Tenderfoot

Barrett here, struggling somewhat in an African internet cafe in Morogoro. The fan is whirring above my head and there's happy, beaty music coming from the shop speakers. This is the third internet purveyor  I've visited; the guy is helpful and I've managed to e-mail Trubbers, so things are looking up.

It's a typical winter's day here in Tanzania. It's 25 or so degrees C, there's a pleasant breeze and the sun is shining in a clear, blue sky. Expect it's the same with you in the UK. And elsewhere. I've been dishing out my blog address and I may have a couple of African readers by now. If so Karibu ! I've had karibu shouted  at me from tree tops, garage fore-courts, shops, fields and passing lorries. I thought I was mutating into a reindeer. Or was it the impressive speed I was keeping up? Around day 5 I learned from a friendly guy called Richard, who looked remarkably like Lenny Henry, that it just means "welcome" in Swahili. 

I like Tanzania . It's dusty, poor and things can be uncomfortable and inconvenient but the people are smiley, friendly and generally respectful.

I couldn't possibly cram all the shocks and impressions of a new continent into this post so I won't try.

I was literally dizzy from the heat and possibly the high-speed taxi ride when I arrived. I drank a litre of water and the world steadied again. It's still too bloody hot for us pinkos but I'm getting used to it and adopting a sloth-like African gait. Most days it's been pushing 30 C. Only guessing, as I've wrecked my trusty Aldi cycling computer. (Never take your handle-bars off without first disconnecting your 'puter).

Morogoro nestles at the foot of the impressive Uluguru mountains which reach around 8000 feet. It's taken 3 days to do the approx 200kms to get here. It's a fair sized town so you'll soon find it on a (google) map. I was hoping to do more per day but I'm happy just to have set off and got somewhere. I can't do more than half an hour at a stretch before I have to glug a large amount of water. My water bills are huge: 3 litres a day at 700 Tanzanian shillings for a litre ( 2500 T.S equals 1 UK pound).

I haven't been lonely as I have several intelligent encounters along the road each day. I met a guy of 63 yesterday and we gave it high fives. He ran a little grocer's after a life in the military. He was very interested in my plan and we swapped footy talk. Some of my encounters end in requests for sponsorship to university or capital for a business venture but it's all done in a good spirit.

I've also become a bit of a whore magnet, especially the two nights I've had in guest houses in small towns near where the buses and trucks stop. Even they are good fun and soon sidle back off to their mates laughing when they realize I'm more respectable than I look. One lass called Barbara approached me at about 10 am on my first morning on the road. I told her I used to have an Auntie Barbara and she looked nonplussed and gave up. Nice to know they still think I'm worth asking...

The road is a good one for cycling. There is a decent hard-shoulder which keeps you a safe distance from the trucks and buses which are going hell-for-leather. It's new and straight and undulates a bit like an African Fosse Way.

So, all in all, a satisfactory start, as we teachers say. I'm going to pack now ready for an early start tomorrow. It's cool around 6 am !

Thanks to those of you who sent cards, best wishes and gifts before I left. And thanks for reading. I hope to post again soon.