Down Lake Tanganyika

how did this happen?

Well it's been sometime since our last post. We've been away from computers for a little while; and that's a good thing since it means we've been in some backwoods towns experiencing the "real africa" that we love.

We'll our bags came safe and sound the day after we arrived in Kigoma; so it didn't ruin our time in paradise at all. The week was awesome! We had great weather, and a great place to enjoy it! We spent our time swimming in the crystal clear water, baking in the sun, and eating the famous pineapple of the Kigoma region. It was such a good time.the "Motor Vessel Liemba"

On Wednesday we boarded the MV Liemba. This is a ferry that travels from Kigoma to the far southern end of Lake Tanganyika, and arrives at the tiny port of Mpulungu, Zambia. This is the trip we took, and it was quite the adventure getting there.

We were told to arrive at the port in Kigoma at 3pm. When we arrived we entered right back into the typical African mayhem that we've come to know. There were so many people and so much disorder. But that's ok. The ship was scheduled to leave at 4pm. We boarded at 5:30. The port then had to finish loading thousands of pineapples and hundreds as bags of dried fish onto the ship before we could depart. By the time we left it was 7:15pm.

the small fish

that's what I'm talkin' 'bout!

The ship moved along at a good pace. Although we knew that this wouldn't last long. During the course of the next 61 hrs the boat would stop 19 times at tiny villages on the shores of the lake. These villages are only accessable by the water and all have no port. So little wooden boats piloted by the villagers meet the ship far off shore, and the fun begins. Many people get on and off at these places. They climb between the boats, with no ladders or steps, while the waves roll and everyone is pushing to be first, even the the boat will be sitting still for a few hours. Women climb the side of the ship with babies on their backs, often in the middle of the night. Erin and I really enjoyed watching this. The stops took a very long time because many sacks of fish and casava flour were loaded onto the ship out of the smalls boats. Apparently this is the best season for the small fish in the lake, and the catch is plentiful this year. The western side of the lake (Congo) doesn't have these fish, so they are transported on the Liemba to Mpulungu, and then shipped by smaller boats to the villages of Congo. We were supposed to arrive in Mpulungu at 7am on Friday. But due to all the extra cargo loading time, we didn't arrive until Saturday morning. What a long time to be on an overcrowed ship.

everybody looks at the action

the wooden boats from the villages

The trip it self was really interesting. Apart from all the action we saw, the scenery was spectacular. I thought I would never see beaches as pristine as the ones in Kigoma, but I was wrong. The secluded beaches of the villages were breathtaking. They stretch on for miles along the sparesly inhabited shore, and are visted only by fishermen and thier row boats. At each to stop we'd see the beaches and give real consideration to getting off and spending a week in paridise. We may have if we had a tent and a stove with us. Next time I guess.

please can we stay?

We passed the rest of time playing cards, drinking the odd beer with a couple of Germans, (who were the only other Mzungus on the ship), eating the same meals of talapia and rice, and having great talks with the locals we shared the voyage with. I really enjoy meeting the people and hearing their stories, as well as sharing ours. The people here are great! They really make the trip special. Often when someone learns that Erin and I are married, they ask if we are believers. It's strange for them to see westerners as young as we are married. What a sad reality.

We were lucky to have a first class ticket. This meant that we had a room to ourselves with two beds. It was nice to be able to get a good sleep. Hundreds of others were just sleeping anywhere they could find room.

The trip was a wonderful experience. We're now into Zambia. A beautiful place. Erin is going to fill you all in on what's happened here so far.