Day 86: Lakeside Beach in Kigoma

Phew, it's unusually warm and humid. Tropical, after all. The surf of the lake is loud, as if we were standing right by the ocean. Around 11:00 PM, the dogs are let out to guard the compound and, of course, bark at one thing or another. And so the night isn't quite so restful – we have to get used to it a bit. It is what it is...

While we're still having breakfast, it starts to rain. Unusual, as we're later told. For us, it's the first rain since Windhoek, i.e., since the beginning of April.

We take a tuk-tuk (ordered indirectly) for 8,000 TSH (2.60 euros) to the village, to the Kigoma Eco Cultural Tourism Office. Elisabeth, with whom we had discussed booking a chimpanzee trek, is waiting for us, along with Peter, who will be our guide for the two days, and Esther, who will take care of our culinary needs. Otherwise, she's responsible for sewing pretty clothes in the office.

Elisabeth explains to us how the two days will unfold. And we still have a few questions about things like drinking water, towels, and when and where we can leave our overnight things (in memory of our hike with luggage in the rainforest of Sierra Leone). We think we've sorted everything out, but we know that sometimes things can be completely different than we expected :-)

Then we look for an ATM for cash. The first attempt fails; the second one confirms the booking, but the machine doesn't dispense any money. Fortunately, the chargeback is processed promptly. Not like in Cameroon, where we had to communicate with Barclays for months to get €300 back. The third attempt is successful.

Lunchtime. For convenience's sake and because it was good and cheap, we go back to the same place as yesterday.

Next: the mini-market. If we didn't know it existed, we would have had a hard time finding it. In front of the store, a boy (white) with a jar of Nutella in his hand. Ha. We're not the only ones! Basics like canned tomatoes, pasta, chips, orange juice, long-life milk are there, and even yogurt, butter, and jam. We also take an 18-liter drinking water bottle; we're too lazy to get the filter working with a pump and cordless screwdriver.

Then we need another Tuk-Tuk. Halfway there, a tree blocks the road. Traffic jam. A little pushing here, a little stubbornness there, complaining and arguing. We're curiously examined, greeted, and high-fived. An entertaining program for us until we finally move on.

All that's left for today is to pack our things, cook something, and shower. And hope that Elisabeth finds us here tomorrow morning.