Weekend 2: Peponi Beach Resort

I decided to go to a beach resort called Peponi about 30km south of Tanga for my weekend alone. I took a dala-dala to Tanga, and then hopped on another one towards the resort. The resort was nice and I had a private “banda,” a beach hut, complete with running hot water! I spent a lot of time on the beach/by the pool, as well as using the internet at the café next door. The owner is a Tanzanian-born mzungu of British descent, and it was interesting to talk with her about what it was like growing up as a white person here and I learned a lot about tumultuous points in Tanzania’s history that I wasn’t aware of. The local staff at the resort were also very impressed by the fact that I was living/working in Muheza- I definitely earned street cred for living in a more “local” area, rather than the more “cushy” areas that foreigners usually go to like Arusha and Moshi.

The next day, after a nice leisurely breakfast, I went out to the main road to catch a dala-dala which was an interesting experience. As I was waiting by the road, I was propositioned by a young man on bike who thought I needed a “black boyfriend.” Haha. At the same time, a donkey pulling a large cart of sticks that was walking along the road all by itself got the cart stuck on a rock right in front of me. The donkey then looked at me as if it expected me to do something about it, so I tried to remove the rock but couldn’t. So all three of us stood there (myself, the donkey, and my new “friend”) waiting for the dala-dala, which luckily came quite quickly. I had to sit on a sack of potatoes/uninsulated heat shield covered with a questionable pair of men’s boxer briefs, facing backwards for the hour long trip. Dala-dalas are always interesting experiences, and this one was probably one of the most hilarious because a guy got on carrying in his hand a small juvenile live chicken in a black plastic bag, with just its head sticking out. So there we were- 20 people and at least 1 chicken crammed into the back of the bus (I later realized there was another chicken on board- it was in a basket with its head sticking out but was much quieter than the one in the bag). Nevertheless, I made it to Tanga and got some shopping and internet done. It was interesting because it was the first time that I had been out on my own in Tanga, and I got a lot more attention as a “lone mzungu” than as one traveling in a pack. Everyone was very nice and friendly though. They definitely look out for the “mzungus” around town and on the buses, someone is always making sure that I get a seat when one becomes available and that I get off at the right stop, it is very nice.

On the dala-dala back to Muheza, I sat next to a nice old man who spoke decent English. He talked to me the entire trip, all the while holding the baby of the woman sitting next to him. He explained that when you see a mother with multiple children, it is nice to help her out with one of them. Can you imagine handing your baby daughter over to a strange man to hold on a crowded bus in the US? This is not the first time I have seen strangers get handed other people’s babies on the dala-dalas. It is nice how trusting and helpful people are to each other here.

I had dinner that night with an older English couple who I had met at the resort who turned out to be staying at the other hospital guest house in Muheza. They had done work previously in palliative care in Muheza and a nearby village (Korogwe), and were back to check on how things were going. They were very nice and when they found out I was all by myself for the weekend they invited me to their house for dinner. It was interesting to hear about their experiences with palliative care here, and with doing extended medical work in Tanzania. It turns out they are flying out the same day as me from Dar, and suggested a good place to stay the night there, so we might meet up again there. Overall, it was a good relaxing weekend. I’m looking forward to meeting the new students this week!