Leaving Arusha After trying to decide what to do next as all our plans were upside down from the start, we costed out going to Pemba Island and Zanzibar which was my top choice... But sadly it was so expensive with all of us, no concession prices for kids at all on this small planes. Would have been $2000.... So no exotic island for me! So we decide to hit the road and head to lake Victoria which had been an original destination. Kids are sad to leave snake park camp but we will be back this way to catch a flight back to Dar to return home. We look up a few places to stay on route as it should be a few days drive, and off we go back in the car. Great sights you see on the way, the Masai do make amazing sights. Wrapped in their Masai cloth, spears and on motorbikes driving along holding goats, and as Theo keeps pointing out they all have phones... Even the kids, I am just not a fair mother apparently ! . What I want to know is how when you live in a mud hut can you charge it!!!! But really that makes the sight even stranger.... We manage to find an ATM machine to get money for fuel and we settle in for the drive. We climb higher and higher again and the there is so much being grown and all you see is the people walking to work the fields carrying massive machetes.. Could be scary but you know they are just using them for the crops! There's a camp that sounded great in the bradt guide book, we get there and it's totally derelict...so we move on. Ben wants to camp wild but here it's much harder than last year as there is just so many villages and people walking around all over the place. It's quite open too so no hiding behind a tree and staying low key. We attract a lot of attention so we wouldn't be left alone, so we carry on to the next place. It sounds rather grand and I have high hopes... The royal beach hotel.... We find it and no way Jose.... Lovely view but no water and we are running low so once again we move on. I'm getting worried now as they isn't anywhere left to stay. But then Ben checks the GPS and there is a camp called waterfall camp... So off we go... We turn off onto the roughest road we have ever driven, a real teeth rattler.... I'm surprised Monty doesn't fall to pieces, the road is corrugated mud and Ben has to swerve from side to side of the road to avoid massive pot holes constantly . All the people walking or cycling along the road helpfully move out the way, but I imagine we are a scary sight careering along fully loaded. Everyone waves and shout Jambo constantly, we are an unusual sight with white kids in the car. We are heading towards the mountains in the distance and there is just what I think is paddy fields all around us now. I've never seen it before and just field after field of flooded sections with what looks like long grass in. Need to research it as does just one grain of rice grow on each one? If so that's just unbelievable.. So much is needed to fill a bag!! We drive through a village and then through a river that Ben gets out to walk through first to check we can make it. Then into the forest and we make a wrong turn and find a hobo asleep in the grass, makes me feel nervous and I'm not feeling like this camp is going to be one either! As its getting late I'm feeling anxious.... The hobo takes us to the spot just a little way further and it is literally a spot next to the waterfall. I'm expecting a campsite! It is beautiful though and we make camp, it's funny as we think no one saw us but suddenly a guy turns up on his motorbike and says we need a night security man x3.... This does nothing to make me feel any better! Ben says we will pay for one only and he goes off to look at the waterfall with the boys while I make dinner. Then the brother apparently of the other guy turns up and says we need him too. Nice guys very friendly nothing ominous about them. Basically they want to just make some money and we are the perfect opportunity! I rustle up a potato curry with rice and also feed the hobo and security man. The hobo has very helpfully pulled lots of wood together to make a fire for us. The fires lit and we eat around it and the dark falls very quickly. We jump straight into bed as we know this is leopard country... I didn't sleep well as we had parked under a tree that constantly dropped things on top of out tent, making me jump out my skin all night. I feel more nervous that there is 2 guys guarding us outside... They said it was safe but .....we awake early and pack up and have a look all together at the waterfall. It is amazing massive rocks and theo has a great time leaping and climbing over the waterfall. He has found his skill he is just amazing at climbing, Gabe just can't keep up and falls in! As we look around you can actually see very fresh paw prints in the mud of the leopard.. Amazing to think it had been just a few metres from where we had slept a few hours ago!!! We set off and take the security man to the police station as we know have to apparently pay some more money to have camped... But it isn't much and I suppose they have to make money somehow. We set off back along the worst road in the world again and have breakfast on the way. Cereal in a cup! We drive and every time we get to a town there is no where to stay, I look at one hotel and it was awful.. If I'm going to pay money to stay somewhere I'm not going to pay for somewhere terrible! I'd rather camp for sure..... But nowhere to bush camp and we drive and drive.... More towns nowhere.... It is so off the tourist trail there is nothing around. Just really awful motels that the lorry drivers sleep in. The roads are scenic but terrible, massive lorries which mean this route is a major route for transport. High potholes and exhaust fumes from the lorries, we see quite a few accidents too... Not enjoying this drive at all.... We meant to stop and break this journey but we have to press on. We get stopped for speeding again... Fined and it is annoying as we had tried so hard to comply with the signs, but they basically don't make sense! Then to top it all poor Theo starts to be sick out the window... He turns green and can't stop, just came out of nowhere. He had a few tummy pains but nothing too bad. We stop mop him up and Monty !! Thank goodness for wet ones that's all I can say. As we drive he is sick again and again , but so good and brave, he knows we have to just get there and no point in stopping. So he silently keeps puking out the window and I hand over the wet ones... Holding his hand.... Bless him...we finally arrive at the hotel after 11 hours of driving... A record for us....in shinyanga... Omg... I can't believe we are going to stay here... But we have no choice, it's nearly dark and there is literally nowhere else to go. We check in and I share with Theo and Ben shares with Gabe. We go down for dinner no it goes from bad to worse, wait ages... Food not great... But need something. Theo just pale, has a fever and after some paracetamol falls asleep. There is a massive storm and the electric goes too. The room is hot but we do have a mossie net at least. Poor Theo is up a few times in the night, both ends upsetting him now.... But at least I'm with him, more medicine brings his fever down and I spend the night worrying about him. Next morning he seems a bit better and has a shower and we have breakfast, he nibbles some omlette and is on the mend I think