Tanga and the Amboni Caves

After the mountains, we bused out to the coast. We spent two days on the Tanzania coast in a town called Tanga. We had lots of fun.

The Usambara Mountains

On Sept. 2nd, we left Moshi and headed off to the Usambara Mountains. When you drive the highway from Arusha to Dar es Salaam, you skirt along these very intruiging, magical mountains for miles. When I was here before and drove this route, I remember just staring at them for hours and thinking how neat it would be to explore them. So this time, Rob and I did our homework and found out how to access the mountains. Rob and I were both very excited to explore the Usambara region because it is known for its bird, flora, and butterfly diversity. The very common house plant, the African Violet, comes from the Usambara Mountains! Here's a link to more info- http://www.easternarc.org

We first went to Lushoto, which is the launching point for the West Usambaras. We spent two full days exploring, including a trek to Irente View Point, through the Magambe tropical forest, and up to the village of Mtae. We met up with a really, really, nice Austrian couple, Rosie and Wolfgang, and spent a whole day hiking with them.

Next, we went to the East Usambaras and Amani Nature Preserve. We celebrated our 4th anniversary hiking in the very pristine tropical rainforests of Amani. What a wonderful place! Amani Nature Preserve was first designated an agricultural research station by the Germans in 1907. Most of the forests remained untouched through the years and it was designated a nature preserve in 1997, so it has really been kept in its natural state. A big source of income and economic stability for the farmers in and around the preserve in the Amani Butterfly project. We saw so many different birds and butterflies, but I think what impressed us the most were the HUGE ferns and vines. They were seriously out of this world!

Marangu and beyond....

Sept. 1st: After Chekereni, we spent the next day up in Marangu, the village that lies up near the Mt. Kilimanjaro park gate. This area is really different than Chekereni. It is lush and green. The people that live up high on the mountain don't worry about not having enough water because there is an abundant run-off from the mountain's snow melt. We hiked to a couple of different waterfalls, one called Moonjo Falls, which you can swim in, and the other Kilasia. Kilasia Falls has a Cultural Tourism Program Office and we were able to have a guided tour down to the falls. Our guide was great and we learned a lot while we hiked. He told us about the history and culture of the Chagga people who live on the mountain. He also taught us about the different native plants that are found in the area and what they are used for. We snacked on some wild strawberries on the way down and were given three giant avocados that our guide found on the trail.

When we got back to Moshi, we decided to go out to this great Indian restaurant I had been to before called El Rancho (great name for an Indian restaurant in Africa, right?). It's quite aways out of town and our guide book suggested taking a taxi, which we were dead-set against, so we decided to walk. We had already been hiking all day and, after about an hour of walking, I was completely wiped out. Jasper was fussing, I was fussing, and Rob was trying to be the team cheerleader. So Rob flagged down someone driving by and we hitched a ride the last 1/2 mile or so. The food at El Rancho was worth the walk. I had a fabulous vegetarian burger and Rob had some excellent Indian marsala and naan. El Rancho is special for a number of reasons. First of all, the name, like I mentioned before is so typical of Africa. For some reason, things get named the darnest things here. Second, the memory of eating here with all the students I did the field study with five years ago, was a pleasant one and still stands out in my mind. Third, this place has a minature golf course! And table soccer! And beautiful gardens. It's just a wonderful little haven of irony and tranquility.

We took a taxi back into town when we were done eating.

Africa cont... Chekereni

August 30th: Began our journey from Nairobi down to Tanzania. Spent the better part of the day on Riverside shuttle bus. We noticed a considerable difference in the condition of the roads between Kenya and Tanzania. It felt like as soon as we crossed the border into Tanzania, there were far fewer potholes and road hazards. I like Tanzania...

We spent the night in Moshi, a great little town at the base of Mt. Kilimanjaro. This a popular place to stay for people climbing the mountain. It felt like coming home to me, since this was the closest town to the village I lived five years ago. This is where Lulu and I would get groceries and check email once a week.

The first place we went when we arrived was the post office. I needed to find out if the boxes of books had arrived. The postmaster checked through the incoming freight records and found nothing. I was so disappointed. I have no idea what happened to those books. There is nothing more I can do but just hope that they are still at sea and on their way.

During my weekly visits to Moshi, Lulu and I also frequented a little bakery by the name Abba Ali's Hot Bread Shop. This bakery is wonderful, full of tasty little baked pastries, sweets, rolls, and breads. I took Rob and Jasper to this little gem as soon as we left the post office. We filled our bellies with cracklins and chocolate tarts. We then found a room at the Buffalo Hotel, one of the listings under "Budget Accommodations" where we stayed for $10 a night. We had a great view of Kili that first evening, which was very exciting since it is typically shrouded in clouds this part of the year.

View of Kilimanjaro from Buffalo Inn

We woke up early the next morning and headed to Chekereni, the village I lived in when I lived here with Lulu five years ago. Originally, we were planning on staying in Chekereni a few nights, but I started feeling really nervous about not having a place for Jasper to sleep when we got there and the mosquitos. I didn't know if there would even be a mattress for us to sleep on or a blanket or anything. So Rob and I decided that we would just sleep in Moshi and go to Chekereni for the day. We took a dala dala towards Himo, through Jiapanda Junction, turned south, and hopped off where the train tracks cross the road.

Daladala ride to Chekereni

The village is essentially as it was when I left. There were a few new buildings here and there. The biggest change was the power line that was running though the town! Chekereni has electricity as of a month ago! Nobody can afford it except for the Catholic mission home and a few others (including a barber shop and a store with COLD sodas!), but it is a huge step towards development. It was so much fun to introduce Rob and Jasper to all the people of Chekereni. They kept asking "Bwana yako? Mtoto yako?" "Your man? Your baby?" It was hilarious when I said "Ndiyo! Bwana na mtoto yangu!" "Yes! My man and baby!". They would get so excited and laugh so hard and whack me on the shoulder and congratulate me. We visited the Catholic Father's home and chatted with him for a while. We spent the bulk of the time visiting the home of Joseph and his family. I was closer to this family than any other in Chekereni. There are five kids in their family: Suzie, Joseph, Consolata, Bahati, and Emanuel. The father is a guide for climbers on Kili. Suzie, the eldest lives in Dar, but happened to be home visiting, so it was great to see her. Jospeh is now a bus driver in Dodoma, so I missed him. Consolata was gone too, but Bahati and Emanu were both there. Bahati is a grown woman now and she is so beautiful and smart. It was so wonderful to see them all. Bahati wasn't at school because she hasn't been able to pay her school fees. We left her enough money so that she'd be able to pay her fees for a few months. I told her I would send more soon and that she needed to stay in school. Rob and I made a pact that we are going to get her through secondary school and then help her find a scholarship for college. She is the number one student at her school and how neat would it be if we were able to find a way to get her to come to a university in the States?

Bahati and Jasper

We visited a few more friends, and then Bahati took us to her school. When we arrived, all the students were lined up for dismissal. The headmistress asked us to introduce ourselves and give a little speech to the students. It was really embarrassing and we were totally caught off guard. I felt like I had a huge frog in my throat and tounge-tied, but Rob saved us. He said how lucky they were to have such a beautiful school and told them to work hard because doing well in school would provide them with opportunities for the future. It was neat. I got teary-eyed because I could see that the students were all listening so intently and hopefully. We sat down and talked with the headmistress about what the school's needs are and what we could do to help. There is so much need in this area, it's overwhelming. It was so neat to have Rob there with me because now we are both inspired to do something to help. We want to start a non-profit to help the schools in Chekereni. The books were intended to help start a school library and if they ever arrive, that would be the first step. But the schools need so much more than that. They need text books, school supplies, a laboratory for chemistry and physics, a playground, electricity, running water, and staff offices. So, I'm going to start trying to do SOMETHING. We'll see. I'm researching what it takes to start a non-profit at the moment.

So, that was Chekereni. Exhausting, overwhelming, a little depressing. I just don't think I could have managed staying there much more than we did. I want to do something to help. I want to take that overwhelming sinking feeling in my heart and turn it into something positive.

All in all, it was incredible to go back to Chekereni. What a wonderful spot on the earth. The people there have the kindest, happiest hearts. They welcomed us with hugs and showered us with love. It was great.

Africa

Where do I even begin...

We just got back last night from a three week trip to East Africa. We are exhausted, jet-lagged, itchy (from mosquito bites), dirty, and very, very happy. The trip was great. We all had a wonderful time together. It's kinda cool that Rob, Jasper, and I, my own little family, just traveled to Africa! It's something that I've dreamed about for a long time. If you come back from Africa and your perception of the world hasn't changed, then you missed something. If you go to Africa and spend your whole time on safari and in lodges, then you've really, really missed out. If you are the same person you were before you left, then you need to go back again and spend some more time letting Africa soak through your skin. I'm so thankful that Rob has now been to Tanzania and was able to see the village I lived in, Chekereni, and meet many of my friends. As Rob and I lay in our own bed last night we both agreed that this trip had brought us much closer to one another. We are both so grateful to live in this wonderful country. We have been blessed beyond measure and I hope I never, ever take that for granted.

Jasper did amazingly well. He's just really easy going and made the trip so memorable and enjoyable. Everyone loved him! He got so much attention I afraid he's going to have some attention withdrawal now that we are back. The only really tough part was administering his malaria medicine to him. He really didn't like it. He cried for about an hour the first two times we gave it to him. Other than that, everything went really smoothly. Rob was, and always has been, an incredibly fun traveling companion. We are both spontaneous and adventuresome, and it makes traveling together very exciting.

Since we have a ton of pictures and tons to say about our trip, we are going to just post a little at a time. So here's from the start of our trip:

Link to airport photos

August 27th: Flew from Seattle, to Amsterdam, to Nairobi. We spent two days in Nairobi. We were picked up at the airport by George, who is the owner of the Ngara Youth Hostel. It was a great place to stay and very affordable. Originally, we were only going to stay one night, but we decided to stay two, so we'd have more time exploring the city. By the time we were left, Rob and I had both decided that Nairobi wasn't our favorite place in the world. It is a very big city with somewhere between 3 and 4 million people and there just isn't enough room or the infrastructure to properly support all those people. We saw a lot of things which were really hard to see. We saw three boys, around the age of 10, who were drunk and lying in the dirt. We saw huge rats in the streets because of all the garbage and sewage everywhere. We saw a couple of people wading through the river that runs through the city, which was thick with garbage and sewage. Because there are either no sidewalks or sidewalks that have huge holes everywhere that lead to the sewer system, we saw a number of people in wheelchairs using the street to get around. This doesn't sounds too bad, except for the fact that the roads are absolutely insane. Every time we crossed a road, we sprinted across to avoid being run over. We had many close encounters with the mini-buses (matatus) as they whizzed by, nipping at our heels.

Link to Nairobi pictures

Anyways, there were some neat things about Nairobi too. We saw the very old, historic railway station. We saw the August 7th Memorial Park, which now stands in the place where the old U.S. embassy stood. It has a museum inside that talks about the bombing and the people who were killed. The park is a symbol of peace, now, and we were very moved just being there.