Blogs from Mbeya, West, Tanzania, Africa

Leaving Kigoma, I wanted to get to Malawi as soon as I could. I knew that this wasn’t going to easy, but it really was worse than I could have imagined. The South Western part of Tanzania is one of the most underdeveloped parts of Africa I have been to. My journey began with a bus trip from Kigoma to Mpanda. I was up at 4.30 a.m. to get a taxi to the bus station. It was a fairly big bus, but was absolutely packed, with many people standing in the aisle. I was reasonably lucky as I got a window seat, I thought. The bus was filthy and got even worse as the day went on, as dust came in through any open windows. The bus passed Mahale Mountains NP, but any chance of seeing ... read more

Like all border crossings in Africa, a feeling of apprehension and vulnerability takes over. You remain polite and smile, filling in the paperwork while handing over crisp new United States dollars. As you pass immigration, your eyes scan the local surroundings, watching for hawkers and money changers. Knowing boarders are crime hot spots, you secure your belongings and empty your pockets, preparing yourself for any eventuality. As you wait to be processed outside a small wooden shack, a local approaches asking where you are from. He asks why Mzungus come and take all the jobs. He asks why the English enslaved the Tanzanian people. He says the English aren’t welcome here. He asked how I would feel if he took out the slave trade on me, right here, right now! Surrounded and outnumbered, I felt intimidated, ... read more

Geo: -8.30873, 33.4863Okay so we have successfully negotiated the Zambia/Tanzania border crossing. Both were not without significant frustrations. We were primed by other Tourists that the Tanzanian go slow strategy was a plan to elicit bribes so we were prepared for the worst. We were not prepared for the arrogance, aggression and pig headedness of the officials. Darren sent me packing to mind the car as I was definitely going to kill someone. The really frustrating thing is the agents (present at every border crossing), for some reason they assume we "Muzungu" (?? Derogatory term for a white person) are incredibly stupid and need help to fill out the arrivals form. Gosh I only have two degrees hence I really feel I need someone to point out where I need to write my name. I did ... read more

ear Readers of the Banks' Blog, We have done so much in this week while shadowing Nancy & Mike. Shadowing their daily activities has been an amazing snapshot of what is in store for us at our site. They are busy with the daily chores: hand-washing laundry, sweeping twice a day, toting water, walking into the village for fresh food, and dish washing in cold water. Once you can get beyond the chores, there are officials to meet & greet, villagers who want to have Mike check on the internet to see if their son got into college, a resume to write for a primary school teacher, photos to take of a community theater rehearsal (in our honor), taking material to Bibi's who are raising $ for orphans' tuition by making dolls, a conversation on needs ... read more

Malawi was fun, though very hilly, but then I didn't realise how hilly the Poloto mountains in Tanzania would be. There was an interesting 8km climb, which took a long time. Reaching the top all the school kids pilled out of class and whistling and shouting "dongle" or "dongler" they ran with me up the hill, laughing and joking. It really was an occasion to make me smile. Those little kids can really run. There has been a barrage of greetings and I try my best to wave back. Anyhow, Lake Malawi was quite beautiful and I took a wrong turning from Mzuzu ending up at Nkhata beach and did some snorkelling. Malawians are friendly people. I didn't see many people eating, except sugar cane, so it's not so easy to eat myself with the kids ... read more