An Unforgettable Visit to the Ngorongoro Crater

The Ngorongoro Crater is a volcano that imploded around 3.7 million years ago, creating an expansive grasslands area of 150 square miles with a huge lake in the middle. The crater is 13 kilometers in diameter and its rim, 2000 feet above the floor at 7200 feet, is still intact. More than 20,000 mammals, including all of the “big cats,” live year-around on the Crater floor. For the first time, we saw rhinos and elands. And most spectacularly, the lake is home for thousands of pink flamingos. While we were in the Crater a rain storm came through, clearing the air and creating a fabulous backdrop for the flamingos.
Their reflections in the water against a dark background made for a very pretty sight.

Our overnight this evening was at the most famous lodge in Tanzania… the Ngorongoro Crater Lodge. You can learn more about the Lodge at www.andbeyondafrica.com. It is located on the rim overlooking the crater 2000 feet below. It is an elegant place. We had decided, since this was the last night of the safari, to designate this evening as the official celebration of our 40th wedding anniversary. What a memorable evening it turned out to be! Our travel agent in New York did us well. Our several room suite was an elegant place… a sizable tree house perched on the side of the crater rim at the very top. We enjoyed a fireplace (it was a cool evening at 7200 feet), a sitting area that overlooked the crater, a luxurious bathroom with shower, tub and two sinks, and a large and very comfortable bed. The room was decorated with beautiful antiques, an assortment of candles, and several dozen roses. And, best of all, George was our full time butler! There was nothing that he wouldn’t do for us. Including setting up a powerful telescope so we could see several rhinos ambling across the crater’s grasslands five miles away. We wish we could have stayed for a week. The Lodge has six tree houses (and 24 other suites) and a magnificent common area in a “main house” a short ways below/in front of our tree house where we could view the Crater in all its glory , relax and read, and enjoy our meals.

Talking about meals… as we were finishing dinner, out of nowhere materialized a ten person group of dancers, instrumentalists, and singers who had come to wish us a happy 40th anniversary! They sang spirited Tanzanian folk songs accompanied by beating drums and stringed instruments, and danced their way around the dining room. Finally they circled our table and began to sing “Happy Anniversary” in English. This is when we caught on! They presented us with a beautiful and tasty cake, offered their enthused congratulations, and gave Babu and Mama Jean great big hugs. We were pleased that Margie and Hank Clark were present to enjoy this very special moment with us. Clearly this was an anniversary celebration that we will never, ever forget.

The next morning (Saturday, February 26), as the sun came up over the Crater, we gradually awakened to a most gorgeous land and skyscape. We slowly and reluctantly began moving as we prepared for our final day of the safari. After a leisurely breakfast and several final views of the stunning Ngorongoro Crater, we said good-by to George and the others, bought a few souvenirs from three Maasai women, loaded the Land Rover, and headed back to Arusha where we will catch a plane tomorrow for Ethiopia (the Clarks will return to Louisville).

On the way to Arusha, our guide/driver Chilli
was kind enough to take us to meet his parents (his Dad is 67, as I am, and has two wives… Chilli’s mother and another wife who lives near Mt. Kilimanjaro) and other family members. A few minutes later we went to Chilli’s home and met his wife Rosie,
and their daughter and son. A third child is at college in Moshi. This is a wonderful family and we were very pleased to meet Chilli’s loved ones and see the very nice house where they live. Chilli then drove us to the Serena Mountain Village Lodge where we and the Clarks will stay overnight until it is time to go to the airport tomorrow afternoon.

At our final evening meal in Tanzania, Jean wore the African dress and head wrap that were made for her in Moshi. Her attire is very striking and set off a huge commotion in the dining room as many Tanzanian staff members came to our table to admire the dress and express their pleasure. They were very pleased to see an American woman in Tanzanian attire.

This concludes a very enriching, enjoyable, and memorable week of the most amazing sights and experiences. We are so sad that it is coming to an end. Tomorrow over breakfast, we and the Clarks will develop a list of the safari’s “Ten Most Memorable Sights and Experiences.” They will be included in a future posting.

So it is off to Ethiopia. Future postings from Addis Ababa and Lalibela will describe our goings-on there. Internet access has been extremely unreliable, and will probably continue to be so. We write daily postings for the blog, but do not have very many opportunities to upload them to the internet. And, perhaps I have not said this before… the electricity is off for many hours on most days. Thank you for being patient with the circumstances and thank you even more for sharing this trip with us by reading our daily descriptions and ramblings.

We love you very much and think of you all the time…
Babu Kirk and Mama Jean

On to the Serengeti

Tuesday, February 22

Today was another remarkable day. We keep pinching ourselves as we ask how we can be so lucky as to experience the kinds of days we are having. The companionship of Hank and Margie Clark is making this safari so much more enjoyable and light hearted than it would be otherwise. We are very glad that they decided to come with us.

We left the Farmhouse at 8:30 and devoted the entire morning to learning more about the Maasai tribe. On the way past the Ngorongoro Crater and through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area we came upon an expansive highlands (8000 feet above sea level) with stunning plateaus and valleys. Mile after mile, scattered among this gorgeous and endless landscape, were numerous Maasai villages and pasture lands where large herds of goats and sheep were being tended by their Maasai shepherds. Chilli took us to a small village where we were met by one of his friends who acted as our host. Little did we know about what might lie ahead during the next two hours!

We ended up paying $50 for the four of us to have unlimited access to the village of 150 residents. We entered their simple and austere circular huts made of sticks, mud, and cow dung, sat on their beds in front of a fire that was preparing the noon meal, and talked about their lives, how they carry on their lives, and village politics. There were enough English speakers among the village’s residents to make these conversations possible. We met young, handsome, and seemingly happy couples with their very young children, older people including domineering mothers and mother-in-laws, village officials who were concerned about the equitable distribution of the proceeds from our visit (our $50 will be used to buy water from trucks for the village, replacing the 17 kilometers walk that women and girls currently undertake to fetch water for the village), and children and youth who are responsible for watching over the village’s huge herds of grazing sheep and goats Jean and Margie joined in a welcoming dance that the village’s women performed, and we all admired the spectacular jewelry and colorful attire that both the men and women were wearing..
We agreed to purchase the ceremonial clubs that were presented us and bought a few pieces of additional jewelry. After visiting a school, we bid our new friends good-by and continued on our way to the Serengeti. Needless to say, this is one more morning that we will never forget.

We then headed for the Serengeti Plains--the most famous game reserve in the world. On the way we stopped to visit the Olduvai Gorge where Mary and George Leakey, archeologists and paleontologists from the British Museum of Natural History, discovered many remarkable remain of ancient hominids. Their work spanned the 1930s to the 1970s and is responsible for documenting that “humans” walked the earth as early as 3.7 million years ago.

By early afternoon we were in the Serengeti. The Serengeti is a 6000 sq. mile park of high plateau (3000-6000 feet above seas level) grasslands and woodlands where 3 million mammals reside. The park contains 28 species of animals with hoofs, 530 bird species, and an abundant collection of various insects whose collective weight is greater than the millions of animals combined. The plains are truly endless and stretch to the horizon in every direction. It is a stunning sight that is truly impossible to describe or photograph. The park contains over 2,000 big cats, tens of thousands of gazelle and antelope, and millions of zebra and wildebeest (also known as gnu). We saw enormous herds of zebra, some standing on the road as we passed, and large lines of wildebeest
as they migrated south from the northern Serengeti is search of water. Rain has come early to the southern Serengeti, so the animals are very interested in moving to where the sources of water are. The sights and sounds and smells were enough to overwhelm our senses. Jean was a happy camper, taking more than 400 photos!

By 5:30 we were at our place of lodging for the next three nights. It is named the Dunia mobile tented camp (www.asiliaafrica.com). It is mobile because nothing here can be a permanent intrusion on the Serengeti’s ecosystems and must be removable within days if requested with no sign of having ever been here. There are eight large and very comfortable tents here at Dunia. Jean and I are in Tent #5 and the Clarks are in #7. In spite of the word “tent,” the setting is luxurious. Each tent has a large bedroom with a queen sized bed, a sitting room in the front, a full bathroom behind the bedroom wall with a flush toilet, a sink with hot water, bottled water for pills and teeth brushing, and a “bush shower” that is filled with hot water in 20 liter buckets from the outside whenever we request it. The tent has electricity and we are zippered in so no monkey, hyena, elephant or warthog can enter. We hear these animals and lots of noisy birds every night, but feel very secure.

In addition to the tents where we reside, Dunia also has a lounge tent or commons area (where I am now writing), a dining tent where all meals are served (and they are outstanding to say the least), and a “television room.” Actually there’s only one channel on the TV--a bonfire that we gather around at 6:30 every evening for happy hour and to visit with staff and other guests before dinner is served at 8:00. So far guests are from France, Canada, Australia, England, and the USA. Last night we enjoyed a group of 8 wine growing couples from San Francisco and tonight we will be joined by a family from Sydney and a gentleman from Toronto.

Wednesday, February 23

We awakened early on Wednesday morning (February 23), so we could travel to an excellent vantage point to see the sun rise at 6:45 over the Serengeti Plains.
It was magnificent, stunning, spectacular, and truly glorious!

The rest of the day was devoted to viewing 20 hippopotamuses, including a few of the cutest ugly babies you could ever imagine seeing, splashing around in a small and very stinky lake (they were within 20 feet of us as we sat on the bank enjoying breakfast), driving through herds of zebras and cape buffalo, and watching from a distance as tens of thousands of wildebeest migrated to the southern plains. The highlight of the morning was our search for “big cats.” We were lucky enough to view 11 lions and one leopard. The leopard was crouched in a tree about 100 feet away, but the lions were very close. One walked so close to the jeep that we could have reached out and petted it. We watched two others mate and then were able to view them from 20 feet or so. Eight more were young males who didn’t seem to care that we were enjoying their presence and photographing them from 10 feet or less. It was a wonderful and exciting experience. Keep in mind that they were lazing about in a grassy plains that was hundreds of miles long in every direction. They could do whatever they wanted wherever they wanted to go. Finally we watched two female lions come down to a river and completely ignore a single wildebeest that could have been killed with very little effort. We concluded that the wildebeest was very lucky that the lions had just eaten and were very satisfied. They made no effort to attack the wildebeest.

Chilli dropped Margie, Hank and us back at Dunia camp to enjoy lunch and a relaxing afternoon. After a welcomed nap, we met him again for an afternoon game drive. We saw 10 more lions: two females and their six cubs. The cubs were nursing. And then two more young males who were sunning themselves. We greatly enjoyed watching these lions do what comes very naturally for them.

The day ended around the camp bonfire and with another lovely meal, and interesting conversation with fellow travelers from several countries. Around 9:30 Camp staff escorted us back to our tent for a night of sound sleep as we are serenaded by the Serengeti’s bird and animal sounds. It’s a great way to fall asleep! We’ll see what tomorrow brings.

Thursday, February 24, 2011

We awakened as the sun rose over our tent community. What a glorious sight! After a wonderful breakfast of fruit, eggs, and bacon, we took off for the day’s game drive. Our goal was to find a cheetah, but unfortunately we did not find out. Instead we came upon scores of hippos (including a very cute and small baby) and three crocodiles in a lake, miles of zebras moving in single file to new grasslands, a leopard resting in a tree, and five male lions lazing under a tree. Later in the afternoon we came across two lions that were mating. We watched them romance each other, then the female waved her tail to signal her willingness, then they had intercourse, after which the female rolled over on her back with a smile on her face while the male moved away to light up a cigarette and have a poop! They were much more gentle with each other than we expected. Who knows, they may have been in love!

Throughout the day we noticed that many species co-mingle and co-exist very
peacefully with each other. It is common to see baboons, ostriches, warthogs, giraffes, elephants, impalas, and gazellas all grazing peacefully with each other. The grasslands are endless and the skyscapes and landscapes are gorgeous. The Serengeti is a remarkable place to be. One can see most of these animals in a zoo, but to see them in huge numbers in their natural settings is a very special and inspiring experience. We are thrilled by everything that we are seeing,

We returned to the Dunia Tent Camp to enjoy a bottle of champaign, compliments of the camp in honor of our 40th wedding anniversary. The Clarks joined us for this special celebration. We then toured the camp’s bush kitchen, enjoyed a happy hour in front of the bonfire as the sun set, and joined the eight other guests for a delightful dinner and very pleasant conversation. It is now time for bed, as we fall asleep to the sounds of the Serengeti.

We love you all very, very much…
Babu and Mama Jean

Lake Manyara National Park

This morning Margie, Hank, Kirk and Jean were again awaken by one of Swala’s staff members delivering coffee to our tent. What a wonderful way to be awaken in the morning! The sun had not yet risen, but it was getting light as we dressed and enjoyed our coffee. Before walking over to the dining tent, we packed our bags so they could be brought to the front entrance after we had eaten. Breakfast was again delicious. Each of us had a scrambled egg, some fruit and fruit juice. Jean had cheese and Kirk enjoyed a wonderful serving of bacon. Of course, we both enjoyed several cups of strong and delicious coffee – the best that we’ve had in a month!

Jean took some time to upload two blog entries, but uploading pictures was too slow, so that will have to wait until another time. Chilli was eager to show us some more animals during the 40 mile drive out of the Tarangire National Park. We were so fortunate this morning! The sights were extraordinary. Several large herds of hundreds of elephants were very close to the road, so we got to see and hear and smell them up close. One of the big male elephants was eating grass within 12 feet of our van. Chilli turned off the jeep’s engine, so we enjoyed watching the bull and the many other elephants around him. The highlights of that experience included watching two tiny baby elephants nurse from their mothers. Jean took way too many pictures, but at least a few of them will be outstanding.

We also saw several giraffe groups (called journeys) that ambled over to where we were. One group included three unbelievably cute baby giraffes. We enjoyed seeing more warthogs, dik-diks, and hundreds more impalas. Eventually we left Tarangire National Park and traveled to Lake Manyara National Park. Along the way, we stopped for lunch at the same village where we stopped two days earlier on our way to Tarangire. This time both Margie and Jean bought a woven basket from one of the woman who came over to sell her goods.

Then Chilli drove us on to Lake Manyara National Park. This park is located next to the village in which he grew up. It was clear that he is very proud of the park. We saw several families of baboons, a raft of hippos in the water and a dazzle of zebras nearby.
The hippos were almost totally submerged, but every once in a while, one would raise his head out of the water and yawn. They certainly have big heads! The zebras were near-by and wandering in an open field. They were so close that we could have petted them. There are no fences anywhere.

Chilli drove us on to see some more baboon families and warthogs which seemed to live together. There were hundreds of baboons from the very large and old to several so young that they were nursing as they hung onto their mother’s stomach. As Chilli was driving us down one trail, we realized that several Land Rovers were blocking the road in front of us. We discovered that everyone was looking at a pair of lions lying on a very low tree branch. The lions didn’t move except to flick an ear every once in a while. Their legs and tails were hanging from the limb. At first it was difficult to spot them in the tree. But then, there they were! Manyara is known for its many lions who do just this – hang out in a tree during the hottest part of the day. Jean did her best to take a few pictures of them.

We watched the antics of another huge group of baboons before leaving the park to drive to our destination for the night – the Ngorongoro Farm House. It is located on the edge of the Ngorongoro Crater. We’ve not yet seen the crater, but this is where our safari will end on Saturday. On the way to the Farm House, we stopped at Manyara Airport to pick up Kirk’s duffle bag with his clothes for the week. That’s a long story, but what a relief for him to get his belongings again!

The Farm House is a large resort hosting people from many countries. Meals are served buffet style and are delicious. In fact, they served ice cream and flan for dessert. We’re all very tired, but have enjoyed another tremendously interesting day.

Tomorrow we will start out early and head for the fabled Serengeti plains.

We hope all of you are well and enjoying a beautiful February.

Love,
Babu and Mama Jean

Tarangire National Park Visit

Our safari experience has been launched in magnificent style with two days (Feb 19 and 20) in the Tarangire National Park. This is the first safari Jean and I have ever been on, so we didn’t know what to expect. So far, we are thrilled by the setting and everything we’ve seen. We’ll try hard to keep this description succinct and brief.

We left Cross Cultural Solutions and Moshi at 8:00 on Saturday morning. Chilli is the driver of our Landrover jeep, which will be our means of transportation for the next 8 days. He’s delightful and knowledgeable, speaks excellent English, and is in his mid-30’s. Chilli will also be our guide for the entire safari. Chilli, Jean and I traveled to Arusha where we picked up Margie and Hank Clark at a beautiful lake resort where they were staying since their arrival in Tanzania on Thursday night. The Clarks, the Allimans, and Chilli headed for Tarangire, a two hour drive east of Arusha. We arrived around 1:00 on Saturday afternoon. The remainder of Saturday and all day today have been spent in Tarangire. There are two categories of the two days’ experiences that will be described.

The first is the place we are staying. It is the Swala Luxury Tented Camp. Since not taking Jean camping was in our marriage vows, I had to come up with a magnificent tent if I were to break the promise and take her “camping.” This is it! Swala is rated 5 stars by Conde Nast magazine, which also includes Swala in its list of the “100 Best Places in the World to Stay.” It is truly stunning. The camp is 40 miles from the entrance of the park… over the poorest, one lane, very bumpy, dirt roads we’ve ever been on. The Swala Camp is the ultimate definition of “seclusion” and “isolation.”

We are in a tent, but it has the amenities of a modern first class hotel suite: Indoor and outdoor showers with hot water, a beautiful bathroom area, large “windows,” a sitting room with desk (where I am at now), and a huge and comfortable bed under a gorgeous mosquito net. Immediately beside our tent and hovering over the entire setup is the oldest (300 years), largest, and most beautiful Baobab tree we have ever seen. It is huge. We estimate its circumference to be 100 feet! Jean will attach a photo of our living quarters, but there’s no way it will do the place justice. Wish you could come to our open house this evening!

Our tent is one of 12 and is deep into the park. No fences are in place, so impalas, monkeys,and elephants freely roam next to where we sleep, eat, and relax. Our tent is several hundred feet from the dining area, so when we finish eating after dark at night, we are escorted to our tent by a big, burly Maasai tribesman who makes sure that we aren’t eaten alive on our way “home” by any of the wild animals that live in the area.

There is a resident herd of frisky impalas that entertain us with their antics.
They race around our tent, cross the walkways right in front of us, and generally run circles, jump up and down, and dominate the landscape. Except for one individual, the herd is all females who are small and dainty. The exception is a huge male with enormous antlers, who seems to control the group and apparently has his way with any of the females whenever he wishes. Sexism is alive and well at Swala. The presiding male has earned his role and privileges through competitive combat. Residing a short distance beyond Swala is a community of bachelor impalas who would love to be the Dominating Male. The position is earned on a daily basis. The Dominating Male must constantly demonstrate that he deserves the role’s privileges.

The meals are great, Liz (from Ireland) and Garth (from South Africa) manage the place with wonderful humor, a gregarious and welcoming spirit, and professional expertise. They are making a career out of managing these kind of premium safari-based lodging facilities in Africa. Jean has forthrightly declared that this is the best tent she’s ever slept in… and that I am forgiven for breaking my promise of 40 years ago! Following dinner this evening we were presented with a 40th wedding anniversary cake that included the nicest writing on the frosting. Our anniversary isn’t until July, but we are celebrating a little early during this entire week.

The second part of our experience is the animals we’re seeing. I’ll try to keep this brief. It’s an admirable idea, but very hard to implement. The variety of animals living in this park is amazing. We’ve seen so many different animals, including elephants, giraffes, impalas, cape buffalo, warthogs, ostriches, baboons, zebras, gazelles, dik diks, blue monkeys, and on and on. And not just one or two… but scores and even hundreds of each. All in their natural habitat. It’s truly amazing. We’re trying to limit the number of pictures that we take, but each scene is more interesting than the last. On the first day Jean took 204 pictures. Today she took 254. Who knows how many she will take tomorrow as we leave. Needless to say, she will have to be a harsh and very selective editor.

On our first day of traveling through Tarangire National Park, we began at the northern tip where the park’s headquarters is located. Chilli drove our Landrover over very rough roads with many detours around deep waterholes… and we only had one flat tire. We came upon a group of 30 or so baboons that were enjoying the afternoon together. And then we were thrilled to see hundreds of elephants of all sizes moving in family groups.
One mother roared at us and nearly charged us when our vehicle came between her and her son! That was a fairly frightening moment. However, all is well and we’re able to report on our second day of journeys inside Tarangire National Park.

During the second day (Sunday), Chilli drove us through the southern part of the park. For some of the day we were a little disappointed that we weren’t seeing more animals. We decided that they all were in church. However, we enjoyed the huge variety of birds we’ve never seen. Chilli knew so many of them by just their songs. In fact, the chorus of bird sounds was wonderful. Toward mid-afternoon, as we were returning to camp, we saw “journeys” of giraffes and families of elephants which made the entire day worthwhile. We saw several baby elephants and one very small infant elephant who was less than a week old as well as a very dark (black?) giraffe. They were spectacular! We know that we will see other animals in the various parks that we will visit later in the week, but our days here in Tarangire have been awesome!

We’re exhausted, but happy… and look forward to visiting the nearby Manyara National Park tomorrow.

We love you very much…
Babu and Mama Jean

We Bid Moshi Good-bye

Our final day in Moshi was highlighted by the most magnificent view of Mt. Kilimanjaro that we’ve had during the three weeks we’ve been here. Bright sunlight, a cloudless sky, and a huge snowstorm that whitened much of the mountain presented us with a glorious and memorable sight as we began the day.

Jean celebrated her final day of work by reviewing multiplication, division, and exponents and introducing the concept of prime numbers during the math lesson. (This is Jean writing) During Geography, we talked about the North Pole, South Pole, Northern Hemisphere, Southern Hemisphere, Equator, and the rotation of the Earth and how it causes day and night. Melissa had brought an inflatable Earth balloon that allowed us to manipulate a sphere and explain how day and night occur throughout the world. Finally, the English class was mainly devoted to learning more about each other. Three of us volunteers who have worked with the students off and on during these last three weeks told them something about ourselves and our families. We also asked them to tell us a bit about themselves. We learned that three of the young women are already married and have a child. One of the young men is 13 years old. Several of them have already lost one or both parents. After that, I gave the class the pencils and Christmas decorations that I had brought as gifts. They were especially excited about the Christmas decorations. I was amazed at how these teenagers and twenty year olds grabbed for the one that they wanted! As the van drove up and I left the school, everyone gave me a hug and Edithe said, “I love you very much, Bibi!” What a terrific send off!

(Back to Kirk again) As a farewell gift, I took my kids a bag of candies, balloons, and an assortment of bobbles with which they made yarn necklaces. Fun was had by all. During the morning, I told the kids that Babu was thirsty and tired. They kindly brought me a water bottle. I took a drink and then spit it out, squirting their faces and fronts wiith quite a spray. I wish you could have seen the several seconds of startled reaction… until they decided it was fun. So thirsty Babu kept on taking drinks from the bottle and spraying the children until they were dripping wet. They danced around, as children do when they run through a sprinkler, and I kept on plastering them with spray from my mouth until they and the floor were completely wet. It was a totally spontaneous and unbelievable moment… and an unforgettable way for Babu and the children to remember each other.

The rest of the day was devoted to taking care of last minute errands, filling out exit/evaluation forms, and packing up to leave. Several volunteers who are staying on arranged for us to have the evening meal together at an Indian restaurant in downtown Moshi. These ten were mostly the older volunteers with whom we have formed meaningful friendships. For a couple hours we talked and ate and reminisced about the times we enjoyed together while in Moshi. It was the perfect way to bid each other fond farewells. On one hand we are sorry to leave because this has been an enjoyable and enriching three weeks. On the other hand, we are eager to move on to experiences on safari and in Ethiopia that we know will be equally satisfying. Moshi, Tanzania and the folks we met here will always hold a very special place in our hearts.

Lala Salama, fo fo fo… from Moshi…
Babu and Mama Jean

Our All-Day Field Trip to Arusha and the ICTR

The CCS staff here at Moshi arranges for each new group of volunteers to visit the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) in Arusha. Today was our day to do so. What an excellent field trip!

We left our home base in two vans at 7:30 am after having breakfast. The two hour ride had only one incident: a female police officer stopped our van in a small village about half way between Moshi and Arusha. She was standing in the roadway and hit the side of the van or its back tire with a police club. Our driver pulled over immediately to see what he had done wrong. If we understand the explanation correctly, the police officer thought that our van was part of the local transportation system. As such, he should have made a stop at the near-by intersection. When our driver explained that he was driving a private van, showed her his license, and showed all of the various permits that are plastered to the side of the van, the policewoman became argumentative and belligerent. She was determined to charge him with something and began looking very hard to find the “something.” Eventually, she found a cracked cover on the turning signal. By this time, she was in our driver’s face and thumping his chest with her finger. And then she threatened to take our driver to the local police station!

The Tanzanian CCS female staff member (Mama Fatuma), who was with us in the van, got out and tried to talk calmly to the policewoman. Finally, Mama Fatuma offered the policewoman 5,000 Shillings, but was rebuffed. The next offer was 10,000 Shillings (approximately $7.00). The police officer stuck it in her pocket, walked away… and we were again on our way. These kinds of shake-downs are very common in Tanzania. This was the third such incident that we experienced in our brief time here.

We arrived at the Tribunal in Arusha and were met by two young Interns from Kenya. They took us to the visitor’s section of Chamber 3. There we put on headphones and listened to the trial of Mathieu Ngirumpatse who once was Director General of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in Rwanda. He was captured in 1998 in Mali and has been on trial since 2005. It is estimated that a million members of the minority Tutsi tribe were brutally killed by the ruling Hutu tribe/government during a 100 day period in 1994. Some of the readers of this blog remember seeing the movie “The Hotel Rwanda” several years ago. It was a very sad and horrible chapter in human history.

Mr. Ngirumpatse and the prosecuting attorney had some harsh exchanges. One that all of us enjoyed was Mr. Ngirumpatse’s answer to a question in which he clearly said, “No.” The prosecuting attorney restated the question and Mr. Ngirumpatse said, “As I just told you, Yes.” Those of us in the Visitor’s Gallery almost burst out laughing!

After watching the proceedings for an hour and a half, the court took a break, so we were led to a conference room and were greeted by a Tanzanian who is the ICTR’s communications officer. He was proud of the fact that the Tribunal is setting historic precedents as it holds world leaders accountable when they torture and kill their own citizens. He cited Kenya’s recent election as an example of a peaceful political process which could have been drastically different if the Tribunal was not leading the way to hold politicians accountable for their actions.

We each were given a packet of information which told about the 62 Rwandans who have already been tried and the 20 more who will be tried by this tribunal before it concludes its work in 2013. We then returned to the Visitor’s Gallery to watch more of Mr. Ngirumpatse’s trial. The prosecuting attorney spoke in English, while Mr. Ngirumpatse spoke in French. We greatly appreciated the translation that we heard through the headphones. Even though we were in the Visitors’ Gallery behind a glass partition, we were only ten feet from the defendant and 20 feet from the prosecutor. It was a very strange feeling to be so close to the action.

After another hour of watching the proceedings, which we enjoyed tremendously, Kirk and I left the Tribunal with a great appreciation for the work that this court is doing. A short walk took us to the Yia Yia Restaurant on the grounds of the Arusha Museum Gardens. It was a lovely and lush setting. We shared a tuna and vegetable Salad, a serving of Tanzanian onion rings, and a very weak banana milk shake. We enjoyed good food and good company.

After lunch, the entire group of volunteers stopped by the Maasai Market. We had visited this same market last weekend and had a much better experience. Today the shopkeepers were very aggressive and invited us into their stall “just to look.” I accepted the invitation once and found that my way out was blocked. I finally pushed my way past the shopkeeper and didn’t enter another shop. Others in our group bought some machetes, beaded jewelry and wooden salad tongs.

Our next stop was the Tanzanite Experience Museum, a visitor center which explains the origins of Tanzanite, provides information about the Tanzanite gem, and sells cut stones. Since we have already purchased a Tanzanite stone, it was interesting to learn more about this gemstone and to ask questions about it. Tanzanite is said to have been formed over 585 million years ago and is found only in a small area between Moshi and Arusha. The source is expected to be depleted in 15 to 20 years. A few of our fellow volunteers enjoyed making a purchase.

While at the Museum we learned in regards to coal and gold mining that Tanzania is a rising star in East Africa. In fact, Tanzania is Africa’s 4th largest gold producer with huge reserves of iron, uranium, nickel, coal, iron, vanadium and titanium minerals. China has entered the mining picture here in a very large way and with huge investments in Tanzania’s mining infrastructure. Unfortunately, to date only 3% or so of the value of minerals mined and exported from Tanzania is reaching government coffers. The rest ends up in the pockets of government officials who award mining rights and as profits for companies, mostly foreign, that have purchased the rights. There is an estimated 1200 million tons of mineral reserves in Tanzania so let’s hope that the government and its social service and educational programs begin to benefit much more than they are currently.

The last stop was at a grocery store called Shop-Rite. Volunteers stocked up with snack foods and treats. Kirk purchased three puzzles and an assortment of candies to distribute to his class of children since tomorrow (Friday) is our last day at our volunteer locations. We then began the two-hour drive home through heavy traffic. We reached Moshi around 7:30, tired and hungry as bears!


When we arrived at our Home-Base we were greeted by an army of huge flying bugs. They were about the size of dragonflies and seemed to fill our eating pavilion. We learned that they were termites. Since the rain has come, they have grown wings and come out of the ground. After the queen mates with the male termites, all of them will lose their wings and the queen will begin a new colony. Some of the termite mounds that we pass when we walk into town are huge!

The second event of the evening was hearing about the deadly explosions in Dar es Salaam this evening. We’ve been told that the explosions were caused by outdated bombs that were being stored in a military warehouse. For some reason one of them exploded, beginning a chain reaction that resulted in the deaths of 20 people, injured 160 more, and closed the airport in Dar es Salaam. No one whom we talk with thinks that it was a terrorist attack. But no one is able to explain how a bomb could go off by itself.

We can assure you that we’re safe and hundreds of miles from the explosion. In fact, Dar es Salaam is an eight hour bus ride or a one hour flight from Moshi.

Tomorrow is our last day of work and on Saturday we’ll meet Margie and Hank Clark to begin our safari.

Love to all of you,
Mama Jean and Babu

It’s Muddy in Moshi!

Dear Family and Friends,

It rained again and a lot overnight, so mud and standing water have replaced Moshi’s dust and dirty air. What a dramatic change in our environment. When we awakened this morning the air was cool and refreshing. We stayed in bed a few extra minutes to take it all in.

Today is a national holiday in Tanzania in honor of Mohammed’s birthday so schools, businesses, and government offices were closed. Orphanages were open for business, however, so Jean went with me to TunaHAKI and helped teach and play with the children. We try to make the play as spirited and educational as possible. The children love putting puzzles together so we use puzzles as an opportunity to reinforce the English words and numbers that they are learning. They catch on very quickly, and are great at mimicking.


The big hit today was helping the children decorate the sides of the 25 small white pastry sacks that Jean brought from our neighborhood BreadWorks store in Louisville. Each child used a series of crayons that we also brought along to carefully draw and then color a variety of flowers and animals on the sides of their very own sack. Which they then guarded as if the small sack was their most prized possession.

They worked very hard and were very focused on this activity for quite a while, so each child was rewarded with five stickers most of which also ended up as decorations on their sack. Everyone had lots of fun, and there was great excitement in the room. At the end of the morning Jean led us all in a hokey-pokey kind of dance that the kids greatly enjoyed.
(As stated earlier, the acrobatic training and workout activity that I was hoping to observe takes place in the evenings and weekends, and since I’m only at the orphanage in the mornings I haven’t been involved with any of this side of the orphanage’s activity. That has been one of very few disappointments.)

Jean’s afternoon activities focused on walking the fifteen minutes to the center of Moshi pick-up the caftan that she had ordered earlier in the week. While downtown, she also visited the internet café to post several blog entries and buy 5 kilograms of kidney beans for the bean bag that she will use to prop her camera on the safari jeep. The dress is exactly what she hoped it would be. The cloth’s colors and design are East African and there was enough fabric left over to create a head wrap. One of the Tanzanian CCS staff members showed Jean how to make the wrap, so she is very pleased.

If all goes as planned, we will post additional blog entries on Friday afternoon. Early on Saturday, we leave Moshi to meet Hank and Margie Clark in Arusha… and then we begin a week-long safari. We do not know when we will have internet access after leaving Moshi on Saturday, but will do our best to post updates as often as possible next week while on safari.

We love you all very much, and think of you often…

Babu and Mama Jean

On the Slopes of Mt. Kilimanjaro

Here’s another example of the uncertainty of life here in Moshi, Tanzania. Yesterday afternoon (Monday) one of the CCS staff reported that the national government had just announced that the National Holiday would be on Wednesday rather than on Tuesday as all of us had previously been told. The result of this was that all other volunteers had to go to their work assignments today. However, since we and another volunteer had arranged to go on our Mt. Kilimanjaro hike, we were excused from work. In addition, Jean’s volunteer site, House of Learning, will be closed on Wednesday because of the Holiday. On Thursday we volunteers will be taken to Arusha to visit the Rwanda War Crimes International Tribunal. So, Jean will teach twice this week, but Kirk will go to his placement three times. All of this paragraph is meant to say that schedules seem to be very uncertain here. We have learned to be very flexible.

Since we were excused from our work assignments today, we waved good-bye to the others as they left in the vans and waited for our driver who would take us to Mt. Kilimanjaro for our day’s hike. What a wonderful experience we had! As we may have said before, Kilimanjaro is the highest peak on the African continent and at 19,336 feet high the largest free-standing mountain in the world.

Our driver and guide was Kevin.
He is an intelligent and personable young man whose daughter Amy was born about a month ago. He is studying Wild Life Management at a university here in Moshi. Kevin was an excellent guide and told us so much about the animals and plants that we saw while on our climb.

He was accompanied by a licensed guide named Gilbert! Can you believe it? Gilbert is also studying Wild Life Management here in Moshi and is also a personable young man. We needed both guides because the other volunteer who accompanied us was in much better condition for the climb and went faster and further than we did.

Kevin and Gilbert drove us to the Marangu Entrance Headquarters on the southeastern side of the Mt. Kilimanjaro National Park. As we turned off the main road toward the park’s entrance, Kevin told us that we were within 10 km of the border between Kenya and Tanzania. We tried to get him to take us to the border, but he said he didn’t have the freedom to make that decision and would have to call the owner of the tour company for which he works. Kevin never made the call.

As compared to our experience at Marangu Headquarters
on Sunday, today’s was wonderful. There were very few people waiting to sign in to climb Mt. Kili (only 70 permits are issued each day at a price of $80 per permit); it wasn’t raining; and this time our guides’ credit card worked. All in all, we were able to begin our climb within 15 or 20 minutes of arriving at the gate.

We started climbing about 10 am and it soon became clear that Maria, our companion, wanted to climb much faster than either of us. The upward incline was severe. We climbed 2700 feet in elevation during a hike of slightly more than 4 miles at an elevation higher than Denver. As a result, Maria and Gilbert surged ahead. Kevin stayed with us and was a terrific companion and guide.
He pointed out Blue Monkeys, White and Black Colobus Monkeys, a Rock Hyrax, a huge raven, the calls of a Tropical Boubou and the Cinnamon Bee Eater, the beautiful but tiny Passion Kilimanjarica and three Fireball Lilies. He encouraged us to climb as far as we could, but understood when we said that we had had enough. The return trip down to the entrance only took us 90 minutes.

The trail from Marangu to the first camp, Mandara Hut, is 8 km and rises from 1800 m to 2700 m. We hiked at least 7 of the 8 km. Throughout the hike, we were in the Kilimanjaro rain forest.
The result of this is that we had a terrific hike of 14 or so km over about 4 ½ hours. It was a great day and a very memorable and wonderful experience.

We returned to Home Base in time to welcome back other volunteers who had been on a four day safari and others who had gone to a tiny island in the Indian Ocean for the five days. It is fun to have everyone back again and to hear about their experiences.

We’ve decided to walk across the dirt road in front of our home here in Moshi and visit the Muzungo (White Foreigner) Bar where we’ll splurge on a bottle of beer to celebrate our day’s accomplishment.

Since House of Learning will not be open tomorrow, Jean has decided that she will go with Kirk to TunaHAKI to help him teach and play with the children. She wonders what fun things he will get her into!

We are both tired, so will end by sending all of you our love,
Mama Jean and Babu

We begin our last week of work in Moshi

Dear Family and Friends,

Before describing the day’s activities, there are two major events to report: FIRST It has rained during each of the last two nights. What a difference a little moisture makes. The day’s heat has been reduced by 20 degrees, the dust has been dampened and the air is clean and fresh, the landscapes have greened up slightly, and everyone (including us!) seems energized. It feels like a different country. Tanzanian friends tell us that these are merely “Teaser Rains” and that the true rainy season is still a month away. Be that as it may, it is great to see what the country looks and feels like when it receives moisture and isn’t so bone-dry.

SECOND It was announced today that Kirk has set an all-time world’s record by eating watermelon at 47 consecutive meals (including breakfasts)! The old record was 44 set by a Maasai warrior in 1653. The watermelons here are juicy and sweet, deep red, and not too mushy. Kirk cannot resist. It is believed that when he leaves Moshi on Saturday his record of 63 consecutive meals with watermelon will never be equaled! The Association of Tanzanian Watermelon Growers is expected to acknowledge this achievement by awarding Kirk its annual honor for A Distinctive Lifetime Accomplishment of Major Significant to Tanzania’s National Viability.

Jean received a much more serious and meaningful honor today when the Executive Director of the House of Learning where she works asked if she would be able to extend her teaching service by two weeks!
Jean is doing a remarkable job of helping students prepare for their national qualifying exams, and the school she’s at recognizes and greatly appreciates her teaching skills. It was difficult for Jean to tell everyone that as much as she would like to stay, she is obliged to leave Moshi as scheduled.

Since this is the last week that we are in Moshi, we are working hard at completing the list of things that we want to accomplish while here. This afternoon Jean took care of two “to do’s.” #1… she bought some cloth in an African print, and then took it to a seamstress who will make a long caftan. Several female CCS staff members wear similar dresses, which they call “Butterfly dresses,” and they look elegant. Jean decided that she wanted one made for herself to bring home. #2… Jean also wanted to visit the huge Lutheran church here in Moshi and take a few pictures. It is a lovely church and would fit into any city in the US, except that there was a huge and highly visible Coca Cola sign inside the sanctuary, behind the last pew. Seemed really strange, but might be a new fund raising idea for American churches!

The young volunteer from Connecticut who took Jean shopping this afternoon led the two of them to a café which served yogurt shakes. Jean ordered a mango yogurt shake which was totally refreshing! What a great way to celebrate a good afternoon of shopping!

Kirk’s day was less eventful.
The teaching of ABC’s and simple addition went well, and so the children were rewarded with stickers in the shapes of pink and red hearts. As usual, the stickers were plastered on their foreheads, where they will stay for a couple days.

Near the end of the morning, while the children were playing, the teacher at the TunaHAKI orphanage asked Kirk for a private conversation. Kirk had suspected that this would happen before his departure on Friday. The teacher (a 26 year old named Deo) would like to get married and finish his college education but has no money to do either. He described how difficult and hopeless his life is without the prospect of a decent paying job that he needs before he can be independent and support a family. Deo says he is very depressed because he has no idea where he will ever find the money he needs to be a happy adult. He then asked if Kirk would sponsor him for two years at Tsh 800,000 ($550) @ year. Deo is a very decent and likable fellow with lots of potential. And Kirk truly feels sorry for him.

There are literally tens of thousands of young men in Moshi living under the same hopeless and depressing circumstances. These are some of the same conditions that give rise to the kind of protests and revolts that are taking place in northern Africa. At some point, the generation of young people in their 20’s and 30’s decides that there is no longer anything to lose in confronting their governments.

Kirk had expected for the past week that he would be approached by Deo.
His situation is heart-wrenching because there truly seems no way out of his dead-end life. This is the same fellow whose family cannot raise or borrow enough money to pay for their father’s surgery. Kirk would have been seriously inclined to become Deo’s sponsor and for $1100 invest in his future as a teacher and devoted family man. The chances are good that things would have worked out. Nonetheless, Kirk had to tell Deo that Cross Cultural Solutions has a policy that strictly forbids volunteers from contributing money to the organization they work with and its employees. The thinking is that the passing of money would quickly distort the relationship of CCS volunteers and their work to Moshi’s nonprofit community. We are here to offer our time and skills, not to be quick financial fixes. It was a difficult and disheartening conversation that left everyone feeling sad.

It’s time for bananagrams, M&M’s, and a good night’s sleep. Tomorrow we try again to climb up Mt. Kilimanjaro. We’ll see how far we get.

Love you all,
Mama Jean and Babu

Our Valentine Weekend Get-Away

Jean and I have been looking forward to our weekend get-away in Arusha. In part because we are eager to experience comfortable living conditions that include HOT water and a shower that produces more than a drip. But also because Arusha is much larger than Moshi and is considered the capital and political center of East Africa. It is more developed and offers many pleasures (such as ice cream, reliable internet services, and the International Herald Tribune newspaper) that I’ve missed in Moshi.

Before leaving for Arusha at 2:00 this afternoon (Friday), we both went to our work assignments. Jean says that hers was normal. Something magical happened at mine.
Jean brought two bags of balloons to Tanzania, so since the children were so unruly yesterday I decided that today was the day for balloons. They were a tremendous hit. Each of the 25 children had their own colorful balloon which they danced, bounced, ran, laughed, and cuddled with. There was incredible happiness, singing, children’s laughter, and true magic in the air. I wonder how often, if ever, these deprived children have experienced the exhilaration of having a balloon of their very own, and being in a room with 25 others who were experiencing the same sense of joyful celebration. I took pictures which in time will be posted. It was a very special and memorable morning… and totally redeemed yesterday’s frustrations.

At 2:00 we hired a taxi to take us to the Moshi Bus Station. The Arusha bus that I had spotted yesterday was preparing to leave. There were several seats still available, so we grabbed two and paid our $1.50 fares (for a two hour trip). The bus was not a non-stop express, but it was comfortable. When you are the biggest vehicle on the road, you can drive like a bat out of hell… and that’s what our driver did. Weaving in and out of traffic, driving with his horn, and bullying traffic that threatened to get in our way, we rammed our way to Arusha. The road is hard surfaced, and well maintained. Still, there are lots of speed bumps on roads in Tanzania, and there were many on this highway. No matter… our driver chose to ignore them, vaulting us out of our seats and launching our kidneys out the window.

By the way, our bus belongs to the Promises Bus Line, and written on the back and sides of our bus were the words “Prayer is our Hope.” You can say that again! I forgot to say that every time the bus stopped to pick up and drop off passengers (7 or 8 times in all), we were swarmed by vendors selling everything from perfume to peanuts to soap to Viagra to orange juice. Some of them stayed on the bus between stops and continued to proclaim the marvelous virtues of whatever it was they were selling. All in all, what an experience!

I’m glad to report that we made it to Arusha, safe and sound. But we were extremely happy to get off the bus. The bus station was a mad house. Actually, before we even de-bussed, guys were into the bus trying to persuade passengers to use their taxi to get to wherever in Arusha they were going. We needed a taxi, so I bargained (got the price down to Tsh 5000 from Tsh 10,000… this is not high finance, Tsh 5000 is $3.50) and we were taken to the Arusha Hotel in a relatively new cab with a pleasant driver.

The Arusha Hotel is very nice. We are going to enjoy the weekend. There’s a huge bathtub with a shower that has lots and lots of very hot water. The toilet works, and so does the air conditioner! While Jean stayed in the room to catch up with email, I roamed the area near the hotel. The streets and shops and sidewalks are much nicer than Moshi’s. I bought a Herald Tribune, found an ice cream shop, and purchased a liter of totally cold water.
Oh yes, and bought Jean a dozen roses for Valentine’s Day. They are quite pretty, and she was very pleased. Don’t tell her that the roses only cost $1.50. 

As you can imagine, it took a very long time to bathe. There is dirt and dust in every nook and cranny of our bodies. Anyway, feeling clean and frisky, we took a taxi to a restaurant that had been recommended by a family friend (George Norris, son of Sue and Scott) who lived in Arusha while he interned with the United Nations at the Rwanda War Crimes Tribunal. George encouraged us to eat a meal at Khan’s Bar-Be-Que.
By day, Khan’s is an auto repair and spare parts shop. At 6:30 it turns into a bar-be-que joint. We had a wonderful time. The vegetable dishes, nan, and beef, lamb and chicken bar-be-que were fabulous and spicy. We’re so glad that George told us about the place. While eating at tables on the sidewalk, we invited a group of five to join us. They turned out to be from a church in Germany and in Tanzania (one for the 6th time) to discuss church related and community development projects with their Lutheran church partners in the Arusha and Moshi areas. For example, they donate cows to Tanzanian farmers who promise to give the first female offspring to a neighbor, etc. Anyway, we enjoyed visiting with this very congenial and talkative German group and learned a lot about foreign aid, church relations, and life in Tanzania. Jean and I ate far too much, but the food was great and the ambience was memorable. Around 9:00 we returned to the hotel, and are looking forward to a wonderful night of sleeping TOGETHER IN THE SAME BED! That makes up for my forgetting to bring the M&M’s bag along.

Now it’s Saturday, February 12, and our Valentine’s Weekend Getaway continues! We slept in, and by 9:30 were enjoying the hotel’s breakfast buffet. The first order of business for the day was to visit the gem dealer whose shop is in our hotel’s lobby to see about buying a Tanzanite stone.
Nina, who helped plan and book our safari, recommended him. His name is Eric Saul of Swala Gems and what a delightful young man he is. Eric lives in Paris, but operates this shop in Arusha, another in Dar es Salaam, and another in a western Tanzanian city. He was an excellent salesman, seemed to be honest, and gave us a very good price on our choice. We will take the Tanzanite back to Louisville and have a setting made for it there.

Our next task was to go to an optometrist downtown to have both of our eye glasses repaired. It was a Muslim operated business. They were very kind to us. Everything went well. Our glasses are once again in tip-top condition. If we don’t see straight this week, it can’t be blamed on the glasses we’re wearing.

Jean then devoted the next several hours to bringing the blog up to date. We are grateful for your patience and hope that you are enjoying the descriptions of our various adventures. While Jean was working at the laptop, I went to the lobby and read English newspapers. I was eager to catch up with developments in Egypt. Then it was time to roam the neighborhood. Remember the ice cream shop that was mentioned earlier? That was one of my stops. One scoop of mint and chocolate. Then it was off to various shops, including a grocery store, with lots of picture taking. My reason for entering shops was to look for a large piece puzzle for my orphans back in Moshi and a traditional Tanzanian musical instrument called a marimba. I enjoyed interesting chats with shopkeepers, but didn’t ever find what I was looking for. Along the way I saw a parade of decorated cars honking horns and carrying a newly married bride and groom, and also a band practicing on a church’s grounds (I assume for tomorrow’s worship service).

There are no stop lights in Moshi. Arusha is a vastly larger city. It has two stop lights (in a city of one million people). Traffic at busy and important intersections is effectively controlled by huge round-abouts. They work extremely well. Drivers cooperate and understand whose turn it is. Traffic moves very well. Be that as it may, the round-about outside our hotel contains a tall pillar with a large clock on top. This clock tower marks the geographical center of Africa, and is also the half-way point between Cairo and Cape Town.

While out and about earlier in the day, I learned that there was a large Mt. Meru Craft Market very close to our hotel. So when Jean was finished with her computer work, we walked to the market and encountered scores of vendors eager to sell their goods. It was a very colorful sight. They were eager to sell to Babu and his mama!  We bought the marimba we were looking for, and Jean purchased a couple pieces of cheap jewelry that she didn’t really want (but bought in order to get away without causing disappointment at week’s end).
We finally left the market, returned to the hotel where we enjoyed a pick-us-up afternoon snack of a local brew and tasty potato chips. There we met two women from Florida who had just arrived in Arusha in advance of a safari which they will begin tomorrow morning. We enjoyed the visit, and they seemed to be interested in what we are doing. We strongly encouraged them to go to Khan’s Bar-be-Que for dinner tonight, but don’t know if they will be brave enough to venture away from the hotel and give it a try.

Our New Arusha Hotel’s grounds and gardens are extensive and attractive. While walking through the gardens as we returned to our room, we came upon a huge tent with beautifully decorated tables and a disc jockey setting ups his sound equipment. We learned that the Arusha Rotary Club will use the setup this evening to hold its annual Valentine Dance and Dinner. If Jean and I had dressier clothes along, I would have been tempted to see if we could attend.

As we have planned for this evening to be our Valentine’s Dinner night-out together, we decided to go to a highly regarded Chinese Restaurant nearby. The restaurant was very nice and clean, the service was attentive, and the food was outstanding. We enjoyed a meal of hot and sour soup. Korean kimchi, sweet and sour prawns with a fabulous sauce, a very tasty white rice, and Chinese tea. While we were eating, the skies began to thunder and lighten, and very soon it was raining. How refreshing. The air cooled down and smelled clean. People in the restaurant were very happy. Apparently they are as tired of hot and dusty conditions as we. We wonder if the rainy season, not expected until mid-March, will arrive early this year. Time will tell.

We returned to the hotel in a slight drizzle, and then began to bring the day and our very special weekend get-away to an end. Tomorrow morning at 7:00 we return to Moshi for a day of climbing part-way up Mt. Kilimanjaro, the tallest mountain on the continent of Africa. This is something that we’ve wanted to do ever since we knew we were coming to Tanzania, so we hope that tomorrow will be a good day. In tomorrow’s posting, we’ll describe the climb.

We love you all very much, and wish you Lala Salama from Arusha.
Babu and Mama Jean

SPECIAL NOTE written on Sunday evening, Feb 13:
Well, the climb on Mt. Kilimanjaro didn’t happen. The tour company was two hours late to pick us up this morning, and then other difficulties took place along the way. By the time we were ready to begin the climb it was 12 noon. And it was raining very hard, and the mountain was engulfed in clouds. Since much of today’s trek would have been through a dense rain forest with constant rain, we decided to return to Moshi and try again on Tuesday which is a national holiday in honor of Mohammed’s birth. After two very active weeks, Jean and I were ready for a restful afternoon. We read, napped, ate popcorn, and looked at pictures of Ethiopia taken by another volunteer who recently visited Addis Ababa and Lalibela (the places we will visit in early March). Tomorrow is Monday, and it’s back to work!

Another Thursday in Moshi

Dear Family and Friends,

This was another very fascinating day in our adopted home town of Moshi where the women are strong, the men are engaging, and the children are countless and as cute as buttons!

There was nothing special about Jean’s work today except that the Director of the House of Learning asked that she teach all day rather than just in the morning. Jean’s masterful teaching skills are recognized and valued, so her supervisor was quite pleased when Jean agreed to teach in the afternoon as well as in the morning. By 4:00, Jean was an exhausted puppy, so she returned to the Home-Base late this afternoon and immediately took a well deserved nap.


This was an unusually warm day, even by Moshi’s standards. I think this may be the reason why so many of the children at the orphanage where I work were unruly. There were more than the usual number of fights and pestering each other. Since the teacher and director didn’t show up again today, I was responsible for discipline and trying to teach numbers 11-20 and letters P to Z in English. The kids tried very hard but ran out of steam. And so did I. One little boy from the neighborhood came to class with knife wounds on his right arm. He said that his mother had hurt him. It was decided that a neighbor would take him to the police. Perhaps we’ll find out tomorrow what happened.

Jean stayed at her school, but I returned to the Home-Base for lunch. After doing some hand laundry I decided to walk to the town centre where I walked about for a couple hours. The vast part of the city’s commercial activity takes place out of doors and on the street, so it is very interesting and easy to view.
I saw everything imaginable… from barbers to sewing machine ladies making bags and dresses to vendors selling shoes, clothing, toys, auto and bike parts, and cosmetics. I stopped by an ATM to withdraw 300,000 Tanzanian shillings from my checking account in the US. I thought I was a rich man until I figured out that Tsh 300,000 only amounts to $200.00! Anyway, after the walk-about and picture taking, I went to an Internet Café to quench my thirst with a coke in a class bottle and read the New York Times. I was pleased to learn that the TEA Party is giving Republican leaders a run for their money.


Finally I stopped to see the bus station. Scores of buses that connect Moshi with the rest of the country and Africa were coming and going. What a noisy and chaotic zoo. There was nothing going on that resembled order and discipline. Every bus was met by vendors hawking a variety of goods and “professionals” trying to get their clients the best seats on always packed buses. It appears that buses don’t leave the station until they are full. For the most part, there are no schedules… except on the high priced elite buses.

After work tomorrow, Jean and I will travel by bus to Arusha (a major city that is 45 miles to the west) and stay at a very nice and air-conditioned hotel for two nights. This will be our Valentine’s Day celebration! We’ve decided that we would like a Tanzanian “bus experience” so we will take one of the local buses that I spotted this afternoon. We’ll let you know in the next blog posting what the experience ended up being like.


I find Tanzania’s heat to be debilitating and dehydrating. I drink as much water as I can absorb but still feel the physical effects of not having enough liquids in my system. By mid-afternoon, I am exhausted and listless. I see Tanzanian men and women working so very hard all day long under a scorching sun and wonder how in the world they do it. It’s a tough life for most Tanzanians. No wonder their bodies give out when they are in their 40s. By the way, I learned yesterday that the primary cause of death in Tanzania is malaria, and that one of five children die of malaria.

To reward ourselves for the very challenging day we had experienced, Jean and I and a group of other volunteers who were also feeling like the day had been very rough decided to have the evening meal at a local watering hole named “The Watering Hole! The Watering Hole is owned by a guy who was born in Tanzania of American parents and went to college at Texas A&M. It’s located on a river bank and after dark shows movies on a large outdoor screen. It is a very popular spot. Because we were so tired, Jean and I didn’t stay for the movie but we did enjoy a cheeseburger and fries and a chicken quesadilla and four large bottles of beer. Jean is already in bed and fast asleep, and while it has been difficult for me to sleep soundly when the weather at night is so hot I plan to do so tonight. There was a reason for all the beer! On the way home, we learned that the taxi driver’s wife had just given birth to their first child and that he was headed tomorrow to the village where his wife’s family lives to pick his wife and the baby up. It was all very sweet.

We love you all… and wish we could sit together and talk about all we are experiencing. It seems impossible that next week is our last week as Cross Cultural Solutions volunteers. The experience has been very enriching and enjoyable… and the time is passing very quickly.

Lala Salama… fo fo fo!

Babu and Mama Jean

Day trip to Marangu

Today (Wednesday) was a special treat for all of us who began our stay with CCS in Moshi on January 26. Two CCS vans took us on a field trip to the town of Marangu with several stops along the way and after our visit to the town.

We left home base after breakfast and drove north and east of Moshi, up the slopes of Mt. Kilimanjaro. Our first stop was to visit a huge baobob tree and to learn about its significance in Tanzanian culture. The baobob trees play an important role in traditional Tanzanian life. With its leaves, seeds and bark, it provided medicines to the community. It was a place of shelter and a center of the spiritual life of the community. Just as is the case throughout the world, as Tanzanian culture becomes more and more influenced by the larger world, the baobob tree plays less and less a role in the community. However, we enjoyed learning about this magnificent plant.


After encircling the tree with outstretched arms, all of us hopped back into our vans and were driven to a blacksmith shop that was unlike any that we have ever seen any where in the world. This one was located under a pavilion that was not too much different from the one in which we eat our meals at Home Base. The Blacksmith pavilion was more rustic and had a dirt floor, but it was very simple, without walls and provided the workers shade from the sun.

Of course, the iron was being shaped entirely by hand. It was heated in a wood fire similar to those used at campsites to cook food. The bellows were extremely unusual because they were powered by the men moving a rubber tube back and forth horizontally. I am afraid that I couldn’t understand the mechanics involved, but took pictures that may help someone else explain how they worked.

The blacksmith shop produced both long and short spears, bells that might be similar to cow bells but round in shape, and several other iron objects. We found a simple rattle-like musical instrument that will be added to our dining room wall. We’re both pleased with the purchase.

Our next stop was the Marangu market. As you know, we have visited many, many markets throughout the world. Therefore, we didn’t expect this one to be very different. Were we ever wrong! The banana market section in the Marangu market was phenomenal.
We have never seen so many stalks of bananas in one place. From miles away farmers used very simple wheel barrows to bring piles of stalks to the market. Some women were bringing one stalk on their heads while others were taking a stalk away after having bought it. We learned that many of the stalks of bananas were headed south to Dar es Salaam and other parts of Tanzania. Thus, it was not a local banana market but one that served a much wider region.

We also wandered around the market because it was interesting and colorful. Kirk bought a bunch of carrots and Jean bought a tiny package of beans.
We hoped to begin to fill the “bean bag” that we’ll use as a “tripod” for the camera on our safari. However, this purchase didn’t help fill the bean bag very much. We’ll need to make another trip to the Moshi market and buy a lot more beans. More on that another time.

After an enjoyable visit to the market, we drove to a cave that was dug in the mid-1800s for people who did not want to be sold into slavery. They could hide in these caves and escape being sold. There are many caves in this part of Tanzania. All were dug by women. This one had a very steep ladder that enabled us to climb down. It was an interesting look into Tanzanian history.
Our next stop was at a resort on the slopes of Mt. Kilimanjaro which caters to foreigners who are either about to begin their climb to the top of the mountain or who have completed their climb. CCS kitchen staff had packed lunches for each of us, so we enjoyed a lovely lunch of buttered bread, a hard boiled egg, a fried vegetable croquette, a muffin, apple and banana. Kirk bought a refreshing beer which we enjoyed sharing. Everything was delicious and filling. We were all ready for this stop.

After the delicious lunch we all visited an outdoor museum which contained an example of a traditional house made of grass which was used by the Chaaga tribe who lived in this area of Tanzania. Before Tanzania became a colony of Great Britain, there were 120 independent tribes in the area that is now Tanzania. The Chaagas lived in the area around Moshi that we visited today. Their round, grass covered houses protected them and their animals from their enemies, especially the Maasai (who claimed that all cows anywhere in the area belonged to them as a divine right), and from the sun and rain. A separate building in the museum displayed weapons, household utensils, and musical instruments that the Chaagas used in their daily life.

Our final activity of the trip was to walk from the museum to a famous waterfall and the pool below that it makes. The dirt walkway first took us through a community, and past two small cemeteries and a Lutheran church that seemed to be out in the middle of nowhere. Then we started to climb down the side of the cliff that formed the side of the river valley. It was a dirt footpath with steep steps, unstable handrails and lots of rocks. A park official appeared to offer Jean a helpful hand at the difficult places along the trail. We made it to the bottom of the waterfall, but not to the pool that it formed. Jean was about to try to cross the water to get to the dirt path that led up to the pool, but slipped on one of the steep stepping stones that led across. After slipping into the water, getting wet, but not getting hurt, she decided that she would not make it up to the pool. We both joined the rest of the group as they walked on to another pool, put our feet into the cool water and enjoyed a break before climbing the cliff again. We were so happy to make it back to the vans to return to Home Base in Moshi.


It was a very interesting and exhausting day. We all learned a lot, saw a lot and had wonderful experiences. After a delicious CCS dinner of beef kabobs and baked potatoes, we played Bananagrams with some of the other volunteers. Electricity is off again, so the generator is providing power to run the computer so that I can write this post.

We both wish all of you a very happy weekend.

Love,
Mama Jean and Babu