RideTZ Days 3 & 4

Ahh…and welcome to the bush! Day 3 will find us waking up and hitting the route full on. We will cover about 50 miles on bike daily and from here on out, we’ll be sleeping in tents until we reach Pangani (the beautiful coastal town where we’ll be celebrating our massive accomplishment). We’ll be heading towards Nyumba ya Mungu, Kiswahili for “The House of God.” This lake is actually a reservoir for the Nyumba ya Mungu Dam, a hydroelectric dam here. Day 3’s ride will be fairly flat, which will be great to get our legs warmed up! We’ll also have some spectacular views of the Blue Mountains and an incredible diversity of bird life to view as we ride. However, we’ll be feeling the heat of the African sun! With cool mornings and evenings in July, the days still manage to heat up quite a bit when the sun comes out to play, so some sun block will be necessary during our time in the saddle. Day 3’s ride also has some awesome little fishing villages around, where we’re sure to meet some interesting people, and probably even have a few companions joining us for bits. Everyone will be able to practice their Kiswahili as not many people will be speaking English in these areas.

Just to get everyone started:

“Hujambo” = “Hello, how are you”

Response= “Sijambo”

…and for the younger folks:

“Mambo” = slang for hey

Response = “Poa” (cool) or “Safi” (clean).

Don’t worry though; our Summits Africa guides will be with us acting as translators and teachers! We will be sure to stop for a long lunch during the peak of the heat, and will be rolling into camp later that afternoon ready for some food and a shower I’m sure!

Day 4 will take us away from Nyumba ya Mungu along the Pangani River Valley; the same trail the early explorers and slavers traveled. We’ll get a closer look at Nyumba ya Mungu Dam, as well as catch some beautiful scenery. We’ll be covering quite a bit of ground again as we head towards the mountains! We’ll also be passing through Same (pronounced Sa-Me NOT Same), which is a bustling little town on the road to Dar-es-Salam, one of Tanzania’s Capital Cities. Yes, there is some debate, as they’ve changed the cities around a bit, so now one is acting as the Parliamentary Capital (Dodoma) and one the Industrial Capital (Dar-es-Salam).

We’ll be stopping for the night at Mkombozi National Park, where we’ll have a shot at seeing some game! Although, with far less visitors than the Serengeti or Ngorogoro Crater, the animals are a bit shy, so we’ll have our work cut out for us. We’ll end our day with another sleep under the African sky, before starting our trek up the Mountains. Be sure to check in next week to hear about our climb to the top!

I’m off to clock some Kilometers on my bike! Enjoy this week of training everyone!