And another crazy bus trip in Tanzania.
So on Monday evening I was heading to find the office of Taqwa, because this is the bus company I wanted to us to travel to Karonga in Malawi. I went to Mohamed Trans to ask them where the Taqwa office was. Another guy entered and he told me he would take me to the office. Ok, no problem, is that for free? Sure. So we go to the office and I see a Tahmeed bus in front of the building which is great as Tahmeed is until now my favourite bus company. The guy, Mr. Abdullah explained me that Tahmeed and Taqwa belong together. He started writing me a paper which was ment to be my bus ticket. He said the trip would cost TSh 68'000 and that they could even drop me in Mzuzu. I wasn't very sure about all this. He did show me the plan of the bus and I could chose the seat but still, until now with Tahmeed I always got a real bus ticket. He said that he would pick me up in the morning with a taxi which I should pay now (TSh 4'000) and that he would bring me to the departure in town. Certain areas in DAR are dangerous at certain hours for the day. I said that I am not sure, that I really feel uncomfortable to give him money just like this. He did write me a petty cash but which didn't have any official sign of this bus company. "Lilian, I just called them. I am doing you a favour. The ticket office for Malawi and Zambia are at the Ubongo Busstation (TSh 20'000 by taxi), I am just trying to help you. They have even confirmed seat number 9. You have to be ready at 4.30am and then the bus will leave early in the morning. You will get the ticket tomorrow morning." Ok, I did give him the money.
The following day at 4.15 someone knocked on my door. Ok, the guard from the hotel. We went downstairs and there he was Mr. Abdullah with the taxi driver. As I was in the taxi he gave me a bon for different meals on the bus and then something typical African happened. "Listen Lilian. I have been informed that the bus does leave at the Ubongo Bus station. Now the taxi to go there does cost TSh 20'000." I tried to be nice and told him that I already had informed him the evening before, that I didn't have that much money (TSh) left. And that I hadn't booked 5 weeks ago where changes can happen but that I have gotten my ticket not even 8 hours ago and that he should have informed me then. And at the same time I asked him again for my real official ticket. "Lilian, since yesterday you still don't trust me. You only have to pay the balance from 4'000 to 10'000. I spent the entire night in the office so that I could pick you up and you still don't trust me. Do you have the money so that we can fill up the car with fuel?" I told him that normally I pay for a service after having received it and not before. And at first I didn't give him the money. So they took off without filling up the car. I asked how then we would arrive at the bus station. He said you see, we may not make it. I told him that I had already paid 4'000 the night before and that would be better then nothing. I at the end did more or less through the money at him. We turned and I thought we would go to a petrol station. But no, he stopped in a small road next to a big bus. He went out and as he came back he said: "Listen Lilian, this bus belongs to Taqwa, they will take you to the Ubongo bus station where you have to change the bus. The guy has also your ticket." It was 04.35am and I was not really relaxed anymore, so that I have even forgotten to ask him for my 6'000 which I had given him to fill up the car to go to Ubongo. I got in the bus and I also got a ticket. From another company and seat number 4.
I got into the bus and at the Ubongo bus station I did figure out that this is the bus I will use. Seat number 4 was not bad. It was next to the window and in the front row. I think we left Ubongo at about 7am, we drove 20 minutes to a petrol station and then had our first problem. Something had to be repaired. They sent someone back to the city go get a spare part. We spent 4 hours at the petrol station before taking off for our long trip.
We did drive the entire day until 01.50 the driver did hit a plastic thing which was on the road. The bad thing it was from the police what was clearly marked on the "toeggel". The bus dragged the thing with it and the police followed us. Now if you were reading my other postings you know that we are not allowed to drive in Tanzania from midnight to 4am. So there were big discussions and the police came onto the bus and I had to even show my passport and my visa. We ended up spending the night in the bus in front of the police station.
There were a few Malawians on the bus which had been living in Tanzania for years and they didn't have any passport. Not for Tanzania and not for Malawi. There was a guy which we call "Schlepper" in German who took them over the border. Now there was a man in the bus who had a newborn, the mother of the child (his wife) had died and he had decided to go back home to his family in Malawi, and he was rejected by the "Schlepper". So he had to try his luck with us in the bus. At about 11am we left the police station and headed towards the border. Now this are two borders where things are looked at very carefully and I was told that we would leave the border at about 5 or 6pm, until everything has passed the two customs and has been declared.
I had something to eat, took a shower, helped the man with the baby to get some food, gave money so he could get a local taxi because our "international" bus didn't want to have him on because of all the police checkpoints on the road and chatted with a couple from Zambia.
At about 4pm I told them that I am not upset with the Malawian border but with the guy who sold me the ticket. He had said that with this company you don't stay at the border, you arrive in Mzuzu the following morning, bla bla bla. An immigration officer heard that and asked what we were still doing here. We said that our bus waited for a truck because some passengers had stuff in there and that had to be declared. He asked why I didn't get on an IT car. Now IT cars are cars which arrive in DAR from overseas. People from Malawi, Zambia and the Congo go and get them there. You can get really cheap rides with them. The Zambian couple and I we said that nobody had told us. He felt so sorry he left and came back with the news that he had found an IT car for me. For free. More details I can not give because.......
As I figured out that the guy is going to Zambia I told him about the couple and he said that they could also come. So we left the border at about 5pm and after 20 minutes drive and 1 check point the 2nd one wasn't happy with the insurance card which was on the car and has been pretty expensive. The plate number was copied wrong and so we had to wait for someone from the immigration to come and to change it.
At the end I arrived in Mzuzu at about 9pm. I did find a place to sleep even though it was very cold and not really very clean.
I love african bus trips ;-)
