28 May: Bahi -> Dodoma

At 5:30 am the loud ringing sounds of the church bells had us wide awake. We felt so comfortable and made ourselves at home. It was such a blessing getting to meet Father Abel. All the Tanzanians we have meet have been so accommodating and willing to help us. Father Abel just welcomed us with his arms wide open. Last night around the dinner table, we were discussing the cultures of Tanzania and there was one particular comment that really stuck. He brought up the topic of how Tanzanians are having way too many children and how in his church he is really trying to teach everyone about family planning and how he is wanting to educate people about the consequences of having too many children. It was amazing to hear how in such a small poverty stricken community there is someone wanting to change this.

We were on our bikes by 9 thanking the Father for having us and heading to Dodoma. The sun was out for the first time since we entered Tanzania. Chris and I had recently received news of the devasating loss of a dear friend, Amy Taylor, a fellow Rhodent, making the cycle challenging. Amy wanted to join us on our trip. She was so passionate about nature conservation and being so far from our friends during this difficult time made it hard to continue cycling. Knowing Amy, she would want us to carry on peddling and thats exactly what we did. We had a strong front wind against us and it took us just over 3 hours to get through 40 km. It was a tough day, physically and mentally. The scenary was stunning though, making it all worth while. We cycled past open plains filled with baobabs, thorny shrubs and massive rock boulders. The landscape was incredible. We saw a few mud huts, children running barefoot after cattle and goats. For the first time we saw poor people begging on the side of the road. A completely different terrain to the north, very hot, dry and barren with some koptjies covered in massive rock formations.

Chris in front of one of the many massive rocks we passed

But first, let me take a selfie

Mom found a lovely spot under a tree for lunch. We only had 15 km to go to Dodoma and the road seemed to get busier with trucks as we entered the outskirts of the city. The shoulder on the side of the road disappeared and we collectively decided its best to drive into Dodoma. Now we had to find a bed. We drove around Dodoma, its a surprisingly big city, very different to our first experience driving up, having only driven down one main road. We were now in the city centre, an upcoming modern city with tall story government buildings, restaurants and local markets overcrowding each other. We stopped at two different places before we eventually found the Hut of Wine and Cheese. A very quaint wine and cheese restaurant opened up by a lovely local Tanzanian lady in her garden of her home in the rural outskirts of the city. She has a cottage on her property she kindly let us stay in. We drank cheap wine and ate cheese for dinner under the stars before having a shower for the first time in 3 days and a comfortable bed.

Mom relaxing in the quaint Hut of Wine and Cheese garden

Cycling distance: 41 km

Time: 3:16 hrs

Ave speed: 12.3 km/hr

Ascent: 429 m