The road to Haydom
So this is a ride I will never forget… We left Arusha around 9 AM on Friday. I was told is a ‘hard’ ride but this was not even close to what it actually ended up being. And what is a ‘hard’ ride anyway? I mean, I live in the US with a pretty good road maintenance system. The roads are paved. And in the streets of downtown Charleston, an occasional pothole does not make a ride ‘hard’. Believe me. So we got to the place of departure. A diet-size of a Toyota Land Cruiser was waiting for us. 10 other people, plus the driver, Mr. Paul were ready to go. We had bought 4 seats to have a little more space. And little it was. Imagine sitting on a plane, with your legs cramped in the space in front of you. Now imagine this sitting in the back, sideways, with no suspension (or at least, it feels like it) with 10 other people that do not use deodorant. My luggage was place on top of the car, together with whatever else needed to go.
And off we went. First stop: gas station. The price of gasoline is pretty steep here, 1400 Tsh (Tanzanian Shilling) per liter. $1= Tsh 1300 (approximately) and a gallon holds about 3.8 liters. So just calculate that out. We should not complain about our gas price at all! Especially since our income per capita is probably a little more then what it is here in Tanzania. The first part of the drive was not too bad, paved road, lots of speed bumps. Oh, did I tell you they drive on the other side of the road here? Also, a lot of people on the road, on bicycles, mopeds or walking. And the horn is used a lot. For warning mostly, people pass other cars and trucks all the time, even if there is another car in the oncoming lane. And you honk your horn when you pass. You also honk your horn when there is a herd of cattle blocking your way. Or a bicyclist. Or people walking. A little nerve wrecking at first, until you figure out that this is the way everybody drives here. And then suddenly, no pavement anymore for the rest of the ride. About 5 hours of bouncing around in the back of the truck, my kidneys ended up in a different part of my body, or at least that was what it felt like. I had bought a big bottle of water but was unable to take a sip without spilling it all over myself, and that was a lucky thing. Because a full bladder would probably have killed me. We had to go over mountains. At times I thought the truck would not make it and would start going downhill backwards, but luckily this did not happen. Also, you get these thoughts when you look straight down into a ravine. Like, if we would fall off this road, nobody would ever be able to find us. But then I would look around me and see at least one person either talking on a cell phone or texting. So that took that worry away. And Mr. Paul drives this road a couple of times a week as I came to find out later. On the way there would be cattle everywhere. A lot of the time it would be a child that would keep the cattle. The cattle would have cows and goats and an occasional donkey. Unfortunately I was not able to take pictures because of the movement of the truck.
About 4 hours into the ride we had our first stop in Mbulu. A 10-minute stop, we got a Pepsi (no diet here) and it actually tasted good. I cannot recall the last time I drank a regular soda, but if you do not eat breakfast and it is past lunchtime, you start appreciating a sugary drink. We stretched our legs a little bit and back into cramp-mode. And I guess I did end up getting used to sitting in this position and bouncing around because I fell asleep for a little bit. And suddenly we arrived in Haydom. The village is build around the hospital. The rest of our travel companions were dropped off in town, and we were taken to the hospital. There is a gate around the hospital compound. The hospital it self is sort of in the middle, staff housing and guest housing situated around it. There is a large guesthouse with rows of tables where you eat. It kind of felt like summer camp. The ladies that work here gave us something to eat, some sort of Norwegian pancake with a tomato mixture. Delicious! I also was able to get a cup of coffee. Instant but so very tasty! The guestrooms are spacious, with two twin beds, a little desk and a bathroom with shower. So pretty luxurious I think, especially when you see the huts in town. We met a bunch of people that either work here or volunteer, from all over the place. A lot of Norwegians, which of course is not surprising since this hospital was founded by a Norwegian. There are also people from England, Germany, Canada, Belgium and the Netherlands. And then you come to the point when asked where you’re from. Because I live in the US but I am Dutch. So am I from the US or the Netherlands? So I just say I’m from both countries. After dinner I was taken to town by my new friends for a beer. Alcohol is not permitted on hospital grounds. Apparently there is a big problem here with people drinking a lot. So much that they pass out on the side of the road outside town and are nibbled on by hyenas who think this is a dead something. Or they beat up their wives at home. So there is a substance abuse program here. And to set an example, no alcohol is allowed. And that makes sense. But when I opened the closet in my room to unpack, guess what I found…. An empty liquor bottle. I slept very well. It is warm during the day but no humidity and cool at night. There seems to be a constant breeze, so it is very comfortable here.
Today I just took it easy, reading a book in the little gazebo here and enjoying the nice weather. Tomorrow the rest of the team will get here and then we hopefully can get started.
