In the winter of 2019, Henderson Productions took a small group to Tanzania for a 14-day adventure. This blog series tells the story of the trip and our fellow travelers. Using our network around the world, we curated a tour to give us local connections and experiences beyond the normal tourist choices. For more information about our upcoming trips, subscribe to our newsletter.
The cloud cover is gone but the late-night casts shadows across the Nile Valley, Aswan, Abu Simbel and onto Khartoum. It makes me long for daylight to once again witness the view of the great desserts and lifeblood river as we press further south into the continent. I can barely see the lights of Port Sudan and Asmara casting an electric glow along the treacherous Red Sea. Soon we’ll leave the desert and pass over the more fertile and verdant equatorial lands – in the dark of night.
Purses for Sale with the traditional “No Worries” welcome
Clearly able to see Mt Kenya to our east in the middle of the night as we crossed into the Southern Hemisphere. An hour left. I benefit from the descent in altitude and can see scattered lights of small towns and villages in Kenya. Sprawling Nairobi soon followed but Kilimanjaro was on the other side. With the full moon tomorrow night – there’s enough light to see green as opposed to desert below. Elevations can be picked out as well, mostly from road angles and, higher up, a slight loud cover. Dying for light to fill in the shadows.
The world is never more glamorous than from 20k feet with a ready imagination!
It’s HOT! HUMID and HOT! Just finished breakfast with the whole crew who have survived the various journeys here. Some are just meeting for the first time. A few hiccups getting here have not damaged energy levels as much as the need to recover from 24 hours of travel. We range in age from 51-75 with, mostly, similar experience with travel. All have a sense of adventure which will suit the camaraderie and a sense of humor for the next two weeks.
Grandma went to Tanzania and all I got was a onesie!
A young man resting along the shore in Dar es Salaam
The hotel is great. Big rooms with air conditioning and super showers. A safe and mini-fridge are welcome. We shall all learn (again) to brush teeth with bottled water and remind each other to take the malarial remedies.
Lovely breakfast buffet. I like the masala chai-ginger tea with milk. Plenty of fats and proteins and not-so-tempting baked goods. Heavy on starches – stuffed tomatoes, roasted veggies, crepes, waffles, etc. Granola, yogurt, fruit trays. “Tropical” juice is watermelon and the orange is definitely sweeter than ours at home.
A smiling face at the Tingatinga art market in Dar es Salaam
It’s 90% humidity today (January). Whew. Let the games begin.
