One point about yesterday that I forgot to write before I write about today. Dust… Its meaning just gets a completely new level in Africa. After those 11 hours on the road yesterday, everything was so dusty that when I showered at the hotel, even the shampoo that I rinsed off wasn’t white anymore. Fine if the body gets dirty, and especially hands…but I’ve never had so dirty hair that the shampoo turns brown, red ish.
Anyway, about today, or first tonight…I woke up around, I think it was, 4am by a terribly loud bang. People were discussing loudly, perhaps even panicky, in the streets so I was really unsure of what had happened, the sound had been so loud, I was prepared there had been a bomb attack nearby. Then came the really strong flashing lights, and again – and I realized it was lightning. The sound got quieter fast but the lightings kept on coming. I believe I’ve never seen so many flashing lights in such a short time. Strangly, the rain didn’t come until most of the lightings were gone. It started pouring – Uganda style. Yet surprisingly I fell asleep rather quickly afterwards.
Since my roommate and I had gone to sleep early, or perhaps rather because our program didn’t start until late, both of us were awake early, at least way before our alarms sounded. So we could relax in bed with our phones and our fastest Internet on the trip yet (we also have a terrace and a fridge!). We went to breakfast at around 9 and got some really good home-made passion fruit juice. At 10 there was a voluntary city-walk, which I went on with my roommate.
We went to see their church, right around the corner. It looks like a spaceship ready to head to the moon… It was extremely modern and didn’t fit all that well into the African background, or anything else we’ve seen on the trip. Behind the altar there was a grave of some pastor, or whatever, with fake flowers on it (OK) and blinking lights (not OK?). It looked funny.
After that we went to the market. I don’t know how it’s even possible, but the spaces between the shops and the size of the shops were even smaller than in Kigoma. Only one person could fit in the ‘streets’, or barely that. That made it incredibly hard to look at anything when a black man with a huge sack of something on his head or shoulder wanted to get by. The stores themselves were so small that you could barely turn around in it. In fact you kind of stood on the doorstep of the shop because the shop itself was so filled of the things and somehow also the shopkeeper. Two people could impossibly even look into the same store.
I bought a very pretty necklace in a colour combination I’ve been looking for; mostly black, but then also single red, green and yellow beads. This one was almost even prettier though, because it was triple, with neutrally brown beads to connect them. I like it, and it reminds me of a friend who used to carry the same colours.
We looked around for a bit more but didn’t find anything else, so we went back to the hotel where we ordered lunch. Meanwhile some other girls returned who had found another market where one of the girls had bought one of those rhythmic instruments, so after lunch I went to get one for myself as well. Not because they’re overly pretty or decorative or anything, but just a bit fun nevertheless. Otherwise I can just give it to someone.
After lunch we took the bus to the beach where we meant to take a boat out on Lake Victoria. We went to the beach where we had been yesterday, where we were meant to stay but it had looked so horrible and felt so unsafe (for our belongings) and chaotic, that we had found a different (and obviously much better) place. The beach provided another disappointment today. The boat was like a motor/rowing boat, but slightly bigger – but in no way looked safe for 20 people…
We went to another place where we got two boats which, to be honest, didn’t look much safer to be honest. We had to get into the water to get into the boat so I had to take my socks and sneakers off. The boat itself was slippery from water and when getting onto it, something made the boat rock so I almost fell and knocked a black man off board in the process. He was OK though, and so was my camera, despite my massive worries that it would hit something or get wet or I would fall or…anything could have happened.
The boat also just had wooden ‘benches’, and wooden things in the middle so you had to climb over to get forward in the boat. The wood was hard and small so there was very little space for the ass and in the middle of the boat there was water. I was more scared for my camera than my life – and I’ve never been so scared for my camera before.
We sailed around an island and then went off on the island. There were too many birds there. Both wild birds and chickens – and chicks… The island was full of feathers and flies – which tells a whole lot about the state of that island. The houses were made of tin in varying sizes and colours. They may have been poor in Burundi, but these houses didn’t even come close to the (non) quality of their houses. At least they were made of the same material throughout.
We went to the other side of the island on paths that were barely paths, through tall grass, bushes and whatever else. The grass was the type that stings you, really annoying…and really not my type of experience. There wasn’t even anything to see on the other side of the island except for the lake…which was so big it just looked like the ocean… I’ve seen that a billion times.
I was really glad to get back to the mainland – my camera still save, and not having to get into the water, as some black guy carried me and two other girls in my boat to land.
Back at the hotel I ordered some dinner – then went to take a shower and wash some things in our super clean room. I went back downstairs after an hour, in which time the food still wasn’t there. In fact my roommate and I waited for 2½ hours for our dinner – which I think breaks all records on this trip so far.
Anyway, I need to head early to sleep again because we’re leaving at 7am – again! That seems to be my lucky hour on this trip… Good night.