Tanzania (part 6)

The next morning I woke up and the disco next door was still blasting American Hip Hop music. Hot Hot arrived with my bike and I asked him if there was a place with a better beach for a better price. He said the best beach around was 16 kilometers south near a village called Ushango, but It was a resort spot and most of the places there were pricey. He made some calls and found me a tent on the beach for $10/night including breakfast. He said a taxi was very expensive, like $25, but that a guide could show me the way via bicycle for $10. While we waited for the guide Hot Hot told me he'd take me to the bank to change some money. It took an hour to get to the bank because Hot Hot had a million errands to run. At the bank I realized that I left my wallet in the pillow case at the hotel. I rode back for it and found that the maid had already found it and was keeping it for me. I thanked her with 500tsh, which was a good tip but a poor reward for a lost wallet. I felt guilty for my stinginess and after I had gotten my money changed I gave Hot Hot 10000tsh, 5000 for himself for being helpful and restoring my faith in the Tanzanian tourism industry and 5000 for the maid for returning my wallet. The bank would not change my money because my bills were older than 2003. Hot Hot took me to a sketchy Pakistani market vender who gave me 1300/1. I changed $100 and he gave half of it to me in 1000tsh notes. My wallet would not fold properly and I struggled for 5 minutes fitting the fat wad into my back pocket. I felt rather awkward literally stuffing my pockets with money in an African marketplace.

Hot Hot suggested we get lunch while we wait for my tour guide. After I paid for both our lunches (totaling about $4), he put my bag on his bike and told me he would take me out there. He said that the guide he had tried to get a hold of was busy with some other tourists. We crossed the river on a ferry and began our trek to Ushango. Hot Hot was struggling, especially on the up-hill segments of the trip. I wanted to hurry, impatient from having been delayed all morning. I suggested that I carry the large bag on my bike. Hot Hot was reluctant until I assured him that I would still pay him the $10. (Digression: I'm not sure why I brought so much stuff. I didn't use half of it. Every place I went had sheets, pillows, and Mosquito nets. I never used my shoes. Everything else would have fitted in the smaller bag.) I didn't have any problem with the weight, but the awkward size made things difficult. On the bike, every little turn threw me off balance. I didn't really have to steer much, but the last few kilometers the road was very bumpy except the far edges where the bicycles had made a smooth path. Navigating this narrow strip between the edge of the road and the bumpy interior was challenging and I fell into the ditch twice. I was still far ahead of Hot Hot though. I wandered if maybe something was wrong with him because previously he had spoken about how experienced he was on a bicycle and how he was able to make it to Ushango by himself in under 30 minutes, whereas bringing tourists always took over an hour. I don't know how long it took us but I was glad to have arrived. My laptop case strap had worn a rash on my right shoulder.

The concierge/bar manager of the place, which was called "Drifters", tried to talk me into renting a bungalow for $25. He did not try to hide his outrage when Hot Hot told him that the deal he had arranged for me with the resort's owner included free breakfast. I did not like the look of this concierge, tall, balding, and shrewd, in a selfishly cunning sense that constructs room for indulgences; and although he calmed down and repeated told me through-out my stay to "Be free" I was glad when he was replaced. After Hot Hot left and I unpacked I gave all my valuables and bags to be put in the safe since I was staying in a tent literally on the beach (the tide came within a meter of soaking me). This is when I realized that I had also left my passport under the mattress at the Catholic hotel. For the rest of the afternoon I rode my bike down the beach until I reached a creek too deep to ford. On the way back the tide had risen leaving me only the soft sand to travel on and forcing me to walk the bike back. I didn't get back till dark. I had dinner and 2 beers at the resort bar. I didn't ask how much it was because I didn't want to deal with the concierge guy. I really didn't like that guy. Based on the menu of the bar of the last hotel I stayed at, which was quite a bit nicer than this one, I didn't think it'd be too bad. I later learned that my dinner cost more than my bed. I went to sleep reading Life of Pi.