Central line trc

Well, I talked a bit about slave trade on zanzibar and tanzania last time, if I recall correctly. After tippu-tip’s “rule”— in reality he did not rule people, he killed them, left villages deserted, and enslaved everyone in west tanzania—germany took over mainland tanzania. The germans then built a railway from lake tanganyika to dar es salaam, for economic reasons, and the railway was finished in 1914. It’s a very narrow 100cm gauge track (what do I know…) and, despite a new one being in construction, I was warned of it being long, old, in poor condition, and an experience.

Before that, let me briefly say what happened in the meantime: I chilled in the heat of dar es salaam, celebrated christmas, and tried to book a train ticket. And that last part was very very difficult. You see, you go to the train station (a very poor-looking collection of small buildings), and no one knows anything about when the train goes, or they think they know and give false info. I wanted to go on 28, but then that train “did not run”, after first being told twice that there was a train on the 28th. Then on 29 I had to go to the train station to book the ticket—I was told to be there at six for fuck-all, and waited for two hours—I found out the train did go, not on 28 but 29, but they didn’t themselves know about it. Some of the personell also didn’t seem to know about the train on 31st, and I was left convincing them there was a train. In the end I also found out I could book it online, but they did not seem to know themselves… ("What are you trying to convince me, that you are as useless as an asshole right here [on my elbow]?!" if you get the reference).

One more word on the history: there was an uprising and rebellion against germans forcing locals to work on cotton plantations. Bad for the economy here, but good for germany. Well, germany responded with a genocide: famine of locals, because you cannot negotiate with these barbarians. Or, better put: “Only hunger and want can bring about a final submission. Military actions alone will remain more or less a drop in the ocean.” I shall leave that at that.

Ok, so after a 5 hour delay, during which we asked numerous times when the train was supposed to go: the reply at 5pm was at 4.30... they have a weird concept of time here. Well, it left, at 8pm, and then the next day we were standing still for 3, four, 8, … 24 hours because the track in front of us was once again (apparently it is once again) flooded. I was contemplating at night just getting off, but then it went through in the morning; it was really really flooded.

The train ride itself is a genuine experience: it doesn’t go faster than 60 km an hour, yet you are being tossed around constantly like you cannot imagine; there are no power sockets; the police or armed guards on the train start the day with beer (hidden under the table); and at every long wait they want to rush you to get back on the train (I don’t partake) only to wait then again for 10 minutes. Oh, I was the only mzungu (white person) on the train. At a lot of stops entire villages greeted you at their small stations to sell their local produce, food, “madji madji!” (Water that is unsafe to drink), fish and meat. You won’t starve here, rather gain weight due to all the foods you can get without moving at all. (I got off at pretty much every stop, and constantly got shouted “mzungu, mzungu!!” Like anywhere in Tanzania ❤️.

Well, I couldn’t believe it, but I arrived after 3 full days, exhausted. (I did have a first class sleeping coach, but still got there super tired.) My bike got damaged slightly but managed to get it fixed at a local shop here, and so soon I will go cycling to Rwanda: the land of a thousand hills.Read more