11.12.2008 We started the trip at six in the morning. We had a Land Rover with two rows of seats for five people and back which can take either luggage or two more people. Well we were seven people with two suitcases and two big bags. Since I was the outsider I said that I could take the back. That was a big mistake.
The road from Mwanza is almost 1500 km long. Half of it is tarmac. It takes more than a day to reach to Dar. We decided that we were not in a hurry, so we planned to spend two nights on the way. After the first day of eating the dust and suffering from bottom aches we decided to make it in two days.
The weather is humid and we had no air-conditioning. The windows in the back don’t open. Tanzanians will rather take the heat than the dust so they liked to keep the windows closed. I on the other hand got the dust and the heat. So after three hours of driving there was no clean spot on me and my body was totally sweaty. Combine the dust and sweat and you know how I looked like.
If you can put aside the little things like the dust and the sweat, you can say that the trip was amazing. Driving across the beautiful country of Tanzania is amazing. Three major tribes on the way have their own style of houses (mud huts). On the way there is also a big Maasai habitant, and they are always interesting to see in their daily activities.
We stopped only when it was necessary. I didn’t find it necessary since there were no big bushes and I knew that my white bud would be the one to shine miles away.
We didn’t stop to eat. We had bought some snacks so they kept us going all day. When we finally reached the half way, the capital of Tanzania, Dodoma, we decided to stop for over night. We chose a cheap and simple hotel. There was no reason to spend any extra money for only one night sleep.
Next morning we left after washing the car. It was the only way to continue the trip. We couldn’t see through the windows other wise. We also fixed the wipers with my sports tape. My sports tape is the answer for everything. I always carry it with me. It fixes cars, mosquito nets, shoes, bags and sometimes even body parts which need heeling. Anyway, we were back on the road at eight.
When we reached closer to Dar es Salaam we started window shopping. I love the way shopping is done in this country. You never have to leave your car. When the car stops, people gather around you selling everything from fruits to clothes. Before we knew it we had bought two buckets of mangoes, a bunch of bananas, six pineapples, corn, tomatoes and other vegetables. The space I had in the back was less than a half now.
We reached Dar es Salaam at six when the traffic is its worst. It took us two hours to get to Masaki where we were living. When we finally got there Ulla-Maj and Tor were waiting for us. It felt like coming home. I was so happy, not just because my butt was tired, but also because the journey home had started.
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