After a full 24 hours at home, it was time to pack up the car and head to Table Rock. Fortunately there had been good weather the last few days and the lower road was passable, although a bit muddy and rutted in a few spots. Driving in during the winter is so beautiful because you can see everything. I relish the early morning drive to TR with the sun rising. It's truly some uninterrupted quiet time and I really enjoy it.
I checked out the new Philips building and then started settling back into my office. It felt so strange to be back. For a few minutes I just had to stand and let the feeling of this place sink in. To get grounded here. To call it home again.
Remi, Caylin, and I made a plan to start getting things open and we all got to work. The basecamp was in pretty great shape considering the Winter that WNC had this year. A couple of broken pipes, lots of down branches, but otherwise functional and NO rats this year.
Things really get started on Saturday when the OLC instructors show up. Hard to believe there will be students in the field here this time next week. 2010 has officially begun at Table Rock.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Just A Plane Ride Home....Sort Of
What I thought was going to be just a plane ride home and a anticlimactic end to an incredible journey was far from it. The first couple of flights were great, good food, half-full plane, and smooth. When we got to Addis Ababa, we switched planes and I got onto the big old 737 that would take us to Rome and then on to DC. The first few hours of the flight were great. I was really tired so I was actually getting some quality sleep on the plane.
About half way across the mediterranean sea, I was awoken by the ethiopian man quietly praying in the seat next to me. He was sitting with his carry-on on his lap and had already demonstrated some nerves about his flying experience. So far no big deal. Within seconds his praying was much louder, "praise be to Jesus." Then he stood up, with his arms raised above him and was praying at full volume. This got the attention of everyone on the plane and two of the flight attendants came over to get him to sit down. No such luck. He started pumping his fists in the air and screaming, "Jesus is my savior. I am going to be with my MOTHER, and my FATHER, and my BROTHER, and my SISTER, in heaven. Praise be to Jesus......on and on" Now I was fully scared, I looked at his carry-on sitting next to my legs and couldn't help but wonder what was in it. I was surprisingly calm and had pretty much figured I was going to be deep in the Med. Sea, but there was nothing I could do about it.
That's not it. The man then pushes past a flight attendant and sprints to the back of plane. Oh shit. Whats going on? The flight attendants chase after him and tackle him to the floor. They stay with him and sit him down in the galley area. After about 20 minutes, they let him come back to sit with me. I am understandably a bit shaken. The flight attendant just says, "he was praying, he is sorry." The man wraps his head in a blanket hunches over and doesn't move til we get to Rome. We sit in Rome for about an hour and then finally someone comes on and escorts him off the plane just before we took off. My BP went way down, and my eyelids got heavy again. I hope to never experience anything like it on a plane again and will remember the scene vividly forever. It was crazy. Crazy.
I arrived in DC safely, had some breakfast and drove straight back to NC. The adrenaline of being home really kept me going. When I sat down after dinner I passed out in seconds. Glad to be safely home.
About half way across the mediterranean sea, I was awoken by the ethiopian man quietly praying in the seat next to me. He was sitting with his carry-on on his lap and had already demonstrated some nerves about his flying experience. So far no big deal. Within seconds his praying was much louder, "praise be to Jesus." Then he stood up, with his arms raised above him and was praying at full volume. This got the attention of everyone on the plane and two of the flight attendants came over to get him to sit down. No such luck. He started pumping his fists in the air and screaming, "Jesus is my savior. I am going to be with my MOTHER, and my FATHER, and my BROTHER, and my SISTER, in heaven. Praise be to Jesus......on and on" Now I was fully scared, I looked at his carry-on sitting next to my legs and couldn't help but wonder what was in it. I was surprisingly calm and had pretty much figured I was going to be deep in the Med. Sea, but there was nothing I could do about it.
That's not it. The man then pushes past a flight attendant and sprints to the back of plane. Oh shit. Whats going on? The flight attendants chase after him and tackle him to the floor. They stay with him and sit him down in the galley area. After about 20 minutes, they let him come back to sit with me. I am understandably a bit shaken. The flight attendant just says, "he was praying, he is sorry." The man wraps his head in a blanket hunches over and doesn't move til we get to Rome. We sit in Rome for about an hour and then finally someone comes on and escorts him off the plane just before we took off. My BP went way down, and my eyelids got heavy again. I hope to never experience anything like it on a plane again and will remember the scene vividly forever. It was crazy. Crazy.
I arrived in DC safely, had some breakfast and drove straight back to NC. The adrenaline of being home really kept me going. When I sat down after dinner I passed out in seconds. Glad to be safely home.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Out of Africa
Leaving Zanzibar was bittersweet - the ocean and beach life was certainly easy to get used to, but the heat and desire to be back on familiar territory had us anxious to return to Kigali.
On our way to Stonetown, we decided to stop and take one of the very touristy, but very interesting, spice tours the island is known for. Zanzibar is sort of the heart of your whole spice cabinet and it was fascinating to see each of the spices we use growing. Some of the spices we saw included; cinnamon (it is a tree), black peppercorn (seeds from a tree), cacao (more on this coming), lemongrass, cardamom, ginger root, nutmeg, coffee, turmeric, and many more! The most surprising one for me was cacao. It grows in green mini-football size pods that dangle from huge trees. Inside the pod, there are large seeds covered in a fleshy white coating. We got to eat this coating and it was amazingly delicious. Inside this seed is an inner seed which is the cacao bean. It is very small compared to the pod it comes in. Who knew. Anyway, we got to try all the spices in raw form and then were treated to a feast of different tropical fruits. Most of them we had never even heard of, but they were delicious. Then they brought out the "Dorian." It's a fruit that smells like shit - literally. Supposedly it is very good tasting. Ari tried it, I didn't. It is probably the last Dorian she ever eats if you know what I mean!
We spent a final night in Stonetown showing our friends around and left early the next morning to make our way to the ferry dock. We had heard that the ferry ride was epic (lots of seasickness and vomit bags for everyone as they got on the ferry) so we were prepared for the worst, but it was sunny, smooth, and we both got some sleep along the way. We had a long wait in the Dar es Salaam airport, so we got some lunch at the restaurant. I was so glad to see they had real ketchup. A funny moment was needed, so I decided to shake the Ketchup bottle with the cap only loosely resting on top. It was classic. Ketchup everywhere. On me from head to toe, all over my face, all over the floor and walls, all over our luggage. Half the bottle gone. I smiled. Ari laughed. A picture taken and I had to change out of my only clean clothes!
We had a layover night, back in Arusha and then made it safely back to Kigali the next morning. At the Kigali airport, we were greeted by a regiment of saluting soldiers and about a hundred women doing a traditional dance. We had become celebrities and didn't even know it. It is also possible that they were practicing for the arrival of French President Sarkozy the next day, but we're pretty sure it was for us.
Glad to be back in Kigali, we quickly got back into our routine and headed to town for some Western food. Salad and burgers. Dreamy. On our last day, we decided to try out a fancy Indian restaurant in downtown Kigali. The atmosphere was quiet and the food was great. A perfect and memorable last meal for Ari and I to share together.
We are sad to be separating for the next couple months when I fly out tomorrow. However, the whole experience has been unforgettable and we feel so lucky to have been able to do it together!
On our way to Stonetown, we decided to stop and take one of the very touristy, but very interesting, spice tours the island is known for. Zanzibar is sort of the heart of your whole spice cabinet and it was fascinating to see each of the spices we use growing. Some of the spices we saw included; cinnamon (it is a tree), black peppercorn (seeds from a tree), cacao (more on this coming), lemongrass, cardamom, ginger root, nutmeg, coffee, turmeric, and many more! The most surprising one for me was cacao. It grows in green mini-football size pods that dangle from huge trees. Inside the pod, there are large seeds covered in a fleshy white coating. We got to eat this coating and it was amazingly delicious. Inside this seed is an inner seed which is the cacao bean. It is very small compared to the pod it comes in. Who knew. Anyway, we got to try all the spices in raw form and then were treated to a feast of different tropical fruits. Most of them we had never even heard of, but they were delicious. Then they brought out the "Dorian." It's a fruit that smells like shit - literally. Supposedly it is very good tasting. Ari tried it, I didn't. It is probably the last Dorian she ever eats if you know what I mean!
We spent a final night in Stonetown showing our friends around and left early the next morning to make our way to the ferry dock. We had heard that the ferry ride was epic (lots of seasickness and vomit bags for everyone as they got on the ferry) so we were prepared for the worst, but it was sunny, smooth, and we both got some sleep along the way. We had a long wait in the Dar es Salaam airport, so we got some lunch at the restaurant. I was so glad to see they had real ketchup. A funny moment was needed, so I decided to shake the Ketchup bottle with the cap only loosely resting on top. It was classic. Ketchup everywhere. On me from head to toe, all over my face, all over the floor and walls, all over our luggage. Half the bottle gone. I smiled. Ari laughed. A picture taken and I had to change out of my only clean clothes!
We had a layover night, back in Arusha and then made it safely back to Kigali the next morning. At the Kigali airport, we were greeted by a regiment of saluting soldiers and about a hundred women doing a traditional dance. We had become celebrities and didn't even know it. It is also possible that they were practicing for the arrival of French President Sarkozy the next day, but we're pretty sure it was for us.
Glad to be back in Kigali, we quickly got back into our routine and headed to town for some Western food. Salad and burgers. Dreamy. On our last day, we decided to try out a fancy Indian restaurant in downtown Kigali. The atmosphere was quiet and the food was great. A perfect and memorable last meal for Ari and I to share together.
We are sad to be separating for the next couple months when I fly out tomorrow. However, the whole experience has been unforgettable and we feel so lucky to have been able to do it together!
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Zanzibar Part 2 - Nungwi
It was going to be hard to top Kendwa because we loved Kendwa - it had the perfect balance of activity and relaxation. But, we had made plans to meet our friends from Kigali in Nungwi, so we packed our things and caught a short cab ride to our next hotel. We met them in the café early that morning and got settled into our new bungalow. It wasn’t quite Kendwa, but it is still paradise!
Our friends had an epic travel day getting from Kigali (planes, boats, busses, taxis, and more), so we were all down for a swim on the beach and lots of doing nothing. Even doing nothing is pretty entertaining here. We watched a group of women ready to offload some fish from a small boat with hundreds of 5 gallon buckets. They were each dressed in colorful African Kangas (cotton wraps) and against the picturesque blue water and wriggling fish, it was a sight to behold. The rest of the afternoon we read and relaxed. That evening, we were able to watch the Olympics on a big screen in our hotel. It was wonderful to watch and feel a little connection to home. The food was great and we were all satisfied with the day.
The next morning we woke up early had some breakfast and headed out for a day of snorkeling. The boat ride out was stunningly beautiful as we circled the northern tip of the island. The blues of the water are hard to describe. We anchored our boat just a little swim away from the reef and got into our flippers, masks, and snorkels. For the next two hours we swam around enjoying all sorts of coral, thousands of fish, and the quiet of being under water. It was magical. After a couple of hours we were all getting sufficiently burned so we swam back to the boat for lunch. The boatmen had peeled tons of fresh fruit, fried up some chapati bread (think thick tortillas), and even managed to grill a huge bonita fish on the deck of the boat. It was a feast! We decided to check out another spot for snorkeling, but the growing surf made it not so good, so we decided to head back. This is where things got a little interesting. The seas had grown to pretty good sized swells and our boat filled with 17 people had us all looking at each other and saying - really? We took on lots of water, were all soaked by the end, had a couple of pukers, one Maltese woman in a bit of a panic, and four guides that had there game faces on (although they were laughing too). For a couple of hours, we all held onto the boat as we swayed and rocked and crashed and splashed through waves that seemed to prevent us from moving at all. Luckily we made slow, but steady progress and once we turned the boat to go with the wind and waves, it was sunny, peaceful and beautiful. A collective sigh of relief and some clapping for our “captain.” We made it home safely.
Now, we have washed off the salt and sand, are nursing some burned bodies. A cold (sort of) beer and relaxing sunset to finish the day.
We know we are blessed. Cheers.
Our friends had an epic travel day getting from Kigali (planes, boats, busses, taxis, and more), so we were all down for a swim on the beach and lots of doing nothing. Even doing nothing is pretty entertaining here. We watched a group of women ready to offload some fish from a small boat with hundreds of 5 gallon buckets. They were each dressed in colorful African Kangas (cotton wraps) and against the picturesque blue water and wriggling fish, it was a sight to behold. The rest of the afternoon we read and relaxed. That evening, we were able to watch the Olympics on a big screen in our hotel. It was wonderful to watch and feel a little connection to home. The food was great and we were all satisfied with the day.
The next morning we woke up early had some breakfast and headed out for a day of snorkeling. The boat ride out was stunningly beautiful as we circled the northern tip of the island. The blues of the water are hard to describe. We anchored our boat just a little swim away from the reef and got into our flippers, masks, and snorkels. For the next two hours we swam around enjoying all sorts of coral, thousands of fish, and the quiet of being under water. It was magical. After a couple of hours we were all getting sufficiently burned so we swam back to the boat for lunch. The boatmen had peeled tons of fresh fruit, fried up some chapati bread (think thick tortillas), and even managed to grill a huge bonita fish on the deck of the boat. It was a feast! We decided to check out another spot for snorkeling, but the growing surf made it not so good, so we decided to head back. This is where things got a little interesting. The seas had grown to pretty good sized swells and our boat filled with 17 people had us all looking at each other and saying - really? We took on lots of water, were all soaked by the end, had a couple of pukers, one Maltese woman in a bit of a panic, and four guides that had there game faces on (although they were laughing too). For a couple of hours, we all held onto the boat as we swayed and rocked and crashed and splashed through waves that seemed to prevent us from moving at all. Luckily we made slow, but steady progress and once we turned the boat to go with the wind and waves, it was sunny, peaceful and beautiful. A collective sigh of relief and some clapping for our “captain.” We made it home safely.
Now, we have washed off the salt and sand, are nursing some burned bodies. A cold (sort of) beer and relaxing sunset to finish the day.
We know we are blessed. Cheers.
Friday, February 19, 2010
Zanzibar......
So many little things have happened, so I'll try and capture the bits and pieces....
Airport Security
Domestic flights in Africa are a little more relaxed than in the US. :)
Stonetown
I have never been to Venice, but I hear the main area on Zanzibar is very similar. Lots of very narrow alleyways, no street signs, but wander long enough and you can always figure out where you are. Photographically stunning.
Electricity
Either you got it or you don't. And when you don't, you wish you did. And when it's 90+ degrees, you really wish you did. Zanzibar's main power line has been down for 72 days from mainland africa. The whole island is trying to run on small generators. They run them for about 4-5 hours each day. Cold beverages are tough to find.
It's the Heat....and the Humidity
Without power in our hostel room, the fan shut off promptly at 11:00 pm. It was unbearably hot in our room. I asked what time it was. 12:15am. I waited for hours and asked what time it was. 12:45am. I waited for a few days and asked what time it was. 2:10 am. Repeat all night. When we "woke" in the morning, I turned to Ari and said, "I think we are cooked." I can empathize with broccoli that gets steamed now.
Planning
It seems like it's every day. Wait it is. 18 days traveling in Africa feels like much, much longer than 18 days at home. In a good way. We can't believe all we have done as we look back on the first part of our journey.
Forodhani Gardens
After dark, this park lights up with 50-60 street vendors selling all sorts of grilled meat and seafood kebabs. It is gourmet though. Chefs in white hats. Beautifully lit. Grilled to order. Everything comes with some fresh baked bread or more likely a pile of cheeps (fries)!
Re-steamed
Steamed again tonight!
Dolphins
Ari has longed to swim with the Dolphins since she was a child and we had to make her dream come true. We did swim with dolphins in the wild. But it would be more aptly described as Dolphin chasing. It was cool, but ethically we wouldn’t do it again or recommend it. We then snorkeled for a bit at a nearby reef. It was a great morning.
Fever
Mark got one. It went up to 102. Ari read about Malaria in the guidebook and convinced me I might be comatose in 24 hours. She took care of me like a dream! We abandoned our plans for the day, hightailed it back to Stonetown to find a doctor. $7 to see the Doctor. Meds for stomach issues. Return at 4 for a Malaria test. Wait. Using a 9th grade biology microscope and in a room with no light (remember no power!), the lab technician proudly signed my diagnosis. Negative.
Pasta
We had the most delicious meal we’ve had since being in Africa. Basically penne and meat sauce. But real parmesan and garlic and olive oil! Amazing!
Luxury
With an epic day under our belts, we felt we had earned an upgrade from our steam room. We spent a little more, but it felt like pure luxury. A room with a sea view. A working, clean bathroom in our room. And best of all, a little A/C unit that felt like heaven.
Forodhani Gardens
Back for more good street food!
Beit el-Ajaib
Spent the morning taking in “The House of Wonders.” A museum with a bit of history about Zanzibar. Great view of the city and ocean from the top.
Kendwa
We set off at noon for Kendwa. Beach paradise. Turqoise blue water. Beautiful boats. Palm thatched roofed bungalows to spend the night. Romantic candlelit dinners. Great music from home. And best of all - Pizza! 2 days in paradise. Paradise. Ari - sunscreen and happy. Mark - “base coat” and burned.
Airport Security
Domestic flights in Africa are a little more relaxed than in the US. :)
Stonetown
I have never been to Venice, but I hear the main area on Zanzibar is very similar. Lots of very narrow alleyways, no street signs, but wander long enough and you can always figure out where you are. Photographically stunning.
Electricity
Either you got it or you don't. And when you don't, you wish you did. And when it's 90+ degrees, you really wish you did. Zanzibar's main power line has been down for 72 days from mainland africa. The whole island is trying to run on small generators. They run them for about 4-5 hours each day. Cold beverages are tough to find.
It's the Heat....and the Humidity
Without power in our hostel room, the fan shut off promptly at 11:00 pm. It was unbearably hot in our room. I asked what time it was. 12:15am. I waited for hours and asked what time it was. 12:45am. I waited for a few days and asked what time it was. 2:10 am. Repeat all night. When we "woke" in the morning, I turned to Ari and said, "I think we are cooked." I can empathize with broccoli that gets steamed now.
Planning
It seems like it's every day. Wait it is. 18 days traveling in Africa feels like much, much longer than 18 days at home. In a good way. We can't believe all we have done as we look back on the first part of our journey.
Forodhani Gardens
After dark, this park lights up with 50-60 street vendors selling all sorts of grilled meat and seafood kebabs. It is gourmet though. Chefs in white hats. Beautifully lit. Grilled to order. Everything comes with some fresh baked bread or more likely a pile of cheeps (fries)!
Re-steamed
Steamed again tonight!
Dolphins
Ari has longed to swim with the Dolphins since she was a child and we had to make her dream come true. We did swim with dolphins in the wild. But it would be more aptly described as Dolphin chasing. It was cool, but ethically we wouldn’t do it again or recommend it. We then snorkeled for a bit at a nearby reef. It was a great morning.
Fever
Mark got one. It went up to 102. Ari read about Malaria in the guidebook and convinced me I might be comatose in 24 hours. She took care of me like a dream! We abandoned our plans for the day, hightailed it back to Stonetown to find a doctor. $7 to see the Doctor. Meds for stomach issues. Return at 4 for a Malaria test. Wait. Using a 9th grade biology microscope and in a room with no light (remember no power!), the lab technician proudly signed my diagnosis. Negative.
Pasta
We had the most delicious meal we’ve had since being in Africa. Basically penne and meat sauce. But real parmesan and garlic and olive oil! Amazing!
Luxury
With an epic day under our belts, we felt we had earned an upgrade from our steam room. We spent a little more, but it felt like pure luxury. A room with a sea view. A working, clean bathroom in our room. And best of all, a little A/C unit that felt like heaven.
Forodhani Gardens
Back for more good street food!
Beit el-Ajaib
Spent the morning taking in “The House of Wonders.” A museum with a bit of history about Zanzibar. Great view of the city and ocean from the top.
Kendwa
We set off at noon for Kendwa. Beach paradise. Turqoise blue water. Beautiful boats. Palm thatched roofed bungalows to spend the night. Romantic candlelit dinners. Great music from home. And best of all - Pizza! 2 days in paradise. Paradise. Ari - sunscreen and happy. Mark - “base coat” and burned.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
so much has happened, we are not gonna lie:
on monday we witnessed court at the UN Special International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. This rounded out my studies of justice practices for the genocide and let me say how different it was from things in Rwanda. How slow and extravagant the approach the UN has taken. But, the visit was very illuminating
and then, just as we thought we were getting the hang of tourist-central, the town of Arusha, Ari went and got to absorbed in some work on the internet and her poor little bag behind here was snatched up by a bravado character and disappeared without a trace. Bummer! While Ariana had been frustrated that she forgot her passport back at the hostel that morning when she should have had it to visit court, we were both very glad that she actually did not have it that morning and therefore the hassle of the missing bag was much less than it could have been. After a brief tutorial on how to call the US from our new Tanzanian cellphone all missing credit cards were canceled and a sincere hope that the little cash that was lost was going to a worthy cause. As Gandhi says, when someone robs your home, you should open all the doors and windows because the problem is not the robber but they system that has created the discrepancy that one person would need to rob another. I thought of this as I walked down the street to our hotel today. I think Gandhi would criticize me for responding that the world is too complex for that to be the solution in a world of such extreme inequalities, but this is something I am wrestling with too. (Ari)
More to come from Zanzibar as soon as we have a reliable internet connection!
on monday we witnessed court at the UN Special International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. This rounded out my studies of justice practices for the genocide and let me say how different it was from things in Rwanda. How slow and extravagant the approach the UN has taken. But, the visit was very illuminating
and then, just as we thought we were getting the hang of tourist-central, the town of Arusha, Ari went and got to absorbed in some work on the internet and her poor little bag behind here was snatched up by a bravado character and disappeared without a trace. Bummer! While Ariana had been frustrated that she forgot her passport back at the hostel that morning when she should have had it to visit court, we were both very glad that she actually did not have it that morning and therefore the hassle of the missing bag was much less than it could have been. After a brief tutorial on how to call the US from our new Tanzanian cellphone all missing credit cards were canceled and a sincere hope that the little cash that was lost was going to a worthy cause. As Gandhi says, when someone robs your home, you should open all the doors and windows because the problem is not the robber but they system that has created the discrepancy that one person would need to rob another. I thought of this as I walked down the street to our hotel today. I think Gandhi would criticize me for responding that the world is too complex for that to be the solution in a world of such extreme inequalities, but this is something I am wrestling with too. (Ari)
More to come from Zanzibar as soon as we have a reliable internet connection!
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Zanzibar!
Just say it a few times, it feels good! Zanzibar, zanzibar! Ari and I are having a drink at a posh rooftop hotel bar that is overlooking a sunset on the Indian Ocean. And with that said, I think will get back to enjoying paradise!
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Ng'irse Village
Despite the fact that the Tanzania Tourist Board closed at 1:00pm on Saturday and we did not make it there in time, we were able to arrange a “cultural tourism program.” We didn’t know much about it, except that we would visit a nearby village and have a walk around with a guide.
We were picked up from the hostel promptly at 9:00 am by our guide and drove an incredibly dusty, bumpy, rocky road about 15 minutes up into the mountains. The road was so bad, we had to get out twice because the car bottomed out and wouldn’t move. It is amazing that cars here last more than a few weeks! Our guide told us a bit about each village (about 3000 people) as we passed it before arriving in Ng’irse (Nnn gear say). The gardens as we drove in were incredible with Canna Lilies that were over eight feet tall and came in every color. In the front yard of the house we stopped at, four teenage boys were harvesting corn. They put dried, shucked corn in a giant potato sack and then beat it with a stick to remove the kernels from the cob. They then sorted all the kernels removing any bad ones and rocks and placed the good ones into more potato sacks for storage. It was really fun to watch and I was glad to be observing only as the work was hard.
Next, we had a cup of coffee with the village chairmen who told us about the cultural tourism program in his town. Long story short, they have allowed tourists to pay to visit the village and all the money goes to build a school for the village and four or five that surround it. The chairmen explained that all the accounting books were open for the community to see at any time, so they knew where each dollar was going. He was very proud of his program, his village, and the education the kids were getting from his school.
We left the chairmen’s house with our guide on a walk to see the school and hopefully stop in at a church service. It is predominantly Christian (Lutheran), but there are still a few people who practice traditional local religions. The school was fun to see and we were both surprised by how much it costs to build a VERY simple classroom that will house about 80 students. $15,000. A bag of cement is $15 (compared to a couple bucks in the US) and then the cost to transport to the remote village can be equally as much. One classroom will take years to build. Patience is a requirement, but I couldn’t help but compare to the US where a classroom like this would take less than two days to build and probably could be done for less than $1000. It is differences like these that are hard to account for when we wonder from afar why progress takes so long in third world countries.
Our next stop was at the local church where we joined about thirty very nicely dressed Tanzanians for singing, dancing, and praising. Our guide wrote the words to a couple of songs and we sang and danced along with them. It was something I will never forget. The faith that filled the room was palpable and everyone donated at the end despite the fact that most of them survive on less than $250 a year. It was moving to listen to the service in Swahili and see the passion with which the people worshipped. It was unlike any service I have ever seen in the US. I have video to share when I am home!
Our tour continued with a walk to a beautiful local waterfall, along the way every child wanted to come say hello and give us a flower. Ari had quite the bouquet by the end of our walk. The kids especially wanted to have their picture taken and then get to look at it on the camera. They looked at the camera with wonder- most of them will not use a computer in their lifetime! The landscape was lush and green with crops growing everywhere - bananas, coffee, corn, mangoes, avacados, beans, cabbage, and many more! The waterfall was an idyllic scene and reminded us of the rainforest we were in!
We headed back to the chairmen’s house for lunch and it was delicious! On our final walk, we visited a traditional round house where cattle and people lived together. That is how important cattle are! The women was widowed and relied on the tourism program dollars to help send her kids to school. We visited the local spring where people collect their water each day and walk it back to their home in 5 gallon buckets on their head! Finally we visited a local (very local) bar to have a banana beer which is what the locals drink because it is strong and cheap!
That’s it. It was an incredible day and we were thankful for this look at the local culture outside the tourist areas.
We were picked up from the hostel promptly at 9:00 am by our guide and drove an incredibly dusty, bumpy, rocky road about 15 minutes up into the mountains. The road was so bad, we had to get out twice because the car bottomed out and wouldn’t move. It is amazing that cars here last more than a few weeks! Our guide told us a bit about each village (about 3000 people) as we passed it before arriving in Ng’irse (Nnn gear say). The gardens as we drove in were incredible with Canna Lilies that were over eight feet tall and came in every color. In the front yard of the house we stopped at, four teenage boys were harvesting corn. They put dried, shucked corn in a giant potato sack and then beat it with a stick to remove the kernels from the cob. They then sorted all the kernels removing any bad ones and rocks and placed the good ones into more potato sacks for storage. It was really fun to watch and I was glad to be observing only as the work was hard.
Next, we had a cup of coffee with the village chairmen who told us about the cultural tourism program in his town. Long story short, they have allowed tourists to pay to visit the village and all the money goes to build a school for the village and four or five that surround it. The chairmen explained that all the accounting books were open for the community to see at any time, so they knew where each dollar was going. He was very proud of his program, his village, and the education the kids were getting from his school.
We left the chairmen’s house with our guide on a walk to see the school and hopefully stop in at a church service. It is predominantly Christian (Lutheran), but there are still a few people who practice traditional local religions. The school was fun to see and we were both surprised by how much it costs to build a VERY simple classroom that will house about 80 students. $15,000. A bag of cement is $15 (compared to a couple bucks in the US) and then the cost to transport to the remote village can be equally as much. One classroom will take years to build. Patience is a requirement, but I couldn’t help but compare to the US where a classroom like this would take less than two days to build and probably could be done for less than $1000. It is differences like these that are hard to account for when we wonder from afar why progress takes so long in third world countries.
Our next stop was at the local church where we joined about thirty very nicely dressed Tanzanians for singing, dancing, and praising. Our guide wrote the words to a couple of songs and we sang and danced along with them. It was something I will never forget. The faith that filled the room was palpable and everyone donated at the end despite the fact that most of them survive on less than $250 a year. It was moving to listen to the service in Swahili and see the passion with which the people worshipped. It was unlike any service I have ever seen in the US. I have video to share when I am home!
Our tour continued with a walk to a beautiful local waterfall, along the way every child wanted to come say hello and give us a flower. Ari had quite the bouquet by the end of our walk. The kids especially wanted to have their picture taken and then get to look at it on the camera. They looked at the camera with wonder- most of them will not use a computer in their lifetime! The landscape was lush and green with crops growing everywhere - bananas, coffee, corn, mangoes, avacados, beans, cabbage, and many more! The waterfall was an idyllic scene and reminded us of the rainforest we were in!
We headed back to the chairmen’s house for lunch and it was delicious! On our final walk, we visited a traditional round house where cattle and people lived together. That is how important cattle are! The women was widowed and relied on the tourism program dollars to help send her kids to school. We visited the local spring where people collect their water each day and walk it back to their home in 5 gallon buckets on their head! Finally we visited a local (very local) bar to have a banana beer which is what the locals drink because it is strong and cheap!
That’s it. It was an incredible day and we were thankful for this look at the local culture outside the tourist areas.
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Twiga and Punda Milia (the Giraffe and Zebra)
the Twiga (swahili for giraffe) say Jambo (hello). They were amazing to see, towering gracefuly over the trees, when they run their lanking body becomes a graceful moving mass, silently gliding quickly across the landscape although because of their size they look like they are moving in slow motion. to see many of them in a herd moving with this grace was very moving, tettering on the holy.
the safari as you can imagine was incredible. so many animals. a wildbeest giving birth. a huge volcanic crater in which we explored a lush green landscape filled with zebra and wildbeest in the thousands, hand fulls of lions in various lazy positions (probably more like your own fiesty cats than you imagine). there were flamingos galore and a lepord and cub in a tree all day long, there were herds of elephant with their wrinkly bottoms and funny elbows and huge padded feet and wabbly trunk they use like a fork to twirl the long grass like spagetti and stuff it in their mouths-sometimes 18 hours a day they eat, and walk slowly and eat some more.
wow, an incredible experience.
now, we are back in town. it is hectic here and mark and i are thinking of going straight to the beach on zanzibar. on one hand it seems a shame to miss the mountains here but hiking is not mark's thing at the moment since his knee is still recovering from knee surgery and, everything we tried to do here requires loads of walking anyway, that perhaps we won't be redundant with a tour of the mountainside. so, we are working on travel plans. we shall see how it goes. I will keep you informed. more pictures are on the way once we sort out the 1300 we took in the last four days of safariing.
the safari as you can imagine was incredible. so many animals. a wildbeest giving birth. a huge volcanic crater in which we explored a lush green landscape filled with zebra and wildbeest in the thousands, hand fulls of lions in various lazy positions (probably more like your own fiesty cats than you imagine). there were flamingos galore and a lepord and cub in a tree all day long, there were herds of elephant with their wrinkly bottoms and funny elbows and huge padded feet and wabbly trunk they use like a fork to twirl the long grass like spagetti and stuff it in their mouths-sometimes 18 hours a day they eat, and walk slowly and eat some more.
wow, an incredible experience.
now, we are back in town. it is hectic here and mark and i are thinking of going straight to the beach on zanzibar. on one hand it seems a shame to miss the mountains here but hiking is not mark's thing at the moment since his knee is still recovering from knee surgery and, everything we tried to do here requires loads of walking anyway, that perhaps we won't be redundant with a tour of the mountainside. so, we are working on travel plans. we shall see how it goes. I will keep you informed. more pictures are on the way once we sort out the 1300 we took in the last four days of safariing.
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