I loved Tanzania! It was so great. I had been getting really tired of the noise and congestion and bad traffic in Kampala, so I was so happy to discover that Western Tanzania is predominantly uninhabited. Fred was supposed to accompany me to Tanzania but he was still in South Africa so he sent Denis with me instead. I was fortunate to have someone along with me or else communication would have been very difficult! Almost no one speaks English in Tanzania, and even those who do it is very difficult to understand. I went to the Ngara district to visit the farm of David, a man who I met over an African aquaculture forum (www.sarnissa.org). He was in Sudan at the time of my visit, so I was with his wife Rebecca and driver Mr Martin. Martin could speak a bit of English, but Rebecca could only speak Swahili and Luganda, so trying to speak to everyone was quite a challenge.
Denis and I took a 5 hour bus trip from Kampala to Mutukula, which is the border between Uganda and Tanzania. When I went through the Uganda exit immigration I confirmed with the immigration officer that I did NOT need to buy a new visa when I re-entered Uganda. Should have got it in writing. Mr Martin and Rebecca picked us up at the border, and I asked how far it was to their village. Martin said 5 hours. After about 3 hours Martin said we had to spend the night en route because we couldn’t travel through a certain stretch after dark due to safety concerns. The next morning we headed off and Martin says 5 more hours (but I thought it was only 5 total?). We stopped at a police checkpoint (there were 9 each direction) and Martin got out and started talking to the policemen. Then a guy got in the car carrying a giant gun. I was informed that we were going “in da bush” so we needed an escort with us for protection. For 3 hours (in da bush) we didn’t pass one single building except for a police checkpoint (where they raise cows by the way). There has been issues in the past of armed robberies along the road by people who are coming from the less stable countries of Burundi and Rwanda. Below is a picture of what the scenery looked like for many, many hours of the drive. This section of road was a death trap for big trucks.
The picture below shows what a lot of western Tanzania looks like: gently rolling hills with grasses and short trees, beautiful red clay, and round adobe huts with thatched roofs in the middle of seemingly nowhere.
Along the drive we saw families of baboons, and areas where herds of elephants had passed through the previous night, along with their dung. We dropped the policeman off and continued the rest of the way to their village. So it really was around a 9 hour drive in all, so including the part in Uganda it took about 15 hours to get there.
When we arrived at David and Rebecca’s house we were warmly greeted by the family, and I soon found out that I was the first white person (mzungu in Swahili too) that most of them had ever seen, especially the children and villagers. It took being stared at to a whole new level! Denis said that it was possible that the children didn’t even know white people exist, so I probably looked like a freak of nature (or an albino, who are feared). A few kids ran away screaming as soon as they saw me. After a bit most of them warmed up to me and posed for some pictures, since they LOVED to see themselves in the pictures after.
I was pretty overwhelmed on my first evening at the house because I didn’t know anything about the local customs, and I felt like I was being treated like the queen of England, but then stared at like a circus freak, which was a little unsettling. I was also a bit terrified of the bathroom, as I really wasn’t sure what to do. 
Here’s the bathroom. When you come from Canada and discover a bathroom with no toilet, sink, or shower, one is going to wonder what to do! I finally asked Denis what was the proper protocol for bathing with the bucket of water they handed me. (Use the small bucket to pour water on yourself, don’t dirty up the water and save some for everyone else.) Here’s a picture of the house.
After a night’s rest I felt much better and ready to love the new environment I was in. We went to see the small lake that David has been given to use for growing tilapia. He is hoping the money generated through the tilapia can be used to access health care in the district. The only industry in the area is farming, and most people live below $1 per day. We stopped at a school on the way to the lake and the kids there were so excited to see me! They flocked around the car trying to get a glimpse of me and to have their picture taken. I loved the way they would laugh when they saw themselves on the camera.
The “road” to the lake was nothing more than packed down grass from previous trips to the lake, and we had to leave the car a 10 minute walk from the lake, as it is at the bottom of a valley. Not what I would call easily accessible, which makes it not an ideal place for a farm, but you’ve got to work with what you’ve got in this part of the world. Here’s a picture of the lake. So far the lake has been stocked with tilapia fingerlings, but it doesn’t seem like they are doing too well.
Someone magically showed up in a boat and took us out for a spin. See all the papyrus on the edges. That’s Martin on the right and Denis on the left.
I decided that I think small cages are the way to go to raise the tilapia, as it’s impossible to catch all the fish out of the lake since they can swim away so easily.
Here’s me with Rebecca (on the right) and some other people.
After leaving the farm we went to one of the markets in the area where people walk from kilometers around to sell their goods. Some ladies just had 2 small piles of nuts to sell! Here’s Rebecca buying some avacados.
I had told David months prior to my visit that I was hoping to see some traditional African dancing, as I am also a dancer myself. He arranged for school children and a local dance troop to do a big dance for me, and I even got to dance along with them. It was absolutely incredible! The children were drumming, singing, and whistling, and their rhythm was amazing. The style of dance I do at home has its roots in Africa, so it was such a treat to dance with the pros in Africa. I was very honored to have them prepare this entire ceremony for me, and I never wanted it to end.
My time in Africa was quickly coming to an end so unfortunately I had to leave the next day to go back to Uganda. When I crossed the border back into Uganda the same officer who 4 days before had told me I didn’t need a new visa told me I had to buy another visa for US $50 to get back in. I’m sure the money went straight into his pocket. That’s corruption for you.
My few short days in Tanzania were incredible. I got to experience the real Africa and was deeply touched by the kindness of the people and by the extreme poverty of the region. It was certainly an adventure I’ll never forget.
