Journey to Nowhere

Iringa to Dar es-Salaam, via Morogoro, Tanzania  February 2016

Again I wake early. Today is a lazy day so I try to go back to sleep but no go. So, breakfast – no pancakes or samosas today, instead some very greasy, savory doughnuts, Yum! I am really becoming a Tanzanian, at least in my eating habits.

Back in my room I finish reading “The Songlines”. The last chapter is amazing: a meeting of old Aboriginals in the Australian desert….  Then I delve in to my new book “Human Sacrifice and the Supernatural in Africa”. It is fascinating, a glimpse in to the philosophy that lies beneath the Christian/Muslim surface in these lands….

When I have read enough I head out to town. On my way, as I pass the Commonwealth War cemetery I stop to watch a group of colorfully dressed ladies dancing beautifully  to Gospel Music – a Video is being made. Passers by are totally uninterested, seems this is an everyday thing.  I wander around a bit, stop for a coffee at the Neema (American volunteers loudly complaining about their students lack of interest in calculus – no kidding!) and return to the Gentle Hills. Here the courtyard has been taken over by another Gospel group who are also making a video. I chat with the Pastor and he tells me they have come all the way from Mufindi for this event and he encourages me to take pictures of them. Then (I should have seen it coming!) I am invited to participate in the dance – to be part of their video. I hate making a fool of myself (I am a lousy dancer) but cannot possibly refuse. The girls from the reception come out to watch and almost fall over laughing as I try to follow the smooth rhythms of the boys as the plaster Elephant looks solemnly on. All good fun.

In the afternoon I meet up with Modest and Ernest, back from their long field trip and we make plans for the trip back to Dar. In the evening I settle my bill at the Gentle Hills and promise my friends at the reception that I will never forget then and will certainly return.

Next morning it’s an early start – we have a long way to go. Modest picks me up in the Land Cruiser and with him – surprise – is Isam. I am very happy to see him, and Modest is a bit embarrassed – Isam insisted on coming and apparently he has never been to Dar so its a great adventure for him. I say – the more the merrier, let’s go! We head off down the Tanzam highway as the sun touches the mountain tops, our destination: Morogoro and The Uluguru Mountains.

It is a beautiful drive, passing the Ruaha River gorge, Udzungwa Mountains and Mikumi National Park. I could go on and on like this watching the land unfold, stopping occasionally at some quirky roadside cafe… Around mid-day we turn off the highway and, passing through an area of rice-paddies and palm trees we enter Morogoro. It’s a big, sprawling town , huge shade trees at every corner and looming above are the towering Uluguru mountains.

We pass through the bustling (even in the mid-day heat) center and down a side street we pull up at the small office of a Safari/Hiking/Mountain-Biking outfit. I meet Kelvin, the owner, and Halima his diminutive hiking guide, who will be our hosts for the next day or so. Kelvin suggests various routes and options up into the Ulugurus but it is so hot and the mountains look so high, I can’t imagine trekking up there at the moment. I suggest we do the mountain bit tomorrow morning and for now maybe something less strenuous? Everybody seems to be happy with this so we drive off to a large reservoir where there is a picnic site/fish restaurant.  Sounds good to me.

Sadly, when we get there the place has been closed down. Last year there were a few cases of Cholera in the area and the Health Ministry acted swiftly; the BBQ shack has been demolished and there is a guard blocking access to  Morogoro’s main source of drinking water.  It makes sense, but the abandoned dug-out canoes and rotting nets make a sad sight. we are allowed a short walk around. Modest has told everyone I am keen on birds, so they are all desperately looking for a bird to make up for the debacle, but there’s not much around in the middle of the day except for a stunning Red-chested Sunbird spotted by Modest. Satisfied, we go up the road to the local chip-shop for some “Chips Maiai” – egg and chips a-la Morogoro.

Kelvin suggests some bird-watching in a bit of forest along a river for the afternoon. I say that sounds great, imagining a stroll along a  river bank, as interesting birds hop around in the trees. We drive a short way into the foothills and Halima, Isam and I set off on foot. The “forest” is more of a jungle really and there’s not much of a path, it’s fun dodging under vines and scrambling over boulders but there isn’t a bird to be seen despite Halima and Isam’s  best efforts. We sit quietly on a big boulder for a bit and eventually hear a Common Bulbul chirp a couple of times.  I tell them to forget about birds,   we find our way back to the road and walk along it to where Modest and Kelvin are waiting for us in a shady spot by the river.

Just across the  street is a lovely little garden-bar and we move over there for some cold drinks. I stick to my Passion-fruit Fanta and the boys have beers as we sit and watch the mountains change colours as evening falls.  A cheer goes up from the bar – Manchester United have scored against Arsenal. We sit and talk and the sky turns purple as the stories get longer, the motorbikes faster, the Lions bigger and the Crocodiles sneakier….

Next morning we leave early and drive up into the Uluguru Mountains, as high as the road will take us. We pass children on their way to school and women walking down the mountain with huge baskets of bananas on their heads en route to market. Halima, Isam and I leave the car and go on by foot, through banana patches, cocoa-yams and the little hamlets in which the Uluguru people live. The steep land is very well cared for, trees are planted to prevent erosion  – these people could teach a Permaculture course. Lots of water – streams and little waterfalls everywhere, always well attended by brightly coloured butterflies.

We take our time – there are a lot of nice birds to see – bur we are steadily getting higher up in to the mountain. Then we come around a corner and there is a large stone building across the valley – Morningside, the old German mission which is our first stop today. We are soon there (it is now an agriculture experimental farm) and enjoy the spectacular view of the plains far below.

It has been a pretty steep climb up to here and I am bushed; I have been living in a flat land for too long! I am not sure if I am up for more, for now I’m happy to sit on the terrace and enjoy this place; Those German Missionaries sure chose a good spot!

A Brown Snake Eagle cruises past and perches on a tree nearby. Then from the cliffs above us rises a large Falcon – a Peregrine! I watch it soar away high into the sky over the town below us – no doubt a rich hunting ground.  Brightly coloured Waxbills hop around in the long grass  and I start wondering about our packed lunch.  It seems we don’t have any! Well, I ask, maybe we can get some bananas – seem to be a lot around. The caretaker pulls out his mobile and calls the farmer across the valley, but nobody’s home, all gone to market.  He does, however have some carrots. So carrots it is. They are not very nice, but do the job. Fortified and encouraged by the rare Falcon’s sighting I agree to push on a bit.

On we climb, the path now consists of steps carved out of the hard Laterite soil. Up and up, till we reach the tree-line – the top part of the mountains is a reserve, no farming or tree-felling allowed. I feel this is good enough, the peak is still 600 metres above us – another time.  It’s different up here, we are really (only just!) in the mountains and I am glad I made the effort.  We find a nice place to hang out and sit here for a while talking about mountains and all sorts of things. It is the middle of the day, so not many birds or animals are moving in the forest. I had hoped to see a bird called Livingston’s Turaco up here – it’s   very exotic looking  (bright green, with a long crest) and for some reason I am a bit obsessed with it. But no Turacos. So we make our way down again .  Now that we have made our little pilgrimage the spirits of Uluguru are kind to us: we soon run into a couple of ladies with baskets of bananas and they are happy to sell us some. They are so delicious it almost indecent; you can taste the mountain soil and water, the butterflies and the wildflowers in the sweetness of those bananas. I could go on and on about them (I’m a bit of a Banana connoisseur -used to grow them in La Gomera a while back).

And then Isam spots a large bird in a  nearby tree-top. It is darkish  and has some reddish tints but against the light it is hard to make out, I reckon it’s a Black Coucal, not so special. But then it hops down a few branches and launches in to the air, an explosion of blue, red and green, sailing into the bushes just in front of us.  Man! What a bird –  it is a Purple-crested Turaco , and they don’t come much more colorful than this. Its a lovely final gift from the Uluguru and Tanzania.

After that there’s not much to add. A few hours later Modest drops me off at the airport in Dar es-Salaam  (after promising me he will take Isam to the beach tomorrow). I get on a plane, fly over Africa,  land in Istanbul’s crazy airport, get on another plane and a few hours later I am in Belgium. Such different worlds  ….  and yet… hard to explain …  it’s all made from the same stuff.