Tanzania today!!! Whilst this is a generally hot country, the weather in the mountainous regions gets notoriously cold and tonight, our campsite is at altitude! That means we'll be getting cold, very cold, for the first time in a long time.

I figured I haven't quoted from the itinerary for a while so here we go:-

"Tanzania

Tanzania is mountainous in the northeast where Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa's highest freestanding mountain, is situated. To the north and west are the Great Lakes of Lake Victoria (Africa's largest lake) and Lake Tanganyika (Africa's deepest lake, known for its unique species of fish). Central Tanzania comprises a large plateau, with plains and arable land. The eastern shore is hot and humid, with the island of Zanzibar lying just offshore.

Tanzania has a tropical type of climate. In the highlands, temperatures range between 10˚C and 20˚C during cold and hot seasons respectively. The rest of the country has temperatures rarely falling lower than 20˚C. The hottest period extends between November and February (25˚C - 31˚C) while the coldest period occurs between May and August (15˚C - 20˚C)."

We have also been learning a few words in Swahili which I've decided is a really amazing language and great fun! For example:-

• Hello - Jambo
• Thank you - Asante
• Thank you very much - Asante sana
• Welcome - Karibu
• You're very welcome - Karibu sana
• Goodbye - Kwaheri
• How much - Ngapi

And of course…not forgetting that old Lion King favourite Hakuna Matata which means no worries! A very popular phrase here apparently! I've also just found out that Adam's NEVER seen the Lion King….Whhhhaaaaattttttt!!! Must do something about that!

So today was another boring driving day. We crossed the border without too many difficulties and carried on driving for what seemed like forever. Not long after crossing the border Mandla got stopped for speeding. He was speeding but only just and that's only because the police have changed the speed limit since he last drove this road. It was also because there are no road signs to tell him the speed limit. He was going 20kph….

He had to pay the policeman a small bribe not to write him a ticket which he told us is very common, especially when the policeman spot a foreigner, even if he's African!

When we finally arrived at the campsite we had been driving for about 12 hours and it was soon to get dark. We set up our tents quickly and Mandla and Vincent informed us that we had a treat in store…they would not be cooking and instead would pay for a meal in the lovely restaurant on site. Nice!

I feel I must also add that this campsite has the cleanest long drop toilets I've ever seen in my life!!! If it's possible to have such pleasant long drops then why aren't they all like this? The showers are pretty good too so I've been told although I've yet to try them.

It's cold here, very cold. We're all wrapped up in fleeces and jackets and I'd be wearing gloves right now if I had any but unfortunately they were posted home when we were in South Africa…

Dinner was in a hut built in a traditional Maasai style, although with a few mod cons such as comfy tables and chairs! We had a set menu to choose from and the food was quite nice, although not amazing. The main thing though is that the food was hot and we had little fires around us to keep warm.

Tomorrow we have a shorter drive ahead and will quickly be dropping altitude to warmer weather. We'll also be arriving at yet another game reserve.

Sarah