The last Sunday my mother-in-law was here visiting us, we offered to take her for a drive to parts of the farm & the nearby areas which she had not yet seen. (The photo above is of some crested crane, in an area alongside our farm boundary - to give you an idea of what the uncultivated parts of where we live look like. Many years ago, prime diary cattle grazed these lands.)After living in wild, 3rd world Africa for over a decade now (although it used to be a lot wilder than it is now !) I have learnt some very important lessons. Especially when it comes to road travel. Like, don't ever, ever, ever get into your car without water, snacks, cash, phonecards & a fully charged 'phone (if you are lucky enough to be in an area with mobile 'phone coverage - in the old days, all cars & homes were fitted with HF radios), suncream, blankets and your international medical evacuation card. Seriously ! And no, I am not talking here about a 1 day safari into the bush. It could be as simple as a 5 minute drive up the road. Since becoming a mother, the list has grown to include things like - basic first aid kit, wet wipes & toddler entertainment (colouring books, crayons etc).
So, when we popped out for a 'quick' Sunday afternoon drive on the farm, I was prepared enough to survive in the bush for a week if necessary. Which was just as well, really ....
So, when we popped out for a 'quick' Sunday afternoon drive on the farm, I was prepared enough to survive in the bush for a week if necessary. Which was just as well, really ....
Can I just pause here to add that as we had decided to take my car on this little drive, I offered to drive but my husband said "Well, we might be doing some off road driving along old roads which I'm not quite sure where to find, so it's better that I drive". Which was a bad move, in hindsight - because I certainly would not have driven the car straight into a furrow. *Ahem*
As we approached it, it just looked like a shallow little stream ... until THUMP ... we were stuck. Tyres spinning, water spraying, we all got out to have a look. It didn't look good. Miles from nowhere, and it being a Sunday no tractors out on the fields or farm staff on duty. So we tried to get the car out every way possible. All to no avail.But, even in remotest Africa you are never alone for long. Sure enough, along came a friendly chap on a bicycle - on his way back from Church. He willingly offered to help. A few minutes later, another 2 men appeared on foot, also en route back from Church. Hemmed, one of our gardeners also stopped to help us as he wheeled a large bag of maize meal past on his bicycle. We soon had a whole team of cheerful, willing helpers.
My mother-in-law - who has several years experience of driving on dodgy African roads behind her - started giving orders to everyone in Shona (A Zimbabwean language - so everyone just stared blankly at her !) & gathering up dry grass to wedge behind the wheels. My daughter looked on in amusement, and to keep her occupied I started teaching her jumping games across the furrow.
After much effort, and over an hour, it took 4 strong men to "heave ho !" and the car was out .... however, just before this momentous event, I was getting hot, so I took my daughter to sit under the shade of a lone acacia (thorn) tree in the distance. (My mother-in-law was worried about her allergies, so opted to stay near the car). We sat and talked about our surroundings - Kilimanjaro was covered in cloud before us, but parts of her would peek out every now & then .... we discussed thorns, & livestock tracks, & all the different types of grasses and creepy crawlies ("Are there any snakes here, Mummy ?") & it was a special time .... I mean, I wouldn't willingly sit under a thorn tree in the blazing heat on a normal day, chatting away to my daughter !The photo below was the view we had just as the car had been lifted out of the furrow, and we were making our way back from the tree, towards it.
Everyone was cheering, and we told them all to go to Frank's local shop / shebeen / bar & get themselves a couple of soda's each on us ... and we gave them a little cash as a thank you, too. I felt so bad as the men were all in their smart "Sunday clothes" which were now splattered with mud ....
My mother-in-law commented on how friendly and helpful the Tanzanians are, they weren't at all put out by the fact that stopping to help us was eating into their precious Sunday. I bet they had a great story to tell at their homes that night ... about the crazy mzungu bwana (white man) who was silly enough to drive his car into a furrow, and the crazy mzungu bibi (elderly lady) who spoke a strange language to them and the crazy mzungu mama (white lady) who took photographs of it all. Ha !
I think that the next time we decide to go for a 'short drive' on the farm, I'll get behind the wheel instead. ('cause I would never do anything as silly as drive into a furrow, you know !)
