23 Feb: The Daladala

The minibus (daladala) which takes you to Iringatown usually arrives between 6 and 630. Seeing as how nothing here seems to be on time (when you ask someone when something starts, a common reply is "4 oclock, Africa time" which means it will start anytime between 430 and 6), you can imagine our surprise hearing the bus roll by at about 545. We ran to catch it and did, securing a halfway decent seat. The ride into town was no sweat, as smooth a ride in the daladala one can get (really unsmooth).

We arrived in Iringatown and immediately headed in the wrong direction, wisely having decided to part ways with the one person on the bus we knew, Pius. Upon having doubled back finally, we had an incredible chance encounter with one of only two Iringans we know, Ayobu, who said he would meet us later at the internet cafe. After two infuriating hours of browser freezing and slow loading, it was on to the post office and a hotel restaurant for lunch. The steak tasted ok, but was tough enough such that my gums are now swollen.

To reach the pick-up spot for the daladala we had to take a different minibus. It seated 18, but we somehow got 25-30 people inside. We arrived at the pick-up point too late for a good seat, and I ended up in the back row (seats four) with four other people. Along with the supplies that were placed on my feet, I pretty much couldnt move. The daladala seats 23, and this time we had 45 people packed in. I began having serious doubts over my ability to survive this trip. The bus seemed to be leaning heavily to the left for the entire ride (a notion later confirmed by Brayn) and my inability to readjust myself made for one of the more sore left cheeks Ive ever had. Im proud to say I only really came close to a mental breakdown once, but my hatching an escape plan out the window eased the tension. The panic can only be compared to the feeling of relief when three hours after the ride began, the school came into view. We unloaded our things as it began to rain, but it was good to just be in the open space.

The rest of the night went something like this: read, eat, read, sleep.

Inset: the smooth road for the daladala

If this is your first time here, please be sure to read the first entry on this site. Thank you.