Around the bay of thunders

A few weeks ago I learned from Bernhard in Singida the true meaning of the Swahili word "mzungu" which is used by the Tanzanians to label white people. It literally means "people who go in circles". In early times the white explorers and discoverers arrived at the coast, went into the mainland to search for this and that, returned to the coast and left again. Roads did not exist. By then the locals did not understand why the hell anybody would go all the long way to lake Tanganyika, then to lake Victoria, then up some mountains, just to return and to leave again. They did not see any purpose in this. In fact, nowadays little has changed when looking at the common tourist from a Tanzanian perspective. But after today I strongly believe that the locals play the major role in this circleification game! In Mbamba Bay we ask five guys for the location of the new beach restaurant and get seven different directions. Three times we pass the actual access road where we would have had to take the turn. The most ridiculous direction we get from a police officer exactly opposite of this very access road from where he points us to the other end of the town. Half of the day we spend in the nearby roundabout going to and fro. People already start dancing for every new circle we drive. Finally we find the fish. And the beach. And the sunset.Read more