After we had finished we went outside and found Aaron cleaning the car. I have to say it was spotless. In the morning light we can now see that the hotel is actually well out of the town in the countryside.
Once Robert has had breakfast we leave. Today we are aiming to get as far as Babati. The area we are travelling through seems to have a high Muslim population and we see a lot of mosques.
By mid morning it’s time to look for the next thing on Mama Diana’s shopping list….Cooking oil. There is a small town called Shelui where it seems to be for sale all the way down the road.
Having made the purchase we drive on. We are now looking for red onions. Again there are a lot of people selling them in a small area. Aaron checks them for Robert and then Robert buys a bucket full.
We arrive in Singida at lunchtime and look for somewhere to eat. The first place we try isn’t serving food (it’s a Muslim restaurant and Ramadan has just started) but they direct us to another place. We have to walk through some alleyways to get there!!
The place seems ok so we order some food, chicken pilau for me and Peter, chicken veruga (a concoction of chips, chicken, vegetables and spices all cooked together in foil) for Robert and Aaron. We sit near the front of the restaurant but are constantly bothered by beggars so we move inside, which is hotter but quieter.
The chicken pilau arrives pretty quickly and is quite good.
However the chicken veruga takes longer and apparently isn’t very good, nothing like what you get in Moshi!!! Robert is not impressed. Then when it comes to paying they charge us more than on the advertised menu at the front of the restaurant, telling us “Oh there is now a new menu displayed at the back of the restaurant with new higher prices!!” All in all not a great place. We wont be going back.
The original plan had been that at Singida Aaron would leave us and return to Mwanza on the bus and Robert would drive the rest of the way back to Moshi. However Aaron has never travelled beyond Singida and is keen to see Arusha and Moshi and of course Mount Kilimanjaro so in the end he persuades Robert to let him drive us the rest of the way.
So we all leave Singida together. The scenery changes and we soon see Mount Harang in the distance. Aaron asks if this Kilimanjaro 😀.
The last thing on Mama Diana’s shopping list is sweet potatoes. We stop at a place that seems to be selling lots of fruit and vegetables but they tell us it is the wrong season for sweet potatoes and so don't have any. Robert doesn’t like to leave without buying anything so he buys a few normal potatoes instead.
As we drive on we see the edge of the Rift Valley in the distance.
When we arrive in Babati we need to find a hotel. We try a couple of places but they are a bit too basic so we then try a place Robert stayed at a few years ago called the White Rose Hotel. All their rooms are Tsh 30,000 (£9) and seem fine so we take one and so does Robert. The staff are very friendly and speak good English. They offer us tea while we settle in and say they will also provide dinner. Robert has a zoom meeting at 7pm so we order dinner for 8.30.
Soon after we arrive so does the rain which develops into a pretty spectacular thunder storm. We sit outside our room, under cover and watch for a bit. At one point it is so loud we cannot hear each other speak.
As it is still raining we opt to have dinner inside. The TV is on and some of the girls are watching some sort of soap opera. Apparently it’s on every night between 8 and 9. We tell them it’s fine to stay and continue watching. A lady has cooked us an amazing dinner of chicken, chips, bananas, salad and avocado. It is one of the best meals we have had as it has all been freshly cooked just for us. We sit and eat while the girls watch TV, it felt rather like having dinner at a friend’s house, all very relaxed.
After dinner we go to the bar next door for a drink. It’s a bit of a late night for us!!
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