Day 197… Thursday 5th October
The 4th last land border crossing to deal with on this trip! I am counting them down as they are now getting tedious. The whole border crossing took 90 minutes which is not too bad. More paperwork to complete and a road tax levy of 62,000 Tanzanian Shillings (approximately £20) to pay. Drive time today of 5 hours. One police stop on the road just after entering Tanzania. Customs and immigration officers checking documents but they were friendly and I suspect just wanted to practise their English. The police wear smart white uniforms which are easy to spot. Our campsite tonight “FukuFuku” was just off the main road. Another recommendation from the iOverlander app. No one was around at the entry gates and honking our horn as per the sign did not seem to work. After a 10 minute wait, we were just about to consider alternative options for accommodation when the security guard appeared. Lovely campsite surrounded by tall hedging with trees planted in a secure area. We were the only campers that night. Hot showers and water taps/sinks available. Our 60 litre water tank gets filled up at every available opportunity otherwise if it runs empty, bottled water from shops has to do. We have only once run out of water on this trip (in Guinea) and it is not a scenario to be repeated.
Allen’s perspective…
I confess to losing my lid at a few drivers on the way to the border. Most drivers in East Africa have been pretty sensible, especially in comparison with the West coast, but today there were a few who were driving dangerously for no real reason other than to get ahead of me. And then once we made it to the border a local council officer got a ‘Community charge’ out of us. Nothing new, but I was seriously annoyed at being fleeced right at the border, even if it was pennies.
Then once in the border post we got stuck behind a large group of loud Italians. Thankfully once they were out of the way we got customs done, and the drive to the campsite was really pleasant. Even the police have been good to us, merely inquisitive being a foreign car, something which we haven’t seen that many of on our trip so far.