Ngorongoro "Crater"

7/30

Day 2, we woke up at 6am to watch the sunset over the Great Rift Valley. 7am, we had a hearty breakfast of eggs, toast, and hotdogs, then headed off to Ngorongoro "Crater". I put crater in quotation marks because it is called a crater, but it is really a caldera. The reason it is called a crater is because the first people to discover Ngorongoro did not know it was a caldera and, as our guide told us, it is very hard to change a name once it is in place in the records.

Ngorongoro was definitely my favorite park not only because of the variety of savannah animals, but the breathtaking views.

zebras right next to the road at the top of the mountain

Pumbas

So many wildebeest!

Wildebeest with flamingos faintly in the background

Solitary hyena

Lazy lions

This lion jumped at the water- what a scaredy cat

Elephantes

Like I said- SO MANY WILDEBEEST

Ostrich

Zehbrahs

At the viewpoint looking into Ngorongoro

Lake Manyara

7/30

So, we went on a three-day safari (I know, I'm surprised too). I never thought I'd be going on a safari during my visit! I would love to tell you about every wonderful experience I had during the past three days, but as Kevin so eloquently put it, this is what Hemingway wrote novels about. So, enjoy this photo blog post as a nice complement to Hemingway.

We began day 1 at Lake Manyara, a grasslands area filled with monkeys, elephants, and zebra.

baby baboon

so many zebras!

Impalas- only found in the African savannah/grasslands

Hippo pool

Vervet monkeys

Giraffe- not as big as I expected

Elephants go where they please

I like big butts and I cannot lie

Baboon male leader with his harem

After leaving the park, we headed to our campsite at the top of a mountain overlooking the Great Rift Valley, where we were able to take photos across the valley. We relaxed, had dinner cooked by our personal chef, and passed out until sunrise the next morning.

You learn something new every day

7/19
This blog post will be succinct like my previous post, since I am only making an observation.

Today I was riding the dala dala to Usa River for DHE work and was sitting in the back row. Nothing out of the ordinary, until a man got on the bus carrying 4 chickens strung up by their legs. Not too weird (I've seen it done before), until I realize these chickens are still alive.

WHAT? I now have a new meaning to the term "fresh meat".

Two things

7/17
1. We are back in Arusha and though I am missing Lushoto already I am glad to be reunited with the rest of our team and


2. We went to see the new Spiderman in 3D at the movie theater and it was AWESOME! Go see it! Unfortunately, the movie theaters here are the same cost as the movie theaters in the States. Also, it was weird to be in the theater and realize I was in Tanzania.

That is all :-)

Hiking Magambe

7/15

Nik and I were scheduled for the Magambe Rainforest hike on Saturday, but woke up to rain pounding against the roof of the hotel. So after grabbing a great free breakfast- corn flakes, milk, bananas, eggs to order, toast, papaya- we called up Cocafa and rescheduled our hike for the next day. I spent the rest of the day researching cheap hostels in Zanzibar for our last-week-in-Africa-so-let's-vacation trip. After hours of scanning web pages, I found a place that has backpacker-style bungalows on the beach for $12 a night. Score.

The next morning (sunny and clear skies, thank goodness), we walked into town and met with our two guides who took us to the edge of town towards the mountains. As we trekked through a few villages, our guides explained the historical importance of a few of the villages. One guide (unfortunately, I do not remember either of their names) described when the Germans arrived in the area, they destroyed the chiefdom but introduced hospitals and schools. He also showed us an "apple tree" plant, with roots that can cure for malaria and leaves that can be used for a multivitamin tea. As we walked past some huts, children ran up to us yelling "picha picha!" so, of course, I felt it necessary to take their picture.

We continued our trek into the rainforest and within ten minutes saw a black and white colobus monkey for a split second in a fig tree. It's actually really easy to tell when there are colobus monkeys around because their bodies are so big they make a lot of noise when moving around in trees. Unfortunately, monkeys do not stay still for very long so I didn't see much more than a figure moving through the tree and a face poke out from above. I was unable to get any photos, but hopefully this video shows how awesome these creatures are.

Enormous trees just outside of the rainforest

As we continued on our hike, our guide stopped us suddenly, pointing to a tree and saying "chameleon". Either I need a new prescription for my contacts or am terrible at picking out green things among green things, but I could not find this chameleon for the life of me. The guide finally grabbed a stick and had to physically point out the chameleon to me. It was awesome seeing a wild chameleon instead of the usual Petco chameleon behind a glass wall. Surprisingly enough, the guides offered that Nik and I could hold the chameleon. As the chameleon walked across my hand with his zygodactyly feet, I felt sad for the countless animals trapped in small glass boxes at pet stores in America. After the chameleon began hissing at us (the flash on my camera probably didn't help), we put him back in his bush and continued on our way. 

Our walk through the rainforest quickly turned into a hike up the rainforest. Good thing I've been doing 5am workouts at the gym every morning (not). I was breathing hard by the end of it, but I noticed I was not as tired on this hike as on the Sapuk waterfall hike. So, ignore my heavy breathing on this video during the hike and enjoy the views!

Near the end of our time in the rainforest, I heard crashing through the trees. Sure enough, 5 black and white colobus monkeys were running around in the trees above us. Again, they moved too fast for me to get out my camera but I got much better views of the animals as they chased each other around. I had never thought I would see so many monkeys (in the wild) in one day, but then I saw more as we exited the forest into a village where there were two vervets hanging around in a tree above a hut. Seeing  these animals in the wild reminded me of the amazing field research done by primatologists. This experience combined with my enjoyment of Anthropology class (Lemurs, Monkeys, and Apes) in the winter makes me seriously consider creating some sort of a minor related to primatology. Studying monkeys all day for work? I think yes!

After reaching the peak, we stopped for a quick lunch of bread and oranges under a tree. The hike was shorter than I expected (3.5 hours) but I saw everything I wanted to see- great views and monkeys. If anyone is planning on coming to Tanzania, I would recommend going to Lushoto and doing this hike (plus Irente, which you definitely don't need a guide for). The guides are very helpful and the views of the mountains are incredible.

Hiking Irente

7/12
Lushoto is a town with cultural tourism, meaning you pay money to visit villages, hike to nearby peaks, go cheese tasting, or experience other "cultural immersion" programs. Nik and I thought we should take advantage of this economy during our visit, so we went into town to visit a cultural tourist center and bargain our way to a great deal on a cool hike. On our way into town, we discovered  that it was market day and the Lushoto market was way cooler than the Arusha market. The people did not yell at you and follow you around so you would buy their stuff, the prices were cheaper, and the merchandise was more traditional (think of the difference between villages and cities). After looking around, I bought a few kitenges, traditional fabric worn by the majority of women here.

After the market, Nik and I went to Cocafa, Community Care and Friendship Association, a group that donates part of the money they make towards rural villages in the Usambara Mountains. We spoke with one of the staff members there, and he told us of all the day trips we could do (hikes, visiting villages and learning more about their culture, cheese and wine tasting, etc). He asked us what we wanted for our trip. Nik said he wanted to hike, and I said I wanted to see monkeys. We decided on hiking through the Magambe Rainforest, with highlights that included seeing black and white colobus monkeys and vervet monkeys. The cost was supposed to be $35, but we only had Tanzanian shillings and were able to bargain the trip down to 25,000 TSH (around $18). We booked the trip for the weekend as a break from DHE work.


After leaving town, we had the rest of the day to ourselves. Mike, the man we met at the hotel the night before, had told us of a great viewpoint hike he did with a guide in the area. Being the adventurers we are, Nik and I decided we could do the hike without a guide and set off in the general direction of Irente viewpoint. On our  3.5 mile walk to Irente, we got some great views of the area. We passed many villages with goats and chickens roaming the road, and sometimes children would run after us to hand us flowers. We passed a church and detoured to check out the inside (which was much more Westernized than I expected- though still cool). As we were leaving, the pastor was walking up the road to the church and greeted us. We talked a bit about the work he did at the orphanage, and he taught us how to say "God bless" in Swahili (mungu akubariki).

view of the valley

flowers given to us by children

Before reaching the viewpoint, we came across the Irente Biodiversity Farm and Reserve, a place dedicated to preserving the local Tanzanian plants. This place was definitely aimed towards tourists, but we got some great local yogurt (that tasted cheesy) for lunch. The Farm also sold jam and cheese that looked good but were sold in quantities larger than Nik and I could eat or carry back with us. 

mmm....cheesy yogurt!

After leaving the Biodiversity Reserve, we continued about 2 km to Irente Viewpoint, "where all the mzungus go". We paid the 2,000 shilling "entrance fee" (an illegitimate guy standing at the front demanding money), which was definitely worth it. The views were amazing! And, I am finally getting some time to upload videos so to see the views better, click here.

The view from Irente Viewpoint

On the walk back, children ran up to me and started putting flowers in my hair. I didn't take them out, so when locals walked by us they would laugh at the white girl with dead flowers in her hair. After trying some great street roasted corn and fried donuts, we got back to the hotel just before dusk and relaxed while watching Animal Planet.

The good and the bad

7/11
We decided last minute to go to Lushoto to meet with some people who already have a fairly successful briquetting project up and running. Our bus ride to Lushoto was nothing like the bus ride from Dar.

Woke up at 5am.
Got on a bus, and my seat was already fully reclined and jammed so it would not come up.
Changed seats, and the second seat was next to a window that was open the entire trip (even through rain).
Our bus was very much like a dala dala, noisy and every time we went over a bump I thought the bus would break down.
5 hours into the ride, our bus stopped at the side of the road for a bathroom break. I got out, expecting holes in the ground (I can handle that!). Much to my dismay, people were peeing on the sides of walls out in the open. Decided to hold it and got back on the bus.
Every bus stop we arrived, I was tempted by roadside vendors selling snacks- I had not eaten breakfast. I even was tempted by the "Glucose" packs.
7 hours in, we arrived in Mombo and turned up the road towards the mountains- my mood changed from disheartened to excited.
Turns out the road up the mountains is like Kingsbury grade- except the road is dirt with many rocks the bus driver barrels over.
We arrive in Lushoto around 3pm.

Though our ride was pretty bad, our hotel definitely makes up for it. The "Lawns Hotel" is situated just outside of the center of town. Our room is large, there is a plasma TV (that works), and there are dogs (well taken care of) running around everywhere. There is even a puppy! The man who owns the hotel is Croatian but was born and raised near Lushoto. He is a very amiable old man who also takes in many Peace Corps volunteers when they are on break.

The view from our hotel

After Nik and I moved into our room, we met up with a translator and walked 30 minutes out of town to Dochi village, to meet our VICOBA. Around 5pm, we left and headed back into town to eat our first meal for the day. On our way into town, we were drawn in by an incredible smell, and found ourselves at a local bread factory. We bought a loaf and devoured it until we found a hotel in town that served mzungu food- pizza, sandwiches, and pasta. My sandwich was not too great, but Nik's flatbread pizza was really good, for Tanzania food. Afterward, we went back to the hotel and met Mike, a man who works in the economics sector at IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature), based in Switzerland. We talked a bit about conservation, and he recommended I apply for an internship there in the future. Mike, Nik, and I then spent the next 3 hours watching NatGeoWild shows, causing me to reminisce about my childhood love of Animal Planet. Afterwards, I watched Mike and other guests play Scrabble. I forgot all about the horrific ride out here.

The hotel bar

Making friends

7/10
I figured it would be a good idea to take a break from work today to get over being sick, so I ran some errands in the marketplace and relaxed in my room today. But I also made some new friends! I went up to the bar to charge the laptop and I said hello to the bartender, Joseph ("Joe"), who I had met a few days earlier. I learned that one waitress's name was Moija and a very nice waitress who said hello to me every morning at breakfast was named Sophia.

The internet is an incredible technology. For the next hour, Moija and I proceeded to sit at the bar with google translate on and talk to eachother back and forth, typing in Swahili and English. She asked me where my parents were, what I was doing in Tanzania, and what I am studying. She asked me if I would be her friend and, of course, I accepted. She then asked what I was doing for lunch, and I told her I had eaten at the local fruit stand. Moija was called back to work and I sat at the bar, talking with Joseph, a very animated (28 year old) bartender. He asked me if I had a boyfriend, and I said yes (everything is easier when you are getting more marriage proposals than facebook friend requests). We talked for quite a while, discussing topics from mzungu bargaining to love (but he made no efforts to propose. He did, however, ask to take me out on a date so he could buy me a beer and we could "disco"). Joe offered to buy me a beer at the bar, but I declined. He told me it would be free since he worked there, and offered to get me any drink I wanted. I continued to decline until, 5 minutes later, he asked why I did not want a free drink from him. I did not want to offend him, so I got an African cider ("Savannah Dry") and offered to split it with him. Joe was not allowed to drink while working, so he got out a wine glass and poured some for himself under the table. He sneaked a drink, and grimaced (like me, he does not drink alcohol often) but then laughed and began serving an actual customer at the bar.

As I was leaving, Moija called out to me holding a plate of wali majarague (rice and beans, traditional Tanzanian fare) and insisted I eat lunch with her. I was very full already, but accepted the invitation. I bought her a coke for giving me a free lunch, and the two of us ate together off the one plate, as if we had been friends for years. Moija is very sweet and I will definitely be seeing her more often around the hotel!

I walked back downstairs from the bar and was greeted by another hotel staff member, Bruno. Bruno is a great guy to talk to, since in addition to being fluent in Swahili, he is also well versed in Spanish, so this makes conversations much longer and detailed between the two of us. Previous to this evening, we talked a lot and he once told me he wanted to find a nice, beautiful Spanish girl in Arusha to marry. He knows this will never happen, but has a great sense of humor though he can be very flirty at times. So on my walk down the stairs today, of course, Bruno asked if I had had lunch yet. I said, yes, sorry. He told me he wanted to take me out to lunch sometime, and would not take no for an answer. I did not want to offend him, so I said maybe one day I would go out to lunch with him. Knowing Bruno's humor, that would be an interesting lunch date. I may or may not keep you posted.

That's Life

7/5
Being sick with food poisoning in a Third World country really makes me appreciate being sick with food poisoning in the United States. I do not have access to: jello, ice cubes, saltines, applesauce, and rice krispies. And my mom (hi dad).

This stinks.

Hiking Sapuk

6/30

Misha, a DHE member from the spring trip, visited us! In addition to teaching us more Swahili, he told us of an awesome waterfall hike he had done a few months earlier. Kevin, Nik, and I took a break from our work and together we voyaged out to the Sapuk waterfall. The hike is on the way to Mt. Meru and fairly close to Arusha, so we walked an hour out of the city into the surrounding villages. The more we walked, the more humid and green the landscape became. As we walked towards one of the hills, one of our guides explained to me his training as a tour guide and began identifying plants and birds. When I looked up at one point, I saw a monkey (FINALLY!) and was very stoked. I was so excited, it made finding the squashed chameleon in the center of the road look cool.

As we ascended the hill, I learned two important things about myself:

1. I am more out of shape than I thought I was

2. I need to get into better shape if I plan on hiking more (which I do)

The views were gorgeous. Everything was green and tropical. There were banana trees and potato fields lining the pathways, and fig trees jutting out in the distance (which I knew from my Anthropology class contained many more monkeys). At the top of the hill, there was a village overlooking Arusha with a lovely grass field in which I gladly laid down and watched the clouds inch by. Children ran by, carrying machetes larger than their arms and throwing them across the grass in a game I never would have been allowed to play as a kid. 

We began the descent to the other side of the hill, and I was surprised to see the area was dominated by a pine tree forest (not native to the area). We eventually descended into a rain forest where we hopped the stream that would eventually lead us to the waterfall. Much to my dismay, our hike was not yet over. We climbed (not hiked, CLIMBED) a 70-degree angle hill up to a military post. The military, I learned, protects the land and keeps it safe from people trying to cut down trees. And, of course, I was not spared the marriage proposal (the third since arriving in Tanzania) from one of the men. 

Women showing skin above the knee is a big no-no in Tanzanian culture- I doubt they would have been OK with my swimsuit!

After hiking back down, we made our way to the waterfall and had lunch at the top of a boulder. We were not the only ones, there were many locals visiting the waterfall (around 30 people).  Things always taste better after a long hike, but the Gouda cheese and avocado sandwich Nik made was incredible, and the freshly cut coconut Misha provided hit the spot. After eating, we "went for a swim" under the waterfall. I forgot to mention it was pretty cold out and cloudy, and the water was Tahoe-cold (cold). Kevin stood under the waterfall and made a face that forced all of the locals, including ourselves, to laugh. We took the long way home, a fairly easy walk down a dirt road through many mountain village. Once we hit pavement back in Arusha 8 hours later, my feet were killing me. But it was definitely worth it!