Passing sisal plantations, we go to the next beach paradise. Pangani Resort. close to Tanga Tanzania. Not too bad here. There are definitely worse places.
We are watching the fishermen with their traditional boats. From a tree trunk, the inside is hollowed out, and thinner trunks are tied on the boat as the boom, which in rough seas, prevents capsizing.
Again, we spend a few days. We had met Karl Friedrich a German, who invited us to Tanga, to show us the city. We gladly accept and make our way to Tanga. Although the city does not look like, it is with 180,000 inhabitants is the third largest city in Tanzania. It is a former German colonial town, what you see today in various buildings.
We stay on the only camp of the city, actually a small hotel with a lawn and a single palm tree that gives us a little shade. We get a room key to be able to use bathroom and toilet. Even the electricity we draw from the room. Curious we examine the rooms. They are simply furnished, two beds and nothing else, but they are clean.
I am fascinated by the flush box of the toilet, apparently a haven for frogs, because there are some of the pretty fellows playing in the rinse water.
Overnight our tire loses air, so it must be repaired. Karl Friedrich organized a mechanic who takes off the wheel, we will take it later in the city to repair it.
We got an unexpected visitor, Karl Friedrich brings the Austrian Theo and his wife Veronica. Theo had worked here in Tanzania and left Austria, and has lived for some years with his wife in Tanga. Veronica brings homemade chapati, which pleases us very much. We sit comfortably under the palm, it’s nice to meet again a compatriot. We chat and exchange experiences, a nice morning.
For lunch we set off with Karl Friedrich in the city, and arrange to meet with Theo and Veronika for the evening. He shows us typical houses from the colonial period, which are typical for their porch on the first floor. Up there it’s pretty cool because the wind from the sea cools there.
The Bay of Tanga is appealing, here’s a larger harbor with ferry to Pemba and Zanzibar.
Karl Friedrich shows us the old German cemetery. It is frightening how many German soldiers died at a young age from malaria.
We want to see the old colonial train station. From here the track goes to Ruvu, a small town in the hinterland. On Fridays there is a passenger train, otherwise only cargo trains operate, mainly due to the port of Tanga.
As agreed, we visit Theo and Veronica. They live with their dogs in a small house, they are not rich, but very hospitable. Veronica is just the cook. As is common in Africa, cooked is on the ground and in the open. She prepares chapati, Alexandra helps her, the mortar is new to her.
Chapati we know, but now she cuts a little something into strips and deep fried it, we do not know what it is, but tastes delicious.
We still spend a nice evening with the two, Veronica gives us even a packed lunch for tomorrow’s trip to Dar es Salaam.