I had a really good chips-and-eggs pancake for lunch here. And got a surprising second one for take away


The three kids sitting in front of the shop where I bought two water bottles from.


'Together we will go further' - the writing on the big rocks where soon after a car broke down with a flat tyre.


The view from the top of the big rocks.


My camping spot at the water hole.


Totally unrelated but still a cool picture. Mt Kilimanjaro a few days back.

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no risk - no fun

Marco,

Thanks for your passion for your surroundings, people, geography, road state and for the descriptions of your state of mind whilst on the road. You paint a wonderrful word picture, backed up with just enough photos; well there could always be more photos! I really sense your delight, love and loneliness of your life while travelling.

That "little Suzuki" is doing a mighty fine job, long may she continue to do so.

Rosco

Holidays in Mwanza, Tanzania

It has been over one week now that I've been staying in Mwanza. I am stuck in Mwanza, partly by choice, partly by circumstances. And I love the place.
Mwanza is quite a big city on the shores of beautiful Lake Victoria. When I came here last Sunday I asked around for a place to camp and found a fantastic camping ground just out of town. Right on the lake. On the beach. Just really really cool. So I booked myself in for two nights, the amount of time I intended to stay in Mwanza.
There were a couple of things on my to do list for here. Like getting a new rear tyre organised, buying some more prestine looking US$ for the Congo. Doing the usual internet and banking and supermarket things. And Mwanza is great for that. I was also keen to get a tour to the Serengeti from here. Mwanza is much less touristy than Arusha or Moshi. And therefore cheaper. In fact, I seem to be the only tourist here. Which is good and bad at the same time. Good, because there are no touts here following you around and trying to sell you stuff. None at all, which makes Mwanza an extremely pleasant place to stay. But it is also bad because there are no tour groups into the Serengeti which I could join. And they won't let my little Suzuki into the National Park. Apparently too dangerous to be near the big animals.
So a new strategy was needed. I turned the table on the tour companies and this time it was me hasseling them. For it was now me who wanted their business and them who couldn't provide it to me. Soon they all had my mobile number and would call me as soon as they see another tourist on the horizon. And I put up little ads on all the places likely to be visited by tourists. Like supermarkets and restaurants. And have been crossing fingers since. Which of course required waiting and patience.
For the first time in this trip there was really a lot of rain. It's rainy season of course. And it does rain, hell yeah does it rain here. But only once or twice a day for an hour of a big thunderstorm.
Both, the rainy season and the distance of the camping lodge to Mwanza town made me move closer to the city where I found a fantastic local guesthouse. For far less than half the price of camping on the beach. With my own room and my own bed and my own bathroom. And pay TV! And protection from the rain. And me the only tourist there. Perfect.
And once you stay in a place for longer you become familiar with the surroundings. Just opposite the guest house is a big market where you can buy food for dirt cheap. Consequently I am there many times a day. For breakfast, lunch and dinner. And in between. I hope eating Mangoes has no negative side effects because I've been eating loads of them (for just AU$ 0.10 a piece). And fresh oranges, avocadoes, bananas, pastries, Chai tea, local bread etc. - just paradise. And of course everyone on the market knows me by now. As the 'Muzungu'.
And so does the group of young guys on their motorbikes (-two-wheel-taxies) waiting in front of the guest house. It's hard to not stand out with my little Suzuki amongst them. But bikies stick together and so we often share a Chai tea together and I get introduced to the trade of being a motorbike taxi rider. Thing is that most of them have no bike licence, the bike is not registered for taxi business and they actually don't even own the bike. So business often ends at a Police checkpoint where the profit of the day is paid in fines. But if business runs well they make TSH20000 (AU$ 12) per day. Minus petrol. And minus the bike rental fee of TSH6500 per day. And that is considered good business! However, during the day there is not many passengers for them. So they give me free sightseeing tours. Sometimes walking. Sometimes riding on their little chinese bikes. Or on my little Suzuki which is usually the preferred option. Which is fine with me, I get to see cool things and they get to look cool amongst their friends riding with the 'Muzungu' on his huge bike.
Also really awesome are the other guests in the guesthouse. There is a big group of people from the Congo, businessman with their sons and wifes and what looks like mums and grandmas. Awesome for me because I still have a million questions and doubts and worries about the Congo in my mind. And practising my old French from school we often sit together over maps in the evenings discussing their wonderful country. It's surprising how quickly my French skills came back out of the drawer where they lay dormant for most of the last 15 years. We discussed the upcoming Congo elections. And our proposed route. Which, according to them, should be okay. Hopefully they are right.
There is also a group of business men from Uganda as long term residents in the guesthouse on a business trip. They are really well educated, well travelled, speak a fantastic English and are great company. We often discuss the options of me starting a business in Tanzania, Uganda or Congo and becoming a millionaire within a few years. Sounds good, hey? One of them also does business in the Congo and got a lot of really helpful information for me. As much as the Congo will still be the most challenging part of the trip, I somehow lost my security fears a bit.
There are also many incredibly funny moments when the girls who work in the guesthouse try to teach me Swahili. We usually end up laughing our asses off when I try my new language skills on the motorbike guys outside and it means very different things to what I though it would.

So yeah, I stayed in Mwanza day after day. Time flies fast. Every day developed a completely unforeseen dynamic. By just me going into the city and letting things happen. And everyday has been a great day. As I've said, I love this place. There is so much happening here, life is so colourful. And the whole town is so friendly. People have an incredicle energy here. Just great.
However, Saturday I earmarked as the day to leave Mwanza. And on Friday I got a message from another tourist interested in going to the Serengeti.
Finally it worked! So I met with Pok from HongKong and we discussed our plans. He has spend many weeks in the country as volunteer and is now travelling around for a while. And luckily we immediately agreed on how we want to travel the Serengeti. Now, that there are two of us the whole Serengeti plan finally became affordable. However, we would give it a try and wait over the weekend when restaurants are busy and more people would read my ads and maybe one or two of them would come along too. So again, I ended up extending my stay in the guesthouse. And, to be honest, liked the fact to have a reason to stay. And Pok moved in as well.
So off we shall go into the Serengeti for three days, starting on Tuesday. It will be the time when the famous Wildebeast migration arrives there. So it will be good.

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no risk - no fun

This group of motorbike taxi riders would soon become my crowd of friends and local guides in Mwanza


The local rubbish tip and some big storcks looking for anything fishy in there


Mwanza is located beautifully on Lake Victoria in an area of many hills and rocky outcrops. This pic shows part of the city from one of those hills.


The town itself is quite big, one of the major centres in Tanzania. But it has kept an incredibly friendly environment. Tourists are welcome and will not have to go through the hassles of Tanzania's other major tourist centres.


The rocky and hilly conditions provide really beautiful real estate.


As usually my little Suzuki draws all the attention to herself. These guys, motorbike taxi drivers, have never seen a bike as big and powerful ever before. When I gave them a short demonstration and let them be my pillion passengers they always got off afterwards, beaming with a huge smile.


There is an incredible energy in the people here.


Lake Victoria

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no risk - no fun

.....

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3mountainsadventure

Day 87 - Serengeti National Park

The Serengeti is a place that has fascinated me since I was a kid. Back then I had a few books of animal photographs. The typical coffee table style books full of pictures of elephants, lions etc. And of course there were the documentaries on TV about the Serengeti, the lifecycles in there, the big migrations of Wildebeasts and Zebras. And there was me as a kid dreaming about seeing it all one day. It was so far away and unreachable. And now, 25 years on, I was staying on the Serengeti's boundary!
Going inside though is neither easy nor cheap. Not easy because my little Suzuki is not allowed in there. Which is a pity when you're travelling on a motorbike. And when you're telling your story on a motorbike forum. So I hope you guys are not getting too bored about this post not involving my bike. She's actually enjoying her own little holidays right now. I parked her securely undercover in the backyard of my guesthouse in Mwanza. So she is protected from the daily rain. And marvelled upon by many of the guests. She also got fresh oil and a new oil filter, her chain is clean and shiney for the new layer of chain lube. There is no heavy luggage or heavy rider to bear for her suspension. So yeah, I believe she is happy to have a rest here in Mwanza.
It took more than a week to line up a fellow tourist to share the experience and cost of the Serengeti tour. And still, it would cost each of us US$555. Considering that renting a house in Mwanza only costs US$2.50 a month those $555 could have made scores of local people very happy. But that is just one of the daily dilemmas in Africa, one of those things you better don't spend too much time thinking about.
On Tuesday early morning we set off from Mwanza in a really cool LandCruiser. There was Emanuel, our cook, Gideon, our guide and driver and us two tourists Pok and me. It took only two hours from Mwanza and we found ourselves standing under the arc of the entrance gate into the Serengeti National Park. What a feeling. Through the gate we could already see the first animals!
It is rainy season right now. Which is why there are almost no tourists around. But it is also the reason why the Serengeti is green. The entire landscape, the plains, the mountains, the trees and riverbanks are covered in all shades of green. From a yellowish golden green sea of grass covering the endless plains to a healthy dark green of the Acacia trees scaterred across the landscape. And in between the animals feasting on the grass. Or feasting on the animals which are feasting on the grass. So, to keep it short, there are lots of animals. They are just everywhere. Antelopes, Elephants, Buffalos and Wildebeasts, Lions, Cheetahs, Ostriches and Secretary birds, Warthogs, Giraffes, Eagles and Vultures, Baboons and Monkeys, Crocodiles, Hippos, Hyenas and Zebras. And there is loads of them. Many of the grass feeding animals, most famously the Wildebeasts, arrived in the Serengeti just now following their century old migration patterns and the wet season down from Kenya into Tanzania.
Seeing them all there and seeing them up close in their own territory is an amazing feeling. And by that time I was very happy to have joined a tour and they didn't let me in on my little Suzuki. First of all for the many lions sitting right next to the road. I guess I wouldn't have stopped a meter away from them to take a photo. But with the car we did. And we had all the time in the world to just park there and watch the lions doing their thing.
Another reason why joining a tour is a good idea is the fact, that the car was equipped with a two way radio. So our guide could listen to reports from rangers and other guides. Reports of animal sightings where we could go straight there. So we went down roads I would never have gone down on the bike. But at the end there was always something cool to see. And lastly the LandCruiser was perfectly suited for this sort of trip because you could pop up the roof and stand in the car. Which gave you an elevated 360 degree view point in the open air without annoying car windows separating you from your animals.
So all together we had three really cool days out there. And two nights camping with the sounds of Hyenas and the roaring of lions around us.
Back in Mwanza we had a big welcome back in the guest house. Even local people in the guesthouse or around it never had an opportunity to see the Serengeti or any of it's animals. Locals would pay only a few dollars for NP entrance fee and camping but it is still unaffordable. And unreachable if you don't have a car. So ten minutes after being back I found myself sitting on a little chinese motorbike taxi in front of the guesthouse. With the entire crowd of motorbike taxi riders around me. And we were watching our Serengeti photos on the little screen of my tablet computer. And believe me, there were many photos. And every single one was watched with interest. Trying to catch a motorbike taxi then would not have been easy...

So yeah, I'm back in Mwanza, reunited with my little Suzuki in her holidays. A couple of my motorbike taxi friends invited me to come to their home and to do some sightseeing on the bike. Which is really cool for me to do. So I guess I will stay here for a couple of more days.

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no risk - no fun

Just a few pics from the Srengeti:


The landscape is covered in a beautiful green with animals scattered around everywhere.


There is the big African buffalo watching us with suspicion...


...or the little Warthog...


...or the vulture surveying the area from a tree.


A big number of wildebeast arrived in the park, migrating here from Kenya.


Elephants enjoying the abundance of green leaves.


Lion babies are happily playing with their mum


Hippos enjoying a cool bath.


Most animals just ignore cars. They probably wouldn't ignore motorbikes though.


Lazy leopard


Lions are cool.

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no risk - no fun

Marco,

I signed up so I can say thank you for your posts. I really appreciate that you take the time to share your trip. I've been following it on Google maps, and I am absolutely fascinated.

You are a terrific writer, and I also appreciate that you have a wonderful attitude, so very curious and grateful.

Great pics, too.

Thank you, and I'll be following you.

Cheers, mate.

Chris

Thanks Chris, I'm glad you like my story! There is a lot of cool stuff happening on a journey like this and it's sometimes not easy to find a way to put it into words in a way that you guys won't get bored.

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no risk - no fun

I hope that you write as much as you have time for. I can't imagine getting bored by it.

This time I must apologise for not posting any news for such a long time. I have been very lazy. And had some quite relaxing holidays lately.
I am still in Mwanza. When I first came here almost four weeks ago I only intended to stay for a few days enjoying Lake Victoria. But as so often plans change. First it was the daily downpour which kept me here. Also the task of getting a new rear tyre and waiting for it to be sent from South Africa. And the longer I stayed the more familiar I became with the place and the people. Up to a stage where I really enjoyed staying here.
When you are doing a motorbike journey every day is different to the day before. You go to different places, meet different people. Every day. Every day you start from zero again. Which is one of the most exciting things to do. But it is also tiring. So I often thought about what it would be like to stay in one place for longer. And to experience the life there to a much deeper extent. Instead of starting the new day from scratch you would have the previous day to build on. And that is what I did in Mwanza. Call it experimenting with living a Tanzanian life.

And I was really lucky here. Because I was able to make some good friends and was 'adopted' into a group of motorcycle taxi riders. Spending as much time with them as I could I soon met their families, was invited to several homes. There were poor families and rich families, small homes and big homes. There was a lot of good food. Some familiar, some not (e.g. fried grasshoppers). And many many stories. To many to post in here. But all really remarkable.

Let me just focus on one story because it was this family that I got involved with the most. There is Mr S., one of the motorbike taxi riders. He sort of stood out within the group because he spoke pretty good English and was obviously a pretty smart guy. So we often sat together out on the footpath after his shift just talking about life in Tanzania, life in Australia etc. He kept mentioning how much he loved school and that he dropped out of school some years back. And since then he is doing his taxi job to earn the money for going back and finish school. But the taxi business is quite tough if you are from a poor family. At the end of the day most of the money earned was paid to the owner of the motorcycle or for food to support the family of two brothers and two sisters. The very little money remaining was safely kept to be able to pay for school one day. That one day in the far distant future Mr S. keeps dreaming about.

When you are a traveller like me you obviously live on a budget. And as much as you would like to help with your money you just can't help everyone. But then you also spend an incredible amount of money on certain things. E.g. the Serengeti tour I did. Or to see the Mountain Gorillas in Rwanda soon. It is an incredible amount of money for local standards and it gives me a headache to think about what the same amount of money could do good for some local people here. So I try not to think about it.
But in fact spending so much time with these people and their families is an experience I truly enjoyed. Actually much more than the Serengeti tour. We laughed together, shared stories, ate together. And I was introduced into the life of a Tanzanian family. Which is an incredibly interesting thing for me and I loved every minute I spent with this family. It's been one of the things I wanted to experience in Africa. So I though in exchange for having such a memorable time here it's just fair to help getting this guy back into school.
So we sat together. Together with his friends. His family. His old teacher. For many evenings and nights. And developed a good plan for Mr S. to finish his school education. What I found most amazing then was the level of support we got from his friends. There was no jealousy, no 'why him and not me' attitude. But lots of real support and 'thumbs up'. And so the task of getting his school organised kept me busy for another two exciting weeks.
To get the most out of this opportunity we chose a school in Bukoba, some 400km away from Mwanza on the shores of Lake Victoria. Mr S. getting out of Mwanza guarantees that there is no distraction for him. No family urging him to work for a night to earn money for food. Or to skip school for work. And Mr S. is really keen to move to a new place too.
So Sunday last week his old teacher Mr D. and me, we took off on my little Suzuki towards Bukoba. Sadly if the school headmaster would see me around we would need to pay a large sum of corruption money to get Mr S. into his school. Because seeing a white guy means there is money to be made. So I stayed away from the school and Mr D. did all the negotiating and organising with the headmaster. And he was so successful in this that Mr S. had to come to Bukoba within a few days to attend an examination to be accepted to school. Sending him money for a ticket over the mobile phone network we picked him up two days later from Bukoba Port arriving on the ship from Mwanza. With the biggest smile on his face.
The three of us spent a whole week in Bukoba getting everything organised. We also found a nice place for Mr S. to live. A small room in a house up on a hill. Surrounded by banana trees. And with a small stream nearby to fetch water. Overall Bukoba is a good place to spend time in. There are beautiful beaches, everything is really green and fresh. There is a lively market. And friendly people. Really cool. After everything was organised and there was no more reason to ask for money I had a look at the school as well, into the classrooms, reading some excercise books and other material and talking to the academic master. And I'm pretty happy because it seems to be a pretty cool school. The whole thing was quite an experience! And Mr S. is very very happy, I wish you guys could see the big smile on his face.
Now I am back in Mwanza for one week before I continue on to Rwanda on Sunday to catch up with Martin again. Staying in Mwanza has been cool. But I can now really feel the urge to get going again. To get back into 'touring mode' and see new places. The wet season has finished very abruptly, rain on one day and sunshine the next. And sunshine ever since. And once I'm on the road again there will be more things to write about and I shall update this blog more often. Promised!
Meanwhile my little Suzuki is back in top shape. But I still have trouble with finding the new rear tyre. The tyre place in Pretoria really sucks. Can't count the number of times they promised me to call me back, to email me back, to have a quote ready. Nothing ever happened. For weeks and months. Just stupid promises whenever I called them. So 'stuff them' I thought and I'm getting my tyre now send by bus from Uganda. Which is not just heaps cheaper but also more straight forward. Just that I haven't got it yet. But maybe today. Or tomorrow with the next ship from Kampala. That tyre (Mitas E07) should then hopefully last all the way to Germany, I read a lot of cool things about this brand. But even my old Pirelli Scorpion did quite well, having done 13000km and still 1mm left on it. But it would surely die when we are in the Congo so I rather replace it now.
Crossing fingers that it all works out...

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no risk - no fun

The MV Victoria sailing daily between Mwanza and Bukoba


One happy student


Senene - fried grasshoppers are a very popular dish in Bukoba


The school in Bukoba which Mr S. will be attending soon.


A typical classroom


The new Catholic cathedral in Bukoba


Bukoba beach at Lake Victoria

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no risk - no fun

Hey great RR so far! Been looking forward to your updates. And thumbs up for doing some good. Like you say, you cant help everyone. But to help just one makes a world of difference to him and his family, and you end up feeling good yourself without going broke. And be careful in the DRC. With the recent elections it sounds like there is a little unrest. Im sure you have heard the news...

Thanks Gripforce,

yeah, the DRC is worrying us a lot. We now talked to many people coming across the border from the Congo. What they say seems to be not too bad (as far as you can say that about the DRC). At least for the area we intend to go through. Unrests are mainly concentrated in Kinshasa and the Katanga province. But we sure will check things out first before we enter too deep.
Right now we are in Kigali, Rwanda. There is internet access here but only very slow. And I mean really slow. So sorry, but today there will be no pics.
Hope you guys enjoy the following three reports!

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no risk - no fun

Leaving Tanzania

It has been a very emotional farewell from Tanzania. After exactly two months in the country and just over four weeks being based in Mwanza. I again realised how quickly I got attached to the people around me. And they became good friends with me. But it was time for me to go. Definitely time to hit the road again. So the night before I left we went to the pub together. Just to listen to music and have a good time and a or a coke (for my muslim friends). And the next day really everyone turned up to say good bye. The guys from the motorcycle taxi gang, the people from the guesthouse, the family of my friend who I support to go back to school. There was a lot of hugging, shaking hands, good wishes and tears. A farewell not unlike the one when I left Sydney five months ago.

But even before that there were a few exciting last days in Mwanza. First of all I met a friendly Police officer who kindly told me that there is a helmet law in Tanzania for motorcyclists. Don't get me wrong, I usually wear my helmet every single time when riding. Just not this time because it was only to go to the copy shop maybe 200m away. Sorry, my mistake. However, I had a nice chat to the officer, had to promise not ever to ride without helmet again and got away with no fine.
Second thing to happen: there was a delay of my new tyre being delivered from Uganda. For reasons that only African people will ever understand and I don't want to go into too much detail here. However, it again delayed my departure from Mwanza for a few days.
By coincidence, on the day of my originally planned departure though, there was an accident on the road. On the little brawl that followed one of my friends from the bike taxi gang got arrested and put in jail in the local police station. The circumstances are another thing that only local people might understand but not me. And with this local understanding some of these friends tried their best to talk to police and get some information about why he is in jail. Or how to get him out. But nothing could really clarify the situation or help him. Some amounts of money mentioned in the process were not very helpful either. So the next day I offered to see if I can help. And went to the police station. Where I was promptly allowed to see this guy. And talk to him through the bars of the prison door. Man, it was a really poor image that presented itself to me. There are no beds. Just concrete floor. Totally overcrowded with people. Not sure if there are any toilets either. It certainly smelled like there are none. And my friend standing there, obviously having not slept all night and probably not eaten much either. One police officer explained the situation to me and gave me the mobile number of the case officer to consult about possible ways out of this situation. I called her and arranged a meeting one hour later. Where I expected to be told a large sum of money. But as so often, everything changed in an instant.
When I went back to the police station an hour later I run into the officer who caught me the day before without helmet. A really cool guy. He promptly took over my case. I didn't come anywhere near the actual case officer. An hour later I walked home together with my friend. No money asked. I will never forget the moment when my friend came into the office where I was waiting with the police officer. Barefeet. Smelling of a mix of old sweat and urine. Seing me sitting there, whispering in my ear: 'Marco, tonight, you and me, we are going HOME!'. Believe me, that really really feels cool!
And if you imagine the series of coincidences that lead to his release: first of all me being there in Mwanza and becoming friends with this guy. Second me being delayed by waiting for my tyre. Third me being caught riding without helmet which I usually never do. And finally to be running into that same friendly police officer again at the police station that day right in that moment when I expected to meet the case officer.
At the end my friend got away even without any charges, without any case. If it was not for this series of coincidences, who knows for how long he would have been stuck in there.
The tyre saga is also not entirely finished yet. At the end I got my tyre delivered from Uganda. Right size but incorrect brand. Instead of the MITAS tyre I got a VEE Rubber dirt bike tyre. I already wondered why they only asked for so little money. However, I am over it and have neither the time nor the patience to send it back and negotiate and wait for a new one. So I just strapped it to the back of my bike and started touring again. My old Pirelly is still okay for a few km and when the going gets muddy in the Congo the knobbly dirt tyre is probably a good turn of fortune anyway.
So I am back on the road again. I crossed into Rwanda today in Rusumo. A very easy and straight forward border crossing. No visa required (on my German passport), no chaos, no mess, only five minutes to get a temporary import permit for my little Suzuki and all finished. Very happy!
And Rwanda is beautiful, it's a paradise for motorbike freaks. A picture of thousands of lush green hills and perfect tarmac roads meandering their way up and down with many nice corners. And not much traffic at all. So you can really enjoy your ride. Around every corner another breath taking view opens into a green valley full of banana trees. And more green hills all around. Heaps fun to ride. In stark contrast to Tanzania Rwanda is very densely populated. There is houses and people everywhere, a continuous stream of people walking along the road side.
As a bit of a surprise however I quickly learned that in Rwanda you drive on the right hand side of the road. Which is an important thing to learn, right? After a few rather shocking moments I guess I learned that lesson now.
Tomorrow I will finally catch up with Martin and his girlfriend Esther again on the shores of Lake Kivu. I must say I really enjoyed travelling alone a lot. And had many awesome moments which would not have happened when travelling with someone else. Really cool experiences. But I am still looking forward to travel together with Martin again. It will be good to catch up again and share the rest of this awesome trip. Good fun to travel with a good friend.

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no risk - no fun