Tanzania, July 2008Monduli

Monduli is a scenic and very interesting little village. It is well worth a visit to see and experience life outside of Arusha. It’s a small town, but seems to have everything one would need: a bank, a post office, a supermarket, a restaurant, several guest houses, a lively local market, schools, etc. Like most small towns, it was quieter and cleaner than the city nearby, and there is a pleasant and relaxed feeling in the town.

Hardy Visit to Monduli

• Monduli
• Thomas
• Monduli District Council Rest House
• Activities
• Reflections
• Orphan Projects



There are many farms in Monduli which make the landscape especially pleasing to look at. The rich, fertile soils are dark reds and brown, which create a striking contrast to the bright yellow and green crops. We saw evidence of lots of agriculture: rows and rows of planted crops in fields along hills and mountainsides. There were fields of flowers growing as well. The colors are truly beautiful. There are also areas of forest between Monduli and Monduli Juu, which contain a variety of trees and plants, many of which I cannot name, unfortunately. Many trees resembled those which we have in the States in our temperate forests.

Thomas
It was a pleasure to meet Thomas. He is a unique and dedicated individual, and obviously has a lot of clout and power in Monduli. He is kind and very well respected. It was fascinating for us to meet and speak to a ‘modern Maasai.’ Thomas speaks at least three languages fluently, Maasai, Swahili and English, making him the perfect host for travelers from the US and Europe. He can communicate with everyone and translate questions for visitors. Because of his stature in this town, all of the locals were eager to please Thomas. He is educated and diplomatic. We felt at once welcomed by him and in awe of his accomplishments. We were proud to be his guests.

The Monduli District Council Rest House
I assume you know the history of the Rest House. We spoke at length to the manager, Emmanuel, and learned of his connection to the place. After some initial confusion about our arrival, the length of our stay, the fees and meals, we were able to have our rooms cleaned and move our things in. We had two double rooms which were similar to student dorms. The rooms were bright, airy, spacious, and colorfully painted. Each room was similar to a suite and had a large sleeping area, a “study” area with two shelf-like desks, a door to the rear garden and a very large bathroom with a separate shower area and hot water. For meals, we went to the dining room which had a beautiful, large wooden table and chairs and was adjacent to a living room area complete with a non-working TV and fireplace. This room, too, had floor to ceiling glass doors to the rear garden.
The grounds are full of beautiful flowers and several resident gardeners excellently maintain the gardens. A fence surrounds the property and there was a night watchman on duty overnight.

In the afternoon, Jonathan and I left the property and walked up the road for a mile or so. We saw many homes and small farms, children and people walking from town or from the woods at the top of the hill carrying bundles of firewood on their heads. Most people were friendly and greeted us. Some children followed us for a bit. The sun was setting as we walked home. The views were just lovely.

Emmanuel arranged for our dinner to be prepared by the woman who cleaned our rooms. She made an excellent chicken curry with rice, potatoes and salad. Fruit was served for desert. We brought wine with us and our children purchased Cokes from the kitchen. Water was also available for sale. Emmanuel prepared a delicious breakfast for us himself which included eggs made to order, sausages, toast, butter, jam, tea with sugar and fresh milk from his own cow. It was a beautiful and delicious spread. During breakfast he sat with us for a long time and told us many thinks about his life, his family and his job with the district council He explained that he raises his own cow to make sure he knows that his milk is safe from harmful medications or bacteria. Emmanuel was distressed that our plans had changed so that we were only staying one night. He hoped that it wasn’t anything that he had done wrong. We assured him that everything was very much to our liking. His were the best accommodations we had during our entire trip to Tanzania! We love the MDC Rest House and recommend that your guests stay there. Just make sure Emmanuel knows the exact arrival date!

The problem for Thomas with our staying at the MDC Rest House was the distance for him to drive, 14k. I think it was partially for this reason that he decided to invite us to stay in his home the second night. While his invitation and hospitality were very gracious and the experience of a home-stay invaluable, it was a drastic change for us to move from the ultra-comfortable rest house into Thomas’ house. For one thing, I sense that it was quite an imposition on Thomas’s family. I’m not sure who was moved out of the room in which we slept, but I’m sure it is someone’s room. I don’t think Thomas’s wife was prepared to cook a meal for five extra people and he ran around town collecting groceries on our way out of Monduli. But, the family’s kindness and generosity were evident, and we felt very welcomed.
Thomas proudly showed us his TV and turned it on, and it remained on and blasting throughout our visit. We were introduced to his children, and met two orphans whom he and his wife have taken in.


Activities
Upon arrival, our first activity after we left the Rest House was lunch. Thomas took us to a local restaurant/bar which is quiet enough during the day for families. The food was pretty good and the prices very reasonable.

After lunch, Thomas took us to visit the school where he had taught. I had asked him at the Rest House if it would be possible to see a school that day, as the next day was Saturday and I was afraid that school would not be in session. The school visit was amazing. We met a teacher and spoke for a while about some of the challenges the school faces. Then we visited several classrooms, the highlight of which was Religion class because it was a room packed with children singing beautifully. Thomas explained who we were and taught us how to introduce ourselves in Swahili.

After the school visit, Thomas drove us back to town and we had the afternoon free. His plan was to drop us in town, but because my son, Jeremy, was running a fever and lacked the energy to do anything, Thomas drove us back to the Rest House and left us until the next morning. I would have enjoyed the walk through town and never actually go to see many of the streets and businesses there. Steven stayed with Thomas, although he seemed reluctant to leave us alone in town. At that point, there was no power at the Rest House. I assured Steven that we had flashlights and had found a candle and that we would be fine. After our children settled in for a rest, Jonathan and I took our walk up the mountain which I described earlier.

After breakfast the next day, Thomas was anxious for us to get back to Monduli Juu to the Maasai Market. But, we arrived before it was really open. So we unloaded our things at Thomas’s house and met his family. Then, he took us for a ride out of town to view the Rift Valley. It wasn’t really a hike, but a short walk down the road to a point where we had good visibility of the valley below. We happened to sit in a circle on some rocks and chat about some of the work Thomas does preparing children for primary school. We talked about how to get more sponsors for students and how our school, which does a lot of community service on a global scale, can help support some of the orphans in Monduli. Thomas told us the most amazing little story of his own childhood and I could shoot myself for not having had the videotape running!

On our way back to the market, Thomas showed us his campgrounds. We were amazed! It’s a work in progress and needs to have to toilets completed and showers built, but he has a great location with lots of scenic views.
The market was in full swing when we returned and we walked around looking at the many things for sale. Thomas’ plan was to have us eat grilled meat and drink Cokes at the market for lunch. I’m ashamed to say that except for my husband, Jonathan, we were all too squeamish and offered to skip lunch. Thomas realized that this wouldn’t work and drove us all the way back into Monduli to eat at the restaurant. I felt bad about this, but I was relieved.

After lunch, we returned to the market again, and this time we walked around and shopped. Jeremy was better, and wanted to get in on the pool game that some Maasai boys were playing. We hung around for quite some time, looking at animals and chatting with people. Thomas knows everyone.

After the market, we returned to Thomas’ house for tea. We watched TV and chatted. My children played with the family’s puppy and I tried to catch baby chicks.

Toward the evening, we walked up to the Maasai boma and had our visit there. Thomas wanted to wait to go until the cattle returned. When we arrived, Thomas began the visit with the required chat with the elder. He and the elder and Jonathan sat on stools while I played with the Maasai children. Elsa and Jeremy opted to play soccer at the school with Steven instead of visiting the Maasai.

When it was time, Thomas showed us inside a manyatta and we chatted with the residents. It was very smoky and getting dark, but I was able to take photographs with my flash which illuminated the inside of the house pretty well. The people were lovely and welcoming.

When we returned to Thomas’ house, we were offered “showers” before dinner. We weren’t sure how this would work as there are no showers there, so we declined. Steven seemed incredulous about this but we assured him that we would bathe the next night in Moshi. Strangely, no one seemed to bathe that night, or wash up. We had no model to follow so we just stood outside and brushed our teeth, and tried to rinse away the toothpaste with extra water.

Thomas’ wife prepared a lovely dinner for us. She made chicken and rice, and potatoes served with avocados and, for desert, oranges. We ate in the living room around the blaring TV. After the news and the soccer highlights, a soap opera came on that captivated Thomas’s wife and children.

After dinner, Jonathan asked Thomas to teach him a welcoming song that the children had sung at school. Thomas and his wife sang the song several times so that Jonathan could write out the melody. This I taped and you can hear the TV blasting through the whole thing. Then Thomas translated the meaning of the words. This is the only song that Jonathan learned while we were in Tanzania. Thank goodness we went to Monduli!

The next morning, we had breakfast, tea and toast. After a huge discussion, it was decided that we would stay for church services, which began at 10am. That was the most wonderful experience of all. The church choir sings beautifully, in harmony, traditional sounding, albeit religious, African hymns and songs. We taped the part of the service we saw. During the announcements, Thomas stood and greeted the congregation. He had us introduce ourselves and asked me to speak! I stood and thanked everyone for welcoming us and complimented the choir for the most beautiful music we heard in Tanzania.

When it was time to leave, Thomas drove us back into town again and arranged for us to return to Arusha on a safe dala dala. We paid him, thanked him, exchanged email addresses, and said goodbye.


Reflections
Monduli is definitely worth a visit, but I’m not sure how long a visit is required. Steven thought that the weekend was especially good so that visitors can see the Maasai market on Saturday and the church service (which we almost didn’t opt to stay for,) on Sunday. I agree.

Our stay was two days, and I asked Thomas if he felt there was something we hadn’t seen that he wanted to show us. He wanted us to see the dispensary where his wife works as a doctor and to learn about some of the health issues plaguing Tanzanians.

I would have like to spent more time, an entire afternoon perhaps, at the school, but I’m not sure if the average visitor would want to spend that much time there.

Steven and I also agreed that the Maasai boma visit should be in the morning so that there is better light inside the manyatta.

Here is a recap of (my understanding of) what activities Thomas can offer at this time:
• Visit to a Maasai boma
• Visit to a Monduli primary school
• Trip to see the Rift Valley
• Visit to the Maasai market (should be in the afternoon)
• Visit to the Sunday market in Monduli town
• Attend church services in Monduli Juu
• Visit the dispensary and hear lecture on health issues

Suggestions:
• Thomas needs chairs for sitting around and chatting outside, away from the prized TV.
• Monduli Juu needs a restaurant so that the number of 14k journeys into town can be reduced.
• Thomas needs some kind of shower facility, both at his house and at the campsite. (I think he’s building a guesthouse adjacent to his property so maybe these ideas of a sitting area and showers are already in the works.)
• In Dar, I got a cultural tour guide book called Tanzania Cultural Tourism, which you may know, but it lists activities for Monduli Juu as follows:
o A picturesque journey through the evergreen rainforest
o A medicinal tour of plants and herbs, which includes a visit to a traditional Maasai healer
o A visit to Naramatu-a small factory where Maasai women make ethnic jewelry
o A chance to have ‘nyama choma’ or roast meat with the Maasai
o Panoramic views of the Rift Valley, Oldonyo Lengai and Lake Natron
o An insight into the culture of the Maasai and the Waaarusha
They offer half, full, two, three and four day tours. For further information about Monduli Juu, contact mpoyoni@yahoo.com, 255-787-755-671. I would like to have seen the factory.

Orphan Projects
Thomas did not have written materials on hand to give me that describe his work. I asked him to send us materials which I can share with my colleagues, administrators and parent body. I think that both Thomas’ project and your project might very well find sponsors among our school’s parent body, particularly third grade parents, because of the Africa curriculum we present. Prior to leaving, I thought about some ways to give sponsors feedback about the child or children they are sponsoring. My rough ideas include:
• A child profile, similar to those in the DK book, Children Just Like Me. (Do you know this book? If not, order a copy on Amazon!)
• Work samples, or writing samples, or drawings the child has made.
• Before and after samples of work, showing work from the beginning and then the end of the school year.
• A small poster or visual resume or report card, which could include thumbnail samples of work scanned in.
• For an older child, a reflection or memoir of the school experience.
• A dictation of an interview with a child and his/her feelings about school and learning, etc.
• A thank-you note from the child.
• A collection of dictated quotes, i.e. I like learning math- Monica; I like seeing my friends every day-William, and pictures with names.
• A simple photo with a name is great, too.

My brilliant colleagues always seem to come up with even more wonderful ideas, so I can run this past them as well when we return to school in the fall.

Tanzania, July 2008Back In Arusha

Our Tanzanian adventure continued after we returned from safari. We weren’t exactly sure what we were going to do with our remaining two weeks, but we had loose plans. This, for me, was the biggest struggle in planning a huge, important trip such as this one. It was hard to know what would be important to see and do before we got to Tanzania. At home, I had unlimited access to the computer, which I did not have in Africa, and spent loads of time on Trip Advisor trying to learn how we should best spend our time. I was afraid that if we made no plans, we would be lost and not have Internet access to guide us once we were there. The compromise was to make general plans, but to be flexible should locals make suggestions to us about where to go and what to see. So, we had a general plan for the week which included our classes at Via Via, a hike into the mountains, and a visit to a local school with Stacy, Ayubu's boss at Duma Explorer. The first thing we had to do was move, because the Outpost, while lovely, was expensive for us.


July 14, Monday, we packed up and moved out of the Outpost and into a guesthouse called the Ivory Annex that Ayubu had arranged for us. We had to pay $25,000 Tsh (about $22) per room, per day, as opposed to $91 at the Outpost. But, we weren’t in Kansas anymore. Having our laundry done was going to cost twice as much as it did at Jambo (12,000 Tsh for about 20 items.) The Ivory Annex woman charged us 1,000 per piece. We gave her about 25-30 pieces of our most important clothing and I vowed to find another alternative. We were able to get money from the bank and barely make it to Via Via by 1, where Jonathan and Jeremy had signed up for a drum making and drumming lessons with a guy named Fred. Elsa and I weren’t sure what we were going to do, but we had asked Azizi, the cultural director, for a batik class. While we waited for him to be ready, we ate lunch. Yum! We love the food and the atmosphere there. Then, later in the afternoon, Aziz took us to an artist named Felix’s batik shop where we had our lesson and each made a batik of our own. I took tons of pictures. For dinner, since we had eaten lunch at Via Via, we decided to try the Maasai camp which Brian, my online safari tour friend, told us had pool tables. It was an eternal walk, (4 kilometers) and we thought we were lost. We finally found it and had a great time drinking beers, playing pool, and eating burritos and chips kuku, food that was familiar to us and very delicious. We took a taxi back to the hotel.


July 15th, Tuesday: The hotel fee, we learned, included breakfast for two, not four, and each additional meal was to be 5,000Tsh, about $4.50,. But the breakfast was runny eggs, bread, hot dogs and hot milk and a tea bag, not worth the price at all. So, I took Elsa and Jeremy to a café on the other side of the hotel, not to Ayubu’s, because it looked more breakfasty. It was a mistake, and we were not able to get real tea, just Chai, and there was nothing there that Jeremy wanted. Elsa tried to order a vegetable omelet and had big problems. We are not really sure what she got.

It was pouring rain and freezing cold that morning, so much for the "dry" season! We were scheduled to meet Simon, our delightful ‘Arusha guide’ at Via Via at 10 am for a hike to a waterfall. I wasn’t sure if it would be on, but we didn’t have a cell phone for Simon and we thought we should show. Simon saw no reason not to go, and I assumed that the rain would stop as it did most days in Arusha, but it didn’t. The hike turned out to be grueling, a steep climb up slippery rocks and a difficult path. We each fell in the mud, both on our way up and on our way down. Like Dana, (a colleague and fellow blogger who traveled to Malawi this summer) after a certain point, I refused to go any farther and we stopped to eat where we were. Miraculously, a woman outside of her house invited us to eat our box lunches (from Ayubu’s café) in her living room. It was the strangest thing! So we went in and ate, while she worked outside tending to her animals and such. She had a regular house, not a manyatta, made of bricks and cement with chairs and a couch. Baby chicks peeped inside, looking for food. It was nice to rest and warm up, and our climb down was much more pleasant as the rain subsided. It was still treacherous. As we walked back though town, everyone laughed at us because we were so covered with mud. It was obvious that we had fallen. Simon helped me buy a tub and washing powder once we got to the village to wash our muddy clothes. When we arrived back at Via Via, everyone greeted us and asked what had happened. We ate dinner there and then walked back to the Ivory Annex. We snuck the tub past Lillian (the hotel matron who would surely object to the use of so much water) and then I was able to do laundry in the room. It took four days for Elsa’s jeans to dry.

July 16 After Elsa and I had breakfast at Hope’s (Ayubu’s café) and Jeremy and Jonathan ate at Via Via, we took a dala dala to Laganga to meet Remmy. A dala dala is Tanzania’s most efficient transport system: a Toyota van with bench seats that charges modest fees, like 500Tsh per person, about 40 cents, to travel in various directions in and around town. Simon explained to me, “Mama, a dala dala is never full!” and the conductors do manage to squeeze in as many passengers as they can who need rides. People bring chickens and boxes on as well. When we traveled with our luggage, we had to pay for extra for seats for our suitcases. At Leganga, Remmy met us with a taxi that took us to the woods for a walk near his house. There, because of the proximity to Arusha National Park, we saw a beautiful rainforest-like terrain, chock full of blue and colobus monkeys. As we walked through the woods, we came upon a field with horses and camels grazing. The field belonged to a lodge and Remmy arranged with a worker there for us to have a tour. We gazed upon the fanciest and most beautiful lodge we had ever seen. After we had had a look around, we negotiated with the manager to stay our last night in Tanzania there using our worthless travelers checks as payment. Afterwards, Remmy bought us delicious bananas for sale on the road back where the taxi waited. We caught the very same dala dala to Arusha (it had gone to Moshi, 80 kilometers, and was on its way back.) We decided to eat lunch at Hopes-yummy- and then wandered around town shopping and sight seeing. We decided to go back to the Maasai Camp for dinner. This time we took a dala dala there. We befriended a lovely waitress there who will visit the States this fall.

July 17, This was the day we had hoped Stacy would be visiting a local school and would take us with her. But, she didn’t call us in the morning, and I felt as though I had been too pushy about it, so I let it go. Instead, I called Ayubu to see what he was up to because I wanted to video tape him telling the two wonderful stories that he had told us on safari and I had hoped to meet and interview his children. We met Ayubu at Hope’s where we all ate lunch together. I taped Ayubu telling his lion story, while the TV was on, blaring a religious channel the entire time. Customers came in to order, and all of their voices are on the tape, but Ayubu is so compelling, that even though he was nervous, the story came out well. This was also the day Jeremy developed a fever, so after lunch, he and Jonathan went back to the Ivory Annex to rest. Ayubu took Elsa and me to find Maasai blankets in town, and I bought 6. It was my understanding that afterwards we were going to Ayubu’s children’s school, but apparently that was not Ayubu’s understanding, because after we bought the blankets, he bid us farewell in town and walked off into the Arusha sunset. Elsa and I then walked to the big market in town, looking for additional patterns of Maasai blankets which I had seen but did not buy in Mto wa Mbu to use at our Africa museum in school. There, we negotiated to buy a few more blankets, and had lots to carry back to the hotel. Jeremy’s fever wasn’t too high, considering his history, but never the less, Jonathan went out to find a dispensary in Arusha to buy a thermometer to take his temperature. It was about 99.5º. We packed our things and went to bed early to prepare for our departure the next day.

July 18, I had spent the week arranging our trip to Monduli. My friend Brian, whom I had met on line on Trip Advisor and didn’t really know from Adam, suggested that we visit Monduli, a town about an hour west of Arusha. He runs a tour company like Duma Explorer called Access2Tanzania. His company is about twice a large as Duma, and he has numerous employees. We went to Monduli to “review” the experience for Brian’s company, but it ended up being a most important element of our trip. Brian sent a Land Cruiser to the Ivory Annex to drive us to Monduli and arranged for us to stay in a guesthouse in town. He also arranged for us to leave our excess luggage in his office and for us to have a personal guide, an intern named Steven, in addition to our host, Thomas, in Monduli. I will post a separate account of this trip-which was fantastic. I will add here, that Brian’s driver, Sadie, asked us about our safari, I’m sure to compare our experience to what A2T offers. We had seen another A2T guide at the Outpost preparing our American friends for their trip and could tell that they run a nice outfit. But, I was very proud when Sadie told us that he knows Ayubu and described his deep, booming voice. Sadie acknowledged how knowledgeable Ayubu is.

Tanzania, July 2008Our Safari

The Dream
Ever since I was six years old and watched Born Free, the movie about the woman who raised the orphaned lion cub, Elsa, I have wanted to visit the East African plains. Such a trip was always beyond our financial means and for the longest time, I thought I would die without ever stepping on the continent of Africa. Two years ago, colleagues at school wrote a grant through a New Visions program called the Fund for Teachers and were able to visit Ghana. As I teach “Africa” to my third graders, and my husband teaches music to those same third graders, we got the idea to write a grant ourselves to study the plants, animals, people, and music of East Africa. With the help of my co-teacher, Katherine, a gifted writer, we submitted a 27,000 word grant application describing exactly how we would use the information we obtained during our visit. Because of the political problems in Kenya at the time the grant was to be submitted, we decided to visit Tanzania. We spent months planning a safari, cultural tours and two weeks of traveling through the country. To our surprise, we were awarded a fellowship of $10,000, which would cover the cost of our airfare, our safari, and a few night’s hotels and meals. We brought our children, 15 and 12, with us, rationalizing that applying the cost of sleep away camp and soccer camp in Barcelona almost balanced out. My daughter was open to the trip, but my son was less excited. Jonathan was thrilled and I was incredulous. It seemed impossible and unbelievable that I would finally be making the journey I had dreamed of for over forty years.




Our Itinerary
June 30 Fly from JFK to Nairobi, Kenya
July 1 Arrive Nairobi, overnight at the Country Lodge
July 2 Shuttle bus to Arusha, Tanzania; stayed at the Outpost
July 4 Depart for camping safari, Duma Explorer
July 13 Return to Arusha; Outpost, Ivory Annex guest house
July 18 Depart for Monduli, MDC Rest House, home stay
July 20 Depart for Moshi, Kinderoko Hotel
July 21 Depart for Dar es Salaam, Jambo Inn, Econlodge
July 23 Depart for Bagamoyo, New Millennium Hotel
July 25 Return to Arusha, Arusha Naaz Hotel
July 27 Depart for Leganga, Ngare Sero Lodge
July 28 Shuttle bus to Nairobi,
July 28 Depart JRO to JFK
July 29 Arrive NYC


Our Safari
Our safari was the highlight of our trip. The scenery was beautiful, the animals were exciting to see up close and the weather was warm and sunny, for the most part. But, the best part, for me, was the company we had. Our guide, Ayubu, was simply amazing. His is knowledgeable about the area, he is friendly, he was patient and he was very interested in making the safari a rewarding and informative experience for us. To have a cook was a fantasy fulfilled. Remmy made tasty, elaborate and varied meals for us each day and surprised us at each meal.It was as if he performed magic in the campsite kitchens to produce three courses with just a grill and charcoal. Being served took a little getting used to, but was so enjoyable.

The first (day 1) we visited Tarangire National Park and did an afternoon game drive. I love those and early morning drives because of the color of the sunlight at those times of day. On our first day we saw elephants, impalas, zebras, baboons, wildebeests, dik dik, vervet monkeys, water bok, a jackal, ostriches, warthogs and mongeese. We camped at Tarangire Paradise Safari Camp.When we arrived there, we were the only campers, but later a huge group of teenagers from the States arrived. They were with Global Roots, an organization which leads young people on volunteer excursions. We enjoyed listening to their activities and discussions and meeting some of the girls. We actually saw the same group at the next campsite as well.

The next day, (day 2 ) we did an all day game drive and saw more of the above animals and also saw: giraffes, lions, a huge lizard, vultures, weavers, horn bills, guinea fowl, heron, oxpeckers and many other birds.
(Ayubu is a birder and can recognize many, many birds.) We began to establish a pattern after safari: we would have tea, then we would shower, then we would play cards until dinner, eat dinner, have more tea and play more cards. We tended to go to bed very early because it was so dark, and there wasn’t much to do. We also got up early as a result, which is nice because you don’t feel as though you are wasting your days.

Day 3 was our first cultural tour at Mto wa Mbu, a village where different Tanzanian tribes have come to live in a self-sustaining farming community and model harmonious living while maintaining tribal traditions. Mto wa Mbu means “river of mosquitoes,” and is an area that has fertile soil and plenty of water that which runs downs from the surrounding mountains, the Ngorongoro highlands, into three rivers in the valley. We had a wonderful guide, Amon, who was thorough, patient and flexible. I was astonished to see rice fields, irrigation canals, and piles of rice drying on the ground everywhere. We met people from the Makonde tribe and the Chagga tribe. We were supposed to visit a third tribe, but Amon arranged for Jeremy to join a soccer game with some local boys and we watched him play instead.

In the afternoon, we visited Lake Manyara National Park. I was struck by the dense forest at the entrance which ends abruptly and becomes plains. There, we saw buffalo, wildebeest, giraffes, a blue monkey, pelicans, flamingos, soaking hippos and lots more birds. We looked for the famous tree-sleeping lions, but didn’t see any. We stayed at a beautiful campsite, Jambo, with a pool and a group of noisy maribu storks living in the treetops.


The next day, (day 4) we did an early morning game drive at Lake Manyara but didn’t see any additional animals. The afternoon was spent swimming, showering, loading up, and driving to Lake Eyasi. On the way, we stopped at a large market in Karatu and in the town of Karatu for supplies. The drive to Lake Eyasi was unbelievably long, rough and bumpy. We camped at Lake Eyasi Bush campsite. This campsite was clean and relatively empty. There was one other party, but we never even spoke to them. What was most fun were the vervet monkeys galloping through the campsite, climbing on tents and inspecting everything around them. There were tons of them, and they ran and played like kittens. I loved watching them and trying to photograph them. Remmy warned us to keep our tents zipped because they are known to grab bags and run.

Day 5, we were up at 5am for our visit to the Hadzabe tribe to hunt with them. Seeing this tribe, one of Tanzanina’s originals, and the last to cling to their traditions and language and a refusal to adapt to most all modernity, was a privilege and an unforgettable experience. They live completely off of the land, but do not grow or trade for food. The Hadzabe remain hunter/gatherers and trade only for metal arrows, marijuana and tobacco. But because of their many problems: lack of hygiene, lack of water, the absence of land rights and ownership, lack of animals to hunt, lack of education and the fact that most Hadzabe do not speak Swahili, their tribe is suffering and their dwindling numbers suggest that in time, they will die out or be forced to adapt new lifestyles which include education and agricultural practices.

After the hunt, during which one bird and two baby birds were caught, cooked and eaten, we went back to the campsite for a nap. In the afternoon, we met Thomas, our cultural guide again, and we visited the Dotoga tribe. The Dotoga live in many ways similarly to the Maasai. Historically, the Dotoga lived with the Maasai for years until problems over the ownership of cattle caused conflicts. The Dotoga were eventually forced off of their homelands of the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater and moved to the Lake Eyasi region of Tanzania where they continue to raise cattle but now grow corn as well, making them agri-pastoralists. We visited one family and saw the inside of their manyatta, their baby goats, their maize grinding rocks and then watched them dance and sing. The dance included really high jumping.

Day 6 was a travel day and we traveled back through Karatu, the village where we stopped for supplies on our way down. I needed to visit the dispensary, a kind of store/medical clinic for a skin rash I picked up from a necklace I bought from the Hadzabe. When we left Karatu, we headed west, through the Ngorongoro Conservation area and into the Serengeti. On the way to our next campsite, we saw a lioness with seven cubs (from two separate litters.) This delayed us as we watched, photographed and video taped them resting and playing for a long time. We were late finding space in the numerous public campsites inside the park, but managed to squeeze ourselves in, finding room for three tents and space in the crowded kitchen for Remmy to cook. This camp site, Tumbili, we later referred to as ‘hell camp’ because it was so dirty and over crowded and it ran out of water after our first night there.

Day 7, we spent on two game drives, morning and afternoon. On the morning drive, we saw twelve animals by 9:00 am. In addition to the standard giraffes, zebras, impalas of various sorts, warthogs, buffalo and the like, we saw reedbok and a cheetah. On the evening drive, we saw a hippo out of water and a leopard sleeping in tree. We also experienced a sun shower and saw an amazing rainbow over the plains.











Day 8, we were happy because we packed up after lunch and after a morning game drive to leave ‘hell camp’ and drove in a different direction to explore a new area of the park. We saw two new animals: a wildebeest (who had not migrated north to Kenya,) and a hyena, who, unfortunately was tangled in barbed wire and was, according to Ayubu, dying. Our next campsite, Ikoma, was paradise after Tumbili, with flush toilets, working showers and a western view of the plains allowing us to see an amazing sunset. There were only two other parties camping, an Australian woman traveling with her son and a Slavic couple who weren’t chatty with us at all. I enjoyed speaking to the woman, Sally, who was doing her wash as I was. She said it was "laundry day" as we hung out our clothes on makeshift laundry lines. I was thrilled to be clean-Remmy heated water for me which enabled me to bathe and wash my hair. After my shower, I sat under the dining tent, watching the sunset, drinking tea, listening to wonderful music from another guide’s car stereo and updating my journal as Elsa, Jeremy and Jonathan played cards next to me. This is my Africa “small moment.”


Day 9 we spent packing up in the morning, loading the land cruiser and driving east to the Ngorongoro Conservation area. It was a very long, bumpy drive, but better than our drive out because it was cloudy and not so hot as before. On our way, we stopped at the museum at Oldupai and heard a lecture about the history, the Leakeys and the major discoveries in the area. We took photos at the museum and of the grounds. On the way to Ngorongoro, we drove through major Maasai country. I hoped to get another chance at a picture I missed on the way out: Maasai lined up with colorful buckets at the water truck, but no luck. We did see many bomas and many Maasai leading cattle, goats and donkeys through vast, dusty plains. Their colorful blankets provide such a contrast to the natural colors of the fields.

We arrived at our campsite, Simba, late in the afternoon. It was another scenic campsite with a view of the rim of the crater. Trees prevented us from having a full view, but it was still spectacular. Because of the elevation, it was colder than we could have imagined and all of us were wearing all of the heaviest clothes we had with us. The inside dining room was full, and we were forced to eat outside in the wind. The campsite was packed with campers, and some had made fires to keep warm. During dinner, I couldn’t imagine how we were going to survive the cold during the night, and I got the idea that the four of us should share one tent, put our sleeping bags together and sleep in a snuggle. We did that and slept in our clothes, as dirty and dusty as they were. But we were warm.

Day 10 was our last day of safari. I was incredibly sad that it was all coming to an end, but also looking forward to a hot shower and clean clothes. We woke up early for a morning game drive. Ayubu took us down into the crater. I loved it, because vast as it is, it is also contained, and the beautiful plains are surrounded by forested mountain all around. At that time of day, the sun rising amid the mist and the mountains, there were layers of color everywhere. Out of nowhere, animals would appear. We saw many zebras and wildebeests, and we saw our first and only rhino. As were leaving, we saw six lions hunting. We thought they were going to go after a wandering wildebeest, but they didn’t. As we wound our way up out of the crater, Ayubu kept looking in his mirror at a tire. We had a flat, and when there was space, he pulled over and changed it.


Those vehicles carry two spares and I can see why. We had seen many, many jeeps and other vehicles pulled over to change tires or make repairs in our travels. I had always worried about how they would get help and get going again, but Ayubu never worried about any of them. He would say, “They will be fine.”


After the game drive, we ate a hot lunch, our last, and then packed up and rode back to Arusha. When we got to town, Ayubu brought us to his family’s café, a local restaurant in the north part of town. We ate samosas and drank juice, and met his wife and some of their employees. Later, Ayubu drove us to our hotel, the Outpost. We unloaded, gave Remmy and Ayubu our gifts for them, and exchanged phone numbers. That night, after we showered and sorted our immense pile of laundry, we had dinner outdoors at the Outpost, which while good, did not compare to Remmy’s cooking. We were still cold. July is winter in Tanzania and it gets quite cool at night. The Outpost’s dining room has only a roof and it reminded me of being in Florida in the winter where no one has heat because it’s “warm” there. We were happy to be able to check the Internet and to have beers. The Americans we had met from California who had been staying at the Outpost were gone on safari (we actually passed them in the Serengeti) and there were only blonde, Nordic children at the Outpost. We slept in beds for the first time in ten days and wondered about the rest of our Tanzanian journey. We were now on our own,,,