At Mweka Wildlife College, the students periodically go on safari to put their theoretical knowledge to practice in the the field. The safari group we went with were third year advanced diploma students. These are the seniors of the college and they really know their stuff. So last week we piled twenty people and two drivers into two Land Rovers (I’m still not sure how we all fit) and headed of to the coast.
The drive from our home in Mweka to the coastal region of Pangani where we stayed took a good part of the day. As soon as you come down off the mountain, the air warms and the enclosed quarters of the vehicle become increasingly confining. But the landscape is distracting and you soon forget your sardine-packed state.
East of Moshi, the landscape is covered with scrub brush and the Pare Mountains loom blue on the horizon. Baobabs, thick-trunked trees with spindly branches, dot the countryside and shade herds of goat and cattle. Many of the larger trees have conical boxes hanging from braided rope that serve as beehives.
The dusty landscape is void of water and agriculture except for the occasional oasis which can be spotted miles off thanks to the grove of coconut trees they support Upon closer inspection, the coconut trees show stems notched for ideal footholds.
Further along, the Pare Mountains turn into the Usambara Mountains and through their peaks, you can see Kenya. The soil also changes from burnt orange to crimson red. Towards the coast, cinder blocked and tin roofed houses give way to mud and stick thatched huts.
Half way we stopped at the Highway Restaurant. The name seems a misnomer to me. Lots of businesses boast the title “highway” but I have yet to find the highway. The road, though fancy by African standards, is but one lane in each direction. I would only qualify that as a road.
The scrubland turned to vast fields of sisal as we neared the coast. Spiky plants stretch in even columns to either horizon. These plantations are the remnants of the colonial period which have since been bought out by Asian companies.
As we crested a hill, the Indian ocean came into view in the distance. Past the fields a sapphire ribbon was pasted on the horizon beneath the pale blue sky. As we drove through a village that overlooked the distant ocean I had to wonder how many of the children in the village had been to the ocean. In a poor, rural village many people live their whole lives within a few miles of their home village. In my opinion, everyone should get to experience the ocean.
Reaching the ocean we set up camp just back from the white sand beach. The hot equatorial afternoon was cut by a warm breeze and the scent of salt water. Coming from the middle of a continent, there is something irresistible about an ocean. Maybe it’s the tangy smell of the water, the tides, the vast expanse of blue or perhaps all three things. Whatever it is, I would travel a million miles to get to the ocean and willingly spend all my life there. Though our drive was long and hot, it was most definitely worth it.
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