A Relaxing Weekend in the Mountains

This weekend can only be described as amazing.  Everything from the drive up to the drive back to Dar was mind-blowingly fantastic!  I will definitely be repeating this experience again.  So now that I Have your attention, I’m sure you’re wondering what I did this weekend.  This weekend Olaf and I went to Mkuzi, near Lushoto, which is in the Usumbara Mountains, a beautiful mountain range where we were able to hike around in cool, crisp air.  Not only because we were at 1700 meters was it pretty close to heaven.

We stayed at the Swiss Farm Cottage which is owned and run be Sepp, a great big Swiss man with an appetite for food and life the size of Tanzania and a personality to match.  He was extremely hospitable to us and took excellent care of two very exhausted city-slickers who were much in need of a relaxing weekend in the mountains.  His cooking is phenomenal and, best of all, reminds a little of home as it is home-cooking at its best, from the pork-chops to the goulash to the home-grown vegetables used.  After a long day of hiking, having a delicious meal made by Sepp waiting for you is sure to revitalize you for the next hike!  Understandably, I sound like a walking advertisement for this place.  Truth is, we only discovered it slightly by accident as Sepp (or as everyone here calls him, Kiboko- meaning Hippo) has only recently taken over the place and completely revitalized it.  It’s not in any of the guidebooks, although it definitely should be.

Anyway, back to our little slice of Switzerland in the middle of Tanzania.  We left on Friday and naturally the Dar traffic made us somewhat behind schedule.  It is about a 5 hour drive, however, it took us close to 6 ½ to get there.  Not to worry, we had plenty to eat and drink and lots of good music to entertain us along the way.  Not only that but the drive up, once you get the Usambara Mountains in view, is so breath-taking you’ll hardly notice the rest of the trip.  I drove some of the way (Olaf apparently likes to live dangerously!) and I learned some new Dar driving rules.  When a bus is trying to overtake a truck coming towards you, move out of the way- playing chicken with a bus is never a good idea.  When the road is not clear to pass the truck in front of you will sometimes turn his right blinker on, then when it is clear to go, he will turn on his left blinker.  This is enormously helpful given that the roads can be windy and traffic slow.  This and the fact that lots of the dala dalas and private vehicles don’t have any break lights (that is not an exaggeration, there are probably more without than with) and the endless random speed-bumps make for a somewhat exhausting drive.  We arrived at the farm having already placed our dinner order as Kiboko takes his food very seriously and you have to order dinner in the morning as some dishes take all day to prepare.  He also maintained contact with us through text to make sure we didn’t get lost or have any problems.  Truly a generous and considerate thing to do which was much appreciated.

We were warmly welcomed and since we were the only ones staying in the cabin, we had the whole place to ourselves- including the fireplace which was immediately lit because it is cold up there.  In fact, I would say the temperature in Mkuzi is perfect.  Not too hot, but sunny during the day and crisp and cool at night- perfect hiking weather.  It also means there are no mosquitoes (which means no fighting with the mosquito net) and that you can sleep with the window open.  Kiboko joined us after dinner for a drink and to discuss some of the Tanzanian idiosyncrasies.  It was really nice to commiserate with someone who has been here going on 30 years and still can share the same frustrations (apparently they don’t go away).  We also learned about his carpentry shop (everything in the cabins made from wood was handcrafted in his woodwork shop) and discussed the hikes we would be making while there.  Such an extremely personable man with a huge personality (to match his huge belly).

On Saturday we met our guide, Peter, who, besides being a guide, is a carpenter working for Kiboko but also has his own shop.  We were planning a day trip that would include Yogio Point and Irente Point with a stop for lunch at Irente Farm.  Peter and Olaf and I quickly built up a strong rapport and we talked him into taking us down some new paths (not that it took a lot to convince him, he was as excited about it as we were!)  Peter was extremely nice and had an immense vault of information about the Usambara Mountains, but also just in general.  He was very generous with his time and took us to some amazing spots along the way.  He even managed to point out some colobus monkeys (twice) which is rare.  We were incredibly lucky to have Peter guiding the way. 

I do not feel that I can accurately describe the beauty of these mountains.  The pictures will have to do that.  We could see for miles and miles from the peaks we reached and it felt like you were on the edge of the world.  Taking new (at least for us and Peter) routes only made it more fascinating and exciting.  We didn’t stop for lunch until almost 4 pm but didn’t feel hungry.  That is, until we got our food.  Irente Farm is a non-profit farm that makes delicious cheese, yogurt and many other dairy products, as well as fruit jams, muesli and bread.  All home-made, all delicious.  These are all very high commodities in Dar where cheese is imported and super expensive, as is yogurt and don’t even talk about sour cream.  As you can imagine, after finishing lunch, we stocked up.  Kiboko had asked us to bring him some cheese as well so we bought all they had and loaded up the back-pack.  Olaf is training to climb Mount Kili so it was good practice to carry that heavy load! 

We arrived back at the lodge just as it was getting dark and Kiboko was so disappointed as he was very excited to show us property, which includes half a mountain apparently.  We were a little disappointed too as the views from the cottage seemed amazing and it would’ve been nice to get a tour (don’t worry, we managed to squeeze one in before we left on Sunday).  However, exhaustion was starting to hit so we returned to the cottage for a hot shower and a seat by the fireplace.  Dinner was served promptly at 8 as requested and was brought to our cabin which has a really nice dining area.  Let’s just say, the mashed potatoes were incredible and the only thing that could beat them was the fantastic vegetable medley that we got with it.  I’m salivating just thinking about it!  True home-style cooking is sorely missed and I am definitely looking forward to my mom’s cooking again! 

Kiboko kindly allowed us to store our dairy products in his fridge and even let us freeze our cooler packs so that we could safely transport our goodies back to Dar on Sunday.  As you can imagine, Saturday was an early night.  Kiboko kindly brought us some hot chocolate (the real stuff not the sugar and milk they give you in Dar where it’s too hot to drink it anyway).  We hiked for about 6 ½ hours that day and that will wipe you out.  I was surprised to discover on Sunday that I had no muscle aches and that I was ready for another day of hiking.  Peter was ready too and we got an early start since we needed to leave on time to make it back to Dar.  We went to the Mkuzi waterfalls, taking the long route (because that’s just how we roll).  There we relaxed for a little bit as we watched a group of boys/young men do their washing and fish with a stick and some string.  Whereas the day before we visited some of the peaks, on Sunday we walked through parts of the rainforest.  It is so lush and alive, the complete opposite to Dar which is hot and dusty and very, very dry.  Again, I cannot do it justice by simply describing it and hope the pictures give you a better idea of the environment.  We were lucky enough to see another colobus monkey (some people come for a week with the special purpose of seeing one and don’t get to, so we feel extremely lucky- of course, they are super fast so the pictures are a little blurry) and we managed to curb our hunger by eating some berries Peter found.

Peter, being a wealth of knowledge, kept us entertained with stories of Mbega, the first Shambaa King and was even able to explain why a passion fruit is called a passion fruit (it has to do with Jesus, not with love- who knew!).  Truly an intelligent, kind man who not only took us on longer, more interesting hikes, but also showed us his home and his workshop.  He even let Olaf name his cow after he told him it was something they do in Europe.  He named the cow Eva.  Not only that, but Peter also gave Olaf a copy of a book about the history of the Germans and their relation to the Usumbara region which he helped translate from Kiswahili to Shambaa, and offered to ride with us as we left on Sunday to show us a back way that is much more scenic and takes you in between the eastern and western Usumbara mountains.  This turned out to be an almost four hour drive from which he took the bus back home.  A very generous offer that we did take him up on (thinking it was only 2 hours).  It was an incredible way to end the weekend as we drove winding roads through the mountains (I got to drive as well- thanks Olaf!) and saw not only the changing vegetation from rain forest to drier areas, but also managed to see four tea plantations.  We also managed to be slightly slowed down twice by cows.  It's a normal occurrence here :)  As we bode farewell to Peter, we heartily, and truthfully, promised to return soon.  We made the same promise to Kiboko who took some time before we left to show us his estate and to describe to us his fantastic plans to expand.  The Swiss Farm Cottage is not just comfortable and serene, the people make it colorful and rich.  An unforgettable experience to put it mildly. 

On the way home, I drove until dark to give Olaf a break and to continue practicing my driving (although we can hardly call it that since I’m driving around on my own now) when all of a sudden I am pulled over.  To be pulled over in Tanzania means a police officer stands in the road and points you to the side where you pull over.  I hadn’t done anything wrong but since my Kiswahili has not been improving as fast as I wish it were, I let Olaf do the talking.  The guy asked where we were coming from and where we were going and then whether we had any vegetables, which we didn’t.  For a minute I thought he might confiscate our cheese and sour cream and became very nervous.  No worries, we were able to bribe him with approximately 6 chocolate chip cookies.  The guy was just hungry (police get hungry too) and it was nearly dark so he was satisfied with our cookies.  A strange, but apparently not unusual experience.  He wished us a pleasant continuation of our journey and off we went.  We got home around 9:30, had some muesli and yogurt from Irente Farms (fantastic!!), looked at the pictures and went to bed.  It was an exhausting but exhilarating weekend that completely revived me and renewed my love for Tanzania after a somewhat exhausting and frustrating week.

As you may have noticed, I only updated the blog once last week.  This is because on both Tuesday and Thursday we were without power (in all of Dar- apparently they’re rationing) and on Wednesday and Friday we were without internet at the office so there was nary a chance to update.  On Friday I went to the immigration office downtown to try to extend my visa only to discover I had the wrong office- so frustrating.  Thank goodness for my relaxing weekend or I may have blown a gasket on Monday when there was still no internet at the office (they forgot to pay the bill I discovered) and after sitting in traffic for over an hour each way, I was told that they could not extend my visa until it was almost (as in a day or two) expired.  Of course, they could not tell me this when I called numerous times.  The ice-cream I bought as I sat waiting in the endless and senseless traffic of Dar helped ease the frustration.  So now hopefully we will maintain power and I can get back to work as I am trying to finish the brochures and the training manual in the next two weeks before my brother comes to visit. 

So sorry but the pictures will have to wait!  As usual, there was another power outage at the office today and my home internet is just not able to upload the pics.  Hopefully tomorrow I’ll have access again and I’ll be able to share the wonders of Lushoto with you.