Lions and Tigers and Hail, Oh My!

Jambo Rafiki!

I felt I needed to write a blog post, and what better than weather and food to talk about? Mwanza's climate has been fairly consistent, reaching about 30C during the day and getting as cool as about 17 or 18 degrees at night. The humidity here is much lower than in Southern Ontario, only making it feel a couple degrees warmer than it is on any given day. When it is cloudy, the days seem a lot cooler and provides some relief from the super hot sun. 


This past Saturday we were considering heading up to Isamilo Lodge for a day by the pool. After deciding against it, we went about our day. At about 3pm clouds started to roll in, the wind picked up, and we had a full blown thunderstorm on our hands. Not only was it raining incredibly hard, within a few minutes it had started hailing! Marble sized hail! Unfortunately our roommate Emily was out during the storm and forced to take cover in a shop. It hailed for almost 15 minutes and just as it stopped, the flooding began. The storm only lasted about an hour or so, but they are still shoveling the dirt and sediment from our streets. 

All of the white on the sidewalks is hail!

The start of the flooding. Note the large black hole on the ground to the right of the Coke sign... a drain.

Just to the right of the jeep is a large grey bubbly mess. This is water surging from under the sidewalk drains.

The flooding got worse. Vans, cars, and trucks with brave drivers still drove through. Note the drainage hole has disappeared.

These are just a few of the many pictures Kate and I took from our balcony. I think the locals found it funny that we were getting so much amusement from the storm, but I don't think hail is very common here and would have surprised the locals as well. After the rain had stopped, a large group of people gathered on the sidewalk cheering on the brave individuals who were willing to try and wade through the icy water to get to the other side of the road. Many tried, many failed, but it was the effort that counts. 

On to food! I must say, the fresh produce here is amazing. Many fruits and vegetables including avocado, cucumber, carrots, pineapple, mango, tomato, banana, papaya, limes, and a whole host of leafy greens that are all basically called 'spinach' can be found at markets around town. On Sunday morning Kate, Emily and I venture out to a large market held that day a mere 10 minute walk from our apartment. The market is packed with vendors and you can find most anything you might be looking for. Although a busy, stressful type of environment, it is always satisfying to some home with big bags of fresh produce for very small amounts of money. 

A salad made from avocado, tomato, cucumber, and onion. Delicious!

My haul from the market one day. The whole lot cost about 4000tsh, or less than $3.  

 Other than the great food at the markets, Mwanza has a whole host of excellent street food. Chapatis are round tortilla like breads that are thicker and flakier than tortillas, and absolutely delicious. Vitambuya (sp?) is a fried rice cake (not rice cake like puffed rice, but more like a fried dough cake), and chipsi mayai (a french fry omelet... don't knock it 'till you try it) are probably my favourite treats to get. There are also a whole bunch of food and beverages that are absolutely hilarious when looked at closely. Kate and I found these pop cans at a store and had to buy them just because of the packaging!

'Freakin' do-gooder! Didn't you know that just by necking a Tango, you'll help transform a real 1cm2 patch on one of loads of skate parks around the country? Together, we'll create more space for you to nail an Ollie!'

They even show you the patch you will be transforming!

Last but not least... 'Tastier than liposuction'

 The fun with food and weather never stops here in Mwanza. I look forward to finding new things to try, and new packages to laugh at. I hope I can find them without being pelted by hail!

Asante