Crazy Bus Rides

Our journey to and from Tanzania were CRAZY!!!! I have to describe it to you. I hope it doesn't sound like I am complaining. It's typical bus travel for this area of the world, but it's so different than anything that would happen in the US that I have to share it.

There is no quick and easy way to get to Tanzania by road. Without a car and air travel being too expensive, taking buses and matatus are our only option. Last time we went to Tanzania, we went from Kisumu to Mombasa (on the coast of Kenya – 13 hour bus ride) where we spent a couple nights. Then we went to Korogwe (six hours away). On our way home, we went from Korogwe to Kisumu which took about 20 hours.

On Monday, George researched the best option based on cost and availability. The two major bus companies that travel to Tanzania are Kampala Coach and Akamba. Akamba is known to break down a lot so George opted for Kampala Coach, which was also cheaper. We would have to book a ticket to Arusha (six hours from Korogwe) or Dar es Salaam, which is six hours past Korogwe, but we could get off in Korogwe. The Dar es Salaam bus was booked until Wednesday so George picked the one that went to Arusha, leaving Tuesday night.

Unfortunately, the Kampala Coach bus that goes to Arusha, Tanzania doesn't go to Kisumu. So, the booking agent told us to come to the office at 3:00 and a car would take us to Bungoma where the bus would pick us up at 8:00pm. Bungoma is about two hours away. We arrived Tuesday at 1:30 (which is the only time we could get a ride) and expected to leave at 3:00. The van that was scheduled to take us didn't show up until 4:30. It waited until it was full of people before getting us.

We arrived in Bungoma around 6:30 thinking we had an hour and a half until the bus arrived. We were informed the bus actually arrives at 9:30, not 8:00. The lady in Kisumu gave us the wrong information. There was nothing we could do except go get dinner and wait. When we got back from dinner, we were told the bus is running late and will arrive at 11:30. More waiting.

When it arrived at 11:30, people were sitting in our assigned seats and wouldn't move so we had to sit in the back row which is extremely bumpy on the rough Kenyan roads. So, we reluctantly sat down and headed to Nairobi which is about seven hours away. Halfway through the night, we were able to move up to better seats.

We arrived in Nairobi at 6:30am at the Kampala office which is located in the worst part of Nairobi – River Road. It's very dangerous and there are many robberies. I felt safe on the bus, but I had to go to the bathroom so George's mom and I quickly ran to the bathrooms which were some rickety stairs. They were squatties that were not maintained at all. I just held my breath and went for it.

Once back in the bus, it filled up halfway and around 7:00, the bus left the Kampala office. I thought we were headed to the next stop – the Kenya-Tanzania border, but I was wrong. It left the office to go to a gas station where they had people and items waiting to load. These people had not purchased official tickets, but the conductors had some side business going – to fill their pockets and not the company's. Totally wrong. We sat there for an hour and a half. I was so frustrated. Finally we left around 9:00.

As we left, a preacher got on board. You might think, that's cool. No, it's not. These guys are scammers and thieves. They board buses and start preaching. At the end there is always a pitch for money and guilt trips galore. People give these guys money and it goes right into their pockets. I told George to let me know when the pitch came and sure enough, it did. After 30 minutes he left. Then, another scammer got on board. He was trying to sell miracle soap, pills and creams – guaranteed to cure all your problems for only 50 shillings. If it really worked, wouldn't these be used in hospitals? Sadly, people are desperate for an easy fix and so they are sucked in. Later in the bus ride, another one got on. You might wonder why the bus drivers let them on. Well, they get a share of whatever the scammers collect. George spoke up and challenged these scammers, but they kept going.

The border of Tanzania is about two hours from Nairobi. Once we were a mile from the border, they let certain people off the bus. These are people who didn't have a passport that they were going to sneak across the border – so illegal.

At the border, George, his mom and I easily made it through immigration. Our bus was stopped for an inspection so it took about an hour until the bus left. Then we were on our way to Arusha which is about an hour and a half away. The passengers without passports were let back onto the bus after we crossed the border. Several times to Arusha, our bus was stopped at police checkpoints. They were checking everyone's passports. I'm sure they bribed the police to overlook the people without one. At one check point, we were stuck for 30 minutes or so while one of the conductors who didn't get his passport stamped was interrogated. Somehow he was let go and we were on our way.

After all the delays, we reached Arusha quite a bit later than expected – 3:00. This meant we missed all the buses going to Korogwe for the day. We decided to get closer to Korogwe and took a shuttle to Moshi which is an hour away. There we had to spend the night at a hotel.

The next morning, we boarded a bus headed to Korogwe at 7:45. It was one of those that had two seats, an aisle and then three seats. It's so cramped and crowded that it's painful. On this leg, again, we had several police stops. Again, more bribes were given. Just when I thought my body couldn't take it anymore, we arrived in Korogwe around 2:30. Thank you Lord for getting us here safely.

On Friday, George and Herbert researched our trip home options. One option was Akamba, but they were full. That left us with Kampala Coach. I was hoping we would be able to book seats on the bus that leaves Dar es Salaam so we could leave from Korogwe, but we were not allowed. That meant we had to ride the super cramped bus six hours back to Arusha where we would board Kampala Coach. Again, they didn't go through Kisumu, so we had to book to Eldoret – two hours from Kisumu.

On Saturday morning, we left around 8:00 for Arusha. We did the best we could with the cramped space and I was praying a lot! We were really tight on time. It's six hours to Arusha from Korogwe which means we would arrive at 2:00. Check in time for Kampala Coach was 1:00 with a leave time of 2:00. I was nervous we would miss our bus.

The ride to Arusha was tough. Lots of police stops and a long delay at the weigh station. Here, our bus was overweight so we had to be weighed again. They only weigh the back of the vehicle so they made people from the back stand in the front so we would pass inspection. The delay really set us back. It was a race against the clock. Then it started raining. Great. More delays. I was begging God to get us to Arusha in time. We didn't know when the next booking would be available and we would lose a lot of money if we had to get new tickets. I was also praying for safety. The bus drivers go really fast and in the rain – it's scary. There are so many fatal bus crashes in Kenya.

Once the rain started, our bus began to leak. I was by the window and a stream of water came pouring down on me and others. At this point, George and I looked at each other and laughed. Could this get worse? Yes, our bus began to have mechanical problems and had to pull over for a while. By this time, I gave in. Whatever happens was ok. Maybe God wanted us to miss that bus for some reason. Fortunately, the bus got fixed and we kept going.

By the time we reached Arusha it was 3:00 – one hour past our scheduled departure. I was hoping the bus again was delayed. It was! Yipppeee! So, we sat and waited for the bus to come. It did – around 4:30. When the bus left Arusha, again it was a race against the clock. If we didn't reach the border before they closed, we would be forced to spend the night on the bus. We arrived in time and rushed through immigration without any problems.

Then we were off to Nairobi after more non official ticket holders boarded. This ride wasn't too bad except for a very loud group of friends at the back of the bus. When we got to Nairobi, we left fairly quickly and headed to Eldoret. The loud people in the back kept going despite our pleas to quiet down.

We arrived in Eldoret at 5:00am on Sunday. We had to wait until a matatu was full and heading to Kisumu before we could leave. Around 7:00am it left. Matatus are mini vans crammed full of people. They stop wherever people need to get on and off. This makes a two hour ride into a three or four hour ride. Add a flat tire and its even longer. Then, sometimes, a matatu driver tells you they are going to Kisumu, but they really aren't and you have to transfer to another matatu where there is a scramble to get seats.

At long last, we arrived in Kisumu Sunday around 11:00am. It was good to be home.

I hope you enjoyed reading about the crazy travel experiences in Kenya and Tanzania. There can be humor found looking back, but during the process, it's miserable. There is no way George and I could do this with children so we are praying God somehow provides a vehicle to help us get through this easier.

Oh yeah – one bright moment – while we were stopped with the breakdown on the way to Arusha – I swear I saw a mariachi band playing in the back of a moving pick up truck. I thought I lost my mind. And then I saw another... and another. It turns out when there is a wedding, the procession starts with a band! Ok, it's not a mariachi band – but all they needed were the big hats and they would have been. I told George I feel gypped. Our wedding procession did not have a band in a truck leading the way. It's ok, I told him to start planning for one for our first anniversary!