Life in Africa V

The Amboni Caves near Tanga are interesting and I would have liked to have been able to spend more time there exploring some of the wildlife.
I would have liked a closer look at the bats - they are the only indigenous mammal in New Zealand.
The old guy that took us in there with his torch, switched it off to show how dark it was! Tanzanian torches do not always switch on!

Tanga was our first visit to the Indian Ocean and of course I was taken by the dhow sailing by.
So I felt the warm ocean and enjoyed the different vegetation there.
Tanga seemed a quiet town then - perhaps now it is much different but I am pleased we visited there even if it was for one night and even if we chose a hotel that carried a lot of night traffic.

Kapok was harvested from trees like this in days gone by for mattress and pillow filling as well as life vests and many other thing. Still it is used locally but there is no market for it these days.
Ceiba pentandra has few other uses save for firewood and local medicine, but none the less it is a striking tree - up to 30 metres high.

Soni Falls is on the way up the Usambara mountains to Lushoto - a must see stop for people visiting Tanzania.
We often stayed there and at first the small hotel was pretty much run down, but over time it improved and we always had very good service there.
There was a hole in the fanlight window in the dining room and during the evening meal a bat, or bats would fly in, circling the light-bulb to catch a moth and fly out again - very good radar!

The turnoff to Lushoto is at the village of Mombo, which is a busy market town and a rest stop for buses making a longer journey.
On a river terrace I found this stand of well tended trees.

On the corner of the Lushoto road the restaurant/hotel serves up a chicken and chips dish that is worth the journey!

I am told that the Arusha to Dodoma road has been much upgraded, which is a very good thing! I sometimes took this road to Babati and on up to Dongabesh on the pay run, and during the wet season the road had its challenges - sometimes there were deep holes and once water flowed over the bonnet.

I always like Baobab trees and seek out fine specimens - this one is on the Dodoma road and I just had to take a closer look.