UKEREWE ISLAND

Ferry boat we took to the island

The morning after Christmas, a group of us took a four hour ferry boat ride to Ukerewe Island from one of the ports in Mwanza. The group consisted of two SMA lay missionaries, Mara and myself, along with Anita, who was an intern at Bugando Hospital. Mara was preparing to leave for Makoko language school in early January, Anita was about to finish her internship as a physical therapist and I had just finished language school in early December and was about to begin my new teaching assignment, so we thought we would get away for a relaxing four day weekend. We planned to meet up with David, a student from Germany who is volunteering with one of the SMA projects. He was due to arrive at Ukerewe on the afternoon ferry. We rode on the second level of the boat, but were free to roam around as we liked. The seats in the cabin were pretty comfortable but the movie playing was not the greatest! It was a beautiful morning so we spent most of the ride on deck.  



Movie in the cabin

We had reservations at the Monarch Beach Resort, which had been recommended by another SMA lay missionary. We were pleasantly surprised by the accommodations since the rates were very cheap (approximately $9.50 per night). The sign in front of the resort boasted warm and cold water but none of us found warm water available in our rooms. At least each of the rooms had a shower and toilet. We didn't expect much more. The kitchen only offered two different dishes, but breakfast was included in the price of our room.



 The best part of the resort was the beach, just a short walk across the street. That's where we spent most of the weekend. The view was beautiful, as long as you looked straight out. Otherwise, the view was of the local residents taking "showers"; men and boys on one side of the beach, and women and children on the other side. We weren't able to go in the water for a couple of reasons. One reason was due to the parasite which causes bilharzia disease in Lake Victoria. The other reason was that the water was very dirty. 

Anita & Jean

On Friday, we all rented bicycles from Elly, the PR Manager for the resort, who also ran an island tour guide business in the nearby town of Nansio. By this time we had added another person to our group. While David was taking the afternoon ferry ride on Thursday, he met a young woman from Holland, also planning to stay a few days on the island. They hit it off and we invited her to join our group. After being "fitted" for our bikes, we headed for Buzegwe Point, 18 km (about 11 miles) north. Since I was considerably older than most everyone in  the group, they were all very thoughtful and made frequent stops along the way. 

Elly

Preparing for the ride

Mara (SMA), Mara and Anita sitting with David

This is much harder than I remember!



"My Clarias"

                                     

David & Anita

A few young passengers on the ferry...not a care in world!

Jean & Mara

The ferry we rode on the return trip was named "My Clarias". The rates on this ferry were less than the ride to the island, at 4,500 TZ shillings ($2.80). The rates on the first ferry were 6,000 TZ shillings ($3.75), but we quickly discovered that the return trip wasn't as enjoyable. We sat at a table, as opposed to comfortable cushioned seats, and it wasn't as easy to roam around the boat. We were also more cramped on this ride. The little ones sleeping on the floor originally had seats but adults get priority over children everywhere in the country. The children didn't seem to mind the arrangement.