Getting here and there

One of the first things to know about a trip to Tanzania is that it takes a long time to get here. Once you're here, it still takes a long time to get from one place to another. That's just the way it goes.

We traveled by air from MSP to Amsterdam, then to Dar es Salaam with a short stop at Kilimanjaro. (We arrive at Kilimanjaro after dark, and stay on the plane while some people get off and others get on the plane, so we've never seen Mount Kilimanjaro.) TSA advises international travelers to arrive at the airport three hours before their flight. Some 24 or more hours later, there we are in Dar. Our transit motel met us with a shuttle/ minivan.


The next morning we took a small plane to Iringa. It seats 12 or so. The flight is 90 minutes, which is a nice improvement over the 12 hour drive cross country previous groups have taken. The downside is we miss seeing the countryside, which changes from the tropical feel around Dar, past sisal plantations, through Mikumi National Park (where we used to catch our first glimpses of elephants, zebras, giraffes), across the savannah, through a baobab forest, and then into the highlands of the Iringa region. The long drive gives you a chance to sleep if you wish, or to gradually absorb the first impressions of the country, its people, and its challenges.


Once in Iringa, we have a Land Cruiser and a driver who stays with us for the entire journey. The Land Cruiser is essential since our itinerary included a trip up the mountains to see the Lutangilo Secondary School, then eight days in villages, where the roads are dirt at best and often rutted and difficult to pass. On the mountain roads we encountered mud, on the village roads we experienced the washboard effect as well as deep ruts. The driver often crisscrosses the road, seeking the smoothest path. Luckily, there's not too much oncoming traffic out in the villages. There are a few places that we reach via a cow path so narrow that acacia bush needles scrape the sides of the vehicle with a sound like fingernails on a blackboard.

the narrow path to Malunde

We used to use coaster buses but they just don't have the ability to get up the mountain roads or down the narrow paths of our partner villages. On the gravel roads they feel tippy and we've broken many shocks taking them down the dusty village roads. I'm so grateful for the Land Cruiser's sturdy build and for our driver's skill.

Our drivers become another member of the traveling group. This year's driver is a particular favorite, whose good humor is contagious. He seems to know every other driver on the road, waving or honking as we pass, being waved at and honked at in return. When we have a logistical quandary, he gives us expert advice. When we have gifts to purchase in Iringa and transport to the villages, or when we receive gifts in the village that need to be transported back to the city, he lets us know what can go (small bags, a chicken in a box) and what needs to find another way (a sheep, two goats, five huge bags of rice for the children at the orphanage).


Last year we hired this truck to carry bikes and medicines out to our partners.




Of course, most people here don't have the luxury of their own private vehicle or even access to a shared car. Our friends walk, bike, or if they are really fortunate, have a small motorcycle or piki piki. 


You can transport an awful lot of things on the back of a bike or motorcycle.  Here, a canoe.  I've seen sheep straddle a bike in front of the driver, or big bags of charcoal or rice loaded on the rear. Two people is not uncommon, and I've even seen three on the same bike. I think that's why our friends in the most remote villages prefer wide wheeled, old, refurbished bikes rather than the slim new ones.  They're just better for transporting a heavy load.


In the rural areas, you'll see vehicles like this carrying very heavy loads. George Kioniani calls this his power tiller. The wagon on the back was capable of hauling five large bags of rice from Makifu to Tungamalenga. It goes very slowly - I think you could walk faster - but it works well for the heavy hauling.

Around Iringa, our Tanzanian friends catch a dalla dalla (something like a 10 passenger van, loaded with 15-18 people, that takes you along routes through town and adjoining suburbs). For the trip from Tungamalenga to Iringa, there are large buses that go back and forth two or three times a day, a four hour trip. In recent years, bajajis have become available in Iringa. They're three wheeled vehicles, a taxi of sorts, low to the ground, with room for a driver and perhaps three passengers. At 500 TSH (50 cents) they seem cheap to me, but are considered expensive by most of my Tanzanian friends.

Whatever your vehicle, it's ultimately the road conditions that determine how long it takes to get from here to there. This trip, it took a scant two hours from Iringa to Tungamalenga, while on my first trip that journey was longer than a four hour drive. From Tungamalenga to the game park gates has often been a 45 minute trip, but this year we arrived in 20 minutes. In the higher elevations, where it still might rain even now in the dry season, muddy roads and washouts can cause delays. When we took the road (paved) from Usolanga north to Mtera, we had to allow for extra time on the slow mountainside curves in the road.

We've learned to sit back and enjoy the ride, the view, and the good companions on all our journeys, and to thank God for skilled drivers.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Idodi Secondary School

Safari 2013: the journey of a lifetime

Karibuni sana