A Little Update

Firstly I must make my apologies for taking so long in writing this latest blog, it’s the rainy season out here and power is intermittent! I’ve also been moving around a fair bit so it’s not always been easy to find a computer to use.
One of the things that gave me a slight shock whilst driving in Kampala was my first encounter with a government convoy. The president here came to power through a coup and seems to be pretty paranoid about the potential for the same to happen to him. This means that we were first met with a police car swerving violently across the road into the path of our vehicle, sirens screaming, lights flashing, we very quickly took evasive action and plunged onto the hard shoulder. This initial police car was followed by a procession of about twenty other beefed up 4x4s, many with armed commandos seated on the specially designed police Land Cruisers. It turned out that there had been a big meeting in Kampala and that the president was heading back to his mansion in Entebbe. The sight of these insane motorcades has become commonplace to me now, and I have learnt to get off the road very quickly at the sound of a siren, less I end up with a high velocity police vehicle diving into my path again!
I had been lucky enough to be sent to Zambia installing Living Water Treatment Systems, with another technician called Henrik. I have to say, I was extremely happy to be going with him as he is only twenty-four years old and a really great guy with a brilliant sense of humour, who I instantly gelled with on arrival. Henrik is already very proficient with engines, plumbing, welding and various other skills that I could only hope to possess one day, and proved to be a hilarious companion during my time on the trip to Zambia. Needless to say, we got into a few sticky situations; I’ll share some of these experiences later in this blog.
So, it is 0500 and we are setting off in a Toyota Dyna for the Tanzanian border with Uganda, the trip will take approximately four days and we will drive over four thousand kilometers to reach our destination. A Dyna is a small, very rugged truck which we had fitted with an enclosed rear that could be locked, due to previous issues with Tanzania and transporting over $100,000 of goods through their country. They seemed to believe we would be intent on selling the items in their country and pocketing the cash without paying taxes! We had loaded up completely the day before with four LWTS’s and were completely packed, just being able to force Henrik’s and my bags in. The truck rear would be locked throughout Tanzania, so we had to strap small bags on the roof of the cabin containing clothes for us to wear on the journey.
An uneventful trip to the border about three hours away had given us a positive start, though it seems I had underestimated just how much trouble African borders were if you are carrying goods. Henrik and I got our visas cleared with no problem at all, but then we had to get the truck cleared. This process took about six hours – so much for the quick start! During which time we were mostly sat in the cabin waiting, this is the point at which Henrik decided to tell me that apparently we would have someone traveling with us. Looking at him with disbelief I inquired as to where he was going to sit, as there were only two seats , for driver and one passenger and a small plastic console with the gearstick separating us. The cabin was cramped with two people, my knees were banging against the dashboard and we had more bags inside with us. It turned out that the last time this trip had been made, our “agent” was sat on the hard (and, being positioned directly over the engine, very hot) plastic centre console. It seemed that this was again the plan! Were we going to be blessed with a midget of a man, who could easily perch on the divider and stay out of our way? Of course not! Henrik and I are both well over six foot, and it turned out our agent wasn’t much smaller. Not only this, but we also discovered he had a disturbing penchant for the music of Celine Dion and had brought along his own tape. After about two minutes Henrik and I quickly vetoed that selection for something slightly more upbeat!
The drive to Zambia through Tanzania was reasonably uneventful, luckily for us. Travelling through one of the national parks was brilliant, an elephant was stood right next to the road and we just sat and watched this mammoth beast demolish a few trees. Giraffes, gazelle, zebra and buffalo were all out in force – but sadly no lions! The only issues we had were coming to police checkpoints, where often we were obliged to give a little money in order to continue without the policemen making a problem for us. When you come across four young men holding AK47's at night on deserted roads it's best to give them pretty much anything they ask for!
We finally arrived at the Zambian border, where we ended up waiting for three more days to clear the truck and Henrik into the country! Henrik had a problem getting his work permit due to the fact that less than a year ago he had been working in Zambia, so they promptly stamped his visa with zero days. At this point we wondered whether we might end up having to drive back to Uganda. We were told though, that with a simple five hundred dollar payment that he could have his month long work permit. Eventually we gave up and, seething in anger, found a way for the cash to be transferred. I had no problem in this situation as I was on a tourist visa and was told I had three months I could spend in country!
Once we had finally gotten all the correct documents and visas we began the thousand kilometer trip to our base of operations in Zambia, trying to complete it in one day. More soda bribes followed, as well as a police post where we had run out of everything except mint imperials, which we then used to our advantage – though I had to demonstrate first that they were for eating!
Finally arriving at our destination we had to once again take the truck and LWTS's to be cleared, this turned out to be an frustratingly long process which took about two weeks in total. During this time we did what repairs we could to the existing systems, fixing chlorinators and other small problems. Eventually the truck was finished with and we could get on with the work needing to be done - or so we thought! Again and again we had issues with money, as Water Missions did not have an office in Zambia they were sending money into the account of another company we were liaising with. This money was supposed to go straight to Henrik and I to be used for materials, fittings, food and accommodation, which we would collect receipts for and then report back to Water Missions when we got back to Uganda. The company it was being sent to were starting to use it for other purposes though, and were asking for daily budgeting from us. Instead of giving us all the money at once and letting us get on with our jobs as Water Missions had proposed we had to wait every day until someone was going into town, and then ask them to take out x-amount according to the budget we had to prepare. Of course this slowed us down even more, meaning that Henriks work visa soon started to run out.
As we still had one more system to install Henrik had to head down to the border on an overnight bus and pay yet another five hundred dollars for a visa extension. After a couple of days we eventually met up again and managed to get the last system installed. It had been a stressful month and we were happy to be headed home.
After finishing the last system we decided we would get a head start on the gruelling thousand kilometer journey to the border, just a few hours to take a little from the next days driving. The first police checkpoint we hit is the point at which we found out the trip to Tanzania was going to be slightly harder than expected. We were pulled over and asked for our passports, I obliged and Henrik climbed into the back of the truck to find his. Two problems arose. One, that my apparent three month tourist visa was only valid for one month and had run out, and two, that Henrik, whilst at the border renewing his visa, had left his passport with the agent he had used.
Of course, this is exactly what the police were looking for, a white man with no visa, and a black man with no passport! I was told that I was under arrest and would be detained if I didn't pay about six hundred pounds to renew my visa. The immigration officer stepped aside with us and we began tentatively negotiating a slightly cheaper way of procuring a visa, when up stumbles a bleary eyed drunk man who claims to know me and starts trying to chat! One thing you don't need when negotiating a bribe with an official who is already threatening you with prison, is a intoxicated lorry driver, who has just been pulled over due to the clearly visible beer bottles rolling around in the cab floor of his eighteen wheeler truck, interrupting and stating that we are together. We ended up having to stop at the next town and wait for the official to meet us there and go with us to the immigration department late at night, where he calls in another colleague. We manage to get away with paying only fifty pounds and scarper damn quick as they seemed to have forgotten that Henrik has no passport at all!
So the next day we pray hard that we are not stopped by any more police. Twenty minutes into the drive and we are pulled over and asked for our passports. Of course, I now have no problems due to my visa renewal the previous evening but Henriks passport is still about nine hundred kilometers away at the border. We are asked into the small hut used by immigration and Henrik is promptly handcuffed to a window and told he is under arrest. At this point I think we both felt a mixture of emotions, we both knew he had a visa, and a passport, and that ultimately we would get out of the situation, though it could take a few days of imprisonment! I was trying extremely hard to conceal my amusement at seeing my friend locked to a window and after an hour or so realized that, in the company of a white man, the officials were afraid of taking a bribe, at which point I left and sat in the truck. Henrik comes out about twenty minutes later and takes approximately another fifty pounds inside to keep the officers happy.
Now, we knew that there were going to be many many police posts through Zambia due to the World Cup and were faced with the issue that we wouldn't have nearly enough money to get home if we had to bribe every official we met. Our solution? I would drive all the way and every time we came upon a village or town we would slow to a crawl and try to see the checkpoints before we reached them. Once we had identified a checkpoint Henrik would have to jump out of the truck and hike around them to meet me on the other side, where I would stop as soon as I was out of sight of the roadblock. I had absolutely no problems at any of the checkpoints, and we practiced this maneuver all day long, Henrik going through the countryside to meet me around the next bend.
Exhausted we finally pulled into the border town, got Henriks passport and were off into Tanzania the next day. Things went well, I enjoyed seeing the monkeys all over the roads and the amazing scenery that surrounded us. Suddenly, in the middle of a long plain, with no petrol stations or garages within a hundred kilometers the truck started overheating. Having experienced this problem before, we of course had to stop, and wandered into the bush in search of water, meeting a group of Masai tribesmen on the way which was great, the colourful beads they adorn themselves with and the way they stretched their ears was fascinating. On returning to the truck we discovered the fan belt had come loose, and set about repairing it with great difficulty due to the seized nuts which would not move, having no spanner set they quickly became scuffed, though eventually we sorted the problem! Or so we thought. A hundred foot down the road and the temperature gauge is rising. We now had to replace the fan belt entirely, with a old one that Henrik had happened to leave in the cabin from a previous trip. This was not a quick stop, with the lack of tools and problems getting grips on the nuts and bolts. Praying hard we finally moved out again, and eventually managed to reach our destination!
No more problems until we crossed back into Uganda, at which point ninety kilometers away from Kampala we end up with a flat tire. Not so bad, me and Henrik hop out and swiftly change it for the spare. Five minutes later we have two more flat tyres! The truck luckily has a set of four wheels at the back, and two at the front, which meant we could run – rather unsteadily – on just two wheels at the rear. We managed to get these flats on the dustiest section of road I have ever seen, and a young lad came out to watch the entertainment of us being thoroughly covered in dirt whilst swapping various tyres. At one point we had to prop one side of the truck up with a rock, which proved slightly unsteady... Henrik and I exchange a frantic glance as we see the truck toppling towards us, though we both realized quickly that it wasn't going to fall over. However, the young boy watching us definitely believed that his time had come though, and that if he didn't move it would be a swift, squashed end to his life. Out of the corner of my eye I see him dive down over the edge of the steep embankment, faceplanting into a large bush. This performance definitely cheered us up and we were soon finished and on our way to Kampala.
Having eventually gotten home safe and sound we settled back into work in Uganda, installing systems around Kampala. At the time I was still staying with Noel, in the one room we were sharing which doubled as a kitchen, toilet and bathroom. This I could cope with, but when we ended up infested with fleas I gave up and made a move to Kajjansi, a nearby town where some of my friends were living. Fleas are possibly one of the worst experiences I have had in my entire life. Covered in bites and itching from head to toe I was glad to get away!
Kajjansi was brilliant, I really enjoyed living there, I stayed at a guesthouse with no water, electricity or toilets, but it was my own place, and I didn't have to sleep with another man in the same small room. Every day as I walked through the town, some children would run up and grab my hands, continuing with me until my home, others would scream and burst into tears, sprinting back to the safety of their parents! I stayed in Kajjansi for a couple of months, and made loads of friends, it was a great time. I also bought a motorbike from Henrik, a 250cc Honda dirt bike, which needless to say (as I have never ridden a motorbike before!) was absolutely brilliant fun! Of course, its the easiest way to get around, though also the most dangerous – as I found out. The only time I actually had a little prang was riding along the main road, it was the middle of the day, and the road was clear. I could see a big charcoal truck waiting to turn onto the road from a side street, he noticed me and stopped before moving out, then for some inexplicable reason, just as I was coming up to him, pulled out in front of me and managed to clip me. I was knocked off, luckily I had not been going too fast due to the fear the cretin would do something just like this. At that point from the floor I turn to see said charcoal truck speeding off up the road, hefting the bike up I try to start it with no success. Quickly I jump on the back of a boda boda who has seen everything and we race after the truck. After finally catching up I made a lot of noise and got about ten pounds from the boss of the driver. Arriving back at my motorbike I pray the damage isn't too great, and apart from a slightly bent handlebar, broken indicator and a few scuffs on myself everything seems to be in good working order. So, I went out and had a nice big steak with the money I had gained!
Eventually, Water Missions decided it was moving base to Jinja.
I managed to find a home with two Americans, in a house with toilets, hot water, electricity (most of the time) and a veranda on the roof! I am paying the same amount as I was at my previous guesthouse in Kajjansi, and pretty happy with the situation. The house is right at the mouth of the river Nile, and has a row of palm trees along the front edge of the house which are home to thousands upon thousands of huge bats. It's an incredible sight to see these bats flock in and out from feeding, they seem to go out all day as well as at night time and sitting on the roof you get a great view of them. Before moving into this house I was staying at a hotel, which seemed reasonably nice at the time, though one morning I got up to have a shower and whilst going to turn on the taps received a rather large electric shock! Electricians here are not always particularly careful about the connections they make and it seems this one had decided to hook up mains voltage to the taps on the shower. I have managed to find myself a gym to which entrance is just fifteen pence, and am training every day with a boxing coach I met, having absolutely great fun - though my knuckles are extremely bruised now!
The project we have just started is Water for Africa, and is based all around Lake Victoria; which is the reason we moved to Jinja. This means a lot of the areas we are working in are most accessible by boat – even then the trip takes approximately a couple of hours to get to the villages. So we go back and forth every day on Lake Victoria, surrounded by the most gorgeous scenery you could imagine. It seems that every new village we arrive at there is always a drunk old lady who is trying desperately to get me to take a Ugandan wife – generally her daughter! Definitely some of the strangest encounters I have had. Most of the work at the moment is digging huge holes in the ground to be used for secure sumps, building treatment houses and laying pipes. Whilst digging sumps you of course get absolutely filthy, and all the locals just wade into Lake Victoria and get naked to clean up. Of course no one cares at all about this but once I need a wash I slosh into the lake and turn around to see a grinning group of about thirty women and children staring at me – at that point I had to make my way into the reeds, lest I flash one of the few white pieces of flesh I still own at them! We will soon be moving in the actual filter systems and chlorinators but at the moment the basics are still coming together.
I recently attended a Living Water Africa Summit in Entebbe, where I had the opportunity to meet loads of drillers and pump repair specialists. Amazingly enough they offered to put me up in a room (in a five star hotel!) and fed me all my meals which I was extremely happy about! I made many new connections and hope that some interesting options may arise from the people I met.
There is so much more that I have to tell, but I will be impressed if you have managed to get this far through my essay! Once again, apologies for it being so delayed, power issues, moving around and work have all gotten on top of me. I hope everyone is well back in England and will try to update you much more regularly again.
Dan Chant