hopeful

I really hope Foxy will be ready today. As comfortable and relaxed as it is in Mwanza, we are both ready to hit the road again. I am quite looking forward to visiting Rwanda, to meet its people (who I've read are some of the nicest and friendliest you could ever meet), and learn about its history.

I wonder at times if it will come as a shock when we're in Nanaimo, BC, living somewhere relatively permanent - will I find it difficult to adapt to not being on the move everyday?

Still, it's been very therapeutic being able to sleep in a bed (we caved last night and opted to sleep in one of their rooms; the tv and dvd machine was the deciding factor), not having to climb out and down of the tent to go to the toilet in the dark, to eat delicious food and connect with home again.

We have been pouring over our maps and we figure one long day of driving could get us to Kigali in Rwanda (barring the border formalities are quick and painless).

We have joined the online Couchsurfing forum where you create your own profile and depending on where you are, request to stay at another Couchsurfer's home for a night (or however long) while passing through their town. It's a system based on trusting complete strangers to come into your home, sleep on your couch/bed, and basically be a respectful guest. Although we haven't yet hosted a guest or even been a guest, the concept is fantastic. Not only do you get free accommodation, but also the invaluable knowledge of a local!

Foxy will be ready at 10am, promised Mr. Suresh at the Landy garage. But it's already past 1pm and no sign of Foxy - or Matt. We were hoping to leave this afternoon and get a couple of hours on the road. The only problem is there aren't any campsites which we know of where we can camp safely. Perhaps it is best to stay one more night and start off early tomorrow. We'll see. No Hurry in Africa, right?

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20:00

Ok, it was a bit too hopeful, thinking we could leave this afternoon. Instead, after Matt returned to the Lodge with Foxy around 2pm, we had to bring her back to the garage an hour later to have the wipers fixed and other things tightened.

A nice surprise was also waiting for me: Matt had the guys install a lock on the front passenger door so now instead of him having to always unlock my door from the inside, i can let myself in. Less hassle, and an added security feature.

It was too late to start driving today so tomorrow we'll make an early start, catch the 7:30 ferry and head for Kigali in Rwanda in one straight go.

So to pass another lazy afternoon, we went back to the Hotel Tilapia to use their wireless internet and devour their delicious curries and cakes.

We also met another overland couple at Hotel Tilapia going the same route as us (up to Europe through the ME) and working around the same schedule (to be in Europe by early August). Christoph (photojournalist from Germany) and Chiho (graphic designer from Japan) were also on their way to Kigali tomorrow so we decided to travel together for a bit.

It was fantastic to meet other overlanders, especially those our age, and we compared journeys, countries, experiences and of course, Landrovers. They began their trip over a year ago and had come all the way down from West Africa and were making their way back to Germany for their August 8th wedding.

We told them about Peace of Mind Lodge and they decided they would stay there as well, which pleased the staff immensely to have more guests.

Tonight we went all piled into Foxy (luckily Christoph and Chiho are small people) and we went into town to get some cash at an ATM, gas up, and find some food. We ended up eating at the Lake Hotel, more delicious curries and chapatis of course. I will certainly miss the food in Tanzania, there is no doubt about that.

Back at the Lodge in our comfy room, we watched another installment of West Wing, a very fitting episode because it was loosely based around the Rwandan genocide and how the world did nothing but watch in silence as it was happening.


Start: -
End: -
Distance Traveled: 0 km
Road Conditions: -
Temperature: heavy thunderstorm in the afternoon, literally a wall of water was blowing sideways into the hotel's restaurant. We all ducked for cover and the waitresses used the tablecloths as raincoats.