It's time to do it pole pole ;)

Thursday – 17.04.2014

After watching acrobats do crazy stuff we went to bed early because we had a long trip ahead of us on Thursday. We spent all day (seriously, ALL day) in the car. We were going from Arusha to Pangani, which is coastal region. The drive took 10 hours. After about 6 hours, we took a break and had lunch Tanzanian way. We stopped at a road restaurant where you can get barbecue meat and chips. I was used to this, but my parents were a little bit clueless at first. After a nice lunch we continued our trip.

When we finally got to Pangani, we still had to take the ferry to cross Pangani river. Even though it was already late at night, it was still boiling hot. Frank didn't exaggerate when he told us we were going to the hot part of the country. For such a late hour, there were still a lot of people out. Opposed to where we teach, there were a lot of Muslims here. Most people in Tanzania are Christian but in the coastal areas and on Zanzibar, the majority is Islamic. It was quite different to only see veiled women.

We still had to drive for half an hour before arriving at our hotel. Upon arrival the staff was still waiting for us to have dinner (which was really good, because I was starving). We put our bags in our rooms and then we hurried back to the hotel's restaurant, where we were served a delicious meal.

Friday – 18.04.2014

The next day I woke up to a view of the ocean. Oh, I didn't tell you yet? Our rooms were huts on the beach. Amazing! From my bed I could see (and smell) the ocean. This is must be what paradise is like. The heat from the night before hadn't let off. In fact, it was only getting warmer after the sun had risen. It was too hot for me to even move. Okay, I did move from my bed to the restaurant for breakfast. After that, I moved from the restaurant to a tanning bed and that was that.

Eventually, my dad and I went swimming in the ocean. I was very hesitant. You know, the ocean is always so excruciatingly cold, right? Right? Wrong! The water was deliciously warm. It was so amazing, I spent hours in the water. After lunch I went back to lounging on a tanning bed and reading a book.

We were planning to go to the diving centre nearby in the late afternoon. The hotel staff had told us that was the best moment to catch the diving instructors. While laying on the beach we noticed them walk by though and we had a chat with them. It turned out that Wim, one of the instructors, was Belgian, from Mechelen actually. We arranged to go diving with them the next day. I was really excited and Wim kept riling me up by talking about how amazing the underwater world was there.

After another amazing dinner, thunderclouds rolled in and a storm broke out. Thunder, lighting, rain, the whole shebang and then... no electricity. No problem, been there, done that. At least for me, it was no problem. For my parents it was a little bit more annoying, but they pulled through.

The most annoying thing about the electricity that stopped working was the fact that you couldn't turn on the ventilator during the night. Honestly, without it, it was too hot to fall asleep. Thankfully, it cooled down a little because of the rain, but I prefer the climate in Getamock.

Saturday – 19.04.2014

On Saturday, we had to get up early because it was diving day. We took a small wooden boat to Maziwe Island, the marine reserve where we were going to dive. Two Tanzanian men were in charge of the boat, while Wim and Kerstin told us some more about the marine reserve. On our way there the two men were fishing as well. You never know, you might catch some dinner. And they did! We had barely left and they hauled a huge fish on board. Wim and Kerstin explained to us that it was quite unusual to catch something. So that night, in both men's families there would be a celebratory meal. Furthermore, they told us that in the marine reserve a lot of local fishers still throw dynamite in the water and wait for the dead fish to come to the surface even though this is highly illegal. Consequently, the reef has been damaged severely and quite some kinds of fish have disappeared. Therefore, together with some friends they founded an organisation that keeps an eye on it. Now, there are several patrols a day and the reef is healing itself and fish are starting to come back. Unfortunately, some damage is irreversible. Until several years ago there was a small island with trees etc., Maziwe Island, to which the reserve owes his name. Now, the trees have disappeared and so does the island when it is high tide.

We went on our first dive not too far from the island, which was only slightly exposed at that moment. I was astounded. This kind of underwater world was something I had never seen before. There was such a diversity I didn't know where to look first. Nevertheless, I only saw a glimpse of what it used to be like. It was also noticeable that some areas were damaged more by the dynamite than others, but you could also see that the reef was recovering. Maybe one day, it will be again like it used to be and that day, I'm coming for another dive ;)

After our first dive, we could see dolphins swimming nearby, but we were told that they would not come closer to us. The dolphins there are scared of people, which is a good thing, because otherwise they might be captured and killed by the local fishermen. We kept looking at them for a while and then we went to the Maziwe Island to have a picnic. Like the good divers we are, we cleaned up after ourselves, because when the island floods again, the ocean takes the dirt with. We went around the island, that now was a lot of bigger than in the morning. I was astounded again, this time not by beauty though. There was a huge amount of garbage on the island. Wim and Kerstin explained that it comes with the stream from Dar Es Salaam. We tried to gather as much of it as possible, and most importantly, the things that were most dangerous for the sea life, and put it on a big cloth. Later on, one of the patrols would pick it up and take it to the coast were it would be dispensed of properly.

Then we went for our second dive and again I was mesmerised. What I saw, was true beauty. All I can say is that it was a dive I will never forget and maybe it will be the best one I'll ever do. When we got back to the hotel, I spent the rest of my day like the day before: on a tanning bed reading a book.

Sunday – 20.04.2014

On Sunday, we did the same thing as on Thursday, except in the opposite direction. Our lazy days were over and we were going back to the inland. This time we went to Moshi, only two hours from Arusha. Talking about two hours.... We weren't even on our way for two hours yet when we got a flat tyre. Frank was changing it in the Pangani heat. I felt truly sorry for the guy. While he was working hard, I noticed some small children in school uniform sitting at the side of the road watching us. I went up to them pointed to my wrist and used my amazing Kiswahili skills to say: “Wakati shule.” (Time school) If I had thought a little bit longer about what to say, I would have realised I had to say “Wakati kwa shule” (Time for school). Then I said: “Kwa nini si shule?” (Why not school?). When they answered, I realised I hadn't thought it through. I had no clue what they were saying. Thankfully, Frank noticed my distress and translated it for me. Apparently, the kids were standard 1 and 2 students and they only have to go to school for half a day. They were already on their way back home and because of their interest in our flat tyre (or our skin colour :p), I had learned something new. :) After an hour we could continue our trip again and because of the clear weather, we had an amazing view on the Kilimanjaro for the longest time.

When we arrived in our hotel in Moshi, the first thing we did was have dinner. It didn't take very long for me to become friends with the waiter. I have noticed that people here love it when you try to speak Kiswahili, even if it just hi or how are you. It is not a lot of effort to say something like that, but you do let them know that you're trying and they truly appreciate it.

Monday – 21.04.2014

While on Sunday we could see the Kilimanjaro from our car window, on Monday we climbed it. Okay, not really, we walked up to the halfway point. So we did the easy part of the climb to the top, actually going to the top, takes 10 days to two weeks. In one day you can get halfway up the Kilimanjaro, but from that point on it gets tough. Honestly, the first part was already torture for us. It was raining incredibly hard and we were soaked. When we finally got back to our starting point, it looked as if we had jumped in a pool with our clothes on. We still had to sit in the car for an hour before we got back to the hotel, so my mum and I each bought a kanga (a huge square of fabric that African women wear either as skirts, dresses or t-shirts). My dad said the pattern on the kanga wasn't really his style, so he didn't buy one. I think it would have looked very nice on him though ;)

When we got back to our hotel in Moshi, I took a hot shower. It felt so amazing after the cold rain! :) When I got back out, I had the most amazing view on the Kilimanjaro from my window. We ran up to the roof from the hotel (yes, it had stopped raining) to take some pictures and honestly, our pictures look like they belong in a magazine.

You jelly again? I know, it's okay ;)

You all have the greetings from the Tanzanian sun (and me!)

xxx