When we got up it was pretty cloudy and there was no view of Irente to be seen. The so called guide was also dissappointed as he could not persuade us to take him to show us around. However the chapati ordered by Alison last night was good eaten with chciken curry we had in the fridge. We packed up quite sharpishly, bearing in mind that we had over 400 kms to drive today.

The road going out seemed shorter than going in but that's always the case. Just before Soni, we spotted a number of women going round a contraption which was squeezing the sugar cane of its juices. I asked for permission to take photos but heard this booming voice saying "no photos" from within the walls of a house nearby. I tried to reason out with the man but Alison was getting a little stroppy and told him to bugger off. That was my attempt at getting some photos gone for good.

We drove around Lushoto and while Alison was getting some stamps, I spotted a group of prisoners being used to carry firewood down the road, probably to the warden's house! Lushoto itself reminded me of Frazer's Hill some 25 years ago, or perhaps longer than that. There were some wonderful views from the top of the hill as we travelled down.

As we were going some distance today, I wondered where and when I could refuel and I needed cash for that as the petrol station don't take credit cards. The answer came soon enough at a town called Korogwe where a new bank had just opened offering an ATM which the locals are not accustomed to. With cash in hand I had uah filled up to the brim.

About 50 kms from Mikumi the Natonal Park began and to our surprise the only thing alerting us that it was a National Park was the sign for us to slow down and to beware of animals crossing the road. After going for about 20kms we started seeing Impalas, the giraffes and followed by elephants. We did not have to pay to see these animals in their natural habitats. Of course we were rather excited and hoping perhaps to see lions or leapords, but no such luck.

We were at Tan-Swiss Hotel & campsite as it was getting dark and had a meal of chicken satay and rice. For some reason or other I did'nt quite enjoy it unlike esterday when we had the beef satay. Perhaps it was the potatoes that made the dfference!