Tanzania - On the Overnight Train from Dar es Salaam to Mbeya
June 24-25, 2003
After staying in the beautiful Bahari Beach Hotel in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, for a few days, my sister, Betty, and I headed to the train station for the overnight trip to Mbeya, where we were to continue on a 5-week journey through western Tanzania. We had first class tickets for the train (which is a story in itself!) and after we got settled in our cabin, I felt nature call. With toilet paper in hand (each first class passenger received their own personal roll from the train conductor) I walked down the corridor to the one lavatory that the entire first class car was to share.
As I entered the loo, I was pleasantly pleased to see that it was clean and contained a Western-style stainless steel toilet. Upon further inspection, however, I discovered that it was seatless and flushless. After balancing myself over the toilet bowl – which is quite a feat in a moving train – I did my business and "flushed" it away with water from the bucket that was conveniently placed next to the toilet.
As darkness fell, I again had to "go." Because the train was traveling through many small villages and towns, I thought it best to close the lavatory window, which had frosted glass panes, before I dropped my drawers. Well, forget that idea – the window wouldn't budge. That was okay, because I
would just turn out the light. Except for one little problem: there was no light switch. I quickly lost my modesty.
As the night wore on, I had to go again and hastily slipped on my tennis shoes without tying them. As I stepped into the lavatory, the smell of urine was overpowering! I heard "squish-squish," and looked down to see that I was standing on a urine-soaked floor (it could have been worse!), and I was disgusted to see that my shoelaces were drenched pee – and not my own. Next door, there was a washroom with a couple sinks, so I thought I would try to rinse my shoelaces. However, the stench in the washroom was worse than in the lavatory. There was no running water and, worse that that, train passengers had been using the sinks as toilets! Upon returning to my cabin, I removed my shoelaces and sealed them in a zip-lock baggie. I decided that I would NOT have to use the toilet again the rest of that train ride.
We arrived in Mbeya the next morning, and with my bladder about ready to burst, I made my way out of my cabin to depart the train. As I walked past the wretched lavatory, now reeking of stale urine, I couldn't resist glancing in. To my surprise (well, not really), the small room was piled high with sacks of potatoes!
As I entered the loo, I was pleasantly pleased to see that it was clean and contained a Western-style stainless steel toilet. Upon further inspection, however, I discovered that it was seatless and flushless. After balancing myself over the toilet bowl – which is quite a feat in a moving train – I did my business and "flushed" it away with water from the bucket that was conveniently placed next to the toilet.
As darkness fell, I again had to "go." Because the train was traveling through many small villages and towns, I thought it best to close the lavatory window, which had frosted glass panes, before I dropped my drawers. Well, forget that idea – the window wouldn't budge. That was okay, because I
would just turn out the light. Except for one little problem: there was no light switch. I quickly lost my modesty.
As the night wore on, I had to go again and hastily slipped on my tennis shoes without tying them. As I stepped into the lavatory, the smell of urine was overpowering! I heard "squish-squish," and looked down to see that I was standing on a urine-soaked floor (it could have been worse!), and I was disgusted to see that my shoelaces were drenched pee – and not my own. Next door, there was a washroom with a couple sinks, so I thought I would try to rinse my shoelaces. However, the stench in the washroom was worse than in the lavatory. There was no running water and, worse that that, train passengers had been using the sinks as toilets! Upon returning to my cabin, I removed my shoelaces and sealed them in a zip-lock baggie. I decided that I would NOT have to use the toilet again the rest of that train ride.
We arrived in Mbeya the next morning, and with my bladder about ready to burst, I made my way out of my cabin to depart the train. As I walked past the wretched lavatory, now reeking of stale urine, I couldn't resist glancing in. To my surprise (well, not really), the small room was piled high with sacks of potatoes!