Crossing Africa Newsletter IX

Hello all,

I write to you after a too long absence, but I have this really good excuse…
At this moment I am writing the newsletter in Cholo’s Bar in Nungwi, Zanzibar. Let me try to describe what it is like here!

As I don’t have any pictures of the place, developed at the moment, I will try to explain in an other way.
Most of my readers have Windows installed on their computer. All though it might not be there main operating system, I am sure there is like a version of windows installed on an other partition, to run the nice games you cannot play on Linux or so!

Okay right click on your desktop, the click properties. Go to the Tab sheet Backgrounds and select in the scroll box the background called “Paradise” or alike after that click on Apply.

Now that’s where I am and that’s why I didn’t write earlier.
So what has happened since I last left you?

I finally managed to get my butt out of Nairobi the end of March. Every time I went into town shopping I always forgot to do one thing so I had to go back the next day. My bike got a new rear tire and on the way back I visited the Giraffe Sanctuary. I developed some of the pictures of which I uploaded a couple to the site.
Also I made an enlargement of a picture on which some very good craftsmen where repairing my bike 70 km south of Addis Abeba. This pictures was put into a frame and send to that same little town by some Danish travellers on there way up.
Just a few days ago I received a letter, scanned by my dear mother, that was written by one of the guys there! Telling me they received it and I should say thanks to my “postman”. Guys I should thank you repairing my bike!

Together with Denis an Irish guy on a Beemer 1100rs that got stuck in Nairobi after he couldn’t get into Saudi Arabia (war was starting and all), I left Nairobi with the compass on south, and the destination: Arusha, Tanzania.

Arusha was a great place for me. The day we arrived Denis wanted to meet a friend in The Arusha Coffee Lodge (Redds) and we ended up there for the night (complimentary, LOL) The day after we moved to Massai Camp and had a great time watching Nairobi play Arusha in Rugby. This set the atmosphere for the rest of the night, drinking. Starting in Stickies that normally is a ex-pat bar now turned into a nice mix with live music. After we moved a whole 100 meters down the street to Collobus a real nightclub! The first I have seen since Holland. The club was packed, a perfect night out ;-).

After trying to get me and somebody else’s butt to Olongo Langay (An active volcano 150 km back to the Kenya border) I gave up after making excuses not to go there for the last two days. Instead I visited the UN trials in Arusha regarding the Rwanda Hutu-Tutsi massacres. Which was really something “different”.

The compass was set on east the day after leaving Denis in Moshi and me going back into Kenya, crossing my first National Park with the Motorbike (Tsavo West). Not that I saw any wildlife, they only appeared after I left the park. But it was a beautiful drive and the shortest to Mombassa. Arriving at Mombassa it was only an other 120 km to my destination, Watamu.

I had to go to Watamu for two reasons. No1 being diving, which I did, one dive. No2 being that there is a lady in town breeding cats, Sokoke cats.
Now it also happens to be that a good friend and cook (Yep I miss your food Marja) has a Sokoke Cat and wants to breed them. Sokoke cats come from the Sokoke forest (duh) and that forest is near Watamu.
So I visited this lady and saw that two of her cats where expecting kittens soon, so good news for Marja, pick them up in September.

After I finished my chat there and my coffee I pushed down south again to the sleepy town of Pangani, that’s in Tanzania again. There I spend three whole nights after deciding I was going to take a Dhow to Zanzibar. This was a great experience and after 4 hours I landed on the beach of Kendwa. Now being in a place like this is; one, having to drive your motorbike down this white sand beach with turquoise waters for 5 km to get your bike of the beach is… f*&%ing unbelievable!

Nungwi is the little town I spend the last 20 days or so, doing my PADI Dive Master. Yes, I know what you all think now, he never wanted to dive! He always wanted to go Gliding and always made up excuses not to join his friends on a diving holiday, you are right… But now having the time… and so why not go all the way? Bad excuse? So be it 😉
This place is absolutely amazing, nice and tranquil. All though it gets busy when overland trucks come into town.
I met Martin here again, a crazy Englishman I met in Nairobi and popped up here again, he owns a bar in Mallorca and has only 5 month holiday a year in which he travels. He introduced me to Karin and Kicki from Sweden which whom I spend about two weeks drinking in Cholo’s and Mangy’s.

It’s a pity Karin got like really sick so they had to leave to Dar el Salaam to visit a qualified and proper doctor. I went with the two to Stonetown getting them on the ferry, Easter Monday that was. And that was more difficult then expected but we managed. I also, after 18 days on the Island, got a entry stamp in my passport. You don’t get one when you arrive with a dhow…

Just two days after I was really glad I had the stamp, as the police was looking for me in town.
Someone reported me to them, as I was riding an un-registered bike in North Zanzibar Region and why I did not report at their police station? How could I know I had to register, no one told me to! They could of course register my bike… for a small fee. Of course NOT. Nobody told me when I passed “customs” so why should I pay? I will provide all the information you need and do everything necessary but I will not pay any money! Ha!
After that I got all my papers back and they told me they had all the information they needed after writing down my name and number plate only (duh), but they came all the way from the police station to Nungwi for me and how where they supposed to get back there. On the back of my bike, I said. Apparently that was not funny… so I had to pay them the Dalla Dalla back, probably being the 10th person today doing that, my first bribe all the way from Holland is now, a fact… and I have the feeling more are on the way in Zanzibar.

Till I do so, I will enjoy the view, konyagi, dodo’s and diving!

It was also a nice surprise seeing Iris and Florian again. they did not take their bike to Zanzibar but had a great dhow ride of 30 hours on see getting from Pangani to Nungwi… Pole Sana travellers.
But you made it and it was great speaking to you again!

That’s all for now. Hang in tight for the next one, which I will probably write from Namibia!

Feel the Love, Frank