Whine, whine, whine…
To recap:
We arrived in Kigoma after a hellish 22-hour train ride.
We spent 1 frantic day failing to get cash.
We spent 1 day gallavanting with chimpanees.
We had 3 options to leave Kigoma –
Leg 1: Kigoma -> Uvinza
To our happy surprise, the purple “Adventure” bus plies this route, and it even leaves later than sunrise. After 5 bumpy hours along a dirt road and dropping off refugees from the Congo, we arrived in Uvinza which for a few hours at night actually has electricity. We are told “no bus”, “no truck”, “try the train”.
Leg 2: Uvinza -> Mpanda
We awake at sunrise, and thankfully are greeted by a Tanzanian attempting the route. We walk to the main dirt road to begin our vigil for a commercial truck going our direction. Our hopes are low because this is the 2nd day of our new friends vigil. Around 2pm, the 1st truck in the past 2 days stops for us and invites us in the back of the trailer for a standard fare. We crawl into the back to find some fellow travellers, the cargo of salt, and lots of dirt. 9 hours later, we arrive in the dark in Mpanda coated in dust, exhausted, and battered. After stumbling to five guest houses, we finally find one that isn’t full, wash with a bucket of cold water, and collapse. We rest the following day, then spend 3 days to, in, and from Katavi National Park.
Leg 3: Mpanda -> Sumbawanga
There is actually a bus option for this route, but it only runs three times a week, contingent on the train’s arrival. We pile into the back of a modified Toyota Landcruiser which can hold at least thirteen adults in the back. This is not comfortable for seven hours on bumpy dirt roads. Even though we fly through Katavi National Park on the way, we still manage to see impalas, a group of sunbathing hippos, and numerous herds of grazing elephants. Finally, we are excited to see pavement, even if it’s just in the town center of Sumbawanga. Not only is there a daily bus for our next leg but there is competition, and we buy seats for the 7am departure.
Leg 4: Sumbawanga -> Mbeya
We wake up in the dark for one last ride before civilization, happy to be on a bus with reserved seats and relative legroom! The road seemed marginally improved, but bus drivers in Tanzania like to go as fast as they can without flipping the bus, about 50km/hour. We spend about 5 hours gripping the seats in front of us for dear life. After hitting the paved highway of Tanzania, tire troubles and security checkpoints prolong our journey, but the pope sees us through.
Now, we are in Mbeya, not exactly a metropolis but it has paved roads, a MasterCard ATM, and an internet cafe. YAY. It certainly hasn’t been the most pleasant week, but it gives us some excellent stories, the scenery and animals along the way were striking, and we have at least come a little closer to understanding the difficult lives of Tanzanians.
Tags: Tanzania
Adam
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