My 35 day African Overland Truck Adventure was nearing the end. Day 29 was an 11 hour driving day (not including an hour time change and an hour crossing the border from Malawi into Tanzania). We left our campsite at Lake Malawi by 6am and arrived to the border of Tanzania at 8am. One hour later and we were on the road again (that was a big theme of the trip…on the road again…ha ha! A few of the other travelers weren’t prepared for the challenges of all the driving and camping. I added up how many hours of driving there were before I booked the trip and knew what I was getting myself into.)
We arrived at the Kisolanza Restcamp, nicknamed the “Old Farmhouse” at 5:30pm. Because we were leaving in the morning by 5am, I decided to upgrade one last time to a room. It was in an old horse stall (that had been renovated) and cost $30. That’s one of the downsides of traveling solo – you don’t have someone to split the cost with (but there are plenty of upsides). There was a down comforter on the bed..oouu…ahh! And fresh flowers! Here’s the room…
The next morning we didn’t even eat breakfast until we had been traveling for three hours. We stopped at 8am – had our quick breakfast and made a sandwich to eat on the truck. I rode up front with the driver, James, for a while and played music from my I-Pod. He would take the intercom walkie-talkie and have it next to the speaker so the passengers in the back could hear the music. I played everything from 50’s to current music. I’m sure some of the 20 somethings loved my older music!
We were stopped twice within one hour by the police for allegedly speeding and James had to give them money…that they just pocketed. Another time he was stopped and the officer said he was hungry! James told him, “Sorry man, I don’t have anything”!
We passed a pineapple field…
As we entered the outskirts of Dar Es Salaam, there were lots of people, shacks, and markets for miles and miles…
Thirteen hours later, we arrived at Makadi Beach Resort (campground) at 6pm. After setting up my tent, having a drink, dinner and a quick swim in the pool…it was time to prepare for bed. We were told not to swim in the ocean there because it was polluted from sewage, etc. Even though you don’t do much while you’re in the Overland Truck, you still seem to be tired.
Before coming to Africa, I didn’t know what to expect. I was in the middle of reading some books about Africa while driving through it, so I was learning more. I wasn’t aware that there was so much corruption within the government and military in Tanzania and some of the other countries!
Sherry Lachelle Travels 