Eyes to See, Ears to Hear

A Trip to Mbeya

Friday, October 19

Marcelo (computer guy/friend working in Mbeya) called last night to say that they were coming through this afternoon to pick us up instead of tomorrow morning.  Tunku (Swahili teacher/friend) ended class early for us so we could pack.  We knocked that out and caught a ride out to the main road with all of the teachers as they headed back to Iringa town.
We only sat by the road for about 15 minutes before Marcelo and Melanie (Mrs. Marcelo).  We loaded the already heavy-loaded Toyota LandCruiser and took off for the 4+ hour journey to Mbeya.
It was just after dusk when we broke the city limits of Mbeya town but the streets were still amazingly active with cars and people walking around.  Our first stop was at OilCom, a gas station/‘supermarket’.  We bought a few things inside after I visited a trusted ATM for some cash.
Our 2nd stop was at the SIL office to drop off all of my things Marcelo had in his SUV.  After 15 minutes up and down the stairs we hopped back into the car and headed for their house.
After a late dinner and a little unpacking, we let down the mosquito net over our bed and turned out the light.  Wasn’t long before we were out, too.

The view of Mbeya Peak from Marcelo’s