Thursday 21 July 2016

Arrival in Mbeya

We woke up to the ice cold weather of Tanzania and the violent shaking of the Tazara, described as 'an earthquake simulator' by members of the group. It's fair to say none of us had the best sleep and it didn't get much better when breakfast arrived. Who doesn't love cold omelette and spaghetti with grated carrot? But it was all part of the exciting experience. During the rest of the Tazara, we talked and relaxed and peered at the beautiful Tanzanian scenery, longing to spot some impressive animals… surprisingly we had no luck. It was eye-opening to walk down the train through the different classes and talk to the locals and experience their normal way of life.



Finally, after 24 hours we arrived in Mbeya, and after eventually piling all of our bags out of the train windows, we were greeted by the enthusiastic members of the RCCL including Paison and Katisu who were a part of our inward visit. The next task was to load our bags onto Lulu, a bus that the CRCL had funded in the past. It was a challenge as there was only a small ladder leading to the roof where our bags were being placed but the Tanzanians took it in their stride and made it look easy.



The next 15 minutes were filled with singing and dancing along to traditional Tanzanian songs which made us all feel like we were truly in Africa. Then we stopped off to eat a late lunch at around 4.30pm which was needed after the Tazara breakfast. We walked in and our mouths started to water at the sight of something amazing… pizza! It was an amazing treat from our RCCL friends which made us feel so welcomed and grateful.

The last part of our journey, which took around 2.5 hours, lead us to Lutengano, the town where we are staying in Rungwe. We emptied Lulu, found our rooms and then went straight to tea which was prepared by the mamas. Even though we were full from our pizzas, we couldn't resist roast potatoes and noodles. Then, we faced a serious task, Lulu was in trouble. She had got herself stuck in a ditch, and needed our help. Some of us sat inside the bus by the wheels and others had the job of trying to push her. The strong smell of burning rubber was alarming but we managed to save Lulu and she was on her way soon.

Whilst sitting and talking outside our rooms, we heard footsteps and looked up. It was John and Belitha. It was such an amazing surprise to see them again after a year and happy tears were definitely shed. After our surprise, we all talked and relaxed with each other which was exactly what we needed and it was also lovely to meet Victoria, Belitha's friend. At around 10pm, our Tanzanian friends had to leave and we were all ready for a good night's sleep after a long two days of travelling. However, before we could get comfortable, the animals of Tanzania made an appearance. The boys found spiders the size of their hand in their room and in the wardrobe draws and we had a frog in our room that is still to be seen again. After this slight incident, that included a small amount of screaming, we got tucked into bed, ready for what the next day would bring.

Abby  

18 comments:

  1. Pleased you all got there finally. Can't wait to here more. X

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  2. Lovely to read the blog. What a contrast to the 1990s when it was impossible to get contact out even to say that we had arrived!! Looks like the Bible Centre hasn't changed much over the years. Please say hello to anyone who might remember me - Mama Jane! I have no idea if people are still around? Polly? Joanna Mahembe? Looks as if you are having a great start to what I know will be an awesome trip. Keep blogging :)

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  3. Glad you've got there safely! Try not to worry too much about the spiders, even though they're big you are all still bigger than them haha! Miss you all xx

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    1. And they eat mozzies.. They are your friends

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  4. Great to hear you're having a fantastic time. Enjoy every minute.

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  5. Awwww Belitha and John..how wonderful it must have been to see them again and to catch up. I can just imagine how emotional it must have been. Lots of Love to them all xx

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  6. Glad to hear you've got there. Enjoy yourselves xx

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  7. It's fantastic to read the blog updates, lovely to hear about your adventures keep the updates coming! Enjoy your time in Tanzania.

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  8. Hope you're coping with the spiders Jess 😀😀

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  9. Glad you've got there, have a good time in Rungwe! xx

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  10. Such fun times! - hope you get used to the spiders 😏 Can't wait for the next instalment xx

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  11. Ahhh, this all sound like such an exciting adventure xx

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  13. Love being able to read your blog and catch up on your journey xx

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  15. So glad your all their safe and well and have met with John and Belitha give them all our love. Keep the excitement and the blogs going. Everything here is OK xx

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