Die dag toe ek my paradys ontdek het.

Twee dae van sit en water kyk / Two days of doing nothing, just staring at the water.

Hier het ek gesit en links gekyk, dan regs / Here I sat, looking to the left, then to the right.

Ek het vir 'n laatmiddag stap gegaan / I went for a late afternoon walk.

(English below)

Ek is Maandag eers kort voor 11 weg uit Arusha. Ek was nie lus vir ry nie en het regtig lusteloos uit Arusha en deur die groen heuwels gevleg. Binne ‘n uur was ek in Moshi. Kilimanjaro was steeds toe onder die wolke. Net die voet van die berg het verraai dat daar ‘n werg in die digte wolkemassa was.

Die een klein dorpie na die ander het verby geskuif. Ek het parallel met ‘n hoë bergreeks links van my gery. Agter die berge was Kenia.

‘n Paar honderd kilometer weg uit Arusha het ek op die GPS gesien dat regs van my ‘n rivier behoort te wees. In die leegte het die doringbome digter gestaan. ‘n Grondpaadjie het na regs uitgedraai. Ek is stadig met die paadjie langs, oor die treinspoor, weer regs gedraai en een kilometer daarna het ek in die paradys aangekom.

Die rivier, die Pangani-Ruvu het sy oorsprong op Kilimanjaro. In sommige dele noem hulle dit die Pangani, in ander die Ruvu. Die riviertjie het sterk gevloei en op ‘n paar plekke reeds oor sy walle gegaan. Hoë palm- en koorsbome het op die oewer gestaan. Dit was mooi, baie mooi.

Ek het die KLR afgesit en my tentjie afgehaal. Dit was paradys. Ek wou nie verder ry nie en het my tentjie so vier fietslengtes van die naaste water opgeslaan. Laatmiddag het ‘n krokodil pm my kant van die oewer uitgeklim en op die groen gras gaan lê.

Van die plaaslike mense het kom dagsê. My naam was vir hulle te moeilik. Toe word ek sommer Kawa, afgekort van Kawasaki. Colin, een van die ou kolonialiste in Tanzanië, was die voorbok met die naamgee.

Die nag in my tentjie het ek net gelê en luister na die naggeluide. Die nagapies was baie vokaal.

Vanoggend het ek opgestaan. Ek was klaar agter my ryskedule Kaap toe. So, ‘n ekstra dag van sit onder die plambome sou nie saakmaak nie. En dis waar ek nou sit en skryf.

Ek gaan vandag, Dinsdag, by Colin “leg of goat” eet. Ek sien daarna uit. Ek vertel later hoe die kuier was.

Groete uit die paradys!

English

I left Arusha on Monday only after eleven. I didn’t feel like riding. Also my riding was an effort. Slowly I left Arusha behind me en glided through the green hills and valleys surrounding the town. Within an hour I arrived in Moshi. The clouds still covered Kilimanjaro completely. Only the base was open and was the only indication that Africa’s highest mountain was hiding in the thick clouds.

The villages kept on floating by. On my left was a high mountain ridge. Behind the mountains was Kenya.

A few hundred kilometres away from Arusha I saw on the GPS that there should be a river on my right hand side. The thorn trees were standing thicker where I thought a river could be. A dirt track appeared on the right. I took it and crossed an old railway line. I turned right again, and after another kilometre I arrived in paradise.

The river, called Pangani-Ruvi, came all the way from the Kilimanjaro. In some areas it is called the Pangani, in others the Ruvu. It was flowing strongly. Where I was standing the water already went over the banks and formed a small flood plain. Tall thorn and fever trees were standing on the banks of the river. It was breathtaking beautiful. (Anything green after the desert is breathtaking for me)

I switched off the KLR and started pitching my tent. I didn’t want to ride any longer. I put my tent four bike lengths from the water. Late afternoon a crocodile came out of the water and started its sun bath on the green grass on my side of the river.

Some of the local people came to meet me. My name was too difficult. Colin, one of the old colonialists in Tanzania, started calling me Kawa, abbreviated from Kawasaki. That stayed my name for the rest of my stay.

The night in my tent was another of the many highlights of my long ride home. Especially the bush babies were very vocal during the night.

Thos morning I got up and tried to figure out where I was on my riding schedule. As I already was behind schedule I decided to stay another night at this spot. And this is where I am sitting and writing this blog post.

Colin invited me over to his place for ‘leg of goat”. I look forward to that. I will later tell you how it was.

Regards from the paradise.