Adventures in Africa: Seeing the new year in...

We were invited to join Kayley and her family (who had flown to Mtwara from the UK for a week) for New Year's Eve on the beach at a marine park, so who were we to refuse? We don't have a tent with us so luckily we were able to rent a banda (hut) for the night, which was cooler than inside a tent anyway. We were just going to sleep under the stars but the wind coming off the ocean was actually quite strong and chilly, which is good for keeping the mosquitos off you at least.

The marine park is on the way to the Mozambique border, about an hour's drive south of Mtwara.

That's what Paul said before we set off on the bikes at around 3pm.

Some while later we pulled over in a village, with Paul reckoning we needed the left turn about 9km back, so we turned around and not gone far before Bart beeped his horn at me to pull over: lo and behold I had got a puncture ('puncha') on my back tyre. One of the nice villagers we had been chatting to pointed to a bike repairs situated under a not-so-distant tree and even helped push the bike over to him for me. By the time they had taken the back wheel off it seemed as though the entire village had come to join us under the tree to observe the fixing of the 'puncha' (and us when they thought we didn't see them), and it was almost a cause for celebration when a 3rd mzungu came too as Paul had gone on ahead and had finally realised we weren't with him so had come back to find us.

One of the older villagers sauntered over after either having had too much to drink (or chew of their intoxicating plant) to ask for money and Bart kept us all entertained as they communicated in their Swanglish. The fundi found a nail in the tyre and then proceeded to fix the puncha, which took maybe an hour in total. Then came the business of money, and to my relief the fundi only asked for 2,000 tsh, which is about 80p - a fairly standard rate for a motorbike. So, monies paid to fundi and to the older man for helping me with the bike, off we went back for the left (now right) turn a few km back down the road.

In the next village at the turning we needed, Bart's horn stopped me once again, as the back tyre had gone flat - again.

5 holes repaired later (they kept trying to put the inner tube back in with a screwdriver) and with the sun sitting dangerously low on the horizon, off we set for the Marine Park, knowing there were sandy routes up ahead...

These pictures were taken the next day on the way back as it was getting dark by the time we reached the marine park!

Riding on this mesh was scary. It was coming to pieces too, so if you went slowly it was worse than being on the loose sand. When you hit a loose patch the best advice I was given was to gun it, even though instinctively you don't want to! I found the best speed was 40kmph, in 3rd gear, trying to coast over it. The wheels went in different directions more than once but fortunately I was able to correct it upon landing each time...!

We had to stop because the keys rattled off the key ring, so it was an excellent photo opportunity (also to psych myself up enough ready to get back on...). I wanted to see how long it went on for but didn't dare take my eyes off it! Certainly a few kilometres. They felt like the longest kilometres I have ever ridden.....

But it was worth it. My first New Year's on the beach!