"How are YOU!" and Dala Dalla to work !!

13th March, 2008

I have started using the Dala Dalla to go into work, on my own now too. Donald walks, although he would have preferred to cycle – however the bike he was promised hasn’t materialised (can’t say I’m upset about that as I am not certain about the life expectancy of cyclists over here!) Anyway, he sets off with his back pack with his lunch in it and I walk up to the top of our road and wait for the D.D. The walk up the road is only a short one, but it is a dusty one for all that, especially when it hasn’t rained for a bit and the big trucks shoot past at some great (and unnecessary) speed.

There are always lots of people walking along what ever road you are on, and they often want to say hello, to show their command of English, and also because they are very friendly people. The children, especially the younger ones, are great though. They obviously know only a little English, as primary teaching is carried out in Swahili – its only when they get to secondary school, if they get to secondary school, that they have their lessons in English (see Donald’s blog). So, they like to practise. Often they call out “good morning” in beautifully clipped English – it doesn’t matter if it is morning or afternoon, it is always “good morning”. They have obviously also learnt “How are YOU!” The emphasis is on the you, and this is great because you can reply, “I am fine, how are you!” and so it goes on. But the best one is “Give me my money!” Obviously some rogue, and not very good, teacher taught some kids this, and it has gone around the town. It’s the “my” money that is odd – Joey always calls back to them “I haven’t got your money” but its sad, but I suppose expected, that this phrase is only used on Masungo’s!

Anyway, back to the ride to work – I wait at the top of the road till the old, battered and possibly unroadworthy Dala Dalla shoots around the bend. As I said in another blog, the first time Donald and I did this route, the guy who was in the front seat got out to let us sit there – that courtesy hasn’t happened to me since. In fact I seem to have to prise my way into the back seat, squeezing past others who are desperately hanging on to their two inches of space. So, I clamber in, and hold on. I have decided to use this form of transport on the way into town as there are usually seats available, but really don’t fancy using it on the way back home, as each and every vehicle is jam packed full on leaving the ‘bus station’. So there is a driver and a conductor. He hangs out of the window looking for customers. If anyone is even looking remotely as if they might want a ride, he bangs on the side and the driver stops. We then wait to see if the person does in fact want to get in, and wait for however long it takes them to get to it. They don’t rush!

It seems that these vehicles (and I will try to get a photo of one to put on the blog) are owned by guys who then rent them out to the driver and conductor. They charge them a fixed rate per day. Any money they get over that rate is split between the driver and conductor. So it is to their advantage to get as many customers as possible. It also seems that we Masungo’s pay more than the locals. (now there’s a surprise!) We only found this out yesterday when Donald went into town with Moshye (his Samaritans chap) and found out what he paid. We seem to pay 500 Tsh (25p) and they pay 250 Tsh! So I’m not going to argue – wouldn’t be able to either as my Swahili just isn’t good enough!

So the ride progresses – and we keep stopping to pick up more and more people. Each time the bus stops another over takes it and so there is the constant calling/shouting between the conductors who feel they are being cheated of customers. At one stop yesterday, we were already 17 people in a 14 seater bus (plus the driver and conductor who as I said stands hanging out of the window) when they stopped at a corner which always seems to have piles and piles of pineapples (which by the way are just fabulous here at the moment!) You smell them as you drive past, so sweet. However, this time we stopped and the back was opened and dozens of pineapples are loaded into the small space at the back. They are obviously well ripened and ready for eating, and so someone is taking them into town to try to sell them there. So the bus now smells of ripe and sweet pineapples and four more people pile in – one talking on the phone and another still having a conversation with someone outside the bus. Its sort of Ok when you are already sitting but no ones moves once they have a seat, so if someone gets off, that space is left vacant, and so the next person in has to try to get into that space, not easy, as they have to clamber over legs, bags, children etc and I feel for the women, as their bottoms are not the smallest and they sometimes just can’t fit through without a real struggle. Crazy system, but it seems to work. Oh yes and there are two things do work well on these ‘busses’ – the horns and the radio! You get such a mix of music, from bollywood, to good beat African to gospel – make the journey even more interesting.

Oh – another thing I was going to tell you was about the soda bottles. I think I have already mentioned that everything has to last a long time here – well so do soda bottles. As you may recall, I do enjoy a Gin and Tonic occasionally – and that’s cool here as it is a drink you can get quite easily. You have the choice of proper gin (sometimes) and the local gin (Konyagi). If you get Konyagi, then you are served either with a clear plastic pouch which holds two shots, a small or a large pear shaped bottle which has two flat sides. You can only open the bottles if you give its bottom a huge slap, something to do with releasing the pressure (I think) and the flat sides are so that you can lay the bottle down, (so no one knows you are drinking it I suppose!) It tastes OK, but you do need a slice or two of lemon in it, and that is not always available, and neither is the tonic.

The soda bottles are all taken back to shops when you want to buy new ones. They are then sent back to the bottling plant and refilled (again and again). So the bottles are well used and usually look it. The bottles are marked as soda water and the only way you can tell what is actually in the bottle is to look at the cap – if it’s a yellow one, then it’s tonic water inside the bottle, if not then it is soda water. Pretty good recycling but annoying when you pour soda in thinking it is tonic. The other thing about the Konyagi bottles, is that if you don’t finish them you take them away with you. I have never finished one in a bar yet, and so seem to have quite a collection at Milestone House. I will not take one into a bar with me, but Donald is getting quite used to walking out of a bar with one (bless him!) You will be unsurprised to hear that I have a decent bottle of Bombay Saffire at home to enjoy, so the Konyagi store is building.

Well we have just had a lovely downpour and the air is fresh and the dust has been dampened down, so I had better think about heading into town to work.
Had a lovely treat yesterday, it was very hot and sticky and I had spent a good couple of hours with my placement and then at the internet café, and as we were meeting J&J at the squash courts later, I pottered down to a decent hotel, next to the courts, and lazed by the pool and had a wonderful hour long massage, bliss!

OK – its off to work I go –Lots of love J