Back in Dar-es-Salaam

back in Dar-es-Salaam by the grace of God. The bus journey yesterday was
truly terrible, one of the worst I have ever encoumtered, even possibly in
Ghana. The bus was ancient, and by that I mean it could very well have been
taking me to school thirty years ago. No seatbelts, and an engine which,
about half an hour out of Dodoma, started spraying oil everywhere. We
stopped in a village, where someone by the side of the road was able to weld
some part together. The Tanzanian drivers certainly need to be resourceful,
but the fact that people stand by the road with cylinders and torches
certainly suggests that such events are far from rare. No welding masks or
helmets were in evidence, and the men working on the engine held lighted
cigarettes. Eventually we set off again, and the poor gutless engine dragged
us to Dar-es Salaam. The driver overtook numerous times on blind hills and
bends, but I suppose yesterday it was not God's will that we should die. As
we reached the outskirts of the city, the driver kept stpping to let people
off, although the luggage compartment is supposed to be opened only inside a
secure compound. People also joined the bus for the ride into the city,
presumably for cash payment. When we arrived, two hours late, none of the
traffic lights were operating, due to power rationing.
We managed to meet with Isaac Mtemi for dinner and settled into the
Econolodge after a brief altercation (our rooms had been given to other
people, and others had to be found). Today we are exploring Dar before
catching the ferry to Zanzibar this afternoon. We hope to find a French cafe
and the Christian bookshop.

John

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