Saturday I took the bus to see Komanya, who is currently at home to visit his family. He is the biogas consultant who helped KIDT with the COMPACT project. I was a bit confused as he wrote something about the Kigongo ferry, so I thought I would get a chance to ship over Lake Victoria for a purpose. It ended up I should take the bus that says Kigongo Ferry, but get off a couple of kilometres earlier. He was right there when I got off (very African-like we didn't agree on a time I was going to come). I met his wife and kids and saw his house. Of course I was offered tea and a doughnut-like sweet.
Then we went off to see a few farmers he knew as I wanted to get something put of the trip for my thesis as well. How to get to the farmer? Well, he had a bike and suggested I should take a pedi-cab. Those aren't the ones you may be used to from SB, S Francisco or any other place in the States or Europe. It was a simple bike with a rack at the back. There was a sort of cushion as a sort of comfy seat on the rack. I liked the idea. Sort of. But asked instead of being ridden around if I could just rent the bicycle. They gave it to me for the price of two trips (TZS 2,000), which were required to the farmers. This was a good deal because in addition to the two trips I would have had to take the bus back from Kigongo Ferry. The bike was way to small for me, but the cheering from all the locals as I left the place let me quickly forget that. I waved at them. The bike actually rolled better than Komanya's, so I had to wait for him a lot.
We stopped by at some relatives of his first. They offered some fresh eggs. Very nice, but of course how I could carry those back to Mwanza or cook them??? The visits with the farmer turned out to be not too valuable, but socially very nice. Then we went to Kigongo Ferry, so I could see Lake Victoria and the ferry's arrival. At this point it was already very late and Komanya's wife had tried to reach twice. I felt really bad, as she had prepared lunch. After another stop by his grandpa's grave we finally stumbled home. I rolled down to the pedi-cab stand and honked the loud horn on the bicycle, which made everybody laugh. Returned the bike to the guy I had rented it from with an 'Ahsante'
Then we could finally eat (16:30). Komanya's wife had prepared fish, absolutely fresh from the lake. It was delicious. To not have to go through the trouble of deciding if I wanted the fish boiled or fried, she prepared it both ways!!! I can't really say if I liked one or the other better - they both tasted really good. I managed to eat the ugali with my hand. I have also seen people eat rice with their hands (Dora's sister for example) so I asked about the right technique. But K. said he uses a spoon also... A brief visit in K's. office preceded the ride home.
On Sunday In wanted to go to the Saa Nane reserve. A little island, just 15 ferry minutes away. Saa nane means eight o' clock. I am not sure if I have already mentioned the Swahili time? It starts counting with the crack of dawn at six o'clock. So 7am is saa moja - one o'clock. It's kin of confusing sometimes when people switch back and forth. In the beginning I also was wondering why Dora's sister would go to work at 2am - until I found out she meant 8.
Anyway, the island was much better than the ferry - how encouraging is it to step into a boat, with the floor already covered in water? I walked around by myself, and enjoyed it tremendously. I came to a pick nick area with a great view. I sat down and watched the birds fly around. Some hawks were gliding in the wind. There were also smaller and very pretty birds. Some all yellow, some with a yellow back and a reddish front. A blue one with a nice contrasting orange snout. Some sea gulls were there as well. One bird looked like a pigeon, but not sure how it would survive outside the city limits??? Later I saw two birds in a tree from very far, so not sure what they were. But from the distance they did look like storks.
Other things to watch were the lizards doing push-ups in the sun and the fishermen in tiny one-person boats row by. I must have sat there for hours (I was slow in getting started, as I took some pix and lost the rest of the group immediately - I saw some come back after only ten minutes; I am not sure what they were doing until the boat was leaving, which happens about every two hours. Eventually I walked to the end of the island, where it was equally nice. Going back to the harbour it was already 5pm! I had spent six hours, most of them sitting and just watching the wild life. In was glad to catch this ferry (leaving at 5:30). Supposedly there was another one at 6:30, but as always I like to be back at the hotel before it gets dark.
When I was on the island somebody came around with a survey. Overall I liked the experience. The one recommendation I made was to get rid off the lion and hyena in the cages. The latter I actually didn't see and maybe it already left. I think the sign is incomplete and instead of "Spotted Hyena" it should probably read "Who spotted the Hyena?" But the lion looked as my travel book described it - dejected. Being a lion in Africa, but encaged, may be even worse than in a zoo in any other continent?
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