Sirari and Musoma

Last week, mom was super frustrated with Mwanza, so she decided that we needed to get out of town.  I am always up for an adventure and I love exploring Tanzania, so she decided that we would drive North towards Kenya and visit the town of Musoma on the shore of Lake Victoria.  Since we were hitching a ride with mom’s friend Marcel, we had to go to the border post of Sirari first, which also happens to be the very first place I ever went potty in Tanzania!  Oh, the memories!

We're right here!

 

I’d also like to give a shout out to the awesome humans at Masafa Classic Hotel in Sirari.  So many times in Africa, I’ve gotten my feelings hurt because people are scared of me or they just don’t like doggies, however the people at Masafa welcomed me with open arms.

Masafa Hotel in Sirari

 

I really recommend this place for lunch if you’re passing through Sirari.  Our waiter was called Jackson (or maybe it was Franklin, or possibly some other dead US President’s name) and he treated me with so much respect.  I was on my best behavior, sitting quietly in mom’s lap as she ordered and waited for the food.  Mom ordered a special meal of mishkaki for me (see my previous post on mishkaki for an explanation) and Jackson made sure to ask questions so he got my order just right (well-done. no spices, PLEASE!).  No one at the restaurant ran away from me in fear and some people even stopped to pet me on the head 🙂  When Jackson brought my meal, it smelled so good that I ate it as quickly as I possibly could.  Yummy, mishkaki!

I'll never get tired of eating mishkaki

Jackson, my waiter

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Before we left the restaurant, Jackson asked if he could take my photo with his mobile phone.  I was so honored, I’ll never forget him and hopefully I’ll get the chance to visit again before my African adventure is over.

After Sirari, we were on our way to Musoma.  The people there were very friendly to mom, but as usual, they were all really scared of me.  I still can’t figure this out because everyone says I’m so cute and lovable, and I have tiny teeth too!  Anyway, mom was determined to show people that I was a different type of dog than they were used to.  At one place, she took me out of the car to where a bunch of little children were playing.  Children are my favorite because they’re young and carefree like me, plus they’re sized much better for me.  The kids were scared at first, but I think they could see how much my mom loved me.  She told them my name and where I came from and promised that I wouldn’t bite.  Eventually, some of the braver kids started to pet me on my head.  I felt so happy to finally be accepted by Tanzanians and so now my grand plan is to teach kids about puppies and how we can be nice.  I’m excited about my new Tanzania mission, I think I’ll call it “Mpende Mbwa“!

Beginning my mission, "Mpende Mbwa"!

 

Nairobi to Mwanza

My mom is back from her weekend trip to Nairobi, so now I can post again since she took her computer and the internet with her.  Her journey home from Nairobi was so much easier than mine!

We arrived in Nairobi from Amsterdam at 9:30pm on New Year’s Eve.  Mom needed to be in Mwanza, Tanzania by January 3rd, but we still hadn’t figured out how to get there.  Unfortunately Precision Air is the only airline that regularly flies from Nairobi to Mwanza and they hate little dogs like me, so flying wasn’t an option.  Luckily we met a great taxi driver named Michael in Nairobi and he agreed to drive us from Nairobi to the Kenya/Tanzania border where we would meet my namesake and godfather, Tito the taxi driver.

Me in Tito the taxi driver's car

We set out from Nairobi on the morning of January 3rd.  We drove through the Great Rift Valley and saw Masai herders.  It was the biggest yard I’ve ever seen!

The Great Rift Valley

Masai herders with the biggest animals I've ever seen!

It took us almost 5 hours to drive from Nairobi to the border town of Isebania.  In some sections communities built speed bumps so high that the car would get stuck on top.  During the day, they helped to push us over, but during the night, it’s much more dangerous.  Mom said they even steal things from people this way.  Good thing we were driving during the day!

Using dad's neck pillow on the long car ride

Once we got to the border we easily crossed into Tanzania and the town of Sirari.  No one even asked to see my paperwork!  We met my godfather Tito at the border and transferred everything into his vehicle to finish the rest of our drive to Mwanza.

We got a mini-Safari as we drove from the Kenyan border to Mwanza since we were on the edge of the Serengeti.  I thought the cows from the Great Rift Valley were cool until I saw zebras in the Serengeti.  These giant striped creatures just blew my mind!  Mom says that elephants are even bigger and I can’t imagine what I’ll do when I see one.

Zebras in the Serengeti

After driving for 4 hours and spotting zebras, wildebeest, and baboons along the way, we made it to Mwanza!  That first night we stayed in a wonderful hotel on Lake Victoria called Ryan’s Bay Hotel.  After a 10 hour journey, I was beat and super happy to relax in my new home.

Me relaxing at Ryan's Bay Hotel

Our route from Nairobi to Mwanza