September 27, 2015
To Mbeya: Bus ride and a restday
"This is plush" Rachel says. We are in a different category of bus rides, very middle class. The bus company, Networking, is very professional and the bus is new, with nice clean seats, windows being cleaned as we boarded. Our gear and bikes safely and easily stowed in the locked luggage compartments.
The 300kms goes better than other rides we've taken. There still is the African element of picking up extra passengers along the way. One lady is on a make shift seat beside me and another passenger rides on a plastic container in the aisle. We lost track of how many may be sitting up front in the doorway. Halfway the bus pulls off into an unpopulated side road for a pit stop, the men go to the bushes on the left, the women to the bushes on the right. Later we are served a drink (soda) and cookies.
The landscape hasn't changed since we first crossed into western Tanzania. Almost barren burned hillsides with shrubs, hot and dusty because it's the end of winter and the dry season. Only today as we go through villages we see flags of the two opponents for President in the upcoming elections.....there is a strong head/cross wind. The first part of the road to Tunduma was nicely paved and with a shoulder. After Tunduma, there is no shoulder and the traffic is heavy. We are dropped off in the "old bus station" in city center rather than the new bus station 8kms out of town.
Along with Jill, we make our way to the Sombero Hotel and settle in to a nice room. Tomorrow is a rest day, not that after 12 days off the bike this day can be called a rest day...it's more a "let's get organized again for riding" day. Patrick does the necessary repairs of the bike and shops for supplies on the road.
Tomorrow, we cycle to Tukuyu, then into Malawi.
| Heart | 0 | Comment | 0 | Link |
| Rate this entry's writing | Heart | 1 |
| Comment on this entry | Comment | 0 |