April 12, 2013: Part Two--"Auntie, We're Lost..."

As I said, trekking through the compound only gets us more lost. We find ourselves stumbling into yards and frightening more than one goat or chicken. After seeking help from a passing Auntie, we arrive at the train tracks. We than follow the tracks into town. By this time, the sun is beginning to set. An amazing visual is how the burnt-orange of the nyumbas (homes--in this case made of mud bricks) is mirrored in the sunset. Gorgeous. We leave the tracks and climb a hill. We are now walking along several pools. I don't know what is in them, but boy are they foul! I mean, they are beyond rank. Even quick gulps through my mouth don't block out the overwhelming scent of sewage and who knows what else! We wander up another hill--by this time my open toed shoes, and therefore my feet, have been in far more puddles of who knows what far more times than I would like. Again, "Doh!" Fortunately, I manage not to get my feet cut, but just as I think we're home free, we encounter a sketchy situation.

By now, the sun has set and people are returning from work. This means that mini-buses, one after another, are zooming through the roads--competing with taxi drivers, pedestrians, bicyclists, etc.--and we are having to duck to the edge again and again. Ollie, Dominic, and I decide that we're more than willing to pay for a taxi drive (thereby foregoing the smooshed replay of our first means of transportation). The only problem is that there aren't really any taxis where we are at. We do, however, happen to be in front of a bar where car after car is lined up. The men stop their talking, surround us, and begin to offer, "Taxi! Taxi!"

There are over 10 of them. You would think this is good, but the problem is that Jane knows all of them. When she tells Ollie and Dominic to choose and they defer to her, she really is in trouble. By this time, the 10 men have been joined by other men and it's turning into quite a bit of chaos. I look at Jane and for the first time see a hint of fear. She's in a bad spot.

I look around and call to Dominic and Ollie, "Hey, let's just take the mini-bus!" and start walking away. They hesitate a bit and then follow Jane and I.
"Why'd you do that?" they ask.
"Because there were too many of them; it was becoming a problem," Jane explains.

We stop at the final car and we work out what we'll pay to get dropped off at Kalulu--20KR ($4 for three people, one way). This is definitely the best fare we've paid.

Finally, we arrive back at Kalulu. I am so dang tired, though, that I don't have energy to eat and just topple into bed. Partying, alas, is still going on and continues into the early morning. Aaarrghhh.

The true "Aarrghhh" moment, however, is still a few hours away!