We wanted to do a snorkelling trip in the Mombasa waters but the Kenyan government is again on top of that - only $15pp though and we decided this one we would take. Captain Kassim took us out on his dhow with Mustafa the name sake of the boat and another Rasta-looking chap wearing a sleeveless shirt and underpants. We went out into the marine reserve which runs along the Mombasa coastlines and were wowed by the abundant marine life living amongst the coral. We snorkelled at 4 different sites and saw amazing fish in the clear blue Mombasa waters and all got pretty ultra-violated in the sun!

We broke camp and headed out of Mombasa, to cross the port entrance we had to take a car ferry which even though it was nearing rush hour did not cost us too much time and only KES90 (R9). On the other side we headed for Tiwi Beach, a popular area south of Mombasa we had heard of. There we found a little spot of paradise called Twigo Campsite which for your R30pppn you got to camp on the beach. Lamb chops and roasted veggies on our braaibonfire was a perfect way to relax under a blanket of stars. Then the dogs barked all night and it rained periodically to keep us awake!

The next morning we relaxed on the beach and were severely harassed by fishermen and curio sellers that motioned past us all day. In the end Sarah bought a few things and we bought 2 big fish and a small octopus, no jokes. We packed up camp in the heat of the day and headed out, stopping for some local fare in the village: chapatti with sour beans and coconut milk. Ant was lead into the village past the Mganga (traditional healer's) house to collect this from an overweight mama sitting outside on her little porch. Meanwhile Joey and Sarah collected some deep fried potatoes from an old lady on the roadside. 4 chapatti, some beans and 40 potato pieces is about the most starch you'll get but for R12 we were chuffed and it tasted so good!

The road to Tanga was uneventful stuff, the Kenyan side being terrible and falling apart, the Tanzanian side brand new! The border was weird in that customs was 5km before but we were through in no time and only $25. We had got into Kenya without paying a cent surprisingly missing the $20 road tax but even though we had paid the tax in Tanzania less than a month before we had to cough up again. Ant questioned some of the guys at the border about the high cost to tourists and his response was that South Africa has lots of money so they must pay!

We arrived in Tanga around 6pm and found the campsite to be as good as Andre and Anne (who we met in Nairobi and Iringa) had said it was. "Tanga has nothing but Peponi is a real gem". It seems there are a number of places in the area as well that seem very good. Peponi is run by South AfricanTanzanian folk and they are situated right on a beautiful stretch of beach covered in coral and dhows bobbing off-shore, a real typical image on the Tanzanian coast.

That night we braaied some fresh fish we bought in Tiwi as well as the octopus. Ant took great delight in cooking it, especially with the way it changed colour from ghostly white to pale reddish purple and expanded and shrunk into a ball. Very tasty in the end!

Early the next morning the three of us had a long walk up the coast, passing through the mangrove forests and collecting shells. When we got back it was fun to catch up with our friends Martin and Monika who we'd met at Cape Maclear. They had taken much longer to drive up the Mozambique coast and were planning to climb Kilimanjaro the following week but had come down to the beach since Monika had fallen ill with a cold. We delayed our departure again (as usual) exchanging stories and giving each other good advice about the road ahead.

Back on the road the highlight came very quickly as on a sharp turn in the dirt road a police car, a Land Rover Defender, had come off and rolled into a ditch on the side of the road. It was probably avoiding the truck that had broken down just behind it so the traffic had backed up on both sides and the police were loitering around aimlessly with their car upside down, down the bank. Enter Chipolopolo with a winch and a sling! They had a sisal rope and another Land Cruiser tried to pull it but the rope snapped. We got into the thick of things, tied the winch to the other cruiser who tied the sling around the Defender and literally whipped it right and pulled it out. Nobody said it but everyone knew that two things happened that day: the Land Cruisers beat the Defenders and the expats got one over the police!

One would think the cops would be a bit lenient after that stroke of luck and good will from the expats but back on the main road a respectable officer of the law was looking for a bribe. We had too many bags in our car. Seriously. Off all the things he could try to force the issue with he chose our luggage. He could probably have found something wrong with our car and with many smiles and much laughter Ant suggested he check the pressure on the spare tyres or pull the dip stick for the oil since he was being ridiculous. Eventually he started getting upset with Ant for talking lots and loudly on the roadside that he just held on to the fact that Ant wasn't wearing a seatbelt in the back, not a crime in Tanzanian but a contravention in his book. In the end we paid TZS 5000 (R25) which is a moral dilemma: do we pay a bribe to keep going or the full TZS 30000 for a fake offence?

The road to Dar we had done some of on the way in and was mostly boring. We stopped for a coke and bought some "meat" samosas, some airtime and Joey traded some tins and cups for a huge packet of naartjies. The road near Dar was very busy and slow, but we missed the peak traffic and got into the city around 18:30. There is a ferry to cross the harbour which we drove onto and without any hassle made it to Sunrise Campsite that Martin had recommended to us in the morning. We had some fish for dinner, expertly fried in Joey batter style and crashed with high expectations of Zanzibar, with the waves crashing nearby!