Nairobi, Dinsdag, terugkyk

Naboom tot in Nairobi

Vandag is my laaste dag in Nairobi. As mens sit en niksdoen, is dit lekker om die gedagtes te laat hardloop oor die byna 5 000 km tot hier. Wat was hoogtepunte? Wat was laagtepunte.

Die eerste ding wat in my kop kom, is die skok van die petrolprys. Ek het geweet Zambië se petrol was duur, het egter nie geweet dat dit die tendens verder gaan bly nie.

Ek het my begroting op ‘n gemiddelde van R 12 per liter bereken. Net Suid-Afrika en Botswana se petrol was goedkoper as R 12.00. Zambië se prys was R 16.16, Malawi R 12.36, Tanzanië R 12.21. Dit is bereken teen ‘n wisselkoers van 1 US $ = R 8.00.

Les: Doen moeite en kry ten minste aanduidings van wat die petrolprys in die verskillende lande is.

Nog ‘n negatiewe aspek wat my teleurgestel het, was die houding van baie mense om met niks te help as hulle nie betaal word nie. Nie eers help om die fiets op die hoofstaander te kry, is verniet nie. Ook nie uitstoot uit modder nie …

Wat het van Ubuntu geword?

Ek het nie ‘n probleem daarmee as iemand geld vra of afgeneem te word nie. Ek het ‘n probleem daarmee as iemand selfs geld eis as mens die wolke om Kilimanjaro wil afneem.

Ek het ‘n probleem daarmee dat mense by grensposte staan met een doel, en dit is om die oorblufte toeris so deeglik en met so veel geld as moontlik te verneuk.

Ek het ‘n probleem met kunsmatigheid. Langs die pad het ek gereeld Masaai in hul rooi gewade gekry, leunend op hul spiese, starend in die verte. Ek kon nie gevoel afskud dat hulle net daar is vir die toeriste nie. Toe draai ek van die hoofpad af en ry die landelike gebiede in. En weg is die tradisionele Masaai. Die enigste rooi wat ek toe nog gesien het, was een in ‘n rooi sweetpak.

Ek het dus doelbewus nie een afgeneem nie.

Die gevoel van teleurstelling is egter oorskadu deur die gevoel van groeiende vetroue in baie ander mense.

Ek weet die Oosroete is beter wat dit betref, maar tot vandag toe het nog geen polisieman of soldaat wat my by ‘n padblokkade gestop het, ooit vir enige omkoopgeld of geskenke gevra nie.

Ek het die eerste week in Zambië my beursie met twee dae se Amerikaanse dollars by Petauke verloor. Twee dae terug kry ek ‘n sms van iemand wat op pad Londen toe is. Hulle het in Petauke gestop, en daar het ‘n Zambiër vir hulle my beursie kom gee. Al die geld was nog onaangeraak daar in.

My beursie word nou aan my teruggepos, en die Zambiër het ‘n goeie fooitjie vir sy eerlikheid gekry.

Die natuurskoon in Oos-Zambië, Malawi en Tanzanië het my verras. Ek wil weer terug soontoe.

Die menslikheid en gasvryheid van Kasper en Mwinga by die Bongo Camping Site in Tanzanië het ‘n koel nat aand in ‘n warm huislike aand verander. Die absolute professionele optrede van ‘n Vimbain Madya by die Old Farm House naby Iringa, Tanzanië, het my net weer laat besef dat ook ver buite ons landsgrense daar mense is met trots op hul werk en wat bereid is om vir hul gaste die ekstra myl te loop. Dit was mense soos dié wat gemaak het dat ek Tanzanië lank in my hart gaan saamdra.

Is ek bly dat ek die reis aangepak het? Duisendkeer ja! Ek mis soms geselskap, maar dan is die lekkerte van menslike kontak na ‘n paar dae soveel intenser.

More begin die reis na Ethiopië. Al die reisigers wat uit die noorde gekom het en wat ek ontmoet het, was begeesterd oor Ethiopië maar nie oor die mense nie. Ek is nuuskierig. Wat gaan my ondervinding wees?

Weens die dik wolke het ek baie lanklaas die Suiderkruis gesien. As alles more goed gaan, gaan ek more die ewenaar oorsteek. Dan is die Suiderkruis heeltemaal weg.

Groete!

Naboom to Nairobi

Today is my last day in Nairobi. While doing nothing it is good to give your thoughts wings, to retrace your tracks over the nearly 5 000km done. What were the highlights? What were the low points?

The high fuel prize is the first thing that really shocked me. For some stupid reason I assumed that north of Zambia the fuel would become cheaper. My budget was worked out based on a fuel prize of R 12.00 per liter.

Only South Africa and Botswana had lower fuel prizes. In Zambia I paid R 16.16 per liter, Malawi R 12.36, Tanzania R 12.21. I calculated that based on an exchange rate of 1 US $ = R 8.00.

Lesson learnt: Don’t assume, find out!

Another negative aspect was the attitude of so many I met: Without payment no assistance. Not even getting the bike on the center stand of pushing the bike out of the mud is an act of humanity, it is calculated in ice-cold money.

What is happening to the principle of Ubuntu?

I don’t have a problem with it if someone demands money to be photographed. It is his right. However, I have a problem with people demanding money for Kilimanjaro, cloud-covered, to be photographed.

I have a problem with humanity if people are standing at border posts with only one goal, to cheat the tourist and rob him of so much money possible.

I have a problem with anything that is artificial. Along the road I sam many Masaai standing in their red cloth, leaning on a spear, staring into the plains. I could not get rid of the feeling that they were posted there only for the tourists. I left the main road and used a road parallel to the main road. Gone were all the Masaai. The only one in red I saw was wearing a red track suit.

I decided not to take a single photograph of a Masaai.

But, the positive aspects overweighed anything that was negative. In many ways I felt my confidence in Africa and my African fellowmen restored.

I never encountered any policeman or soldier up until now that asked or demanded a bribe. I heard that on the West route it is much worse, however.

The first week in Zambia I lost my wallet with American dollars, my budget for two days. Two days ago I received an sms from a person on his way to London. He stopped in Petauke and was approached by a Zambian. The man gave him my wallet with not a single dollar missing!

They are going to mail my wallet back home to Naboom. The Zambian got a very good tip for his honesty.

The beauty of the nature in Eastern Zambia, Malawi and Tanzanie surprised me. I want to return to those countries one day.

Meeting people like Kasper and Mwinga of the Bongo Camping Site in southern Tanzania on an evening when I was cold, wet and miserable turned my blues into a fiery spirit on an evening that became one of the highlights of my trip.

Then, at the Farm House near Iringa, I met Vimbain Madya. Her absolute professional behavior in assisting her guests and doing the extra mile on their behalf was an example that there are so many people outside the borders of South Africa that are as serious about their work as anywhere else in the world. People like Vimbain, Kasper and Mwinga will make sure that I will return to Tanzania.

Do I still think that doing this trip across Africa was the right thing to do? Thousand times yes!! I do get lonely, I do miss a familiar face and company, but meeting new people compensates in so many ways for that.

Tomorrow I start the long trek towards Ethiopia. All the people I’ve met coming from Ethiopia were enthusiastic about the country, unfortunately not about the people. What am I going to experience there? Time will tell.

Due to the thick layer of clouds every night I haven’t seen the Southern Cross since Malawi. If everything goes according to plan I should cross the equator tomorrow. Then the Southern Cross will be gone.

Regards!