Family visit, part 2

It was my sister Paolina who was welcomed at the airport in Dar es Salaam. This long awaited moment finally arrived: all three of us together, ready for new adventures!

After more than 3 months since my departure, we had a lot of stories to tell! On the second day of our reunion, we took the road again, by bus, in the early morning, towards Iringa, the town where I stayed for a month, for my second volunteering. Of course, we went there to visit my adopted Tanzanian family, Casto's family. I really wanted my sister and mother to meet them. They kindly welcomed us for the night. I was very happy to see them again, and they were happy to see me. Modesta, Casto's wife, cooked us a wonderful "Wali pilau" (rice with spices), a festive meal in Tanzania. We played with Bless, Modesta and Casto's son. He followed us everywhere. My sister didn't want to leave him, he is so cute.

The next day a bus took us to the meeting point for a rainforest hike in the Udzundgwa Mountains. With a great team of guides and rangers, we hiked to the top of the 170m high Udzungwa waterfall to reach a camp where we spent the night. We all had dinner around a big fire and then slept in tents. The nature was, as always, sumptuous. We even saw some monkeys. We woke up early to watch the sunrise on a rock in the middle of the waterfall, with a view over the whole valley. Once again, a moment of true shared happiness! Then we went down of the waterfall, to swim in a large pool of transparent water, very fresh and pure: so pleasant. Thank you Bensafari!

The next stage of the trip: the safari, a must in East Africa. We chose Mikumi National Park. We woke up, once again, early to have the best chance to see as many animals as possible. First rare encounter: a lion resting under his tree, mission accomplished! Then, a lot of animals from the savannah: zebras, elephants, buffalos, giraffes, etc.

As travelling in a backpack is not always easy, we stayed 2 nights in Morogoro, the time to enjoy a big sleep. We also took the opportunity to discover the local life, and to go to the market to find some beautiful "Kitenge", Tanzanian fabric.

Once picked up, a bus brought us closer to Dar Es Salam, to catch, at the last minute, a ferry on the Indian Ocean: direction Zanzibar. Arriving in Stone Town, a town full of history, we strolled around, carried by the lively atmosphere.

After two days, we sailed again by ferry to Pemba, a small island north of Zanzibar, part of its archipelago. We stayed at the Lala Lodge, a guesthouse directly on the beach, serving delicious and generous dinners. It was a very family atmosphere, where we spent time on the beach and play with the local children. The culture of Pemba is still intact. The locals live in a very simple way and, unlike Zanzibar, tourism has not taken over.

It was the season for drying cloves, which are widely grown on the island. The streets were filled with the sweet smell of spices.

We also enjoyed a day trip to the tiny island of Misali, which is rightly considered a paradise. The weather was bad that day, lucky we had some sunny time to enjoy the magic of the white sand, turquoise water and the wonderful tropical fish on the coral reef. At this sea turtle nesting site, we were able to hold rescued baby turtles, which will be released back into the ocean when they will be older: so cute!

A final ferry, on a full moon night, took us back to Tanga, a modern coastal town in the north-east of Tanzania, a crossroads of trade for centuries. From there, a taxi took us to Pangani for our last night, camping by the Indian Ocean. Almost the only guests, it was a pleasure to enjoy such a quiet place, before taking the girls back to the airport in Dar es Salaam.

End of their trip, already. As for me, the journey continues!