DAY 11: Peponi Beach

 

The day

Despite our very late night, we woke with smiles at the reality of being at the sea once again.  We were welcomed by waves crashing just a few meters from where our tents were pitched, having not quite realised just how close we were to the high tide water level the night before.  After coffee and rusks we were awake and semi-fresh, except Ryan whose sleepy head only materialised out his tent door shortly before a fabulous flapjack brunch.  Izel and I began exploring the campsite in search for a boat to transport us to either Zanzibar or Pemba islands close to the Tanzanian coastline; however we were unlucky in our endeavour.  On return, we discovered our prime beach camping spot had been previously booked, forcing us to unhook tent pegs and relocate to a further, less perfect spot to make way for a young family of British Tanzanians with a sweet little baby.   

 

Weather conditions

It seems as though Afrikaans South Africans keep African economies running.  Every place we’ve camped at in every country has been shared with fellow South Africans, and yet again, we met and chatted with a family from Pretoria also trekking through Africa.  Furthermore, more South African families in both an overlander and a caravan set up camp in the relatively full camp site.  Having made new friends, we were keen to communicate with our own friends from home, and with the knowledge of nearby internet available, we set off in search of a Facebook-friendly source.  A few minutes later, we discovered the first sign of Colonial civilization we had seen since leaving South African soil – Capricorn Boutique and Deli.  Beside ourselves with excitement, Izel and I browsed the shop close to 30 times before Nico was willing to lend us his card, and eventually, arms laden with shopping bags, we collapsed on the chairs outside the shop.   It was here that we met Emily, an American working in Tanzania who had recently climbed Kilimanjaro.  Unlike other sources that romanticise the mountain rather than tell it like it is, Emily gave us a day-by-day breakdown of the route we were soon to climb.  With slightly more insight and awareness of what we had booked ourselves in for, we began anticipating the very near Kili climb with more caution than before. 

 

Campsite conditions

The sun spitefully plays hide and seek, beaming down at us as we journey for hours in the bakkie and ducks behind the clouds as soon as a much appreciated travel-free day materializes.  For us young ladies, camping next to the beach is theoretically accompanied by hours of tanning in the sun, although unfortunately for these two teenage girls (and Ryan), the grey clouds opened above our camp site, regularly pouring rain and drenching our tanning hopes throughout the day. 

Finally able to view our surrounds by daylight, we decided to conduct our evaluation by first exploring the campsite, however after losing our way we decided to give up on discovering what lay beyond our tents.  The bathrooms were good and fixed with mirrors, although the constant presence of male African workers retiling the walls was slightly discomforting when you climbed out the shower only draped in a towel.  At least the water was hot.

 

Personal

Camping is rough, there’s no doubt about it, although if you only take the effort to shower when the water is hot and keep a travel-friendly hairdryer in your bag, there’s really nothing to complain about.  It’s therefore a wonder why Ryan and Raymond are always so positive when they shower twice a day, regardless of the mostly freezing water temperature.  They’re the cleanest people I’ve ever met, having brought a portable washing machine for their clothes and spend hours washing the Land Rover only to recoat it in mud the following day.   It is for this reason that Izel and I usually smile gratefully when Ryan carries the dirty dishes and cutlery past us to wash them, although after bizarrely feeling slightly sorry for him, we decided to offer a helping hand.  We returned to our tents battle scarred, dripping soapy dish water with pieces of sponge wedged in our hair and vowed to never again approach Ryan when he’s closer to water than he is to us.