Travel days come and travel days go. Lets just say by this point of the race, we are becoming pros! At the end of every month we reunite with our squad, usually in a large city, and travel to the next country. This month we left Nairobi, Kenya after finishing month 8 debrief with L squad (we are K squad for those who don't know). Tanzania was our next country. A bus was our mode of transportation. Let the adventures begin!
Karen was a ritzy and upscale suburb outside of Nairobi where we had our month 8 debrief. We lived at a campground, so don't get any fancy ideas that we lived at a Hilton or the Ritz Carlton!
May 3, we hit the road! It was like a giant road trip with the squad minus our squad leaders and logistics (they stayed behind for a little time of R&R). Two buses were filled with World Racers and up top laid all our packs tied down and covered with a tarp. After a few naps and listening to a playlist on my iPhone, we were at the Kenya/Tanzania boarder. Getting in and out of countries and waiting for visas has been easy-peasy (except India) and a common reoccurrence. So two stamps and a Tanzanian visa later, we were driving through the countryside admiring the vast green land, rolling hills and the mountains in the distance. Around three o'clock we arrived in Arusha, where we spent the night at a campground. After walking to the store, eating dinner and having some quality time with the squad we all hit the hay.
Four thirty am rolled around way too quickly! We packed up our tents in the rain, piled in 14 passenger taxi vans and made a couple trips to the bus station. The sky was dark, the stars were still out and chaos, honking buses, shouting men and confusion filled the air. Some teams waited while others climbed aboard their bus to head to their ministry location. I stood there, waiting for the cue on what to do. To cut this part of our travel day short, we missed our bus. My friend Samson even stood in front of the bus as it was pulling away to try and help us get on. That didn't happen. In the midst of the chaos and frustration with the ticket purchasing process, Raj (our team leader), climbed aboard the the bus we were all supposed to be on and took Emily's place (another team leader). So there we stood Team Change, without Raj, and Team Daybreak and Emily. Without any other buses headed to Tabora, we now had the whole day to spend in Arusha. After the overwhelming morning turn of events calmed down, we purchased tickets for the following day, found a hotel, and settled in.
The Rich Hotel was our home for 24 hours, we are far from rich but we felt like kings and queens. Our bed had a bug net that came down around the bed like a fancy drapery. Hot showers! Wifi! Comfy beds! Fluffy pillows! A refrigerator! Yes, that's all that I need to say about those! Pause Day was the title of this blessed, surprised and spoiled day given to us as token of God's love. A little way to say, "I love you and rest!" Thank you Lord! We explored the area, ate some chapati and Nutella and slept the day and night away! Five a.m. rolled around way too quickly! Back at the bus station we stood, but not for too long this time. Momentarily we were seated on a bus, ready for what the day had in store. Loading the bus without any dilemmas was a breeze. Falling back asleep was not a problem either. The sky was still dark, it was still cool outside and I was still very tired.
Eleven hours on an African bus is like five hours in a car. You never want to get off when the bus stops for pee and snack breaks because you never know how long the driver will stay. Sometimes it's fifteen minutes other times it's three. That isn't enough time to unload everyone from the bus! I purposely dehydrated myself on Africa travel days because I don't know when or if I would ever have the opportunity to use a toilet! Speaking of peeing, a young child peed on the floor of the bus, very close to me. It smelled, as you would assume, and stayed there until eventually it evaporated! Gross, but perfectly acceptable and it didn't turn a head.
Hunger… If you don't pack snacks ahead of time on travel day you do have the option of purchasing them from your window! When we make quick stops at bus stations to drop off or accumulate more people, you have what I like to call the African drive-thru. There are men and women with baskets and boxes of snacks, drinks, fish, meat, candy, gum, bread, fruits and veggies that they hold up high in your window for you to buy. It's quite a sight at the vendors try to scam you and make the most sales!
We arrived in Tabora, where we were reunited with our team leader Raj. After sleeping over at Emily's ministry contacts house we jumped ship! Wait, that's the wrong transportation, a bus! Yes, we jumped on a bus to a little town called Mpanda. Sadly there are no pandas. The mid morning sun shown down on the national park that we drove through. We literally drove down a two track through the woods and high grasslands! I kept my eyes open for lions, zebras, giraffes and cheetahs but instead we saw hippos! Such a large and fat surprise! Fun fact: hippos are actually very dangerous animals! 🙂
Our stay in Mpanda looked like: showers, food, sleep… I spy an eat and sleep pattern! Do you?
Our last morning was just as long. Potentially longer. We cant be sure at this point because they all blend together so nicely! Driving through woods, towns, villages,
and mountains all on dirt roads (but I don't think they are worthy enough to be called roads). This pathway through the jungle jostled my spine and enhanced my headache. Have you ever ridden the dinosaur ride in Disney World? Well it was like that but 10 times worse… On the bright side, the bus stopped for dinner! This is where we all fell in love! Chips mayai was his name and breakfast, lunch and dinner was his game! Saut? onions, add diced tomatoes and french fries, then cook some eggs on top and scramble it all together! BRILLIANT! If you don't believe me, try it! I bet you will fall in love too!
I don't think I have fully clarified and given you a full perspective on how un-luxurious these buses are. If you think Greyhounds are gross, you've got something else coming! These buses are crowded, smelly, hot and stinky. The seats are small, the aisle is always crowded and bugs crawl out from little cracks and crevasses! I sat on the aisle seat, which normally is fine, but today was different. Men, woman and children were always climbing aboard and standing, sitting, squatting and leaning against you in the aisle. All the other seats were filled and the aisle was crowded. A few rows back sat my friend Lauren who had a woman 'toss her cookies' and some of IT splattered on her legs. *cringe here*
You never know what a travel day(s) holds… Until you travel!
This blog is coming to a close and you may be wondering, "what about the chicken?" Let me explain now that you have a slight picture of what our buses looked like. As I sat on the aisle seat, a woman with a baby on her back also had a chicken in her hand. She continually swung the chicken around as she moved her body and shifted with the motion of the bus! Inches from my face! Inches tell you! There was the chicken next to my nose! I could've plucked the smelly feathery creature! Well it might not sound that funny to you but trust me it was hilarious. And uncomfortable.
Sumbawanga! HOME SWEET NEW HOME! We made it! Late and night the stars were out. The town was asleep and I was ready to join them!
37 hours on a bus and 109.5 travel day hours total to arrive safe and sound to our month 9 ministry location! Team Change and Team Daybreak! Hello Tanzania! Good night African buses!
