| THE | ARUSHA TIMES |
ON THE WEB
| ISSN 0856-9135; No. 00210 |
March 2 - 8, 2002 |
ON THE WEB
|
|
|
The Makambako Sheraton 'Chicken a la Karatasi'By lute wa lutengano Soon after lunch we began the perilous journey up the Kitonga escarpment. I can assure my reader H.J. Schueler, in Toronto Canada, that Kitonga is still the Kitonga you remember. Due to the heavy trucks plying the road and perhaps some sub‑standard construction, that road section has developed some ridges and gullies in the middle, which add to the hazardous journey up the escarpment. To my other readers, Mr Schueler is a muzungu of German descent who was born in Mbeya and lived there until 16 when the British expelled him and his family during colonial times. But Tanzania remains his home because he and his wife built a house in Mwakaleli, Mbeya and they try to spend time there every year. Back to our journey. With my contraption – read car, which as I said earlier has seen some better days, and the perilous road corners, we were doing at most 20 kilometres per hour. However, the many buses going our way and those coming down were oblivious to the dangers of this section. They were literally zooming past us. Two or three corners from the top of the escarpment we came across an example what can happen on that dangerous road. A 65‑passenger bus from Mbeya had rammed its front into one of towering rocks on the hilly side of the road. Luckily nobody had died in the process. The poor passengers were left wondering what to do next as their bus was now immobilised, perhaps forever. A few kilometres further, actually at the top of the escarpment, we came across a wreckage of another bus, which had tragically claimed more than 30 lives the previous day. What remained of what must have been a brand new bus, was just a heap of twisted scrap metal. "Why do we have to die so easily and unnecessarily in Africa. Our lives are so cheap," lamented my colleague loudly. We cruised smoothly into Iringa town, perched on top of another escarpment overlooking the panoramic Ruaha River. We found some cosy accommodation at MR Hotel in the centre of town. The establishment is clean and has good standard rooms in the very centre of town. At the reception there is a prominently displayed picture of the owner receiving some dubious hotel award from some European city. These awards are nowadays dished out to all manners of establishments, though only on condition that the recipient pays some substantial amount of money, as participation fees to the organisers. I am sure it is some new system of making easy money by some unscrupulous European briefcase companies. Anyway, I was happy to be in Iringa. With some old friends of mine, we made a town tour, which reminded me of my youth as a student at the then famous St Michael's and George's and later Mkwawa High School. The town roads, the few in the centre, are good, and the gardens are well kept. However the slums like those of Mwembetogwa and Makanyagio are in a sorry state. In the evening I had a chance to visit some nightspots. The most memorable or the most popular of them all is the Miami Bar, at Mlandege. It is very popular for its famous "kuku and nyama choma." However, its plastic settees are a put off. One Tarimo, who is, as you guessed, a Chagga, runs it. The next day we left around 9 a.m. and leisurely drove towards, Makambako. It was a smooth drive and I was mesmerised by the scenic Mufindi forests. For about 50 kilometres from Mafinga, formerly John's Corner, the road goes through a carpet of eucalyptus and pine forests stretching for miles and miles on both sides. I was tempted to stop the car and pose for a picture on that section. I could easily claim that I was in Scotland or Bavaria, that is if the African goats are not seen in the background. It was around noon when we arrived at the busy Makambako town. We were hungry and on enquiry we were directed to a joint which goes by the name of Sheraton Twin Peaks. Here we were told, the speciality is "kuku wa magazeti"; chicken of newspapers. It takes about an hour to prepare the chicken.
We ordered for the chicken and sat down for some drinks. Our patience was awarded when at last, some delicious chicken, prepared while wrapped in some local newspapers, was delivered. I must admit, it was Sheraton quality. Notwithstanding my being uncomfortable with the wrapping paper, I really enjoyed that meal. I renamed the meal; 'Makambako Sheraton Chicken a la Karatasi!' lutengano@hotmail.com. (Join me next week for the last part of my sojourn) |
|
Last modified:
March 02, 2002. Webmaster: WDJMallya |
