Day 29- Lushoto, Tanzania

I'm wandering through the mountain town of Lushoto. Narrow dirt roads that wind through the natural passes between the mountains. Schools, shops and farms are dotted along the way, and as always the kids are waving. And not just a gentle, Sunday afternoon roll of the wrist, but a manic, frenetic burst of whole body waving. As the kids spot you from 200 metres and a high-pitched jambo rings out from behind the trees, they come running and you half expect to see some poor kid's hand come flying off his arm and land next to you in the dirt.

I climb further into the mountains and suddenly the rock ends- a spectacular view unfolds. A sheer fall from the cliff face, opening out onto wide plains, only broken by more mountains in the distance. The sky is unbelievably clear, like nothing you could get in any near-urban environment.

On my way back to the camp I stop at a roadside store, well, not so much a store as a wooden lean-to stacked with bottle of water, soda and beer. The beer is warm, frothy as hell and absolutely delicious. Best beer ever? Then I pause as something catches my eye. There, half-buried in the dirt is an HIV test kit wrapper.

The Serengeti is classic Africa, in the television nature special and picture postcard way. But this part of Africa is classic too, genuinely happy people, amazing, stunning scenery. And a reminder that this is the real world- the people are poor, sick. It's not a postcard, it's an east African village.