Uganda-Kenya-Tanzania

 

Uganda-Kenya-Tanzania

If I were to write an actually blog about what all transpired on our travel day from Uganda to Tanzania you would probably have seizures from staring at the computer screen for so long.

I don’t really want you to have seizures, because well….I like you. So here are some quick highlights of our travel day!

Day 1

• ·         Bus arrives 3 and a half hours late to pick us up
• ·         I get to sit by fellow Minnesotan Addie Weaver!
• ·         We finally begin the rumored 28+ hour bus ride to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
• ·         We get to the Kenya border crossing and are hounded by people and kids for money
• ·         Still hounded by people for money as we walk across the border to our bus
• ·         I get tired of being hounded by kids for money, so I reach in my bag and give them coins from Malaysia and Costa Rica
• ·         Random bathroom breaks in the wee hours of the morning while in Kenya
• ·         Stop and buy dinner from hole in the wall restaurant in Kenya-Chicken and chapatti
• ·         Try to fall asleep by taking Melatonin but can’t because the driver is swerving and slamming on the brakes to avoid people/cars
• ·         Still can’t fall asleep because a window is open on the bus and it’s FREEZING cold
• ·         The person that the window is open is dead asleep
• ·         I get up to close the window but the window is stuck
• ·         I accidently bump into the person and wake them up-they then close the window
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• Day 2
•    Been on bus for 17 hours
• ·         Driver makes people that sit in the back move to stand in front so we can “beat” the weigh scales
• ·         Reach Kenya/Tanzania 20 something hours later
• ·         Hang out at the Kenya/Tanzania border and freshen up-brush teeth, etc.
• ·         Pay the $100 Tanzanian visa fee and cross into Tanzania
• ·         Driving through Tanzania looks like being out West! Deserts and mountains
• ·         We are actually driving through Maasai Tribe land (consider the Massai tribe like the Amish-very old school)
• ·         We see a heard of Giraffes as we drive through the country
• ·         We see Maasai tribal members EVERYWHERE
• ·         They sure do live basic!
• ·         I’ve literally lost track of what day it is and how long we’ve been on the bus
• ·         I haven’t slept well because the roads are bumpy and constant slamming of brakes and swerving worries me that we are about to crash
• ·         We pull into a random restaurant for dinner/bathroom break.
• ·         I have French fries and chicken for dinner
• ·         We pull out of the restaurant and hear an odd grinding noise from underneath the bus
• ·         We pull over and the driver goes underneath and says some bolts are missing from the drive shaft.
• ·         Yeah, this is real life
• ·         We are told that we would have a mechanic come fix it in two hours
• ·         We drive cautiously back to the restaurant
• ·         There is luckily a mechanic there and he takes a look at the problem
• ·         Actual problem is that the driveshaft is cracked so they order a new one that should be there soon
• ·         We hang out at the restaurant while we wait and thank God the place had power outlets
• ·         It’s getting late and we find out that it’s illegal for ANY public transportation to be on the road after 10 pm in Tanzania because it’s too dangerous. Fear of hijacking, etc.
• ·         We were then told that the part that is on it’s way is actually the WRONG part so they had to turn around.
• ·         Brandi Jo makes the announcement that we have to spend the night and the owner has graciously allowed us to sleep in the restaurant and use all the electricity!
• ·         Plan is to have another bus come from Dar es Salaam and take us there at 5am
• ·         Some set up tents inside and others bring out sleeping pads and such
• ·         I decide to stay up and do whatever
• ·         Keryn and I hang out and play the question game to kill time
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• Day 3
• ·         Bus from Dar es Salaam arrives at 3:30 am
• ·         Everyone wakes up and starts packing up
• ·         Board the bus and I instantly pass out due to lack of sleep
• ·         Arrive in Dar es Salaam at 11 am
• ·         Get off bus and try to find a way to our ministry city which is 10 hours away
• ·         No luck so we have to spend night in Dar and catch first bus in morning
• ·         We are spending the night with 4 teams in one tiny house in Dar
• ·         By the way the house had no running water.
• ·         28 World Racers who haven’t showered in three days = not good
• ·         There is a beach nearby so a few people go down to jump in the ocean to “wash off” the funk
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• Day 4
• ·         Our van arrives at 4 am to take us to bus station for a bus that leaves at 7 am
• ·         Our bus company that is taking us to Iringa for a 10 hour ride is called “Budget Movers”
• ·         You can just about imagine how that ride is going to be
• ·         Arrive at bus station around 5:30am and the place is a zoo!
• ·         We find our bus and start to load up packs.
• ·         The bus driver is getting mad because our two teams are taking up all the luggage compartments due to the size of our bags
• ·         They want an extra 60,000 shillings ($40) for baggage fees
• ·         Josh argues with them and tells them no way
• ·         They eventually give up and load up our stuff
• ·         Then they say they want to put half of the packs on one bus and the other half on another bus that is going to Iringa. Really? You’re kidding right?
• ·         Even though our bus is called “Budget Movers” it still have a DVD system in it
• ·         Watched African music videos and crazy African movies
• ·         Seats are extremely uncomfortable
• ·         Bus loads more people than it has seats for so people are seated in the aisle
• ·         We only stopped twice for a bathroom break….10 hour ride
• ·         One of those stops was just near a bunch of trees
• ·         Scenery near Iringa is beautiful
• ·         9-10 hours later we finally make it to Iringa Town!
• ·         40+ some hours later we completed Uganda to Tanzania!
   
• Here are a few pictures!
• (Photos by Keryn Senn)

We had no idea what our living conditions were going to be like once we got to Iringa. Normally we’ve been staying with the Pastor, but our Pastor didn’t have a large enough house to keep all of us. We had heard there might be an opportunity to tent at the church. We would all agree to tenting as long as we knew that we would be safe. We got to the church and there was ample room to tent it up. Rev. Emmanuel showed us around the church and showed us the facilities we would be using if we stayed there. There was no fence or gate so we would be open to whatever the cat dragged in. There was no indoor plumbing and since there was no “bathroom” we would have to take bucket showers in the outhouse (eww). After we had the tour I must admit I was a little shaky about the idea of staying there. There was no kitchen so we would’ve had to figure out how to cook our food. And then Rev. said these words “I want you guys to be comfortable, so I have researched some guest houses that may be within your budget” ALL of our ears perked up and there was hope for a nice comfortable bed and a decent shower after traveling for 4 consecutive days. Now if this would’ve happened on month 3 or 4 of the Race then I would be gung-ho about roughing it. But c’mon, it’s month 10 and I’m exhausted and the “roughing it” stage is over. Dex, Brandi Jo, and Becca set off with Rev. into town to look at some guest houses and see if it was in our budget to stay there for the month. Keryn, Sarah, and myself stayed back to watch the stuff and I had a great time with them. We were all delirious so the conversations were quite comical. The crew returned about an hour or so later with somber faces. They said the places were all out of budget and that we needed to get started setting up tents. Then they were like, “just kidding! Let’s go!” Woo-hoo! They found a legit guest house with super comfy beds, flushing toilets, running water, OH and sometimes if we get lucky the water is warm for about 2 minutes! We also get to cook our own food for the month! We live across the road from a market so we get fresh fruits and vegetables everyday! God is GOOD!

Iringa is beautiful! It’s touristy but still has a lot of culture. Our ministry is day-by-day and it will involve visiting schools, orphanages, and hospitals. Rev. Emmanuel is super chill and is a great guy.

Oh and by the way….I booked my flight home to Minneapolis!

I will be departing New York-Laguardia Airport on Airtran on Saturday, September 3^rd and landing in Lindberg Terminal at about 3:30pm! I know it’s a holiday weekend but if you’re around town I would absolutely love to see as many smiling faces I can at the airport!

I guess that’s all for now! I hope you enjoyed reading! Thanks a bunch!

PK