We've been using this phrase every time we encounter a difference in culture or a hardship while traveling. As you can imagine we've been using the phrase a lot. From the realization that African time is much different than our time (meaning meetings tend to start late, at least 30 min) to encountering price gouging while trying to buy bus tickets....TIA. I can dream of an Africa in which examples like these are the exception to the rule, but for now, This Is Africa.
This blog is about the difference in transportation...TIA.
Traveling is probably one of the most dangerous and uncomfortable things anyone can do while in Africa. So far, we've traveled by boat, plane, train, bus, minibus, motorcycle, and small car. Each has it's advantages and disadvantages in price, time-to-arrival, and safety.
Here are some examples from our travels:
We took a train from Nairobi, Kenya to Mombasa, Kenya...we were supposed to arrive at 10am, instead we arrived around 2pm...we seem to have stopped in the middle of the night...for 4 hrs...
We took at bus from Mombasa, Kenya to Arusha, Tanzania...it was an older bus with bad shocks...8 hours of that will make anyone very sore...
Shortly after leaving Mombasa, the bus started slowing down. A crowd was gathered in the street, and once we passed the crowd I saw why they were gathered...someone had tried crossing the road without looking for on coming vehicles...unfortunately, a tractor trailer was coming...the police who were at the scene tried to cover the area with a sheet, but it wasn't enough...i was disturbed by what I saw and once again we were reminded...TIA.
We then took a bus from Arusha, Tanzania to Mwanza, Tanzania...this journey, or "safari" in Kiswahili, was by far the most dangerous that I've been on. The trip started bad. After we got on the bus, a guy imitating a bus worker tried to con us into paying him a "bag fee" of 5000 TZ Shillings per bag...in all the traveling by bus we've done, we've never heard of a "bag fee." This guy was messing with the wrong guys at 6 am...none of us were in the mood to be haggled...got to give it to the guy, though. He tried everything he could...but to no avail...TIA.
Finally we were on our way... About half-way to our destination, our driver attempted to make up some time by speeding...several passengers on the bus started getting angry, but the bus driver didn't seem to care...every time he would hit a pot hole, the angry passengers would start standing and yelling...after about 5 min, they had had enough...they began to rush to the front of the bus.
At the same time, another bus began passing us...keep in mind these are dirt/gravel roads...our driver must have lost concentration, the two buses collided! Glass and gravel were flying through the air...the window in front of us had shattered everywhere...both buses began swerving because of the high speeds...finally, our bus slowed down...the driver's side mirror was also destroyed and was in pieces throughout the bus...amazingly no one was injured...but the passengers were NOT happy. We thought there was going to be a riot. Luckily, there were two other bus workers on board who finally talked the people into sitting down...it was CRAZY!!!
That yellow thing is a piece of the driver's side mirror...i still can't believe no one was hurt by all the flying glass.
The final TIA:Travel experience was when we were traveling by bus to Rwanda...while passing through a national forest in Tanzania, we had two escorts with machine guns board the bus for security reasons...TIA.
Here are a few more pics of us traveling :
This is a picture of us crammed in a minibus. There were about 20 people packed in this thing!
This is Travis sleeping on the boat we took from Mwanza, Tanzania to Bukoba, Tanzania...it was a 4 hr trip across Lake Victoria. They recycled old plane seats...it was pretty cool!
Even though traveling in East Africa has been one of the most dangerous things we've ever done, we've also seen some of the most beautiful scenery in the world. So far we've seen giraffes and ostriches on the Serengeti, herds of cattle and camels on the train from Nairobi, and the fertile mountains of Rwanda. These sights were awe inspiring and can never be fully encountered unless seen in person.
~peace
david
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