Wednesday 27 July 2016

Kaporogwe Falls and the Bridge of Death (23/07/16)

Today we had a bit of a lie in with breakfast being at 8:30am. We ate omelette, bread and butter which was quite nice, but would love some Nutella on toast. We got ready and prepared for the walk to Kaporogwe waterfall, my bag pretty much consisted of 10 million litres of water, factor 50 and plasters. The weather was great, it was sunny and warm the whole way, maybe a bit too warm considering how long we walked for. We passed through villages, saw mountains and loads of banana trees. The sights and landscapes in Tanzania are amazing! We also walked through Lutengano School and Kisondela Secondary which was great because these are some of the schools the Tanzanian students we hosted last year attend. After 2 hours, we eventually reached the waterfall and it was definitely worth the walk. There was a wooden door we had to pass through but it was locked, so we took an adventure route like true explorers. We made it to the cliff, the waterfall came from above us and poured into the river below. It was absolutely stunning! We then ate lunch which consisted of mandazi, chipata, samosa and a banana. After taking a million photos we then continued our journey to the rope bridge at the bottom of the river. It took around an hour to walk down the mountain to get to the bridge. Our main concern was getting back up again. The walk was incredibly hot and tiring but to our relief, we eventually saw the rope bridge. There were missing wooden planks, gaps, cracks and relatively sturdy rope hand rails to hold on to on each side. Everyone who crossed the bridge felt a strong sense of accomplishment and many had conquered their fears. As a whole, I think that the group felt very proud of themselves. Now just the walk back up! It was very tiring, strenuous and challenging but after several water breaks we eventually made it to the top and we were so relieved. Now just a two hour walk home! As you can imagine, the group was exhausted but we didn't let this get us down and we continued ahead with high spirits and determination to make it to the end. After an hour of walking, we reached Kisondela school and knew we were only another hour away from arriving at the Bible Centre. When we finally got home, I saw Paison waiting for me. Lucy Beck and I were stopping at his for our first home stay and we were both very excited. After the quickest bucket wash ever and rapid packing, we set off in Paison's car. When we arrived at his home, we were warmly welcomed by Paison's wife, Lucy and his daughter, Margaret. His home was lovely and we were very comfortable there. For tea we ate ugali, which is a Tanzanian food made of wheat and water and is the same kind of consistency as mash. We ate it with a curry and it was really tasty. Paison also offered us both pop which was a good boost for us! After watching a hilarious Tanzanian talent show called 'Club' for a while, Lucy and I went to bed since we were so tired from the long walk. We each had our own four-poster bed, the floor was tiled and we were very comfortable in our room. Everyone has had a great day today, exploring the Tanzanian landscapes and amazing views. We look forward to the days ahead.

Sarah J

p.s – thanks everyone for your comments on the blog. We all love reading them and they remind us of home. See you all soon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7 comments:

  1. Wow, waterfall & bridge sounds like a fab day! Xx

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  2. Sounds an amazing sight, not sure I would have braved the bridge though!

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  3. My goodness you'll be fit as fiddles with all that walking! And mandazi - remembering the smoke in the kitchen trying to make it for Belta!! Hope what you're eating tastes better than the mess I made of it!! Lots of love to you all Xx

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  4. Wow, so jealous, pleased that you are all having such a great time. Enjoy x

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  6. I enjoyed reading your blog Sarah J, the walk, the waterfall and rope bridge sound amazing but challenging too! Good to hear that you and Lucy had such a lovely home stay with Paison, Lucy and Margaret. It's great to be in touch via the Blogs and hear your news.
    💜

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  7. Everything sounds absolutely amazing, hope you're having a fab time! Lots of love from all the Morgan's, missing you SJ xx

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