Donderdag 27 Maart - Tanzanië

Die KLR storm dapper voort / The KLR marches on.

Daai bruin dingetjie in die verte is 'n kameelperd / The brown spot in the distance is a giraffe.

My daaglikse middagete, ses piesangs / My daily lunch, six bananas

Vir kort het die son geskyn. Ek drink my coke in die KLR skaduwee / The sun was out for a short while. I drank my coke in the shade of the KLR.

(English below)

Donderdag 27 Maart

Beginpunt: The Old Farmhouse, Kisolanza

Eindpunt: Segera

Afstand: 609 km

Vandag was ‘n heerlike, mooi, lang, uitputtende en met dankbaarheid gevulde dag.

Ek het vroeg begin te ry, sewe-uur Tanzaniese tyd. Die son was net uit. Die eerste 250 km was baie berg-op en af tot mens finaal in die Groot Skeurvallei afgesak het.

Hoekom ‘n dag van dankbaarheid? Die Here het my bewaar van wat ‘n tragiese ongeluk kon gewees het.

In een van die valleie het ‘n motor en drie busse van voor gekom. Almal wat al hier was, weet die busse ry nie. Hulle jaag. Doodsveragtend. Om een of ander rede het die motor skielik begin stop. Die drie busse kon niks anders doen as om op die laaste oomblik uit te swaai reg in my baan nie. Die ergste was om te sien hoe die een bus na die ander se stertkante te begin gly. Die neuse het na my regterkant probeer stuur, die agterkante het na links begin gly. Omdat dit ‘n vallei was, kon ek nie van die skouer padgee nie. Die verste wat die die busse aan verby my is, was een meter.

Ek het net gestop en boontoe gekyk.

Onder in die vallei kon ek net verstom kyk na die grootsheid van die berge wat langs en voor my gelê het. Die Groot Skeurvallei …

Ek het 50km deur die Mikumi Nasionale Park gery wat die noordelike punt van die Selous Game Reserve vorm. Ek was so gelukkig en het vier troppe olifante, baie kameelperde (ook van daardie donkeres wat mens altyd op die foto’s van Tanzanië sien), een vlakvark en baie rooibokke gesien!

So teen drie het die wolke begin saampak en het dit begin sous! Die grond was deurweek en in die dorpies het die water rooi tussen die hutte gestaan. Mens en dier het beteuterd deur die modder geploeg. My moed het gesak. Ek was nie lus om my tentjie in die rooi pap modder op te slaan nie. Ek het weer saggies vir die Here vir ‘n slaapplek gevra. Net voor donker, in gietende reën, op die kruising waar mens links na Arusha afdraai, staan toe die antwoord op my skietgebed: ‘n Afrikagastehuis.

Ek het elektrisiteit in my kamer, ek kan vanaand alles laai. Die stortwater was ‘n bruin vogtigheid, maar ek gee nie meer om nie. Gaan lees weer my reisfilosofie. Dit beteken nie dat ek nou ‘n geharde Afrikareisiger is nie. Inteendeel. Ek gee net nie vanaand om nie want ek kan droog slaap.

More behoort ek verby Kilimanjaro te ry. Met al die reën weet ek nie of ek die koningsberg gaan sien nie.

Ek gaan vanaand dankbaar slaap.

Today was a wonderful, beautiful, long day, filled with gratefulness.

I left early, 7.00 AM Tanzanian time, shortly after sunrise.

The first 250km was mountainous. Going down the Great Rift Valley was beautiful. The road was challenging with many ascends and descents. That Tanzania was so mountainous was quite a surprise to me.

Why a day filled with gratefulness? The Lord saved me from what could have been a very tragic accident.

In one of the valleys a car and three busses came from the front, down a hill. Everyone that was already here knows that the busses are racing like mad, death defying monsters. Suddenly the car decided to stop. The busses had no time to slow down. To avoid hitting the car from behind all three swerved over into my lane. The front ends of the busses tried to get back into the left lane while the tail ends were gradually swerving more towards me. As I was in a valley there was no room to my left. I went over the yellow line and the tail ends of all three busses missed me with less than a meter to spare.

I felt sick, stopped and looked up to the heaven.

Down in the valley I could look up to the most stunning view to my left and front: The mountains forming part of the rim of the Great Rift Valley …

I rode through the Mikumi National Park, which forms the northern section of the Selous Game Reserve. Luck was on my side. I saw four herds of elephants, many giraffes (also those nearly black ones seen often in photographs from Tanzania), one warthog and many impalas.

The heaven was covered with a thick layer of clouds most of the day. It started raining at three. I was soaked. Red muddy water filled the villages next to the road. Where ever I looked to find a dry place for my tent I stumbled on mushy muddy ground. In my helmet I sent an SOS prayer up to the heaven. Just before dark, in pouring rain, I found an African guest house at the T-junction towards Arusha! Another prayer answered.

I’ve got electricity in my room and I can charge all my appliances! The water in the shower was murky brown yellow but who cares. Not me. Go and read again my travel philosophy. That doesn’t mean that I am now a hardened traveler. I just don’t care tonight. I can sleep dry.

Tomorrow I will pass Kilimanjaro. With all the rain I doubt whether I will see anything of that majestic mountain.

I am gong to bed soon, as a very thankful person.

(Translating into English takes so much time. Is there any kind person that is prepared to do the translations into English for me? If, please let know. I will invite you for a cup of coffee and carrot cake when I am back in SA)