Poa Kachesi Kama Ndizi

We've made it to Tanzania. Good-bye kwacha, hello shillings.

Before crossing the border we stopped for a few days in Livingstonia (almost). This old missionary town is perched high on the mountains overlooking Lake Malawi. We arrived at the base of the mountains on a Saturday and were told there were no vehicles going up the road. We hired some young boys to carry a bag and proceeded to walk the 10k (ascending 700m) in midday heat. The Mushroom Farm is a lodge located just short of Livingstonia town. Our open-ended A-frame had a balcony virtually hanging over the cliff edge. We spent a few days sitting there watching storms pass by, fishermen and flies ply the lake, and cookfires sprout up in the lowlands. At night thunder and lightning shook the whole mountainside and rain blew into the hut (the major downside of an open-ended A-frame during rainy season). We timed our departure perfectly to coincide with another day when there were no vehicles on the road. We also didn't learn to avoid hiking in the midday heat.

Tukuyu was next. This small town is in the midst of rolling hills and mountains in southern Tanzania. There are a few large tea estates in the area and also thousands of small plots managed by individual families. Being enthusiastic tea drinkers, we immediately signed up for a tour of the tea farm and factory. Our fearless guide was Mama Cecilia, a large, older Tanzanian "mama" who farms tea, bananas, cows, and pigs; laughs alot; and carries her folded umbrella balanced atop her head. The tea estates are huge fields of tea plants, the constant picking and regrowth of fresh buds keeps the whole landscape a springtime green. The tea factory was not so picturesque (except for us in our immaculate white lab coats and hats, required attire for the tour) but pretty interesting to see how green leaves are turned into black powder.

Our current locale is Mbeya. We hope to catch the train tomorrow to Dar Es Salaam. The booking agent says there are no first or second class tickets available but the station master has told us he will talk personally to the senior conductor. We're taking this as a guarantee that we will find passage. Some of you may ask, "What about third class?" Simply put, travelling third class overnight on an African train is more than we're prepared to endure. Hate to say it but it's true. Wish us luck.