There's a buzz in the air

There are certain things that, living in a major city in the U.S., you just take for granted. You literally don’t think twice about logging on to the internet, switching on the light, walking down the street after dark or taking a hot shower.

What’s great about international travel is that it opens our eyes as to just how egocentric and ethnocentric we really are as Americans.

You might expect roads not to be paved in small out of the way towns or villages and you imagine that internet might be intermittent in these rural locations as well, but in major cities or international tourist destinations, you pretty much expect what you find at home.

Well, prepare to be unprepared is the adage by which I like to live when exiting the comforts of home. It all becomes part of the larger adventure and memory set known as traveling off the beaten path.

This trip has been no exception. Electricity in Tanzania is a complete luxury. So much so that for the longest time, the government has been contemplating going to nuclear power sources to remediate the intermittent nature of its existence. In the time I have been here, there has been one consistent factor with regard to the electricity; do not expect consistency.

On any given day, you may wake up with electricity only to find out that there is no power by 8 am and have it never return until well after dark. On other days, electricity is on till 10 and again after 6 and on still other days, it seems to remain on the better part of the day only to suddenly shut off suddenly during dinner or a late night visit to an internet café. Of course my personal favorite are the days where it just never comes on.

There doesn’t appear to be a rule when it comes to electricity here except expect the unexpected, and locals have become accustomed to its scarce participation in their daily lives. They are resigned to using it when it’s around without becoming overly dependent on it for survival. They remember to not write long emails without saving; they don’t expect hot showers, as water is often heated electrically and know that they have to charge hand held or mobile devices when the opportunity arises.

The lack of consistent electricity also creates a sort of hum in the cities around the country. And no, I don’t mean an air of mystery. I literally mean a hum. A hum of the sound of generators. Thousands and thousands of generators buzzing from every street and shop to create a miniscule amount of light or electricity required to stay open for business hours.

Here, you quickly become accustomed to a merchant showing you his wares by the light of his cell phone or the knowing shrug from the internet café owner as you walk by his darkened doors, “no power,” they remark as they lounge on the car outside the doorway, waiting to find out if today they will be able to offer service or if their seven hour stay in the darkened shop will result shillingless for yet another day.

A lack of power doesn’t only making seeing merchandise, packing, showering and navigating your house more difficult, it also makes nighttime street walking an adventure that had previously been unimaginable to me prior to this trip.

To begin with, streets here in Tanzania are for the most part unpaved. In the rare instance where streets have been paved, the engineers prior to paving had apparently not had access to a level spot nor did the construction folks manage to even out the surface, making all street travel a bit more treacherous even during day time hours, let alone at night. Nighttime travel is something else entirely.

Throughout my time here, I have come to the conclusion that the Tanzanian people are a very agile group as evidenced by their ability to carry 15-20 lbs of bananas, wood or other loads on their head, travel on bikes that are too big or too small for them over large distances with 40 lbs of coal or cement on the back of the bike and finally by their ability to successfully navigate the sidewalks of any major city in the country.

The sidewalks are literally a trip here. They roll along with the rise and fall of the land, a mish mosh of paved and unpaved sections complete with potholes, cut off metal poles sticking up 10 inches from the ground and wide gaping holes and ditches. Some covered with metal gratings across part of the exposed opening, others left wide open the jagged edges waiting for an unsuspecting, unobservant street walker.

This is clearly a hazard even during daylight hours.

But if you are really up for a true adventure, try night time wanderings about town, without street lights, or even the ambient light from a neighboring business or residence as the power is typically out.

It is an absolutely thrilling experience. One unmatched to date.