Continued from previous Tanzania Blog and arrived in Dares Salam

Dares Salam

After crazy heaving traffic with crazy Tanzanian drivers we arrived at the Mozambican Embassy. For the first time in all my travels my South African passport has come in handy as South Africans don't need a visa for Mozambique. However we still needed to get one for Jonny and it turned out that it was not a simple process. We needed to write a letter introducing ourselves and our intentions, also a bank statement to show you have the funds to travel and then to top it off $60 for the visa but you wait 5 days or pay $100 and you wait 5 hours (such a load of b******s and a con as they know everyone will pay $100 as Dares Salam is not somewhere you want to spend 5 days). However with it being a Friday and 12 o clock nothing gets done so we would have to come back.

Next stop down to Kukotoni front to but ferry tickets to Zanzibar which was entertaining as you get bombarded by many trying to sell you tickets and then one of the locals told me I could park illegally on the pavement and then charged me for the privilege (love Africa). Got return fast ferry 1.5 hours to Zanzibar tickets for $80 each and yes locals pay a tenth of that. We decided we had had a fill of Dares Salam for the day 2 hours was enough and went to catch the local car ferry across to South beach to find somewhere to camp. The Mangongoni ferry, well very different to the Torpoint ferry linking Devon and Cornwall. Here you pill cars, motorbikes, people, goats, chickens to the max with people squeezed inbetween the cars and motorbikes transporting wooden beds as cargo.

Found a camp spot at Makardi beach which was right on the beach with a bar and a pool. The security at the camp was 5 Massai boys walking round with machetes so we figured it would be safe to leave out car here for a few days as we head to Zanzibar.

Zanzibar

Up at 5am to pack up the car, caught a TUC TUC to the car ferry and then the ferry across to Dares Salam. We were on the fast ferry to Zazibar at 7am and in Zanzibar by 9am eating a chapatti and drinking local spiced tea on the beachfront Stone town. We wondered around Stone Town, went to the old slave market but decided not to bother with Freddie Mercury's house as many make the claim and no one really knows. Booked a motorbike for the following day to explore the whole island $25 for a Honda 250 cc two up. Went to the Forandhani garens to watch the sun set from the front of Stone Town. Forandhini gardens is the place to buy local food and many tables are set up selling everything from shark, lobster to Zanzibar Pizza which is chapatti egg and what ever topping you like.

The next day we set off 8am on the motorbike, took Jonny a moment to get his bike driving back and for us not to be knocked off by the crazy Dalla Dallas (that's minibus to you and I). First stop Jozani forest to see Kirks red Colobus monkeys and then onto Kizimkazi village on the beach in the South. Kizimkazi was stunning, white sands and crystal waters but depressingly we arrived just as the local fishermen had pulled out 2 large rays and a couple of sharks. The locals did not even know what sharks they where just it was food and therefore money to them, made me sad to watch it slowly dying on the beach. Next stop was the east coast and again amazingly beautiful beaches. We were there just 2 minutes before a guy on a motorbike came flying down the beach and asked if we wanted to buy any weed. Zanzibar has got to be the place for weed as we were offered it many times over the few days we where there.

We then decided to head North, first we stopped for fuel and were told no as we were not local luckily the next place agreed and gave us fuel but 2 mins up the road the police stopped us. The police said we had committed an offence by stopping at the 3 way junction (interesting as I thought that was what one does when arriving at a junction before proceeding). He was after some cash and he was not getting it so after some discussing he let us on our way. We got round the whole island and saw the true Zanzibar not the one people see when they fly in for their honeymoom at their 5* lodge and it was interesting.

We would have liked to do some diving but it was expensive and we still have some way to go before then end of our trip so we decided to head out snorkeling instead and save the diving for Northern Mozambique. The visibility was good so we got to snorkel on a small wreck saw lots of beautiful reef animals including a lion fish. After 3 days we had crammed in a lot of Zanzibar and decided to take the ferry back to the mainland.

Dares Salam

Mozambique Embassy only to be told Jonnys visa would be $60 but we would have to wait 5 days or we could pay $100 and get it that day (again what a con as the embassy was not busy and all they do is stick a sticker in your passport). Not really 5 days worth of things to do in Dares Salam so we paid the extra and waited all day for the visa.

At 4pm just as the embassy closes they gave it to us and we headed to a supermarket to stock up on food and beer as no more supermarkets for a long while.

Kilwa Masoko

6 hours drive south and the best east African ruins so we stopped as a good half way point towards the Mozambican border.

After driving down sand tracks through the village we found Kilwa Dreams camp, which was beautiful. We camp right on the white sands of the beach. The shower had a large window that looked out over the bay (probably the best view from a shower we have ever had). Weirdly 2 Italians pulled in after us to camp and bought 5 beautiful large crayfish from a local for 45 000TSH which is £20 but had just been fished out and were still alive. The crayfish were stunningly beautiful so it was sad to see them go.

Masasi

Reluctantly left our beautiful spot on the beach and headed south for Lindi. At Lindi we tried to get cash out of the one ATM but it had run out of cash and it was a Friday so no money till Monday. We know had to make a decision do we drive down to the Mozambican/Tanzanian border on the estuary and try to get our car across on the several dugout canoes and hope we can get fuel and cash or do we drive inland to Masasi where we know there s now a bridge crossing the Rovuma river, fuel and money but it's a long way out of our way. Based on the fact the dugout canoes can only take the car at super high tide and some have sunk we decided to take the reliable option and head for the bridge.

After a long days driving we arrived at Masasi but there is little or should I say no information on the bridge/border crossing. We tried to find immigration which turned out to be a small mud hut hidden away with no signs and it was shut. We decided to call it a day and find somewhere to sleep for the night. Tried one guest house with large car park but they wanted to charge $20 for us to sleep in their car park, next one which was in lonely planet turned out to be shut and squatered in and it was now getting dark. Eventually after some time we followed a sign for explorers lodge which turned out to be a new guest house with safe parking for the car, a bar and it was cheap £12 for the night for a double room with bathroom. The owners where so lovely we got a cold beer, they fed us and someone washed our car.