purifier at the back
of the vehicle, not a problem here were we were completely on our
own with not a soul for miles but would not have been possible in
the public campsite.
By 7pm it is pitch dark, we hear branches cracking and make out
an Ele close by. We had been using the spotlight off and on to look
for 'eye's' then around 9pm after a scan Sue noticed way in the
distance a torch light appeared to come on just after she switched
our spot off, she tries again a few times and gets the same response
each time the light seemed to get closer!
After driving around the park all day we knew there was no one
else camped in that direction so it was a bit disconcerting
especially knowing the history of poaching in the area. We decided
to douse our lights and stop using the spot, so all we had was the
camp fire, if someone was trying to find us we wouldn't make it
easy!
By 11pm we haven't seen the torchlight for a while so we start to
pack up for the night still feeling very unsettled. I had the panga,
knife and can of mace but hardly much defence against someone with a
gun - then we hear voices in the darkness!
We couldn't see a thing and couldn't make out what was being said
then we heard someone say "Don't be alarmed we are the park rangers
on patrol" and five burly figures appeared out of the darkness
all carrying AK47 Rifles and walked slowly towards us!
It was the rangers, some carrying state of the art night vision
goggles, they told us they had seen our light from miles away and
thinking we were poachers had driven in the dark leaving their
vehicle about 3km away before walking the rest on foot, they said
they never used torches so as not to give their position away,
instead they relied on the night vision goggles.
To say it scared the shit out of us is an understatement but
thankfully these were the good guys. I had a look through their
night vision goggles and they made our pair we bought on Ebay look
Mickey Mouse, these were definitely top quality military standard
not available to the likes of you and me.
They told us they had not been informed we were in the area and
they would be patrolling all night as recently there had been some
heavy poaching going on, none of which had been mentioned to us when
we entered the park. These guys were the anti poaching unit not your
average ranger you meet on the gate, it's a dangerous job as they
can and do have gun fights with the poachers who themselves are
armed to the teeth with the latest gear these days.
It's kill or be killed as sadly after the gains made in the
80/90s when Ivory trading was totally banned the disgraceful
decision by CITES to allow some countries to re-open trading has
resulted in Elephant poaching is now dramatically on the increase
again, unofficially sponsored and supported by the Chinese, Thai's
etc.
The question then who was flashing a torch when we switched our
spot on? The rangers were very interested when we told them and we
pointed out the rough direction we had last seen the light, they
went off to investigate disappearing as quickly into the darkness as
they had appeared.
Sometime later we saw a torch go off again but behind us and some
way off, then we heard gunshots was it the rangers or the poachers? We even started to
wonder were the Rangers really the poachers dressed as rangers?
After what happened to poor Julie Ward in the Masai Mara where she
may have discovered a poaching racket going on we could never be
sure - eventually at 1.30am we went to bed where Sue claims I snored
most of the night while she stayed on high alert!
Not surprisingly we didn't get much sleep so didn't get up until
about 8.30am, deciding to spend the morning in camp and take it
easy. Before getting out the tent we had a visit from some Vervet
monkey's who not realising we where there sat on our tables,
checking the lamps for dead insects. Unlike some parks the monkey's
here are not a nuisance so we watched their antics for sometime.
One nice thing was the many birds we had around the camp, one was
Von Der Decken's Hornbill which as they only occur in NE Africa we hadn't seen before.
Very striking the male has a bright red & white bill
whereas the female has an all black bill, we put some Apple out
for them but clearly they weren't used to it so the monkeys got it
instead.
It was a lovely hot sunny late afternoon so we went out for a
short game drive, nothing spectacular but some nice herds of Ele's
including one very young calf who the others were fiercely
protective of. We wished the little fellow well and just hoped he
didn't end up an orphan like so many we see nowadays at the Sheldrick Trust
in Kenya.
When we got back we quickly set up the shower which was lovely
and hot and lit the fire and lamps, naturally after last nights
events we were a bit apprehensive, picking up a spotted genet in
the spotlight and once again later we heard a Wildebeest cry out as
if being attacked but then nothing more.
Around 9pm we saw torchlight again, Rangers or Poachers, but after that it was all quiet.
We were leaving in the morning which
was probably just as well given the situation. A very quiet night
not even Hyena's calling, Sue was very disappointed we never heard
Lion at all while we were here.
In the morning we left Simba at 9.30am as under the
24 hour system we needed to be out of the park by 10.20. We had thoroughly enjoyed the campsite it's just a shame
that in parks as famous as Tarangire the security situation has
deteriorated to such an extent, a subject which is very much
swept under the carpet by the authorities and lodge owners who
prefer not to rock the boat.
Our destination today was Marangu where our friend Fionnuala and
her brothers have a hotel specialising in taking people up
Mt Kilimanjaro. We always stop by on our way through Tanzania as it's
the perfect spot to recover from our travels, the location and views
of Kili are superb and the company is great. First stop was Arusha
again to re-stock the fridges and do some internet
so it was early afternoon by the time we headed off towards Moshi
stopping only to refuel as once we left
Marangu there are very few places of any note on the long drive south through
the interior. It takes just an hour to reach Marangu from Moshi
and we arrived to be greeted by Fionnuala. We are in our favourite
room number 24 which has great views of Kili, after a spruce up and a
snack we meet Fionnuala in the bar around 6.30 where we stay for the next
three hours.
Fee had damaged her wrist so wasn't driving
herself and although her house is just up the road and she has lived
her most of her life it wasn't advisable to walk in the dark so I
gave her a quick lift home before re-joining Sue in the dining room for
a late supper after which we thankfully collapsed into bed. Next
day was a day of relaxation so we rose at about 8am showered and had
a pot of tea delivered to the room for 9am. Our room had a little
outer sitting area so it's great to start the day
here by just gazing out on Kili while enjoying our tea - one of
life's little luxuries. After connecting Rupert's fridges to the
mains we spent the day in the lovely gardens and caught up with some
paperwork. Unfortunately Kili's summit was bathed in cloud but at Sunset this cleared to give us a stunning scene.
We spent the evening in the bar chatting with
Fionnuala, her brother Seamus and mutual friends Roger & Trudi, eventually
only leaving at 12.30am, luckily we still had another day to recover!
Next day was again mainly cloudy so after doing emails we filled up the
water tank and jerry's and topped up the oils in readiness for
Ruaha. The stainless steel water tank fitted by Foley's in the UK
had from day one given us problems as the seams cannot withstand the
pressure that builds up in the hot African sun so ever since South
Africa we have been battling with successive leaks, not large holes
but enough to drain away most of the water if left.
To date we have had it re-welded twice, once in South Africa and
then again in Botswana but each time a new leak has appeared. The
problem is it is stainless steel so it is hard to find places that
can weld it and here there was no one in the area so we would just
have to hope the leak did not get worse before we finished with Ruaha.
Next day we were up early as we faced a 350 mile drive
through the country to Morogoro, a small town in Southern Tanzania.
The first part of the drive through the Usambara mountains is
usually spectacular but today was poor with heavy clouds
and drizzle. Today would be the fourth time we had done this route so we
were not looking forward to it, not because the road is bad, as mostly it is good,
but it is a long day of
driving through village after village which after becomes
tedious, still the alternative via Dodoma is even worse. The speed
limits in Tanzania are a shambles, on open roads the limit is
100kmh but without warning this changes to 50kmh as you reach a
settlement which in Tanzania means any collection of mud huts and in
some places this is reduced to 30kmh - so you are expected to go
from 60mph down to 18mph instantly.
Fully loaded Rupert's top speed is about 100kph anyway but people
in cars and especially the huge inter city buses go at over
150kph which considering the bends and dips in the road is dangerous
to say the least. At intervals you encounter police roadblocks which
usually meant a check of your licence and insurance but this
year we came across something new - police with speed guns!
Now this isn't necessarily a bad thing as road accidents compete
with Malaria and HIV/AIDs as the biggest killer in the region.
Tanzania is worse than Kenya or Uganda with road deaths reputed to
be 20 times the average in the UK even though Tanzania has far fewer
vehicles. Many accidents involve pedestrians who are ignorant of
road safety and drivers who speed and drive recklessly especially in
the rural areas, a state made worse by the amount of domestic
animals which roam freely on the roads and in the rainy season when
drivers swerve to avoid potholes.
You would think then that introducing speed traps is a step in the
right direction but sadly the system falls down because the
traffic police are so corrupt they rarely do the guilty. Not for
them the manic bus drivers or Tanzanians in their fast cars instead
they target the easier more lucrative victims and top of the list
when they can get them are the Mzungu's (whites)!
Hence as we followed a bus going much faster than us down a hill at
the bottom the bus went on but a white suited policeman walked out
and held up his hand for us to stop. Claiming we were doing 75kph in
a 50kph area he told us we faced a mandatory fine of 20, 000 Tshs!
To be fair Tanzanian police are not alone, if anything the Kenyan
police are worse and sadly the Malawi police are rapidly catching
them both up, after a while you get used to the game and you find
some you win, some you lose, in this case at 5pm we finally reached
Morogoro 10,000 Tshs poorer - and no receipt of course!
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