Drive Back from Dodoma

We got up and ate the breakfast provided at the lodge (toast, boiled eggs and tea) and left around eight (late by the Allisons' standards, quite early by mine ;) ).  We were blessed with another day of beautiful sunny weather with fluffy white clouds for our drive.  It's pretty flat around Dodoma, with some occasional outcroppings here and there, but it got hillier as we drove north. 

I took some pictures of the countryside along the way; sorry they're not great as I didn't roll down the window for most as we were trying to get the air conditioning to keep up as the day warmed up.  

The dirt in central Tanzania is very, very red; you can see a bit of it at the edges of the road but none of these photos really capture it.  I love driving here, seeing farms and villages along the way, and many baobob trees.  We don't have many baobob trees right around Monduli and Arusha, but in most of Tanzania (and much of East Africa) they are common.  They are such iconic African trees, and I love to see them.  

We thought the roof on this little guard house was interesting.  Must have been a lot of fun putting the metal roofing on that.  The corn is really coming up, too! We chatted about music for a good while; the Allisons had a pretty good mix of country music on an iPod, and I played some Home Free, Secret Sisters and Chris Stapleton on my phone. 

We stopped in Babati on the way back to get some fresh vegetables at the market, since it's a bigger town than Monduli and therefore likely to have more variety, and so we wouldn't have to stop once we got back home.  I found a little bit of broccoli, but they didn't have much, but I also got my usual staples, bell peppers, onion and carrots.  The Allisons wore their masks while there; I didn't have a mask (and no locals were wearing them at all), but I did wrap my scarf around in such a way that I could pull it up to cover my mouth and nose when in a crowd.  However, I mostly just managed to confuse people; in their experience, Americans (which I clearly am) who come to Tanzania are generally Christians, but I was wearing a scarf on my head, so was I Muslim?  At least it was a conversation starter to have a nice chat with an avocado and green bean seller.  

Below, the gates into the market place: 

Above: the street that runs alongside the market in Babati.  

We stopped for food at a rest area a bit after Babati; I bought some chapati and some mishikaki (beef on a stick) for lunch, and the Allisons found some samosas.  They only had beef samosas, though, and I prefer the chicken ones.  I really need to learn to make good chapatis or find a good place in Monduli to buy them.  My friend Upendo can make them, I know, but she's pretty busy these days with her laundry business.  

We stopped for gas in Makuyuni, where the road turns toward Arusha.  If you turn left in Makuyuni, the B144 runs out by Lake Manyara an on to the Ngorongoro Crater and eventually the Serengeti.  After Makuyuni, we could see the crater wall of Ngorongoro in the distance for several miles.

I finally did roll the window down briefly to get a good shot without glare.  What a beautiful day!

We made it back to Monduli by three in the afternoon.  The photo below is driving up the TMA road into Monduli.  It's so green here after the recent rains! 

Road Trip to Dodoma

Road trip time! While we have been trying to socially distance as we can (social distancing is not really a thing here, and we are only at the early stages of the pandemic here, unlike the US), the Allisons and I are all still trying to get our residence permits (still...I've only lived here a year and a half...), and one of our current issues is that our work visas we got last year are not coded correctly for the type of residence permit we need.  Fielden has been on the phone with the labour department in the capital city, Dodoma, but it's hard to get much done over the phone here.  Without school, we've got plenty of time anyhow, so the Allisons decided to just drive down to Dodoma and ask at the office in person, and invited me along. 

It's about a six-hour drive to Dodoma.  Dodoma is not a huge town; the capital was moved there from Dar es Salaam, Tanzania's biggest city, a few years back because Dodoma is so centrally located.  Dar es Salaam is on the coast, which made for quite a trip from the western parts of the country.  The highways only pass through one city of any real size on the way, Babati.  Other than that, the scenery is rural countryside.  I took these picture from where we stopped alongside the road in case anyone needed to use a bush.  

We packed our lunches to eat along the way so we didn't have to stop; I had peanut butter crackers and yogurt and we bought some bananas along the way.  

I took some photos of the streets of Dodoma as we arrived; I took them through the car window from the backseat so sorry about the reflections.  We were fortunate to have beautiful weather for our drive (not a given in April, the middle of rainy season).

Above, I didn't get a good picture of the parliament buildings, but here's a photo of the entrance to the Bunge (parliament) complex. 

We went directly to the labour department office.  We got the information we needed, but unfortunately, we can't get our work permits corrected until we have a certain document that is dependent on the school finishing an audit that has been put on hold due to the coronavirus closures.  Maybe someday...

Although our trip didn't yield the results we hoped for, it was really nice to get out of Monduli and it was a beautiful drive.  After we left the labour department, we went to Dodoma's new Shoppers (one of the small chain of grocery stores that we often shop at in Arusha).  They had the chocolate that I like that the Arusha Shoppers' had been out of, and a new flavour of Doritos, as well as a few other things that I picked up.  

Below, some of the items in the bakery at Shoppers.  I'm not sure Americans would always recognize things that are labeled American, and I'm not sure they quite understand the meaning of the word pie, but they tried.  We decided to just buy some snacks to eat for supper rather than trying to find a restaurant, especially as the Allisons are older and trying to wear masks when in public spaces when it's necessary to be in public.  I bought a little mini pizza (edible) and a spring roll (not edible), and I have some bananas as well as the chips and chocolate I bough just to stock up, so I've got plenty to munch on if I want it.

We stayed the night at the Zebra Lodge, which the Allisons had stayed at on a previous trip and liked.  It was clean and comfortable and had a gated area to park, so it was fine, although my shower didn't work.  I was looking forward to a real shower since I take showers with a bucket at home, but oh well. 

We checked in and sat around reading on the front patio for a while, but we still had a nice afternoon and we weren't ready to eat the snacks we'd bought at Shoppers for our supper yet, so we went on a walk through the nearby neighbourhood.  

Here's my room for the night.  It was nice to be in a city, as I had really good phone service.  I never could quite figure out the lights, though; the bathroom had a normal light, but the room seemed to only have an odd red bulb (trust me, it's not the red light district ;) ).  The room had an air conditioner, but it didn't seem to actually be cooling much, but it also had a ceiling fan which was plenty to be comfortable. I had a pretty good night, and we'll be up for the provided breakfast tomorrow and then drive back to Monduli.

Lake Nakuru

The always-complicated process of getting tickets at the gate.  It's a different price if you are a tourist, a resident, or a citizen, and you have to show identification to show which you are, so it takes a bit of shuffling around.

On the Saturday of the Intermission Retreat, we got to go out and have a little fun.  We piled into safari vans before it was even light, clutching our packed breakfasts and lunches.  It took twelve vans to carry all of us, so we were quite a caravan!  It was about an hour and a half drive from the retreat center out to Lake Nakuru National Park, but it was an enjoyable trip.  I had purposely chosen to be in a van with people I didn't know or didn't know well, so we had a good time sharing stories and getting to know each other. 

The safari trucks and vans that are used here have a roof that lifts up so that you can stand inside and take photos without having to go through a window.  We headed into the park, which surrounds a large lake, in a long line.  

It was a beautiful day, if a little hazy.  Out in the open field on the hill above the lake, we saw a few buffalo, antelope, warthogs and zebra grazing, mostly at a bit of a distance.  We saw quite a lot a variety as we got down into the wooded areas that ring the lake.  The pictures I'm posting here are out of order, but it's rather a pain to rearrange them, so I'm leaving them as is.  I hope you'll enjoy them anyhow. 

We stopped for a break to stretch our legs on the lakeshore.  In national parks, there are designated areas that you are allowed to get out of your vehicle.  These are areas where the more dangerous animals tend not to go; you don't want to risk stepping on a lion's tail! 

The young boys quickly invented a game to play. 

Me on the shore of Lake Nakuru

Hello, friends!

There was a bit of a traffic jam trying to get photos of some sleeping lions.  They were so well camouflaged that it took a while for most people to see them.

It was a great day for giraffe spotting!  They are my second favorites (after rhinos, which are unfortunately rare at Lake Nakuru), and so photogenic. 

A dusty drive through the Kenyan landscape

Coming down the hill with a view of Lake Nakuru

Tiny baby zebra!

A family of warthogs in the foreground, with a buffalo herd in the shade in the background.

A closer shot of some Cape Buffalo.  They may look like overgrown cows, but they can be very aggressive and dangerous if angered.  

Antelope feeding along the shore.  It was also a great place for birds!

Zebras are so photogenic.  It's hard to take a bad picture of them.

I think Colobus monkeys are my favorite type of monkey.  They are so striking, and they have those great fluffy tails!

Look at this majestic bird!

Zebras in the shade, and flamingos in the water 

This big bushbuck was standing right next to the road, watching us.

He was so still and close that I got some great closeup shots of him!  What a beautiful bushbuck!

Flamingoes, Maribou storks, and other water birds on the lake, with the town of Nakuru on the hill behind.

When we stopped on the shore, we saw zebras fighting.  Carladean was the one who braved going to closest, so I got a shot of her taking a shot of them. 

Where are those lions?

The sleeping lions we waited around to seel

Mother and daughter

Impala crossing!

I loved the sight of the giraffes with the backdrop of the deep woods behind. 

It was such a great day for giraffes!

Okay, last giraffe, I promise!  But isn't he beautiful?

We headed home in the late afternoon tired and rather stiff from the jolting ride, but happy and with tons of pictures and memories. 

The view from the highway on the way home.