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| Day 22, 2011/05/23 |
The rain arrived midway through the night, which resulted in a sudden scramble to put the fly sheet on. The rain did not abate, so we get up in the rain, and needed to pack everything way in the rain. Not fun! Finally, after saying our goodbyes to the missionaries, we head for the border. It is only 20 odd km. How bad can it be!
Well, the rain did help to make the beach sand easier to ride, but that is where it stopped. The bush was soo thick in places that, as you ride down the jeep track, you are being hit by branches and wet grass all the way. To just add the cherry on the top, we hit a section of thick clay. Lovely, black stuff! It is not long and on what appears to be a lovely straight section, my front tire just vanishes out from under me. Nothing like trying to pick a fully laden bike, in clay, when you are exhausted.
Finally we arrive at the border. It may not have vehicles going through here,since the ferry no longer exists but, there are loads of people crossing. The corruption and the payments are clear and in the open . I have never seen this so blatant and out in the open. The fact that others can see it happening appears to be non concern to the guy on the take.
Then off to the river. I arrive a little after David, and he has done all the negotiating for us. He has knocked it down to only 50 dollars for each bike, with additional 1000 Mets for loading and un loading of the bike. Wow, and we thought we were going to get fleest!
We thought we would have the boat to ourselves but why waste all that space! And as for unpacking the bike, they instruct me to just leave everything on. The next second I know, they instruct me to move aside while they take my bike out from my hands and start to push it down a steep embankment towards the river.
I am very nervous but the five guys actually do a good job of picking it up and making sure it gets put on the boat. It is bucketing with rain, and I am drenched from head to toe. Then it is the tern of David's bike. They manage to get it onto the boat with similar ease. Then it is off, with a boat full of about 25 passages and two bike to the shores of the Tanzanian side of the Rovuma river. The boat and all its cargo are pushed along by a small 25 hp motor. On the way, in the rain we spot hippos in the water. On approaching the other side we hit several sand banks and are forced to offload passengers onto another boat. However,this gives short rest bite, and eventually run aground. We are forced to climb into the water and wayed through it to the shore. We are told that the river has crocodiles, so every step is done with an element of nervousness. The boat eventually finds its way through the sand banks and to the shore. Then the bikes need to be offloaded. Again nervousness sets as concern of the bikes safety is a concern. However, it all goes according to plan,and they arrive on Tanzanian soil without any damage done to them. After a brief repacking it is off to the border post. Again things are slow, and the corruption is clear and blatant and for all to see. What we also find at the border post is a number of Somali and Ethiopian refugees. I have heard about them from a girlie Pemba. They apparently have WALKED all the way from Ethiopia/Somalia. Their aim is to reach a refugee camp in Nampula in Mozambique. Some also still want to reach South Africa. Wow, and we worried about riding that distance,and here are people who are walking all that way, with nothing but the clothing they are wearing. Eye opening. Formalities at the border eventually sorted,it is of to 10 degrees South,our accommodation for the evening, and the opportunity to get all our equipment to dry.
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