Back in Moshi, and things have got a lot wetter here; the
rainy season has begun. Walking to get the milk I am amazed at the size of the
bean plants – they have grown from nothing overnight. The downside is that
there really is mud now. Thick, sticky, dark, red mud. By the time I get to vaulting across the
drain my sandals have a 3 inch mud-wedge – this makes me
taller, but not well balanced for jumping. And I could swear that the gap has
doubled since I last came. Still, no time to prevaricate, I see the milk van is
already there (how come? everything here is late, and today the van is early. Not fair!) I leap and run, spreading mud
randomly across the pathway as I go. On the way back I notice that the beans have
grown some more. The place is literally growing before my eyes.
Did I tell you about my trip back from Zanzibar? The airline
is a small one, using a 16-seater plane that stops in various places on the way
if anyone wants. I don’t think you ring a bell to let the pilot know you want
the next stop, but it is almost like catching a bus. Anyway, when we flew out to
Zanzibar, we made one stop in a pineapple field. Honestly! it was just a grass
strip surrounded by pineapples, with a little banana leaf shelter for the one
man who wished to board. No toilet of course, so someone wishing to go had to
scamper off into the undergrowth, providing on board entertainment for the rest
of us.

So, it was just me and the pilot. We chatted a bit, he
opened my water bottle, he checked his emails on his phone (many times – are
they really allowed to do this?) and all the while the plane seemed to fly
itself. At one point we were both taking snaps of Kilimanjaro above the clouds.
It was a bit surreal. When we landed he turned round and flew back again.
There are things I won’t miss – like having to iron all
clothes; even underwear! Now this is not because of some nit-piccy dress-code,
but because of mango flies. It seems that mango flies lay their eggs in the
seams of clothes and if you then wear them they can burrow into your skin
and... well I need not go on. All this heartache and trauma is saved if you
iron the seams of your clothes. So my clothes are crumpled, but with
immaculately pressed edges.
Mangoes... Sigh!...
I will really miss them.
And the place, and the people. For the past few evenings I
have taken to walking around the dusty ways of Shanty town and beyond, whilst the sun disappears behind the trees; seeing how
people live, how children play and now, how they farm every available, tiny
space . People offer friendly
greetings and I have discovered Salama
(peace) which seems an appropriate thing to say as night approaches.
So Salama Tanzania and Asante!