I was told by a helpful taxi driver a few days earlier that to get to Kilwa I would need to go to Temeke Sudani bus terminal. So I got a Bolt taxi and 10,000 Tsh later at 7:00 I rocked up there and sat on a bus with a nice artist/musician/actor guy with crazy hair.
I had only just settled into my seat when I was told by the conductor that although the bus was going all the way to Mtwara, I could not leap off at the turning for Kilwa. In order to go to Kilwa I had to go to another bus terminal called Mbagara, a little further out of town.
To get to Mbagara I would need to hop on a boda boda at a cost of 5,000 Tsh and a risk to my life. By the time I got thee my lungs were choked with dust from the roadworks and my whole body was wrecked from the bumpy road. As we pulled into the bus park men ran alongside the boda boda and tried to encourage me to go to their bus asking always Where are you going? Are you going to Kilwa.
I don’t think I will ever get to a stage where I am not pissed off with this behaviour. I walked to the Mashallah Bus which I had been told was the best one but sadly all the tickets had gone so I went to another inferior bus, paid my 13,000 Tsh and sat. After about 15 minutes we were all told to get off the bus and get onto another one instead.
I complied and dragged myself and my backpack onto the bus and along the aisle. I found an couple of empty seats and settled down. It was only when the bus conductor came round and said hello to me that I realised that it was the same bus I had been told to leave in Temeke Sudani. I turned around and there was the same artist guy.
6 hours of Korean dubbed kung fu film and romantic films played at full volume takes a toll on a person. When at the second stop, I was told not to get back on the bus I realised that I must be at the Kilwa junction. I protested that they had taken a full fare off me but not delivered me to Kilwa but they were not interested in talking and even my artist friend could not get through to them. They shut the door on me and pulled out of the bus park.
I jumped on a boda boda again and he dropped me off at the place where he said there were dala dala buses. But when we got there it was only taxis. It then became cleat that they were called dala dala because they were in fact shared taxis. I paid my 2,000 Tsh and waited for the taxi to fill up.
It was a regular estate car and in the front there were three men including the driver. On the back seat with me were three other people and as we drove down the straight road to Kilwa we picked up a mother and child and a bag containing a live chicken and they went in the boot and then we stopped once more to pick up a man who also went in the boot. So there were 10 people in the car at the height.
Arriving in Kilwa Kisiwani my final leg was undertaken in a bajaj. I headed straight for the beer!
It is possible to get to Kilwa by public transport and it’s not too difficult if you know what you are doing but top tip is to book Mashallah bus – much better service.