Having climbed the side of the Crater in our trusty Land Cruiser, we paddled to the tent allocated to us in Pukelala.
The staff were lovely and the view would have been incredible had it not been for the incessant rain. As it was, we could see how amazing it would have been. Through the rain there was a sense of mystery surrounding the crater, not the glorious patches of blue and green I had expected.
We asked if there was any chance of a drink from the lounge tent, thinking we’d go over and sit for a while but the manager insisted on having a pot of tea sent over to us so that we didn’t go out in the rain – luxury!
We DID go over for dinner and shared the meal with other European guests from Spain and Germany. Dinner was served on a long table where we all sat together. It was a very sociable meal and the food was good.
Heavy rain meant early nights – but there were early mornings, too! We were often asleep soon after returning to the tent in the evening as there was really nothing to do in the poor light other than sleep. But we slept well and enjoyed the following day more as a result, I’m sure.
A quick breakfast and we were off to explore the market town and villages near Lake Eyasi.
First stop in a very smart newly washed Land Cruiser was the viewpoint over the crater.This gave some idea of what the view might have been on a less cloudy day – but we were high up in the mountains! The raindrops on the lens are telling!
A souvenir shop followed when we reached a small town : lots of lovely wood carvings, paintings and even some t-shirts (we’d seen hardly any touristy things so it was interesting to be taken to these shops). We both found things to buy before moving on a few miles to a second, similar shop – but this time there were craftsmen at work. For me, that’s always an encouragement to buy and I found a painting by the person who was working that day which I couldn’t resist! More wall space!! Below you see Johnson at work and holding the painting I bought. Just love the colour in his work!
Having spent as much as we wanted and now in fear of overfull suitcases we ventured on to find somewhere for the table to be set up for lunch. On the way into the town we had noticed a little coffee shop, clearly new, called “Mambo”. It was on its own on the outskirts of the town and our driver decided to ask the owners if we could eat our packed lunch there. They were happy. I bought coffee and it was the best I’d had since leaving home!
And then we set off to find our guide, Musa, and gain some understanding of the life of the local tribespeople. We hadn’t realised that the hotel was beyond the tribal lands and the way to Nairobi the next day was back through the same road we had just travelled. The heavy rains had messed up the surface of the road on the hill but I said blithely, “At least you know you don’t have to drive back through this!” – “Oh, we come back this way early tomorrow morning to get to the border” was the response. Enough said! The road on the valley floor was flooded and muddy and we couldn’t see how deep the waters were. Anxiety took over when the driver himself seemed less than confident – not so much about reaching our destination but about being able to return the next day.
He rang his office. They were surprised, said they had never had to cancel such a visit before, but arranged accommodation for us in Arusha on the basis that, if necessary, we would foot the bill ourselves. While we were in discussion with the office about what to do a small crowd of villagers had approached the vehicle, so we began sharing the pens and pencils we had brought for the tribes. They had such fun! Always trying to get one more, parents asking for money, children for sweets.
But, before long, we were turning around and making our way up the hill again, out of the valley and on the road to Arusha where we arrived at about 6pm to a lovely hotel with great wifi and charging facilities and good food – both dinner and breakfast. Comfy beds were the norm, but being in a real room with proper plumbing was quite a treat!
We had also enjoyed a journey along metalled roads, through communities getting on with their day to day business.
Living the Journey 