Hello,

Now Sundayevening I write this from a hotel in Dodoma, the capital of Tanzania.

Yes, I have done some miles so I will start at the beginning of Saturday 24th.

After 2 days in that beautiful lodge I had to pack and go again.  Unfortunately the 2 days had rains in the afternoon and the road to the lodge from the main road is only a dirt road so there was some mud when I left.  I almost crwled back to the road  for about one km since I had no urge to go rubbers up again and get more damage.

Anyway , I made it safely but the clean boots were like before, totally covered in mud.

I headed for Nakuru since I had planned that and to go further to Uganda from there.   But, since I had cancelled the Uganda/Rwanda trip I decided to drop Nakuru and head for Nairobi and onwards to the border.

All went well till Nairobi which is not a tiny village but a city that starts at 45 km before reaching the centre.  Luckily It was Saturday so all civil servants do not show up and its a bit more quiet on the road.  Sunday is even better.  

But badluck struck again by choosing th wrong road and ended up in the melee of downtown Nairobi.  Nice to experience but to ride a hot bike in that heat makes your helmet slip off your head with all the sweat that runs down.  But I got through with the help of some traffic policemen who are very friendly and helpfull.    Got out of Nairobi on the road to the border  with Tanzania.at Namanga.

Soon the road  was for me alone and I flew on.  In the whole of Kenia I have seen hardly any pothole.

Fine roads and that helps for the confidence.  Of course, I hate these bad stretches as in Ethiopia.

I reached the border by 2 PM and its a super modern border with all-in 1 building , both  Kenia and Tanzania together.   So it went all very fast and within 1 hr I was on the road again.   I wanted to take a hotel at the border but the customs officers said to go to Arusha at another 100 km.

Did so and it was a good thing.   On the way along Kilimanjaro  through the Serengeti I met a herd of approx 20 Girafs and a large herd of zebras.   All next to the road and it was as if you could touch them.

Those 100 km were quickly done this way and very pleasantly.   Arriving Arusha I had no idea for a hotel but the tourist lodges can be very pricy so I was carefull.  Found a big hotel and I was the only customer.

Wonder how they survive.   So I got all the attention of the personnel and enjoyed the beer, the super mixed grill and the SA wine.  What more do you want after a good 400 kms ?

All was not that clean and on the way to the toilet in the night I met some crawling creatures that we call cockroaches and I greated them since they reminded me of my years  living in Africa and sometimes battling with large cockroach families that invaded the house at night  with a favour for the towels and hence they jumped out and ran down my back when I used the towel.  Funny feeling but women do not really appreciate that and so I always fought with these animals that hide during the day in the septic tanks of the houses.

Did not sleep that great but felt fine so I took off at 8 AM to Dodoma at 400 kms and I was there before 2 PM.    Plenty hotels and chose a simple one but it has good wifi, a restaurant, looks clean and has cold Heineken.

The trip went that fast since I rode one of th nicest roads I ever travelled in Africa.  A brandnew road through the hills and valleys of the Rift  and not a soul or animal to be seen.  I enjoyed every second of it and it was a pity I ended up so quick in Dodoma.

Reaching Dodoma I wondered what to do.

2 options I have and thats to continue to Zambia and on to SA but I will do that within 10 days and that was not my plan.

With these nice roads here in Tanzania I can also bend to Rwanda and return to the Original plan but not coming from Uganda but from Tanzania to Rwanda.

Took the decision and so I will take off tomorrow to Kigali which is good for a 1000 kms.

If the road is good It will take me 2 days, but rain and traffic can prolonge that.  No hurry.

Hope the food is good tonight and that I sleep well.

Tiil next.

25-03-2018 om 16:55 geschreven door Paul Kemp  

Hi everyone,

Marsabit in the morning of Thursday 22nd was really depressive with heavy clouds into town and drizzle.

Wondered if that was for the day.  

Took off at 8 AM and an hour later going downhill into very flat but rocky land I dove into the Sunshine and warmed up lke a coldblooded animal.

For 250 km there seemed to be nothing although when one looks well there is more than the eye can see.

STill everywhere are people and in this cae I saw huts of nomads that wonder around with their camels, cattle , sheep and goats.  Such herds can be quite numerous and they are  often the rich people.

The women wear golden shells in their ears and have amber necklaces as well as silver armbands.

Wonder where they get their water from since its as dry as St Nicholas a….!

The riding was great, brandnew road and not a soul to  see.  Saw one bus and 2 landcruisers passing by so I enjoyed myself.  Still when its quiet like that one should never loose attention as always since animals can dive up from behind rocks and potholes can always occur or oil on the road from an accident.  Yes, even on a deserted straight road one sees vehicles turned over as if it was put there on purpose.

After that arid area till Isiolo It became more like Kenia and it became more beautifull by the km.

I ended up right on the equator in Nanyuki and drove another 6 km to a lodge that I had booked.  Marvelous place with new lodges, fine cuisine, cold beer, huge bed etc, so I enjoy myself after the ….holes in Ethiopia nad Northern Kenia.

I am now here for the second day and it just rained cats and dogs or more elephants and hippos.  Heavy rain coming from Mount Kenia.  Also yesterday It rained heavily.

I must realise that it becomes the heavy rainy season and I will enter right in the middle of it in Uganda and Rwanda.

Seen the problems with the bike , the possible bad roads in Uganda, the heavy rains everywhere  I decided to-day not to make the detour to Uganda and Rwanda but go straight to Tanzania via Nairobi, Arusha on to Dodoma, Mbeya, Zambia.

To morrow I still go to Nakuru and Sunday around Nairobi towards the border with Tanzania.

Will see how far I get since the rains might come up and I do not want to ride in such heavy showers and on slippery roads.  Have all the time in the world.

My homegoing from Kigali is thus also cancelled and I will see when I hit Lusaka and possibly fly home for 2 weeks from there.

In that time rains start to disappear in the Southern part and on return I will have no more of that till after the winter in October , a time that I should have left SA either home or elsewhere.

Depends on the state of the  bike , although it can be repaired in SA or I buy another one and ship it out to the next continent that I want to explore.

Hope it all works out well and that the bike will hold .  I turn thumbs for that.

Till next talk.

All the best.

23-03-2018 om 14:11 geschreven door Paul Kemp  

Hello,

Back again

But it took a few days for various reasons that you will read from here.

Its now Thursdayafternoon and I am actually in a beautiful lodge at the feet of  Mount Kenia near Nanyuki right on the equator.  Yes,  done some miles since Sunday and it almost all went well .

Let’s start Monday 19th.

Took off from Awasa where I had that nice Godolias hotel with a very good bed so slept ok.

Soon outside Awasa roadworks began and they did not stop for 160 km’s.  It was a gruelling day with a road without tarmac but stones on the slopes of the hills and mud in the lower parts.  And it was sticky red mud from which the locals make bricks to build walls and houses.

Of course after several hours of struggling with the bike I fell in the mud. The tyres were full and turned into slicks without any grip.  So I lay there with the bike on the right hand side and I could feel to be covered by the mud.   Onlookers were plentfull and after I crawled up they helped me to get the bike straight after which I took off again and fullfilled the 160 km’s.  It seemed never to end.

Than suddenly I had a brandnew road in front of me all the way to Yabelo for another 150 km’s.

It was a super treat and I rode like a madman.

Unfortunately the fall has damaged the bike further. Already In Egypt the footboard plate broke off from the frame but it also holds the rearbrake and the lower attachment of the engine guard.  Now the latter has no more stenght on the lower end so when I fell the E guard bent backwards and is out of line.

Brake still works but I fear for another time “ rubbers up “  and it could be end of journey.

Again that day i was amazed with the huge number of young people just roaming along the road, doing nothing apart from jelling at me.  Seems none have work and I wonder what they are gonna do with the doubling of numbers within the next 30 yrs.

I foresee disaster.  Millions of them will run North so better  prepare.

Actually there were problems in Ethiopia with the Oromia people.  Not just a smal tribe but a total of 36 million people who live south of Addis.  They are not happy with the government who seems unwilling to take them seriously so they strike and paralyse the country by blocking the roads.  This happened  on the 5th, 6th and 7th March.  Luckily this was noticed by my travelagent who switched those days to the North iso Harar and that was a good decision otherwise we would have been stuck in Harar for 3 days.

The government says all is under control but further actions might come including setting the petroltankers coming from Sudan to Gondar ablaze.  May be you remember I noticed so many burned out tankers on that road but could not know the cause.   Now it seems it happened before .

Also the government blocked the internet in the Oromia area and so I had none for several days.

In Yabelo I went to the only motel around but it was no luxury for 44 dollars.  Dirty and infested with mosquitos, holes in the mosquito net and windows that cannot be clssed.  I sprayed alomost a whole can but was still attacked in the night while it does not favour a good night rest.

Ok, the omelet and the coffee in the morning were ok so I took off at 8 AM to Moyale , the bordertown between ETH and Kenia.  The town is real Oromia area so the guide we had kept me uptodate by Phone on the political situation since last week 10  Oromia people were shot down in Moyale by security forces that are sent there to do the job.  They are from another ethic and do not speak the same language.

You always see that when troubles arise in Africa and their own brothers must stop them and shoot them.  Always another tribe.

In Moyale I set myself up in the Koket Borena hotel.   Again very basic , bit cleaner than the previous one and the food was good and the beer was cold so what else  do you want.  Yes, a good night sleep, but again the airforce was around and the net very porous with holes as big as tennisballs.

Of course, I survived but did not feel really fresh on Wednesdaymorning and it was not the beer !!

Drove to the border and there all went smooth both on ETH and Kenia side.

It all took approx 1,5 hours so by 10 AM I hit the road to Marsabit, once one of the most notorious roads in the world and that’s only 2 years ago.    See Youtube for horrible movies about that road from Moyale to Marsabit or reverse.

Now it is a highway and there was nobody on that road apart from the animals.

I flew to Marsabit in 3 hrs for 250 km’s.     Great riding in a beautiful landscape.

Arrived Marsabit at 13.30 hrs and found a place to sleep.   Did not want to continue since rain was on the way and the next hotel too far in Isiolo.

I booked into the Imperial hotel but I wonder why its called that way.  Nothing Imperial was to be noticed or seen.

But it was clean and the food was good.  Had a favourite and that’s fried goat meat.  Very tasty and you must chew that meat, not suck like the saltwater injected meat in Europe.

All was available in town, money from an ATM ( flappetap ) and fuel from Shell.

The town is surrounded by big vulcano craters and they are so well intact that it looks as if they still worked recently.

The wheather was cold and wet so I did not walk far and hallelujah,a deception.  NO BEER !!

The hotel had also a mosque so beer is not allowed.

Since I am not a muslim I crossed the road to Jim’s liquor store and bought some Tusker’s that I gulped happily away in my room.   Of course the cans were wrapped in newspaper like you see in all Muslim countries like Algeria and Egypt.

Fell asleep  by 08.30 PM  since there was nothing to see, experience or to talk to, just nothing.

Tomorrow I continue.

22-03-2018 om 14:31 geschreven door Paul Kemp