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!