Pre Zambia - The road trip begins - "To Iringa and the border!"
on Kev in Tanzania (Tanzania), 17/Sep/2009 05:35, 34 days ago
Monday 31st AugustThe start of the big adventure!We caught the Al-Saedy bus to Morogoro– had a snack and then walked over to the Scandinavian bus terminal to wait for the Iringa bus.Had a good laugh with Liz playing monopoly cards and‘Sh*t head’ the bus was delayed by a couple of hours but the time passed swiftly.I had never caught the Scandinavian bus before and the ride was nice and smooth, they cover many routes but unfortunately do not go all the way to Lusaka (Zambian capital) anymore.There were lots of Wazungu (white people) at the terminal and we bumped into Renee who was on her way back to Dodoma.The bus ride was nice, it was fast and smooth which more space than I am used to and the conductor gives you biscuits and juice to keep you sustained!Along the route there were people along the road selling mats and pots which they hung in trees– it looked very surreal as if the goods were growing on the trees.The best part of the journey was travelling through parts of Mikumi national park– it was like a free safari, we saw Elephants, Impala, Giraffe, Wildebeest, Baboons, Zebra and Buffalo! Too fast for photos but still a wonderful extra little treat.There were road works on outside and around Iringa which meant progress was slow. I had my first experience of night bus travel which can be even scarier than the crazy daylight travel!!We eventually got in and caught a taxi to Klerruu teachers college where we were going to stay with Emma and Roland, the two VSO vols posted there. They treated us to ravioli and some beers. They got the ravioli from an Italian nun who cooks for them. I joked that my image of Italian nuns is probably different to the reality which caused some laughter and teasing of me! We settle in for the night and I could tell I was going to like Iringa.Tuesday 1st SeptemberWe got up for breakfast and then we popped into the ICT block at the college so I could look at their facilities and check out their Moodle site. After nerding it up for a little bit Liz and I walked into the town to get lunch and to look for a shop called Neemas. We got a little lost in town as Roland drew us a map and Emma gave us directions but we found out they were 2 separate set of directions… Still it was nice looking around. Neemas is a lovely little shop which sells arts and crafts made by disabled locals. They also did food and I had a lovely coconut and chicken curry!We walked back and then went to get some beers from the college bar (what a great idea– Mpwapwa needs one!) Emma was cooking us a shepherd’s pie so Roland, Liz and I walked up one of the nice rocks nearby to watch the sunset. Dinner was lovely and afterwards we had some drinks and some games. I must confess we did cheat in a game when Liz went to toilet but it was funny to seeher face when she found out!We went to bed late and the mattress was a little saggy in the middle but it was probably not meant for two!Wednesday 2nd SeptemberHad a yummy breakfast of samosas and bread and then went to the college to meet the principle (I met him previously in Dar for the education conference). While I did this, Liz went to town to pick up some supplies for our journey. I met Liz in town and we caught a cab to Ipogoro where we were going to catch our bus to Lusaka.Iringa is a beautiful town and the people are very very nice– they do not hassle you at all and it is surrounded by rocky outcrops which look great. I would love to visit again.The bus was due around 1pm, we got there early and played some games while waiting. The bus company we were using was called Taqwa and in the end it arrived around 4pm (just a little late– causing Liz to stress). We had to scramble up onto the bus with all our stuff and had to sit separately. We knew we would never make the border (it shuts at 6pm…) and we also found out the bus was going to the DRC (Congo) not to Lusaka as we were initially told… But we were assured it wasgoing to the border first. The journey left me a little anxious but after Mbeya I was able to move and sit with Liz.We got the border (Tunduma) at 10.15pm and decided rather than sleeping on the bus we would sleep in a motel. We got a cheap room with a nice big bed. It was nice to be able to relax in a safe room, I was not keen on the Tanzanian side of the border. Lots of touts and it was late.A few hiccups on the journey but was still feeling good and enjoying the company.Next is the journey from the border to Livingstone!