On the Road

If you want to “experience culture” in Africa, take public transportation. If it’s your first time, maybe take a Zanex with you. Some of my best and worst experiences over the last eighteen months have involved public transportation.

Moto-taxi drivers in Rwanda wear helmets and carry them for passangers

After the fantastic safari with family, I headed south and reunited with a friend who had been in PC Niger and is currently a Tanzania PCV. Our original plan was to climb Mt Hanang, Tanzania’s fourth highest mountain, but rain kept us at lower altitudes. The following day, we set off further south en route to her site.  

The “seats” on our 6AM bus were the first two behind the driver, although there were plenty of people in between. The narrow space and surface area between the driver’s seat and the first row of passenger seats was occupied by five other Tanzanians. My friend sat next to the window, knees against the driver’s seat, a backpack between her legs and another on her lap. I sat next to her, another backpack on my lap, facing a fellow passenger sitting on a makeshift seat, our knees pressed against each other.

A few seconds after we got seated, someone ran off the bus. When others followed, I figured there must be another bus leaving at the same time. Suddenly my friend urged me “Get off the bus! It’s smoking!” I looked up and realized: less than two feet in front of me the mechanical mess next to the steering wheel was, in fact, full of smoke. 

Once out of the bus, we watched the driver and a couple ticket sellers fiddle with engine and then motion to the passengers it was safe to get back on. My friend and I looked at each other and shrugged: trying to switch itineraries at this point was too complicated. A little smoke never hurt anybody.

About two hours into our bumpy journey, a big pothole caused us to fly a few inches out of our seat, for the hundredth time. Then the bus jerked sharply to the right. My backpack went flying into the isle, and my body followed. I felt my friend’s arm trying to yank me back into the seat at the same time I felt other passengers falling on and around me. The sound of people screaming was mixed with the sound of large tree branches hitting the bus. We shook right and left, up and down, and then finally (after what was in reality probably less than ten seconds) the bus hit a tree, and stopped.

I got up, and along with everyone else, got out. A woman lay on the ground in front of the bus with her eyes closed and I feared the worst, but soon realized she was just napping—all the commotion must have worn her out.

We parked ourselves about twenty feet away from the bus. “How long do you think we should wait before we try to walk or take a motorcycle?” my friend asked. The road we had been traveling on was just a sandy dirt path and our surroundings were all farmland. Neither of us knew exactly how far we were from our destination, and none of the other stranded passengers seemed sure either. After a half hour or so, some women who had been waiting near us started to walk, and we followed. One of the women offered (and then insisted) on carrying one of my backpacks.

After walking about an hour, we ran into a small village. There, one of the women asked if we might get tea. A young man escorted us to what looked like someone’s living room and we were promptly offered water to wash our hands, delicious milk tea, and of course, fried dough. My friend and I shared our bananas and mangos as well. We sat, ate, and giggled with the women for what might have been my favorite hour in Tanzania. Just as we finished our tea, someone came running into the house to announce that the bus was fixed and ready to continue. A couple more close calls and a few hours later we arrived at our destination and praised Allah for the safe arrival.

Buses leaving Nyabigogo Bus Station in Kigali

This trip was a more extreme version of many, many journeys I’ve taken since my original flight to Niger. My transportation adventures, more than anything else, have made me realize that with a little patience and a sense of humor, in the end, things usually turn out alright.