Hop on the Beer wagon...

 

 

It’s 9:00 AM and I have just missed the bus I was supposed to take to Dar. I want to get there as soon as possible, change my flight arrangements and get home to see my Mom. It’s not the best feeling in the world to be thousands of miles away from the one person that you love more than life itself. She tried to phone me…I listened to her voice fading away as she whispered that she misses me and loves me. Both of her lungs partially collapsed. She is in ICU. I wish I was there already.

 

I got on my bus just after 9:00. I had missed the bus to Dar, so I took one to Morogoro instead. There was a mix-up with bookings, so I ended up having to stand for the entire duration of the trip. I had a heavy backpack on my back. The bus was so crowded that my feet were shoved together…like a soldier standing at attention. The bus was speeding over bumps, making it even harder to keep my balance. I reached Morogoro at 4:00 PM. My legs were burning. The bus ended up going to Dodoma, so they dropped me off 2 km from the bus terminal. I had my backpack and my duffel bag (big enough to fit an adult in it)…all weighing about 40kg. I made my way to the bus terminal, just in time to get a shabby bus to Dar. I sat down for the first time in nearly 8 hours. Bliss!

 

The lady that sat next to me took up more than her share of room on the bus. This included half of the isle and half of my seat. This didn’t bother me until she fell asleep, resting her colossal body on my bony shoulder. I have never been squished against a wall and forced to look out a window before…but I have to say that I enjoyed the scenery. By 8:00 PM we were still a few hours from Dar. There was a huge accident and a truck blocked the road. Small vehicles and motorcycles where zipping by. The rest of us were stuck. I sat there for about an hour and then I decided to be brave/stupid (not sure which). I got off the bus, got my buffalo-sized bag out of the cargo compartment…and I walked. I had no idea how far I still had to go. I walked for nearly an hour…dragging my luggage through the chaotic mess of police, trucks, busses, and severely irritated pedestrians.

 

As I was walking, I heard a man laughing. “Pole mzungu!” – sorry white man! I looked around and saw a bright yellow motorcycle with a carrier on the back. I might have been delirious at this point, but I immediately thought NY taxi cab! It was a bright yellow Kilimanjaro Lager delivery bike. Struggling to be polite, I asked him to stop laughing and offered him 20,000 shillings (R100) to take me to Dar. It was all the money I had left in my wallet. His sneering remarks instantly changed to “please, make yourself comfortable”. I tried to no avail. I sat on the steel bed of the carrier, covered with a tarp that smelled like beer, hiding from the police. I wasn’t supposed to be in there, but I could care less. I didn’t have to walk anymore! We traveled at a snail pace for nearly 3 hours until we were free from the traffic jam. After that it was another hour’s drive to Dar.

 

I arrived in Dar a few minutes after midnight. Bill and Nanette were in Dar already. They arrived this morning with the three Czech girls. They booked a room for me at the same hotel. I fell face first on the bed…thanked God for keeping me safe and fell asleep. 15 hours on the road, hiking, no food…it was a day that I want to forget as soon as possible. It ended on a happy note though. I got up at 2:30 AM to take the girls to the airport. We shared our last smiles and laughs. I will miss them…

 

I really need to sleep now…

 

Love

 

ryno