Going to the bank

I had no idea what to expect as I moved from Njombe to Bulongwa. All I knew was that Njombe appeared on maps, while Bulongwa did not. One thing that should have occurred to me was to take out money before leaving.

So, there I was in Bulongwa, realizing now that it was just a conglomeration of subsistence based farming huts, with essentially one small store, two tiny bars/restaurants, and a market on Saturdays where effectively the entire county population arrives to purchase their weekly food supplies. But no bank. With a team of PIUMA members heading to Mbeya last Friday - Mbeya being the closest bank - I took the opportunity to ride with them into town.

Just so you understand, there is one car in Bulongwa. You leave when they leave. So, we were told to be at the car for 4:30 am. In typical Tanzanian fashion, the car only left at 6:30.

Mbeya is about 50 to 60 kms away, along a dreadful dirt road, making the trip last about 6 hours. Part of the problem is the road, the other problem is the car is a relic of the 60's I think: an old Land Rover with a left-side driver side, despite Tanzania's British road system. Packed with well over 20 people, you're lucky if the car can break a trot on flats, and up hills, people walking whiz by you.

Nonetheless, the ride, as with all my others here, was spectacular. The road snakes through the rolling farmlands of the Livingston mountains dropping into one valley after the next before climbing way up onto a plateau. This part was amazing. On one side of the road, golden alpine tundra extends indefinitely, and on the other, steep jagged cliffs and peaks fall into the clouds below, where warm air off Lake Nyasa coats everything in a rich tropical green. It makes you realize how high up you are. The clouds are far below, and further is the lake. Lakeside tempertatures average near the 30's, and on this plateau, directly above, it's barely 15 degrees. With temperature falling about 1 degree with every 250 meters of altitude, even a conservative estimate puts you up well over 10 000 feet. What's Whistler? 7000 feet?

Eventually the road drops back down to Mbeya - a real city - set on a desert flatland and surrounded by dramatic orange peaks. It's a nice place, complete with several banks, tarmac roads (some of them at least), and a cool market area that sells everything imaginable. It felt great to be back in an urban setting, and I finally feel like I'm getting the hang of it. In Dar, I was overwhelmed by the amount of people soliciting me for various things, but now, with my minimal Swahili, I understand how to turn them away if I have to, and how to figure out what they're really after.

Since, the car's return was only in the morning, I spent the night in town. My room had its own bathroom and shower - a luxury! Unfortunately only cold water... still beat bathing out of a bucket though! The nearby market at night is a little intimidating with no lights, but once you get used to the atmosphere, it's really a cool place to walk around. The food is all delicious, but Safari beer tastes like turpentine.

Despite the incredible lengths it takes to get to a bank, the trip was well worth it. Don't get me wrong, I'm still really hoping the money I took out will last my stay.