Tanga in Tanzania - a real adventure

Once, several years ago, we visited a place in Tanzania called Tanga. It was a mistake that we ended up there, but we will never forget it. It started with the unrest during the 2007 elections in Kenya. We fled by taxi and crossed the border on foot. Then we jumped on a local bus.

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By local bus through Tanzania

It was bumpy and our bodies were exhausted from the adrenaline rush. When the bus stopped, we simply jumped off. No guidebook, no map... Where were we? In a place in northern Tanzania called Tanga. The first night we slept in a guesthouse in town. We would celebrate, we said, but we fell asleep right away.

Tent by the sea

The second night we took a taxi out to the beach. It was a long bumpy road. And when we finally arrived there was a place with small bungalows run by an English couple. The bungalows were finished in themselves. But they could offer a tent! Tents with the most beautiful view you could ever imagine ...!

Overlanders, aid workers and researchers

I still remember the days there as if it was yesterday. It was us and some 'overlanders', people crossing Africa in jeeps. And then some aid workers, who were on holiday from their posting in Sudan. And a frog scientist from Ireland and his wife, the brain scientist. Wow, what songs she sang here in the evenings! And what fun they had with Peter crawling out of the tent every morning in a freshly ironed shirt. "How do you do that...?"

Boat trip at Tanga in Tanzania

We took a boat trip out to an island. The guys didn't arrive at the appointed time right away. I think we waited many hours there in the sand. But who cares about time? The sand and the sea make everything blend together. Just us, just the sea...

These guys were sailing the boat. They knew no English, but they knew exactly how to handle their boat. They skilfully twisted the sail in all directions, even though everything was just tied to ropes, to planks. There is no time here, no hours. So we went to this sandy island ... We went swimming and had a picnic.

Bus from Tanga to Dar es Salaam

A few days later we left Tanga. I don't know why. I think our bodies were still full of adrenaline from the flight. We took a local bus to Dar es Salaam. We were the only white people on the bus. All we had was a piece of paper with an address. We thought it was a hotel, but it was a home for aid workers. We slept there one night, and then we took the boat to Dar es Salaam. Zanzibar…

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