25 May: rest day in Singida

Last nights sleep didnt go very well. The hotel bar had a live band playing until the early hours of the morning, which is apparently a usual Friday and Saturday night occurance. At breakfast we hummed and haaa'd about what to do and eventually we decided we'd take a rest day today but we'd go to the Stanley Motel Annex where we were sure to not be falling asleep to live music. Literally just down the road we entered the Stanley Motel where there was a large plot of grass ideal for camping. They did not allow us to camp on the lawn but gave us a bed for half the price of the previous place and allowed us to set up our own kitchen and chill area.

All the places that we have stayed at so far have all got showers without any form of curtain and just a drain the floor, and the toilet so close that it gets splashed everytime you shower. Flip flops are supplied because the bathroom floor is always wet and a new packaged toothbrush waiting for you. Its been so interesting seeing how people do things so differently and realizing that the way we do things isnt necessarily the right way either.

We now did a load of washing in the bathroom. I have hand-washed some clothes before but hardly, and definitely not like this where theres a massive pile of smelly cycling clothes, a tiny bucket and a small bathroom. Something so simple I have always taken for granted - a washing machine, and a cleaning lady who then even does that! Not even just having to do my own washing but driving through these remote areas where poverty is such a reality has been so eye-opening and making us appreciate all the things in life that previously seemed so minor. We hang up our washing in the little sun shine peaking out the cloudy sky then went into town for avos, which are just amazing here, they're massive and so cheap! The town centre was packed on this Saturday morning with the streets filled with clothes, bags, fruit and veggies and fried food being sold in the market. We've been loving the samosas and chips that are fried on the streets in a big wok on coal. It was great experiencing the locals way of shopping and bargaining.

Chris cooked up a storm on our gas stove and we had a delicious chicken wrap (wraps came from Arusha with us). While we had the kitchen out we cut up butternut for soup for dinner. After simmering it for 2 hours, milk was added, only to discover it was off! Chris was devastated having spent the afternoon patiently cooking. We did find humor in this though and were rolling with laughter. We walked down to the Lake which is one of three saline lakes in Tanzania. This makes living here challenging for the locals as there are few fish for eating and you cant drink the water either, contributing to the poverty status of the town. Once we were back, we had biscuits and cheese and avo from the market for dinner, as there was no soup, and are now in bed at 20:00, in hope for a good nights sleep before cycling again tomorrow.

A little bit of Singida