16.10.2012
Peponi Beach Resort was our next destination to spend some days at the beach. Today we wanted to leave for Peponi but the battery of the Land Rover was gone. Car batteries in Africa do not last long, as the roads are terrible and the lead in the battery very soon starts to brake. So with the French guy I went to town to get a new one. Departure postponed.
17.10.2012
Finally. We left for Segera. The road was nice and the day was sunny. But everything was running too smooth and shortly after Segera the car just stopped. In Africa there countless motorbike taxis, so I stopped one and went back to the next town. Alexandra and Tara stayed at the truck. At the Hotel Segera (there was a campsite as well) the owner organised some guys to tow us back to the campsite.
With a Matatu, these little Toyota buses for local transport, we reached the Land Rover. The had a towing bar, but nothing to fix to the Matatu. So they took some ropes and fixed it somehow to the Land Rover. As it just went downhill it was not such a big issue and finally we arrived at the Hotel Segera and we towed the car to the campsite.
Although it got dark already the mechanics arrived and thought it would be the ignition coil, which sounded not likely as the one fixed was not really old. So they exchanged but this was not the reason for the brake down. As it was late they left and wanted to come next morning.
I had a look again, to find the reason for the break down and discovered that the points were broken. But we were too tired to fix it and too tired to head to Peponi Beach Resort as driving in the dark is anyway not a good idea so we ordered dinner at the hotel and went to bed.
18.10.2012
So the mechanics appeared early and as I had spare points they fixed it and we drove on to Pangani. The landscape was great and the road terrible. The points were exchanged but the truck did not run properly, so I was afraid that we might break down again. So I knew if we had to stop the engine it would not start again, so I tried to eep it running. And at the gate in front of the Peponi Lodge and campsite we had to stop because the gate was closed and so the Land Rover stalled.
Alex went in to book a campsite and we were lucky as the owner was a real Land Rover enthusiast and towed us with his old Land Rover Series 86 model 1951 to our spot. Very nice campsite!
20.10.2012
Dennis the owner of Peponi Beach Resort told us to help with his mechanics to fix our Land Rover. So we took a taxi to Tanga which was about 30 km away from Peponi on heavy dirt road to get some spare parts. We did not get all the stuff, so we returned back. Dennis told us that the next day we should go together.
21.10.2012
A day for a rest. The driving to Tanga was postponed for a day, so we had time to investigate the beach, which was just marvellous. Unbelievable such beaches really exist and the images you can see in magazines are not just faked images by a talented graphics. So we enjoyed the beach, the warm waters of the Indian Ocean.
The Tanzanian coast along the Indian Ocean is renowned for its stunning beaches, clear blue waters, and diverse marine life. This coastline stretches for approximately 1,424 kilometers (885 miles) and offers a variety of beach destinations and attractions. Here are some notable areas along the Tanzanian coast by region:
- Dar es Salaam: Dar es Salaam is Tanzania’s largest city and serves as a major gateway to the country. The city has several beaches, including Coco Beach and Kigamboni Beach. While these beaches may not be as pristine as those in more remote areas, they offer a convenient beach experience for city visitors.
- Zanzibar: Zanzibar is an archipelago off the coast of Tanzania and is famous for its picturesque beaches. Some of the most well-known beaches on the main island of Unguja include Nungwi Beach, Kendwa Beach, and Bwejuu-Paje Beach. Zanzibar also has smaller islands, like Mnemba Island, known for its exclusivity and snorkeling opportunities.
- Pemba Island: Located to the north of Zanzibar, Pemba Island is known for its lush, green landscape and unspoiled beaches. The island offers a quieter and more remote beach experience compared to Zanzibar.
- Mafia Island: Mafia Island is another gem along Tanzania’s coast, known for its marine biodiversity and stunning beaches. Chole Bay and Ras Mbisi are two popular beach areas on the island.
- Bagamoyo: Located to the north of Dar es Salaam, Bagamoyo is known for its historical significance as a former slave trade port. It also has beautiful beaches like Coco Beach, making it a popular day-trip destination from Dar es Salaam.
- Kilwa: Kilwa is known for its historical ruins and serene beaches along the southern Tanzanian coast. Kilwa Kisiwani and Kilwa Masoko are notable areas to visit.
- Tanga: Tanga is a coastal city in northern Tanzania with picturesque beaches, including Tongoni Beach and Peponi Beach, which is known for its coral reefs and marine life.
These are just a few of the many stunning beach destinations along the Tanzanian coast. Each offers its own unique charm and opportunities for relaxation, water sports, and cultural exploration.
22.10.2012
Dennis told us, that also he knew a welder in Tanga who could make us a new exhaust manifold. So the man took measure of the old part and promised to build a new one from scratch. We also got the other missing parts and drove back.
24.10.2012
We picked up the exhaust manifold from Tanga and Dennis and the mechanic fixed it, it fitted quite well.
25.10.2012
Shopping in Tanga and extending the visa. We were going with Matatu to Tanga. So we walked out of the campsite to the dirt road to get a Matatu. So about every now and then they appeared, the road to Tanga is not very busy, so it takes about 20 minutes until a Matatu appears.
At the immigartion the extended our visa only by 11 days, although we explained that our car broke down and that we were waiting for spares to arrive.
When we took the Matatu back to Peponi Beach Resort it was super crowded, normale fit in about 7-9 passenger, but when crowded they put in 20 and more. So it was already full when we left Tanga and on a stop outside the town we saw another one, where two guys took an elder lady and took er and laid her on top of other passengers. Such transport I had never seen before. But ours was nothing better. We did not get a seat of course so we had to stand in the Toyota. But it was so full and shaking, that I could not stabilize myself properly and was shaken with my leg in between the legs of a young lady sitting: I slipped more and deeper between her legs and finally the was no way deeper between her legs. I was sorry as I did not want to sexually harrass her but she just smiled and I said sorry. That s Africa as well.
Peponi Beach Resort and campsite is a real meeting point for overland travel enthusiasts and so we met Dave and Jill from UK and South Africa who were traveling along the East Coast of Africa. The couple was in their mid 50ies and were traveling with a roof tent. We also met a couple with a Land Rover Discovery from UK, but they lived in France, were quite young and already retired as they were fighting in a war I think it was Afghanistan. We also met a couple from Switzerland who were traveling from Switzerland down the West Coast of Africa which is mentally much more difficult, as there is more corruption and travellers are not treated too well by the authorities.
The couple was mentally at its end, they just wanted to go back home and asked if we could drive the car back to Europe. They would have paid any asked price. So it was clear for us that we had to comfort them a little bit and stabilize them. So we we were talking evenings and as we had come down via Sudan and Ethiopia we could ensure them, that this was not too difficult to manage and so they got confidence to continue their trip home at least until Kenya Mombasa to maybe get their a container to ship the truck to Europe.
31.10.2012
Ride to Tanga again to prepare our departure to Kenya. We were running out of visa days, so we did stock up our supplies and went back to Peponi. This time as the Matatus were full full, as the Africans say, we hired two TUK Tuks, knowing the the ride might be pumpy. And as expected it was felt even more pumpy in a Tuk Tuk than in a Matatu, but we had a lot of fun with the drivers and shaken heavily we arrived at the campsite.