Tanzania > Cycling through Karatu Town

I slept a bit restlessly, but luckily I could take it slow this morning. Around eight o’clock, I joined breakfast as one of the last ones. I wasn’t very hungry, but still had a pancake, an omelette, and coffee. At nine o’clock, we gathered for a bike ride through Karatu. Godswill and Osama guided us during the ride. I grabbed a bike, and it was already set up pretty well. The saddle could perhaps be a bit higher, but with it lower I can reach the ground more easily — safer that way. The brakes worked, and the gears shifted smoothly. I followed Godswill through the gate towards the main road. We crossed it and continued on sandy paths. I had to watch out for stones along the way. The road gradually sloped upwards, so I shifted down. Children waved from the side. As they shouted “Jambo, Jambo,” they also encouraged me. I learned a new word: Mambo, which means “How are you?” To this, the children would reply “Pao,” meaning “OK” or “good.” We arrived at a quarry. Using molds, clay was formed into bricks, which were then dried in the sun. Afterwards, the bricks were stacked so a fire could be lit underneath to bake them. The baked bricks were then sold. Leaving the workers behind, we continued cycling.

Tanzania - Cycling through Karatu Town

Along the route, Godswill showed us banana trees. A large bunch of bananas hung from one of them. We cycled through the center of Karatu. Some children were filling water tanks at the village pump. They rode off on a flat cart pulled by two cows. On our way to the market, we passed the church. The Catholic church of Karatu stands on one of the higher parts of town. In front of it, children were being taught. At the market, we parked our bikes and walked into the market hall. Godswill asked us to request people’s permission before taking photos. Very few refused. At the market, we also met the group of hikers, who had spent the day walking through the area. On the way back to the lodge, we cycled past the bus station. Here, buses to Arusha were waiting, as well as Land Rovers for travel into the interior. One man jokingly offered to strap our bikes onto the roof and take us to Arusha. That’s a bit premature — we’ll only go there tomorrow. By around noon, we were back at the lodge. Originally, the bike ride was meant to end at the lunch spot, but participants from previous trips found the route too far and hilly. It was therefore decided that both the cyclists and hikers would take the truck to lunch. This involved a bumpy, unpaved four-kilometer track. At a small coffee plantation, lunch was ready. Afterwards, we were shown how coffee plants are grown, how the beans are picked, ground, and roasted.

Tanzania - Water is fetched using simple carts

Naturally, we also got to try a fresh cup of very strong coffee. Since I’m used to drinking coffee with milk, it took some getting used to. By now it was half past two, and we wanted to head back to the lodge. We skipped the woodcarving stop — it would probably just be an upscale souvenir shop selling wooden figurines. At the lodge, I ordered a beer and sat in the shade by the pool. In the evening at dinner, it turned out that the discussion about the food in the restaurant was still ongoing. Patrick asked me to explain to the group that the manager wanted ten US dollars per person per night for using the kitchen facilities. The manager said he could not open his boss’s gate without payment. While a small fee would be reasonable, this amount was unreasonably high — you could stay overnight here for the same price. Patrick also asked us to complain to the manager. The manager discussed it with his boss, while Patrick contacted his company. When I went to bed, there was still no resolution. We’ll see what happens tomorrow.