Wednesday, 5 December 2007

More Biogas stuff

Just a quick note - I meant to be on another field trip today, but gloriously missed the departure time. I was told when people say 7:30 they mean 8, so I figured 9:05 was safe for a scheduled 9am departure. Oh well. I have to do some admin stuff with registering my thesis now anyway. And update my questionnaire, following some feedback from the prof.

And get more dung for the bio digester, to continue testing. I had a hard time convincing the person I work with to show me Monday where the dung is that we can use. I offered to get a bucket on my bicycle. He tried to discourage me ("How you gonna carry it on a bicycle???"), but when I put something in my mind it is hard to get me off. We got the dung. I ended up walking back to keep him company and only used the bike as carrying tool (a bucket of dung is HEAVY).

I also suggested to sit down and have a drink. He was OK, but asked me if I didn't feel weird as a Mzungu running around town with a bucket of dung? Errh. No. Why?


Anyway, back to the subject - yesterday I spent a day in Arusha, to look at some fixed dome biogas plants and also at a construction process. But I have to go off-topic again as the funniest things never happen around biogas. They happen around life here.

We tried to board the bus to Arusha. I know they only leave when they are full Neither the small nor the big bus looked promising. Then came another bus and my mentor (Mr. Mfnanga - oops, I am certain it is spelled differently) headed straight to it. But it was empty, too? Yes, but it came from the mountain and will leave even if it is not full. Apparently others knew as the bus quickly filled. The "driver" was playing with the gas pedal, to entice more people on a quick jump on board. I call him the "driver" b/c in reality he was the "gas-pedaller". As we were really ready to leave the "gas-pedaller" left and the driver took his seat...

The price is also weird. In the small buses you always pay 2500 shilling. In the one we took you can optionally pay 2000. Huh? On the return trip we had a small bus and one guy tried to pay only 2000. He only paid the remaining balance after the bus had stopped and the passenger was threatened to be thrown out. There was quite a bit of shouting involved. Life's little thrills.

Speaking of little thrills, in Arusha we took a small bus ("Dala-Dala"). At some point we got stopped by a police lady. She started yelling at the driver, walked around the bus and looked inside. Then she went inside the bus. Only found out later that the argument was b/c the a passenger had bananas and a sack of some other food on board. Apparently that is a no-no. The police woman didn't board the bus b/c her shift was over. Instead, after all the passengers were off he and the driver were heading to the police station.

"So he has to pay a fine?" I innocently asked Mfnanga. "Maybe. Or he gives the police a little bribe." Aha, that's how it works.

Speaking of bribe, the first place we went to in Arusha did not want to show me around. I later found out the guy likes to get bribed as well for visits.

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