The (Unpaved) Road to Iringa
My dad has told me many times before to "never take the same road twice, if possible." So Russ and I chose to go the scenic route to Iringa. If you look at a map, Iringa is due south of Dodoma so we would make a triangle loop by starting in Dodoma, taking the unpaved road to Iringa, then taking the paved road to Morogoro, then back home.
So, off we went to Dodoma. We had not been to Dodoma for many months but it still looked the same. There was nothing to do really so we bought our tickets for the next day and walked around the market. I found a nice Indian outfit and tried to bargain the price down but the lady wouldn't compromise. I bought it anyway, for about $15.
The next morning we made our way to the bus station and waited around for our bus and driver. Surprisingly we left only half an hour after the posted departure time of 8 am. It's not uncommon to wait a few hours for your bus to leave.
We started down the dirt road with clear blue skies and a chill in the morning air. After a few hours it began to warm up and since I had a window seat, I was covered in dust/dirt which the tires picked up and threw into the air. Although the rainy season is upon us, there was no sign that it had rained anywhere during the past few months. Everything was bone dry and we were approaching a main source of electricity for the country - Mtera Dam. The lake that feeds Mtera Dam is huge but it seemed so oddly out of place being surrounded by brown, dusty, dying vegetation. We drove over the dam in about ten seconds. Mtera marked the halfway point of the journey so we only had another 4 hours or so to go! The bus stopped just outside the dam at a "truck stop" type of place to stretch our legs, grab a bite to eat, and use the bathroom. Russ and I both got off and had some water and Pringles which we had bought the previous day. When travelling, especially on a long and bumpy road, I've learned not to eat or drink very much at all. I'd like to be more on the side of dehydration than have to use the bathroom or throw-up because there is no where to do those things but it your seat!
The bus started to climb up a mountain range as Iringa is in the mountains. The view from the top was spectacular. I tried to hide the fact that I was scared going around the curves on an unpaved rocky road with cliffs on one side and mountain on the other but some Tanzanians laughed at me. Silly mzungu. Oh well, I was glad we made it to Iringa before dark, at around 6 pm. That evening, after checking into a guesti (hotel) we went to a place called Lulu's for dinner. At around 9 pm or so we just went to sleep as we were tired from sitting on a bus all day - funny how that happens.
The next day was Easter Sunday and we walked around the town poking our heads into the standing-room only churches to see the whole town and villagers from the surrounding villages dressed in their Sunday best. With the sun so bright we had a clear view of the surrounding area - mountainous, green with large rocks - which reminded me of Ireland. Over the next few days we hung out with the Maasai, bought handmade bags from a local women's group, and shopped at Neema Crafts (a shop where all the artisans and employees are disabled). The local tribe in Iringa is the Hehe and the Kihehe greeting is Kamwenyi
After Iringa, Russ and I traveled different ways - he went home while I went to Dar for my last meeting as the Dodoma representative (my term ended). Dar was not as hot as it could have been; it was fall after all. Our meetings went without problem and I got to see a movie, Peter Jackson's version of King Kong. Meanwhile, Russ celebrated his birthday with some friends back home.
I got back to site on Saturday and prepared for teaching on Monday - but I wouldn't teach on Monday as a new math teacher arrived at our school and took over some of my periods. I was saddened to find that, upon entering the classrooms, all the teaching aids/visual displays that my students created were gone. I asked where they went and the students said everything was stolen - probably for the tape.
And that brings everything up to date. My students will take a quiz on geometry and polygons next week. Then I have to start preparing a final exam for them to take in May!
So, off we went to Dodoma. We had not been to Dodoma for many months but it still looked the same. There was nothing to do really so we bought our tickets for the next day and walked around the market. I found a nice Indian outfit and tried to bargain the price down but the lady wouldn't compromise. I bought it anyway, for about $15.
The next morning we made our way to the bus station and waited around for our bus and driver. Surprisingly we left only half an hour after the posted departure time of 8 am. It's not uncommon to wait a few hours for your bus to leave.
We started down the dirt road with clear blue skies and a chill in the morning air. After a few hours it began to warm up and since I had a window seat, I was covered in dust/dirt which the tires picked up and threw into the air. Although the rainy season is upon us, there was no sign that it had rained anywhere during the past few months. Everything was bone dry and we were approaching a main source of electricity for the country - Mtera Dam. The lake that feeds Mtera Dam is huge but it seemed so oddly out of place being surrounded by brown, dusty, dying vegetation. We drove over the dam in about ten seconds. Mtera marked the halfway point of the journey so we only had another 4 hours or so to go! The bus stopped just outside the dam at a "truck stop" type of place to stretch our legs, grab a bite to eat, and use the bathroom. Russ and I both got off and had some water and Pringles which we had bought the previous day. When travelling, especially on a long and bumpy road, I've learned not to eat or drink very much at all. I'd like to be more on the side of dehydration than have to use the bathroom or throw-up because there is no where to do those things but it your seat!
The bus started to climb up a mountain range as Iringa is in the mountains. The view from the top was spectacular. I tried to hide the fact that I was scared going around the curves on an unpaved rocky road with cliffs on one side and mountain on the other but some Tanzanians laughed at me. Silly mzungu. Oh well, I was glad we made it to Iringa before dark, at around 6 pm. That evening, after checking into a guesti (hotel) we went to a place called Lulu's for dinner. At around 9 pm or so we just went to sleep as we were tired from sitting on a bus all day - funny how that happens.
The next day was Easter Sunday and we walked around the town poking our heads into the standing-room only churches to see the whole town and villagers from the surrounding villages dressed in their Sunday best. With the sun so bright we had a clear view of the surrounding area - mountainous, green with large rocks - which reminded me of Ireland. Over the next few days we hung out with the Maasai, bought handmade bags from a local women's group, and shopped at Neema Crafts (a shop where all the artisans and employees are disabled). The local tribe in Iringa is the Hehe and the Kihehe greeting is Kamwenyi
After Iringa, Russ and I traveled different ways - he went home while I went to Dar for my last meeting as the Dodoma representative (my term ended). Dar was not as hot as it could have been; it was fall after all. Our meetings went without problem and I got to see a movie, Peter Jackson's version of King Kong. Meanwhile, Russ celebrated his birthday with some friends back home.
I got back to site on Saturday and prepared for teaching on Monday - but I wouldn't teach on Monday as a new math teacher arrived at our school and took over some of my periods. I was saddened to find that, upon entering the classrooms, all the teaching aids/visual displays that my students created were gone. I asked where they went and the students said everything was stolen - probably for the tape.
And that brings everything up to date. My students will take a quiz on geometry and polygons next week. Then I have to start preparing a final exam for them to take in May!
posted by lisa at
12:36
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home