A little different rainy season

One thing about changing locations in Tanzania, much like it would be living in a different  part of the USA, is the different weather patterns.  At my previous location, rainy season started late November or early December and lasted until sometime in April.  Quite often during rainy season you would actually have cool nights along with nights in September.

In my new area the rainy season is much shorter.  In fact other than the one big rain we got last November I was beginning to wonder if there was going to be a rainy season.  Most data on rainfall for the region shows they get less than half my previous location.  So while Doug and Frank visited from the USA at the end of February and beginning of March, the rainy season here started, exactly on the first day of the month they said rainy season started, March 1st.  

That leads to a pretty funny story about the goats and the house we were staying out while they were here.  Every night I had to watch the open door for an exploratory goat trying to sneak in and chase him out.  However on the nights of the rain, an entire herd of goats slept on our porch overnight.  When I got up to go to the bathroom early in the morning they were about 40 of them laying on top of each other on the porch.  It actually looked like the ones on bottom might be dead from all the weight they had on top of them but they all got up and ran away though not far because they were all back on the porch by the time I got back.  The funny part was underneath them all was a complete covering the porch in their droppings and in the dirt for about 4 feet outside the porch area.  They had laid on it to the point it had to be scrapped off the concrete before it could be mopped clean.  Life in Tanzania is always an adventure.

Since that day it is rare it is not raining somewhere between Moshi and the site, making travel to and from a lot more interesting.  Being that we are just below one ridge line we have some extreme washout on the roads and flooding.

flooding a road repair project -sorry for the fingers, the van was still moving

flooded areas along the road

It really does affect everything the locals are trying to do.  This area is more about herding cattle, goats and sheep than about growing crops which was what everyone at my previous site did.

We are trying a small garden at the school during the rainy season.  Including trenches to collect surface runoff and hold in in retention for the crops.

It has a big impact on travel plans as the roads have been destroyed by just two weeks of rain so far and it is expected to continue for another month.

This is a concrete storm drainage pipe that has become damaged due to the heavy rainfalls.

damage along the road

washout areas along the road or where the road was

super slick mud, great for four wheel atv fun but horrible for traveling on a motorcycle

hard part about taking pictures of road flooding is all the kids who want you to take their picture instead.  But I think you can see it well enough despite their hands.

another section of road washed out and the remaining section like a slip and slide

It has made me rethink the original idea that rainwater harvesting is not worth the cost here.  But maybe it will have to be some type of storm water retention system instead of simple roof harvesting.  Something to investigate in the coming months. 

For now, pray the motorcycles stay upright in all of this and the vans don't get washed away or I will have no way to get to the site.