The Rash and Arrival in Tanga
Trip Start
Feb 09, 2006
1
6
11
Trip End
Mar 01, 2006
Tanga,
Tanzania
Thursday, February 16, 2006
Just when I thought things were going to well, the rash started. I got the same rash last year and blamed it on the heat. Yesterday I was in internet cafes so I don't think the heat was to blame. I finally figured it to be the laundry soap, as our clothes were washed the day before. This morning I had re-rinse and dry the clothes, hopefully solving the problem. After this I washed our underwear. I am not a good hand-washer but can manage those. The cardinal rule of laundry is never let someone else wash your Chupi (underwear) so that is one chore they won't jump in and do for you. Happy (our niece) did get the water soap and bucket so my part was not that hard.
Yesterday night my sister in law Regina took me to the tailors to get some clothes sewn from the Ilala market fabric
Julius and Richard with Uncle William
. Regina speaks minimal English, as did the tailors, so I had to mime how I want the clothes to be. Luckily I had a shirt on that was the size I liked. Regina first pointed to a picture of a blouse with a fitted chest that tented out to a wide torso. I told them in Swahili that if you wear a blouse like that in America, everyone will assume you are pregnant. They laughed at that but agreed to something else. Women here wear outfits like that all the time, pregnant or non pregnant. From what I can tell they will be good outfits. I will find out next week.Today we are on our way to Tanga to visit the Shija side of the family. Tanga is a much slower pace than Dar, which is already pretty darn slow. The breeze there is brisk so mosquitos are fewer and it is a bit easier to sleep at night without a fan. After that we go to Moshi which really is cooler, not just breezier. There we will visit the Temba side of the family along with other friends.
We are at the bus station now which is newly equipt with a fancy internet room. The room is the only one with A/C in the building so I would even pretend to use the internet just to stay cool. 50 cents an hour, it is a steal. The bus is late, as are most things in this country, but in an air conditioned room, it can be as late as it wants
Sara with neighbor kid
. Bye for Now.......Arrival in Tanga
The bus ride on Scandinavia was quite nice. Scandinavia is the primo bus company in Tanzania, they give you soda, biscuits and candy along the way to keep you happy. No other bus company does that. Plus they drive safely and don't break down on the road which is why they are wildly popular here despite their higher price.
We arrived in Tanga at around 9pm and went to the aunties house to settle for the night. One thing was missing - the breeze! The air was not only humid but it wasn't moving at all. Not a good combination. The rooms inside the house get hot all day because the sheet metal roof absorbs the heat. Our bedroom was about 85 degrees. The fan could hardly be felt through the mosquito net, no ice was to be found (the power had just kicked on) and I was developing a head cold. It truly was the worst night of sleep in years. Julius, born and raised in this climate snoozed away.
