East African roads

The road from Mwanza to Geita runs along the Southern end of Lake Victoria. But first you had to get a ferry over the sound. There was a private ferry company that operated out of Mwanza, and the government one that operated from a small landing further south. Both ferries were unpredictable, and the chances of you getting over to the other side on the day that you planned to, were about 40%.

Sometimes the ferry just didn’t arrive, or you’d get halfway across and either the diesel would run out, or the engines would crap themselves. This of course would result in an aimless drift on Lake Vic for a few hours. Or they could just sink. Most people sat on top of their Land Rovers (those that can swim) so they could jump free if the ferry turned turtle.

Once you get to the other side (Don’t pay the ferry man by Chris de Burgh comes to mind), the real journey begins. The road from here heads west to the mining town of Geita, and ultimately on to Ruanda/Burundi. It’s the main highway westwards. In summer, the 100km (60 mile) road to Geita takes 2 to 3 hours. In the rainy season, it becomes an adventure. Ever seen the camel trophy clips? This is worse. Nine hours to two days is normal. Potholes are often 6 feet deep and filled with water (Land Rovers don’t float well) and the clay on the roads from the weathered granites makes traction almost impossible.

Did you know Land Rovers have a built in leak? Right on your right foot. Little drips. Like Chinese torture. The engineers spent a lot of time designing it – it’s been in Land Rovers since I was a kid. And it still leaks. And the bonnet (hood) is specially designed to catch muddy water in a scoop-like design. When you brake, it all runs forward, and just as it starts to fall off the front, the wind scoops it up and deposits it right on top of the square windshield with the shitty little wiper blades that never work. Another cool design feature….