1/5/13

Tanzania: Lake Victoria

Big bird on the lake shore

What does the world's largest tropical lake got to do with the world's longest river?

In 1858, John Speke, a British explorer, stumbled into the shores of a huge body of water, naming it Lake Victoria in honor of the Queen of the United Kingdom. He proclaimed having finally found the source of the Nile river. While subsequent explorations showed 'other sources', the lake is generally regarded as a major reservoir of the legendary river.


This historical footnote played in my mind as our truck barreled into Musoma, a dusty Tanzanian town hugging the shoreline of this vast lake. It was a long overland journey yet again, covering a distance of about 250 kilometers from Kisii where we stayed the night before.

To break the long trip, we visited a soapstone factory whose products actually end up being sold in Europe and North America. While I'm wary and weary of "factories" as a side trip, I end up regretting not buying anything later on since those little things like soapstone coasters cost a lot more where I live.

Soapstone factory worker outside Kisii in Kenya

At the border town of Isebania, we exited Kenya and entered Tanzania without any hassle - formalities were quick most likely because we got there earlier in the day. Most of us had visas already affixed on our passports anyway - which cost a hefty $100 (meanwhile, my Singaporean roommate was grinning proudly at his visa-free entrance).

As soon as we arrived at our lake shore campsite, we immediately pitched our tents and helped set up folding chairs along the shore for lunch. Babu, the camp cook, prepared sandwiches, pasta and fresh fruits on the table. Kingfishers joined us for lunch as they darted above and dove swiftly for their own fish meal. Plenty of other birds showed up, a teaser of what lay ahead.

Tanzanian huts in the countryside

At 69,484 sq. kms in size, Lake Victoria is truly massive. It's like an open sea with nothing to see beyond the horizon. While Tanzania takes a lion's share of the lake, one couldn't even see next door neighbor Uganda or Kenya, both of which also share a chunk of the shoreline.

As a valuable body of water, Lake Victoria is hemmed in by a very dense population among the 3 countries that share it. Fishing is big business naturally. What's sad, the introduction of Nile perch has made native fish stock near extinct. And despite its queenly name, the lake is polluted by raw sewage dumped by factories and farms. Which makes eating fish here really unappealing, isn't it?

Musoma, Tanzania
Recharge mode

While the lake is continuously supplied with water from many rivers, it does become a source of rivers itself. Out from Lake Victoria emerges the Victoria Nile before it becomes the White Nile which  merges with the Blue Nile (coming from its headwaters in Ethiopia's Lake Tana) to form a singular, life-giving river we all so know as the Nile. Some 6,000 kms. later, the Nile eventually empties out into the Mediterranean Sea.

3 years ago, I sailed on a felucca in Aswan, Egypt and wished I could go beyond and see the headwaters of this river. Now I feel like I've come full circle - seeing a part of what will eventually turn into a riverine beauty - a lake named after a Queen and a river where pharaohs have long ago sailed.

14 comments:

  1. $150 for a visa to Tanzania? Single or multiple entry? Hindi ba dual citizen ka? You should have used your Pinas passport para libre.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My bad, it's actually $100 for Tanzanian multiple-entry visa for 1 year (I inadvertently added on the single-entry visa fee to Kenya which is $50 - so I updated above entry). Non-US citizens pay $50 for Tanzanian visa, including Pinoys. Haven't applied for dual citizenship yet but will be doing so this year. ssshhhh...

      Delete
  2. has it been 3 years since you last visited egypt? unbelievable until i clicked the link and browsed again; i vividly remember i enjoyed that post and left a comment there. and yes, it has been 3 years and you're almost back -at least with the river-connection.

    the colors on your photos are really soothing! syempre inggit ako lalo na sa another leg-hyperextended and relaxed by the beach-pic! glad you had time to enjoy; you deserve nothing but good things, dennis!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, it's been that long Doc Gelo. Time has been flying so fast we barely even had time to know how long we've known each other in the blogosphere hehe!

      Africa is really a photographer's dream destination - I'm just happy being able to scratch something from its vast surface :)

      Delete
  3. pwede bang maligo sa Lake? mukhang madumi pero pwede na. lol

    It also looks hot and dusty. But I don't mind being there. Africa na yan! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Naku, walang nag-dare sa grupo namin since the water is known to be polluted. Many locals do swim though and some daring mzungus! And yes, Musoma was hot and dusty.

      Delete
  4. Too bad your accommodation did not include a stay in one of those huts. I'm curious to see how it looks inside. Looks like a yurt noh?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Never had a chance to even go inside those huts. But I like how they blend well naturally with the surroundings.

      Delete
  5. ohhhh wow tanzania is beautiful!! <3 Lovely lovely! I love your photos! Kudos! Best of 2013 for you nomadic pinoy!~

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks! Same to you. Tanzania indeed wowed me.

      Delete
  6. sooooo cool..nice thanks for sharing...

    ReplyDelete
  7. Parang higanteng natutulog yung mga bato and manually made pala yung mga soapstone. Kakapanood ko lang ng TLC, they featured Zanzibar Tanzania naman.

    Sobrang ganda ng Tanzania.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Soapstone is actually quarried near Kisii bago nila ito ginagawa into decorative pieces. After seeing now how expensive they are in the US, nanghinayang tuloy ako for not buying anything there.

      Delete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...