Well, once again, my laptop was stolen. This time along with my solar backpack, iPod, Kindle, hard drive, camera and a lot of other stuff that made life here more bearable.
This time it was in the early morning at Ubungo bus stand, the largest stand in the country. I don't think I'd stir up much dissent in calling Ubungo the country's cesspool. It was my least favorite place in Tanzania before my bag was stolen. I have absolutely nothing positive to say about Ubungo so I'll leave it at that.
I wasn't actually going to post anything about the theft, but then I was standing (halfway out the door) on an overpacked daladala in Dar today on the way to the Peace Corps office when Michael Bolton started playing. Regardless of where I am or how I'm feeling at the moment, nothing lifts my mood like a good ol' Michael Bolton song popping up in the middle of some driver's Bongo Flava playlist. And this one was particularly relevant.
Laptop, if you're out there, this one's for you...
Thank you Michael.
If you go from Dar to Lindi or Mtwara I recommend starting at Temeki Soudan where there are offices for all the buses you need. Much pleasanter and safer than Ubongo. Not too far from the city but southwards, the way you will be going.
ReplyDeleteTrue. I was heading to Songea so I had to take Ubungo, but we always use Temeke when we're going to and from Lindi or Mtwara regions. Saves a headache.
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ReplyDeleteRealized I hadnt checked in with you in a while this am and was saddened to read your last post. Sounds like youre having some bad luck. Tell me, can you use data on a mobile device? I personally do all my reading on my Kindle app on a mobile device. As well as all my email, Internet searches and entertainment. As long as I can get internet access via wifi once in a while I can get new books and communicate with the world. A mobile device is earier to secure and much less of a hassle than lugging around a laptop. I would be happy to help in any way that I can including getting you a new smartphone or phablet. I know you don't get to check this often so I will look for an email response over the next week or so.
Unfortunately support for that kind of technology isn't remotely feasible here (with Dar, the largest city and economic capital of the country, being the exception). You can get data coverage in many banking towns, but I live two hours from my banking town and spend the vast majority of time fighting to find a place to send an SMS, much less make voice calls and use more demanding types of data services. But you are right, that would be much nicer than having to deal with a laptop. Unfortunately the technology here is still decades behind in most places. Thanks for the message; hope all's well, dude!
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