Untrusstworthy

I felt knackered today as I’d been awake late for no particular reason. On the drive back to Dar es Salaam from Kilwa we saw hippps from the long bridge that spans several channels of the Rufiji Delta. This area is set to undergo changes from the moment the controversial Stiegler’s Gorge dam is completed upstream on the Rufiji in Selous Game Reserve. This has been a long-running saga with even UNESCO threatening to downgrade the World Heritage site status of Selous, and it’s hard to see that despite the economic benefits it will bring, how the impacts will be positive for the people and environment of the Rufiji Delta.

We left the main road to visit one of the community-led Wildlife Management Areas in this region, in Juhiwangumwa. Here we are at the office where some beehives had finally been delivered after being stuck at the country office for too long.

Deo is trying to track down the guy with the key, who eventually turned up drunk, stumbling over the step and being rather incoherent. A meeting to discuss issues in the area seemed futile, so we verified the delivery then left, bouncing back down the rural track from whence we’d come.

We stopped for food at a rest stop in the bustling town of Kibiti. These moments are often a random investigation into what food there may be available. I told the waitress I’d like chips and beans, which horrified her. I knew it wouldn’t be Heinz tomatoey goodness and McCain best curly fries but it was a selection that filled me up well, with the other option being unidentifiable oily grey tepid fish. Sure enough my colleague confirmed he will try it next time. Chips and beans for the win.