Supplies for the Project

Today Larry and I rode with Billy (on site Missionary) and Glen (local guy who provide transportation) to get supplies. The goal was to hit the hardware store, grab the days box lunches and get out to the mission site.  Immediately upon leaving we are heading downtown Arusha to pick up a SIM card for the phone. Glen owns a computer store there. On the way, we stop. Glen jumps out of the car and starts talking to a man in Swahili. I ask Billy what is going on an he says Glen saw a wrecked Subaru and was asking about buying the front end. Glen recently had an accident in his Subaru so the front end is smashed up(which we are driving by the way).  Glen gets back in an we proceed to the bulk store.  While there we are allowed behind the counter as we are making a big purchase.  Glen somehow disappears and Billy only knows so much Swahili.  We have to perform charades to explain what we want.  We get it done and get back in the car to head to get the box lunches.  Billy knows a short cut so we make a turn into construction. Driving along, there is a track hoe on the right side of the road with the bucket working in the ditch on the left hand side of the road.

 The cars are all proceeding underneath the crane and we do as well.  Next we come to a closed road with cation tape. We pull directly up to it and roll down the window.  2000 shillings to the flagman gets us in.

The man lifts up the tape and we drive underneath.  Once through the construction, Glen is low on gas.  We stop at a station to find out that they are out of gas.  Moving on, we stop and get the box lunches.  However, Billy is also thirsty so he and I (Mike) run over to the store.  We quickly grab drinks but Billy also sees a French Press coffee machine he needs.  We take a few minutes to buy that and I get some tea to take home.  Back on the road we stop at another gas station. However, we cannot get gas there because they cant get a receipt unless we swing back by later to get it.  The next station has gas and we get it there.  Moving on to the mission site we pull into a school, proceed through it to a large iron gate. Billy hops out and knocks on the door.  I ask Glen what he is doing and he says he had called ahead at the bulk store to his relative who deals SIM cards and Billy is just grabbing it. After that we arrive at the Mission site and Bob Wallace asks where we have been.