Safari Njema!

Last weekend we accompanied Nathan (the missionary who took us to Nguruka) on another trip into the bush- this time to the Rukwa Valley, an expanse of beautiful forest, lakes and villages nestled between two mountain ranges in southwest Tanzania. The purpose of the trip was to attend a church dedication in Mpete and continue progress on a birthing clinic in Kasansa, both very remote villages. Our trip consisted mostly of driving, so I feel it is necessary to explain that experience. The drive there took us just over 12 hours (with infrequent, quick pit-stops) but was only about 300 miles. Which means we were driving about 25 miles per hour. The reason for this? Road conditions. Trying to describe the horrendous conditions of the roads here would be like trying to explain snow to the Tanzanians, but I will do my best. For 12 hours we were bouncing over bumps, swerving around ditches and splashing through puddles.

On several occasions, we passed buses and other vehicles that were trapped in the relentless sludge (thank goodness for 4WD!) and we frequently fish tailed through the slick mud.

Despite this, the drive was extremely enjoyable. We drove up through the mountains, then down through the valleys. We drove through thick forests that were the most vibrant green. We saw wildlife (like baboons, which we learned can be very aggressive- they have been known to kill lions and steal children), villages, and people of different tribes. Many people in the villages are cattle herdsmen and often we had to slow down near the villages while the herdsman moved the cattle off the road. On one of these occasions, a boy (who looked no older than five) was the herdsman. He and the cattle were in the middle of the road, he saw our car coming, freaked, and ran off, without moving the cattle. He just couldn’t handle the responsibility. For some reason, this was hysterical to everyone in the car, and we had a good laugh while we waited for the cattle to clear our path.

Upon arriving in Mpete, hungry and tired, we were greeted by what seemed to be the entire village. Children surrounded the car while the adults tried to shoo them off to greet us. Despite our desperate yearning to sleep, we first must go through the relational formalities of Tanzania. This consists of meeting with your host(s), the elders/ important people of their village, going to their homes, usually sharing a cup of tea, etc. Once the relationship was built, they took us on a short walk up a hill, through the bush (little scary at night), to the church where we would be sleeping. The “room” Paul and I slept in was a

storage closet, consisting of a dirt floor, clay-brick walls, spiders and cockroaches. I was a bit cranky about this, but we survived.

The next morning we had our first meal in over 24 hours- tea and chapatti (flat bread)- then began the church service that would last until late afternoon. The church service included a church dedication (it was a new church), children’s ministry (I gave a mini-sermon and we played with the parachute), a normal church service, lunch, baptisms in the river, and communion. The children’s time was, as always, a blast. I think we had just about every child from the village participate. I spoke about how God’s love “covers us” and then did a game where the parachute would cover all the kids. There were only supposed to be 16 kids at once, but when it was time to make a dome and be covered by the parachute, about 50 would rush underneath it. And it never got old.

We played for a long time; even the adults had a turn. When we put the parachute away, the children didn’t leave. Instead about a crowd of 100 followed us wherever we went- into the church, down to the river- we felt like pied pipers.

Late afternoon we left Mpete to go to Kasansa, where Nathan is planning on building a birthing clinic and training local women to deliver babies. We checked out the plot of land, he decided that they cannot start building until dry season, and again we were on our way. We were in search of a guesthouse, and after a few unsuccessful stops in villages, we found one that was still under construction, but at least had a mattress in each room. This was a step up from the previous night!

The entire day Saturday was spent at Katavi National Park, which just happened to be on the way home. Katavi is 2,778 square miles and filled with almost every “African “animal you can think of. Only a few minutes after entering the park we saw our first animal- a lion! It was lying right in the middle of the road! (Unfortunately I wasn’t prepared for such an early sighting, and didn’t have my camera ready… I did manage to get one picture, but after he was already hiding in the bush). After this, everywhere we looked we saw animals. We drove around all day… until our car broke down. Paul and Nathan had to walk to find help; right in an area where there were nine lions sighted the day before (Paul said he wasn’t scared of the lions, he was only worried about seeing a snake!).

The breakdown proved to be a blessing in disguise- we waited at a “luxury camp” while one of their mechanics worked on the car. The place was amazing! Like a five star hotel, in tents, in the bush. Katavi, in the middle of nowhere (only reachable to tourists by chartered planes), has very few visitors this time of year, so they were happy to accommodate us.

Above, left: viboko Above, right: simba (can you find him?)

Above, left: kiboko Above, right: punda milia (striped donkeys)

Above, left: tembo Above, right: viboko (mama na mtoto)

After the park, we continued on our journey toward home, and stopped to sleep at a guesthouse in Mpanda. Being a larger village, the guesthouse was really nice (our sleeping arrangement got progressively better each night), it even had running water and electricity! We slept like babies. The next morning we woke up to drive the rest of the way to Kigoma. On the way we made one last sightseeing stop at a waterfall. It was huge, beautiful, and deep in the lush forest. The unique thing about it was that it was underground and came out of the rocks partway down the cliff-side. Standing on top of it, you could hear rushing water only a few meters under your feet.

Above: twiga

By afternoon we were back in Kigoma. We had a great trip (safari njema), but were happy to be home to our comfortable beds and a warm shower. After all, we only had one day’s rest before we were off again on another trip- this time to Nyarugusu, a Congolese refugee camp.