We've had a good first week of weather since we arrived here in Lushoto on February 13th. Unfortunately, the second week isn't looking quite so good.
We had done a reasonable 12 km walk on Friday, and we would have taken Saturday as an off day, but with them calling for some rain on Sunday, and in fact every day for the next week, we figured we had better get out and do another decent walk before getting shut in due to rain.
So we set off towards the other side of the valley where it looked like there was another viewpoint. It was going to be 12 kms (7 miles) one way, but the way back would be shorter and we figured if we got tired we could take a dala-dala (local bus) or motorcycle transport back.
Someone is building a new house.
Scenery along the way.
Some kind of young hawk.
Giant centipede.
It was dead.
Chameleon.
Very much alive.
Much of our route had been on the roads.. first the main paved road, then a very quiet dirt road. But then it turned off on a path that was very overgrown. Felt like we were hiking through the jungle!
We made it close to where we assumed the viewpoint was, but couldn't find a way to the top! We weren't in the mood to try cross country, so just followed a path around and back down. As it was, it was going to be a pretty long hike.
Big beetle.
Eventually, we came out of the overgrown area to some corn fields.
Notice the clouds moving in!
These two girls came out of the fields.
They followed us for quite a while carrying their cargo on their heads. Laughing and giggling the way girls do. We can only say basic words in Swahili, but enough to say hello and how are you... that kind of thing. Eventually I got the camera out, and wanted to take their picture. The one girl wanted nothing to do with that, and went and hid behind her friend, facing the opposite way. But the girl above was quite happy to have her picture taken.
We made it down to the main road, and we were only about 10 minutes from the restaurant we were planning on going to when the skies opened up. There had only been a 15% chance of rain all day, but of course that doesn't mean zero!
We got a little wet, but it's only water. We ended up standing under a shelter with a few of the locals while we waited for it to let up.
Rain, rain, go away.
We ended up doing 19 kms (12 miles) and we had done about 12 kms (7 miles) the day before. So we're thinking Sunday is going to be a day of rest!
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Any chance of running into any snakes or wildlife out there when hiking?
ReplyDeleteThe possibility of snakes in the dense underbrush crossed my mind too.
DeleteNo chance of running into any dangerous wildlife and the poisonous snakes don't hang around these areas. We actually only had about a half kilometer of the fairly dense overgrowth and you could still see the pathway, we actually were more worried about the nettles that we lining sections of the trail, lol.
DeleteThat’s a lot of hiking with no food!
ReplyDeleteWe actually had a small snack of peanuts with us but yes, it was a lot of hiking and we were definitely hungry by the time we finally reached the restaurant!
DeleteHoping that hike will hold you over until your next hike.
ReplyDeleteBe Safe and Enjoy!
It's about time.
Fingers crossed we will still be able to get out and go for shorter hikes in between the rains!
Deletehttps://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-56145510
ReplyDeleteBe careful.
We are always trying to be careful, we definitely know that COVID is here, even if the government says it isn't. We do our best to keep our distance and we wash our hands a lot. We spend much of our time outside which we think is a big help. The only time we are more concerned is when we are on the bus, so we try to keep our public transportation rides to a minimum.
DeleteWe called those centipedes shongololo’s growing up in Africa.
ReplyDeleteHard to believe that they have a life expectancy of 7-10 years!
DeleteIt's funny that one gal wanted her picture taken, and the gal was very shy. We are all different! We have nettles in Oregon, and I have wiping their backside, hopefully you only do that once!Take care, Rawn
ReplyDeleteWe are finding out that a lot of the children don't want their picture taken so we always ask first and we were lucky this time with the one little girl saying yes!
DeleteYes, you definitely want to be careful not to use a nettle leaf that kind of business. lol!
LOL! Just so you know, I never did use nettles, but I knew a guy that did! Acewowwow!
DeleteThe lush vegetation, the temperatures, the warm and friendly people, the markets and dirt roads, the villages, interesting view points and critters all remind me of my homeland, the Philippines! Overall, you don’t need to go there! Lol!
ReplyDeleteLooks like we would love the Philippines, and one day we will make it there. :-)
DeleteI hope you do! You won't regret it and the food in the different regions will astound you. Scenery is outstanding and you won't have problems speaking English even in the rural areas.
DeleteYou are making it sound better and better! We will see how things go in this crazy world and it just might be a possibility for next winter's travels. :-)
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