Kampala, Jinja and Busia in Uganda to Kisumu, Nakuru and Nairobi in Kenya. 14 hours on the road driven under East Africa’s fastest, most fearless coach driver. We arrive at the border in Namanga. The air is crisp, the sky is bright, the cloud forest of Ol Doniyo Orok lays at our backs while Tanzania awaits in front.
From Arusha to Dar es Salaam we course through rolling savannahs, large plains of grass bleeding beyond the horizon. Clouds imprisoned and shredded by giant hills and bottomless valleys, forced to crawl over valley edges to continue their journeys dictated by the crisp wind. Masai herdsmen carrying out the rituals of countless generations. The distant Mount Kilimanjaro so powerfully pierces the sky, humbles the spirit and reconciles the soul. We stop for a break, surrounded by green peaks. Simple. Natural. Nothing more is needed here.
Dar Es Saleem is a story for another day. A story for another visit. A storm raged the night we arrived. Nothing was unmoved. The sky bright from lightning showers provided glimpses of the heavens in the deepest night while the thunderous rain poured down like God's own vengeance. The following day a calm was restored and Zanzibar came calling.
The waters, turquoise and pure, seemingly untainted by the comings and goings of ordinary people. We arrive at Stonetown in Unguja, Zanzibar. An island punctuated by the beauty that nature so abundantly provides, and the darkness brought forth by the Arab-European slave trades that left behind forts, castles and antiquities. Welcomed with kindness, we find a place to rest.
The same storm that raged through Dar es Salaam manifested itself on the roads to the north of the island. Ten summers since the last storm of such magnitude, but to the same beat life continued.
Towards the beach where the clear blue ocean melded seamlessly into the almost pure white sand. Men travelling the waters in dhows for fishing and the trade of spices. To an outsider, a peaceful existence. Below the surface however, many Zanzibari living the day-to-day grind for survival. A story for another day. A story for another visit.