Bus Ride Strategies
Some advice for my fellow African tourists. Please take the following advice into consideration when taking the bus.
1.) Choose your seat wisely.
Now, this may not really be a choice, since you are assigned a seat when you purchase a ticket. If you are lucky, you will get the window seat (as I did). This way, you can regulate the window and choose between how much smell you can stand, and how much hot air you want blowing on you at 80 miles an hour.
2.) Stay thirsty.
Although this is Tanzania, and one would try to remember the importance of hydration, in the bus situation, there are no rest rooms. You must choose between being thirsty and having to pee. Now, I know there's no rest rooms on, for example, MTA. But our dear bus only stopped once in 11 hours for a bathroom break.
3.) Be skinny.
Make like an African, and be skinny. The buses fit about three seats to every two American seats.
4.) Bring a range of clothing.
Before a bus takes off, it will sit in the baking sun for maybe an hour or so until it fills up. At this point, the closeness of your neighbor will combine and before you know it, your back will be dripping with sweat. This sweat pattern will continue, even as you take off and wind starts blowing, because it is so hot. However, once the sun goes down, your sweat will freeze, and it will turn quite cold.
5.) Pack a lunch.
The bus will slow down around corners, where people will run alongside the bus and try to sell you food. That will be better food than the kind offered a rest stops, which consists of french fries and greasy types of meat. I personally wish I went for the packaged cookies than the french fries, washed down with another 6 hours of bumpy bus ride.
6.) Lastly, remember to enjoy.
Remember, it's important to interact with the people, not be separate from them. It also brings the greates rewards. Just look at the window as you go through hours of desert, without a single light. YOu can see more stars than you thought were there. A Masai tribal man will get on the bus--with his robes, jewlery, and walking stick and smile at what an odd sight you are--and you learn just a little bit more about Africa.
1.) Choose your seat wisely.
Now, this may not really be a choice, since you are assigned a seat when you purchase a ticket. If you are lucky, you will get the window seat (as I did). This way, you can regulate the window and choose between how much smell you can stand, and how much hot air you want blowing on you at 80 miles an hour.
2.) Stay thirsty.
Although this is Tanzania, and one would try to remember the importance of hydration, in the bus situation, there are no rest rooms. You must choose between being thirsty and having to pee. Now, I know there's no rest rooms on, for example, MTA. But our dear bus only stopped once in 11 hours for a bathroom break.
3.) Be skinny.
Make like an African, and be skinny. The buses fit about three seats to every two American seats.
4.) Bring a range of clothing.
Before a bus takes off, it will sit in the baking sun for maybe an hour or so until it fills up. At this point, the closeness of your neighbor will combine and before you know it, your back will be dripping with sweat. This sweat pattern will continue, even as you take off and wind starts blowing, because it is so hot. However, once the sun goes down, your sweat will freeze, and it will turn quite cold.
5.) Pack a lunch.
The bus will slow down around corners, where people will run alongside the bus and try to sell you food. That will be better food than the kind offered a rest stops, which consists of french fries and greasy types of meat. I personally wish I went for the packaged cookies than the french fries, washed down with another 6 hours of bumpy bus ride.
6.) Lastly, remember to enjoy.
Remember, it's important to interact with the people, not be separate from them. It also brings the greates rewards. Just look at the window as you go through hours of desert, without a single light. YOu can see more stars than you thought were there. A Masai tribal man will get on the bus--with his robes, jewlery, and walking stick and smile at what an odd sight you are--and you learn just a little bit more about Africa.
posted by Joanna at 1:10 AM
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