'Mexitted' - Malcolm has gone

Malcolm has arrived in Tanzania.

Door to Door, St Neots to Iringa, the journey took just over 50 hours, which isn’t bad for over 5,000 miles and an overnight stop in Dar es Salaam.

The city centre hotel room (Econolodge) was clean and comfortable, fully equipped with a TV. Unfortunately there was no power point to plug it into, but it was a nice thought.

 

On arrival it was time for a meal so Malcolm chose “ ’A’ Tea Room” for his first Tanzanian meal consisting of a meat (probably beef) chop, a potato and meat burger and coke – cost about £2.80. 

As the temperature was 35 deg C it was a good time for a coffee and vanilla ice cream cone. The shop assistant apologised that it cost about 5,000 tanzanian shillings (about £1.65). No problem, the UK price would be twice that.

The 11 hour journey from Dar es Salaam to Iringa was by coach.

Even though his first day in Iringa was a bank holiday (Union Day) Malcolm was soon at work at Neema Crafts

Stop me and............................

It’s a long and windy road – from Kisiizi and Kiwoko.

Malcolm returned from Kisiizi Hospital by the ‘Kanungu Express’. He had checked the departure time the day before with the driver and so turned up at the bus stop at 5.50 am. The bus arrived at 7.40 am (the driver had forgotten the bus is later on Sundays) and started the 10 ½ journey to Kampala (with no official comfort breaks). In part it was that long as half way there was a hissing sound from the rear tyre and the bus had to stop to repair a puncture.

During this break, when the boot was unloaded to get to the spare tyre, Malcolm saw that 2 of his fellow passengers were a live chicken, and a duck packed in a sack with just its head showing. He assumed this is the best way to carry fresh food safely to Kampala.

 

Always with an eye for business an ice-cream salesman arrived on his motor bike. You know when one is coming as they sound similar music to ice-cream vans in Britain – only there is no limit to how long the music is played.

 

A few days later in Kiwoko Malcolm came across a group of children eagerly waiting by another salesmen for their strawberry ice-cream cones.

Irene was also stopped when she was walking by 2 girls who were pleased to pose to have their photo taken.

This week’s proverb from the BBC Africa web-site is from Kenya  “A frog's large eyes will not stop a cow from drinking water”