Bovine plumbing....or Toilet adventures in Tanzania.

We had just begun what is becoming our typical Saturday in Manow....sleeping late .... at least when the bell ringer also sleeps late and the 6:30 AM church bells do not ring.  Leisurely breakfast ... we have recently learned to make  toast in our oven so that is our current treat on the weekends - then make our list and get ready for our trip to the market in Lwangwa - a hot and dusty walk of about 3 kilometers going and surely 4 or 5 coming back....uphill.

I went to get changed for the market walk and decided to use the bathroom before we left.  I announced my presence with authority - slamming the door once or twice to alert any spiders or other critters that the sheriff is coming.  I  entered with confidence - nothing around and was at my ease when I heard a loud noise coming from the area of the sink - poking my head around the corner I was amazed to see the drain pipe of the sink moving back and forth with some force.  I can tell you that is a first for me.  My original thought was - Do people steal bathroom pipes thru the wall?  Is that possible?  Needless to say I was no longer at my ease.

I called my trusty partner Sean and he went outside to investigate.  He came back to the house saying "you have to see this".  A cow had been staked in our backyard to graze....not at all uncommon.  Apparently the perfect piece of grass or whatever  green item she wanted was close to the house and right by the outgoing pipe from the sink.  So of course she had to move the pipe to get to it.

Pipe in the foreground.....cow looking rather sheepish....who me???

It was lucky the drain to the sink was not at all connected but rather "resting" on top of the outgoing pipe - otherwise it might have actually broken off causing untold problems for our fundy [handyman] who had already replaced the faucet [extremely fancy with a red handle and a hose nozzle - giving the appearance of what I imagine to be the sink in a fire station.  I did remove the nozzle after he left since it actually was so long I could not get my hands under it - thereby eliminating the primary use of the sink.] and the drain pipe when we first got here.


I called our helper Martin who came over immediately to help us restake the cow.  No more problems.  This beats a huge spider with teeth in the bathroom any day!