Imagine driving alone at night. It is not overly late, but the sun sets quickly in Africa and now it is dark. The road you are driving on has a single lane in each direction. You have been driving for over 6 hours, on the long road from Dar es Salaam to Dodoma. There are no street lights, no cats eyes in the centre of the road to help to direct your path. There is no central reservation.There is no pavement at the side of the road. Just bush- where the darkness stretches away and there is little to light your way except the headlights of your own car. It sometimes seems as if you are alone on the road, as you fly along at speeds of up to 120km/hour (about 75 miles an hour), anxious to arrive at your destination. However, other vehicles on the road periodly appear, seemingly out of nowhere, surprising you as they veer down on you suddenly out of the dark. Often, they overtake you and startle you with their lights- or perhaps frighten you with their lack of lights, as one of the headlights may be broken, giving a false illusion about the size of the transport bearing down on you.
This is how night driving can be in Tazania- on the tarred roads. It can be even more alarming off-tar. We are strongly advised against driving after dark, as it is simply putting oneself at risk. However, sometimes the demands of work and the need to get between destinations can mean that one might find oneself on the roads after night has fallen. We all know the risks- but they were brought home to us with a shock last week when a MAF colleague was ending his long journey from Dar to Dodoma in the dark hours. This was the
result of that journey on his car:
Thankfully, the driver was unhurt, although rather shaken. Not too far outside of Dodoma, a lorry coming from the opposite direction blinded his vision with it bright lights shining. Unable to see the road ahead, he had a nasty shock when he realised, too late, that directly ahead of him on his side of the road a different truck had broken down and was immobile in the darkness- right ahead. It was impossible to see it until he was right on top of it- there were no lights or warnings to let other motorists know that a large vehicle was blocking his half of the main road! He was able to pull swiftly to the right to avoid hitting it head on, but not to avoid catching it on the left hand side of his car as he swerved past.
It has given us all an unpleasant reminder of the dangers on the road in a developing country. Since our colleague had to return to Dar a few days later, Andrew accompanied him on the long drive home- in the above car, which does still work, despite appearances, but obviously needs some work! Andrew then stayed overnight in Dar and returned on a MAF flight the next day- an option I felt happier about!
I also had a nasty shock last Thursday afternoon. A motorbike suddenly pulled out right in front of my vehicle as I was driving Joel and Ben in the MAF school bus on our way to pick up the other MAF children from school. I had to screech to a halt, bus horn blaring, as the motorcylist drifted right in front of my windscreen- without any indicating on his part. He had not even turned his head to see if a car might be coming down the road, but just suddenly came out right in front of me. I was thankful that we were both travelling fairly slowly and I was able to stop centimentres from his motorbike.
However, I was very upset when his passenger jumped off the back of the bike- a young lady, without a helmet (although her neglectful driver had
his helmet on!)- but what shocked me was that, in her arms, she was carrying a tiny baby swaddled in a pink blanket! Of course, the baby did not have a helmet either. I felt sick with relief that I had not hit that mother and baby- but also felt angry that a baby should be put at such risk. Here in Tanzania, we often see mums riding casually on the back of motorbikes or bicycle-"taxis", cradling a baby in their arms or with the baby tied onto their backs. Shockingly dangerous.
I was so upset by this incident, but kept driving, as an uproar ensued in the street behind me. We are advised never to stop in an accident- but rather go straight to the police if anything serious happens- as the risk to the foreign driver from the locals, whether deserved or not, does not bear thinking about, as vigilante action could ensue... I am just so very grateful that no-one was hurt and that I was able to safely get my 2 small boys and myself away from the scene of the event. Also, I am indebted to the good friend who then drove the MAF bus and all the children safely back to their homes, as I was too shaken to drive once I had reached the school. (Actually, it made quite a nice change to be in the back of the bus with the children, rather than in the driver's seat!!)
Quite apart from the very real dangers on the roads of Tanzania, rainy season has brought out some other dangers that we need to be aware of...
As for Ben, he is delighted with the rain and even more so with the less dangerous creatures who emerge from their hiding places when the rain flushes them out of their homes. I sent him to school last week with a nice little lunch of home-made hotdog and biscuits, but I got a bit of a fright (much to Ben's delight!) when I opened his lunch box to wash it once he was home, and found a creepy millipede had replaced the tasty food!!
And Esther has a less dangerous, but nevertheless annoying, infestation in her room this week, with scores of nasty black flies crawling all over the insides of her windows. We can't work out where these disgusting insects are gaining entry, but it's not what you want in your bedroom, especially now that Esther is on her long school holidays and likes to play with her toys in her room!
Here is a sample of the ones I claimed victory over and swept up yesterday morning, after zapping them with some potent poison- but there were just as many this afternoon, so it looks like I may have a bit of a battle on my hands this Christmas week, with some of nature's less desirable creatures...
