Day 35 – 36 Driving to Dar Es Salaam

Another early morning. Breakfast was scheduled at five, but we got woken earlier today. Thunder and lightning was rolling in and we hoped to get breakfast over with and the roof packed before it hit.

We were in luck and got no rain before leaving at five fifty.  Where was signs showing that it had rained along the way to the border but not like we feard.

Malawi got to be the first country I’ve visited where it’s easier to get in than to leave. There were forms to be filled out and photos to be taken before we got our passports stamped.

Then on the Tanzania side the same process again.  A little bit of waiting, but all in all it went smooth.

The driving today has been one of greatly changing scenery, and road quality. The first 300 km was lousy, but then we got on to eat seems to be brand new.

The landscape has changed from arrid savanna like brush to great pine forest.  In the later case it looked like driving along somewhere in the woods back home in Norway. Except the forest here is growing tall at 1800 m above sea level.

After 570 km we finally got to a destination. We were prepared to do a bush camp, stopping just off the road. Instead we turned on to the road leading to Rivervalley camp site. A tight, winding, bumpy road that nobody really knew what led to. At one point it turned so bad that the driver in the front bus decided to walk ahead to see if it was possible at all to get in there.

We got in by the slightest of margin, barely squeezing the bus through the front gate.

The campsite it self was nice. Running cold and got water and a proper toilet. What more could one ask for.

After dinner we went to bed enjoying the cool night, first one in a while and probably the last for a while.

Day 36
Breakfast at six and of just after seven. We got another 500 km to go today before we are in Dar Es Salaam. 

It’s been a long and pleasant day traveling today.  Lots of changing scenery and bumping around, especially in the back.

After lunch we had the final in our two day trivial competition.  Yesterday we had internal rounds on each bus and the three best from each bus went on to a team final today. Bull VS Bill. And the Bull team won by the slightest of margin.

Another victory for Bull.

We arrived at our campsite, Sunrise beach resort, at ten. Using “only”  four hours to get through Dar Es Salaam.

I thought it would be unberable, but it wasn’t too bad. We got some clouds and a draft to cool us down, and it was fun to see the chaos and talk to some of the drivers in trucks that rolled past.

As one of my fellow travelers said “We have seen more people the last few hours than the whole trip combined.”

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