I finished work at a reasonable time and got back to the hotel with a few hours of daylight left so I decided to take a long walk up the hill. I had been up there before but not left enough time to get to the top. I set off at 5pm and made good progress, walking with purpose. The dirt road is cut with deep channels by water as it cascades downhill after a storm. The path is made for motorbikes but definitely not for cars.
Bikes race up the road with one, to and sometimes three passengers clinging on for dear life. In parts the road turns steeply and sharply and the bikes spin and struggle on the loose surface.
The houses on the mountain are very simple, one or to rooms and cooking facilities outside. The view is incredible but life here is not easy. There’s a lot of ascent and descent to get into town and you have to walk or pay and climb on the back of a bike and slip and slide your way up and down.
As I passed houses left and right of the track men, women and children shouted greetings to me and waved. Tanzanians are very friendly.
Stupidly I had not thought to take any water. I was leaking at an alarming rate and sweat as dripping off my face onto my clothes, my sleeves wringing wet from trying to stop the flow. Every turn of the track I was convinced I would be at the top of the mountain but every time, there as yet another corner. I was tantalisingly close to seeing what was on the other side of the mountain.
After a hour of walking I was really regretting not bringing water and I had decided that at the next house I passed, I would as for water and risk drinking water from an unclean source.
Then a miracle happened. Up ahead I saw a simple stick structure which looked a bit like a bush bar. It even had seats and signs for Johnnie Walker and Heineken. As it turned out, those signs were only holding up or decorating the building.
I entered the shack and sat down and used one of my few Swahili words to order water. Thankfully it came in a sealed bottle and with the best view on the mountain. I sat for 20 minutes while I replaced liquids and then gave up waiting for my change from 2,000 shillings. The husband and wife team showed me their house which as in reality one room.
Their main income seemed to be selling lemon tree cuttings and individually wrapped tobacco – enough for one cigarette. While I was there a customer came to purchase one and the son went off to roll it and light it for the customer.
I decided that this family needed the 40p change more than I did. They were very grateful and I wish I had brought a few more notes for them.
I gave up trying to find the top of the mountain and carefully picked my way back to the hotel. As the sun got lower in the sky, the crescent moon was high in the night sky above a flaming red sunset. I always say Morogoro is a much better place at night hen you can’t see it.