Transporting fish

I think there are two here.

I was impressed this person had fish on each side view mirror. 

 

One interesting thing I frequently see here in Tanzania is the transport of fresh fish. In the absence of a cooler one is faced with the question, should you put the fish inside the vehicle and likely cause your vehicle to smell for weeks or....do you put it...outside? 

Many an enterprising driver tie the fish to the side view mirrors of their vehicle. It is not unusual, especially in areas close to lakes and rivers, to see travelers passing through tying fish on the side view mirrors.

Kisang'a-Lugalo Forest Reserve: Trip II

 

Bracken highland with some views.

It had been several years since we last visited Kisang'a-Lugalo Forest Reserve so we figured it was due time we return (Trip I). We had big plans that included camping at a river but we ended up reducing the trip to a simple day trip. The ride up was beautiful though the views were not as clear as we remembered, probably due to extensive burning in the area. If you're the adventurous type the trip up is worth the journey. 

When we entered into the forest reserve we immediately met a truck filling up with timber. The workers explained that they were harvesting eucalyptus trees (planted in the past to demarcate the border) and that they had received permission to use the forest reserve road. It was a weird interaction but they invited me to view their plot of land, which I declined. We continued on the road through a nice part of forest until we reached a beautiful area with several montane grasses and plants. The clear views allowed us to survey the forest and we began to see signs of previous logging and heavy human use. We continued down a very steep road to a small river. On our previous trip we were told there was an irrigation project in the area and sure enough we saw a water catchment system and massive pipe running down from it. We were a little disappointed as we had imagined setting camp next to a quaint stream in the forest and instead we were faced with a bit of an eye sore in a cleared patch of secondary forest. We had identified another possible camp site next to a stream earlier in the road so we decided to double back. 

On our way back we followed two newly cut logging tracks. One of them we followed until we reached another eucalyptus cutting ground and another we followed until we heard the sounds of chainsaws. We found stacks of planks on the road and decided to not pursue any further. Our mood had soured with the sounds of chainsaws and lack of walking trails and as a result we decided to head back home. I think the prospect of setting up camp at 4pm in a non-forested area with the sounds of chainsaws was not what we had in mind. Although it was disturbing for us as tourists it is a good thing that the trees can be harvested and provide some economic value to the nearby inhabitants. However, cutting new tracks through forests is not only less than ideal due to the obvious cutting of trees and shrubs but these roads also tend to open up the forest to other extraction activities (pole cutting, honey harvesting, etc). 

Most of the forest reserves in the area have been heavily logged and continue to be exploited for mostly small scale use. We are still keen to explore these areas but I suppose we have to taper our expectations and be ready for anything!

Views going south.

Water catchment system.

Lake Nyasa (Lake Malawi): Trip II

 

Enjoying a walk in the evening.

In what seems like a perfect pairing, we once again hiked Mt. Rungwe en route to Matema Beach (Trip I). It's one of the closer large bodies of water to us and the Livingstone Mountains provide a beautiful backdrop to the massive lake. Having grown up on a Great Lake in Wisconsin in the USA, being next to a massive body of water is comforting. The only unfortunate thing is that the lake likely has Schistosomiasis, an acute and chronic parasitic disease. Although it can be treated, it's still not ideal to get. Reliable information on its presence is sparse but it appears the lake was free of Shicstosomiasis in the 80s but there have been rising numbers of cases, especially in the southern part of the lake. With that being said, we absolutely swam in the cool and clear lake. 

Matema is a strange village in that the agricultural activities sprawl in every direction but the dwellings and village proper are very densely arranged. There is a roundabout that serves as the nexus of activity in close proximity to the market and Lutheran Center. There is local beach access hosting a variety activities from fishing to bathing to washing. People are also just hanging out on the beach as well with a good number of people coming out in the evenings. 

On our previous visit we did not go snorkeling, falsely believing that snorkeling in a fresh water lake would be lackluster. This time around we arranged to go to the snorkeling spot and we were in disbelief at how plentiful and varied the fish were. We knew that the lake was famous for Cichlids and that over 600 of the 1,000 species of fish in the lake were endemic, but we were not prepared for a variety of fish that rivaled the quality of snorkeling in many places in Zanzibar. There was a rocky area where the fish fed off the algae and plankton, basically serving as a "rock reef". The water was extremely clear and the only perilous part of the journey was the rickety boat ride taking in water at an alarming rate though one can make arrangements with a more lake-worthy vessel if one chooses to do so. 

The rest of the time we spent hiking around, watching the Trumpeter Hornbills come in to roost at night, and swimming in the lake. At night the sky is clear with the milky way clearly shining. Many fisherman were also out at night using lights; I counted 75 boats around 10pm. I'm sure there were many more out there further out in the lake.

 

Some of the riverine vegetation with hippos nearby.

Snorkeling spot.

Boat ride to the snorkeling.

 

Mt. Rungwe: Trip II

 

Peak!

We had visited Mt. Rungwe in the rainy season but failed to summit. Now we're in the heart of the dry season we figured we'd give it another try. We felt well prepared to camp two nights which would allow us to spend the entire day hiking while also enjoying the environs of the campsite. 

The campsite has rustic though worn covered huts and basic tables and benches. There is a small stream very close to the camp that provides water for cooking and bathing. There is a basic pit toilet with a plastic covering to provide some sort of privacy. The only downside of the camp is that depending on the wind, you can sometimes hear music and noise from the nearby village but it's quite distant and irregular. 

Our hike was overall a success though the last quarter to half was steep and challenging. We felt the thinness of the air and moved extremely slow on our ascent. This begins at the bamboo zone and continues up through the grasslands and peak. As you can see from the elevation map below, it's straight up! 

The views at the top were nice and the air was chilly. There were loads of interesting montane grasses and flowers and we enjoyed a White-naped Raven and a pair of Hawk-Eagles that soared at eye level. The descent was much quicker though taxing on the knees. At the second campsite we saw a trail towards the east and we later found out this leads to a crater, perhaps next time we will find it!

Elevation change and distance on the descent.

Beautiful bamboo layer.

A view midway up.

The campsite.

The Rufiji River

Walking to the water.

The Rufiji River is 600 kilometres (370 mi) long, fed by the Kilombero and Ruaha Rivers. It's the largest river in Tanzania and signifcant portions run through protected areas, most notably Selous Game Reserve and the newly established Nyerere National Park. We took a work trip out there and had a fantastic time poking around the river and understanding the landscape. We were maybe 100km from the ocean but the river was already quite wide with numerous tributaries, islands, and other seasonally flooded areas. I was surprised as farmers put crops in the sand either on the shore or other parts of the riverbed. There are nutrient rich bushy areas before you reach the sand, and finally the water.

Hippos and crocodiles are in the area though local residents told us hippo numbers are reducing due to poaching. It was very unclear how we could cross the river but we eventually got someone to show us the crossing. There are a few community-owned boats that are communally used among community members. Apparently the going rate is 200tsh per person if it's in a big boat and 1,000tsh per person if it's chartered and anyone can offer this service. We thought we'd find a regularly run type of local ferry service but the system was far more informal than I expected. It also appeared to be a BYOP (bring your own paddle). When we successfully crossed to the the other side of the river, our guy stashed his paddle in a bush. It was a good move. When we came back our big boat was gone and what remained was a small boat a quarter full of water, with more seeping in every second. We heard a voice from around the bed and though we were in luck. Alas, an even more precarious boat came around the bend...

Yeah, I think I'll pass on the lift in that dudes boat.

Our guy took the paddle out of the bush, bailed the boat, and went to pick up the larger one. We waited in the shade and sure enough he came back with the larger boat. The larger boat was quite sturdy, seemed to leak at an acceptable rate, and held six of us with room to spare. The paddler had a long stick to push through shallow water gondola style and a small paddle for open water. We passed a group of hippos and a crocodile basking in the sun, so it's safe to say we were all carefully examining the river-worthiness of the carved out log. Although I wish the paddler had a larger paddle (or even two, canoe style?) the boat was sturdy. We all held our breath when we got temporarily beached on a sandbar. Stepping out of the boat to dislodge the boat in crocodile infested waters is not recommended but sometimes necessary. After a small push we were off.

It was a lot of fun to explore the river and cross over to see the temporary farming and grazing camps. People are living rough with small solar panels and basic houses. Many will only farm temporarily and frequently cross the river to go to town but it still must be rough. People were friendly and welcoming though notably surprised to see us!

Turtle on the loose

Larger and smaller boat. The guy had a long pole, it was just like Venice.

This is what a house off the grid looks like.

These two mamas were weaving mats and baskets.

Member from the Sukuma tribe with his cattle going for water. I was hoping to see some carnage with a crocodile but alas, there was none.

Community protected area bridge

Still quite a bit of water in the river.

Last weekend we drove through the community protected area (WMA) bordering Ruaha National Park for the first time since the rainy season (Previous Trips I and II). We are planning to do some work next month in that area but we are pretty much the only people that access a large area of the WMA. We wanted to survey the condition of the roads as well as check out the water levels of the rivers.

The journey was somewhat uneventful; we did get stuck in a sand river as well as stuck in a rocky gully. The roads weren't too terrible but one of the places we really wanted to reach was not passable due to a washed out bridge (see photos below). We need the water to recede a bit more in order to perhaps cross the sand. It might require some work on the riverbanks but I'm confident we can make it to the other side!

A few years ago....

That bridge is gone...

Dodoma city

While I"ve visited Dodoma several times before I had never spent more than a night. However, this last week I found myself marooned there as I had a meeting on Friday delayed until the following Monday. It didn't make sense to make the four hour drive back to Iringa so I decided to spend the weekend.

What I didn't know is that Dodoma was holding a large political rally over the weekend and everywhere was booked. I should have gotten a clue when on Thursday evening I asked the hotel if they had occupancy and they told me yes, but they wouldn't have for the rest of the weekend because someone booked the entire place. I found that to be a little strange but shrugged it off. It was only on Friday after I decided to stay that I realized the magnitude of the problem.

I drove around Dodoma for 2 1/2 hours checking every single accommodation option possible. Dodoma, and Tanzania in general, isn't quite up to the AirBnB or standard internet search/booking standards so much of the work still must be done on foot. I checked guesthouses and hotels ranging from $5 a night to $100 a night, with internet presence and on foot. What I found was that seriously, everywhere was booked. I even drove about 20km outside of the city but the clusters of guesthouses I found were booked. I was about to give up and go back to Iringa when a place inside the city had a room. It wasn't much but I was relieved to have gotten a place and settled in.

I spent Saturday and Sunday mainly strolling around, still wearing my mask for C-19 precautions but only spotting a few others doing the same throughout the weekend. Since I was staying downtown it was easy to walk around and check out all the wholesale shops and frantic business. I also had to get some clothes since I had come with literally no suitcase or extra clothes. I found myself one day in Market Saba Saba, a quite lively place with a mix of different types of sales. I initially tried to buy a t-shirt at a "bale auction" whereby sellers rip open bales of freshly imported second hand clothes and frantically auction them off in front of an enthusiastic crowd. I spoke with some buyers, most of whom were weeding through the bales to get good deals to sell at their larger stalls. Some people were like myself, just looking for a cheap shirt. After 15 or so minutes I did not see anything I liked (it appeared the bales were coming from a female dominated household) so I moved on and bought some underwear and a shirt from a more formal stall.

The rest of my time was quite uneventful and unlike Dar es Salaam and Arusha, Dodoma lacks cosmopolitan restaurants and hang outs though the numerous local spots are quite nice to chill at. They are just slight variations of each other, mainly outdoor bars with grilled meat and cold beer available. I'm sure there are some nice spots that I'm just not hip or privy to.

One the thing I enjoy about Tanzania is that people are quite friendly. Since I was in a "no hurry to get anywhere" mood I engaged in conversations with all kinds of people. I'm always so curious about the life story and business models of the various businesses and hustles of Tanzania but Tanzanian culture is not one that invites direct questioning. So in order to get answers one must establish some familiarity and then construct an indirect way of teasing out these questions. I spoke with fruit vendors, wholesalers of massive plastic drums, clothes sellers, and a variety of others. My other highlight was probably having the Tanzanian football league finish on Saturday night. The streets were rowdy and shouts and screams were heard when players scored. I saw a man run down the street with his shirt off like a maniac. I took a short video (below) of a procession that occurred after the game.

The hustler making customized mud flaps for motorcycles. These are very popular in Tanzania with either a god-fearing or cheeky phrase tacked on the back of a bike.

This guy has an ingenious way to beat the ink cartridge cartel.

Parking like this is acceptable. Sometimes ya gotta think outside the box, or, lane.