Tanzanian Trekking

Day One

Early the following morning, we met up with our guide and walked through Lushoto and into the countryside. We spent the morning walking up and down hills, past rural villages, through valleys, and in and out of the rainforest. During some parts, we had views across sweeping valleys and of the villages and terraced farms on the next hills. Other areas were so thick with tropical plants and shrubs that we couldn’t see anything besides greenery in every direction and the narrow footpath that cut through it. We saw a few colobus monkeys, beautiful butterflies, and several chameleons, some of which were so well-camouflaged I could barely see them after our guide pointed them out – I can’t imagine how he spotted them in the first place! When we stopped in one village, our guide showed us a machine used to make sugar cane into beer. It requires two people to walk around in a circle pushing a big handle, while the middle of the machine squeezes the juice out of the sugar cane. Unfortunately, we didn't get to taste any (maybe that wasn't such a bad thing).

Later, we stopped for lunch, and simply sat down on the side of the path near a small bridge and took out our food. I literally cannot imagine the chaos that would ensue if bazungu did that in Rwanda. Probably, every single person within a half hour’s walking distance would come and encircle you to the point of claustrophobia, each person watching – scrutinizing – your every motion, until you finally became uncomfortable or annoyed and got up and left. But here, in Tanzania, we were able to sit down, relax, take in the fantastic setting, and enjoy simply greeting locals who passed by (and then continued on their way, rather than stopping to watch and ridicule). Our guide pulled out a bag of fresh vegetables and whipped up a delicious guacamole of avocado, onion, tomato, and carrot. We were getting really excited watching him make it, and become downright ecstatic when he pulled out a bag of chapatti. To top it off, he served the meal with flower-shaped chunks of cucumber. Mmm mmm.

After lunch, we continued our hike through the forest, eventually reaching a larger dirt road. By that point, it had become extremely cloudy and we initially thought it was starting to drizzle, until Ryan pointed out, “I don’t think it’s so much that it’s raining, as it is that we’re walking through a cloud.” We got a little wet, but it was pretty cool to be walking up the side of a hill, not able to see anything but the path below our feet and the plants immediately to either side.

Eventually a bus came by, and our guide flagged it down. We hopped on and rode down the curvy, bumpy road for about an hour, out of the rainforest and through the fields on the other side. Hopping off, we walked a few more minutes down into the village where we’d spend the night.

After warming up with some tea at the convent where we’re staying, we set out to explore the village and surrounding area. We walked past a soccer game going on and a group of school buildings (empty, as the schools were on vacation at the time) and into a grove of trees that felt like a very small Montana forest.

Back at the convent, we met a few other travelers from around the world, all with interesting stories – two Israeli girls traveling through Asia and Africa during a gap year between military service and university; a German girl interning at a hospital in Mwanza, Tanzania’s second-largest city; and, a French girl and her French-speaking Belgian boyfriend, who had quit their jobs to travel around the world for a year.

Day Two

We set out early the next morning to continue the trek, planning to make our way to Mtai, essentially the last village on the edge of a large cliff, and then back to Lushoto. We spent the morning hiking through wooded forests, across plantations, between villages, and in and out of the rainforest again. In one village, we visited a local pottery workshop, selling various bowls, jars, saucers, pots, and animal figurines, each piece at $1.30. We purchased a few pieces, and then headed back to the trail. Later, we stopped for lunch in a forested area, where the tall, bare tree trunks made great back rests. Our guide prepared guacamole and chapatti again, so we were thrilled. Shortly after lunch, another guide came and met us with a car to drive to Mtai.

Mtai was a really interesting little village, comprised of one long, narrow path with small buildings on either side and cliffs – and great views – just behind them. On the far edge of Mtai, the path from the interior of the mountains ends at a sharp cliff overlooking a vast, breathtaking view. The pictures I took really don’t do it justice, but we could see an enormous valley, including a couple of Tanzania’s national parks, lakes on the far edge of the valley, and huge mountains on the other side. We spent a few minutes sitting on a rock at the edge of the cliff, just taking it in.

Then, we hopped back in the car and headed back toward Lushoto. Back in the rainforest, we stopped at a waterfall on the way. The water rushed down a series of rocks, forming a large pond at the bottom before flowing into a river, but what really made it an interesting sight was the vegetation surrounding us. We’d hiked down a hill to reach the waterfall, and, standing at the bottom of falls, we were completely surrounded by shrub-covered hills towering over us. It felt like we were deep in the middle of a deserted rainforest, despite not being far from town.

With our hiking done, we headed to our final stop: the cheese- and muesli-producing farm! When we arrived at the farm’s shop, it was closed. But, our wonderful and caring guides tracked down the owners, and we ended up having dinner with them at lodge overlooking a nearby viewpoint. After dinner, they opened up the shop for us, and we (er, I) were ecstatic to purchase cheese, rye bread, muesli, locally-grown tea, and passionfruit jam. All that only cost $10, and it was all delicious! (Well, we’ll never know about the jam, because it was unfortunately confiscated at the airport in Nairobi.)

The guides dropped us back at the White House Annex, only leaving after assuring the reception was open and a room was available, and giving us instructions on how to get back to Dar the following morning. I decided to forego the dangerous shower that night, and we turned in early.

Back to Dar – and on to Zanzibar!

We were sad to leave Lushoto and the mountains the next morning, but we couldn’t wait to get to Zanzibar. Determined to make it back to Dar and onto the ferry that day, we took the only direct bus to Dar, which left at 6:00am. The ride was uneventful, as far as I can remember, but we slept during most of it – waking up mainly for frequent snacks of bread and cheese!

More interesting was our ride from the bus park to the coast, where we could get the ferry to Zanzibar. Dar is full of standard, normal taxis, with association logos, seat belts, and trunk space. The alternative, which I was not particularly expecting to see in Dar, however, was much cooler – motorized rickshaws, all painted bright blue. Given the choice between this and a regular car, of course we had to take the rickshaw. Getting into felt a lot more like getting onto an amusement park ride than a vehicle, but the rickshaw seemed to be a compromise between a car and a motorcycle, in terms of price, safety, and speed.

We reached the ticket office with time to spare before the last ferry, which was great, as it meant we had time to look for Subway. Yes, there is a Subway in Tanzania. Not a Subway, actually – six of them. Now, I don’t particularly eat at Subway at home, but the idea of the most American thing I’d have eaten in months was beyond exciting (as it has been for all the other Rwanda Volunteers who’ve traveled to Tanzania). Wandering around downtown, having given up hope of finding one, a Subway sign suddenly appeared in what seemed to be a sign for a mall (yes, a real live mall). I practically sprinted to the entrance of the building, and then nearly cried when the Subway, for some reason, was closed. We had amazing milkshakes and pizza at another restaurant in the mall, and then, when walking by again, realized that Subway hadn’t actually been closed, it had just looked closed. Ecstatic, I got a veggie sandwich to go – it even came in a real Subway sandwich bag! Ryan didn’t fully understand the joy and excitement of the Subway, but at least he humored me.

Next stop, Stone Town!