Phase 4 Safari Day 2

Lower level with tub, shower room and
separate toilet room.

 

 

 

 

 

Did we mention that it rained last night? So we awakened to water on the floor of our room. We didn't see any leaks from the ceiling so it appeared that the water came in under the door. Oh well, welcome to Africa. Time for showers.  Suzanne finished first and then it was Heather's turn. As soon as her shower ended there was a blast from the room next door and water began gushing out through two loose hoses. We didn't see a shut off so Suzanne headed off in search of help.

Roof on one of the rooms

 We left our room #7 and were given #3. Then we checked in with S & S to find that they had an indoor waterfall after the recent rains. They also had water on the floors and water in their beds from a leaking roof.  They moved their beds into what looked like a drier place and all of us set out our belongings to dry. Not a great start and we would all like to have left Boundary Hill and go to Sopa earlier rather than stay another day. James told us that the rain and leaks are very unusual and Simon tells James there is no room at Sopa.

Hut in Masaai Boma (village)

Shelly and Suzanne headed off with Lauri on a local walking tour while Heather and Sue took a rest at the lodge. Next we're off to visit a Masaai boma.  We were met by an enthusiastic group of chanting/dancing women and children. We were taken by the hand into the mud/dung home of one of the ladies. Here James tells us of Masaai customs and traditions. We arrived and left in light rain.

 

Masaai woman carrying wood

Meanwhile, back at Boundary they apparently had stronger rains.  Once again our rooms are wet. Sue and Shelly's beds are drenched and they needed to move. Each room had either leaking roofs, faulty toilets or exploding plumbing so deciding on a course of action took some time. In the end, S & S give up room #4 and we give up #3 and we all decide to share #7. Here the beds are dry and after some plumbing assistance from James we had a working toilet as well.  There was no hot water shower but at that point that was the least of our worries. 

Boundary Hill Lodge is jointly owned by Simon and the Masaai. The location and the concept are great. It was very apparent however that Simon and the Masaai put no money into maintenance. They should be ashamed. We couldn't wait to leave Boundary for Sopa. As Shelly pointed out, it's no worse than camping. The difference is we have paid many dollars for this budget camping experience.

Phase 4 Safari Day 1

 

Happy New Year!  The day started with a teary farewell to our Songota Falls friends.  

 

Then we were off with our safari driver James. He loves to have someone chatty up front so Suzanne took the first shift of asking questions. James is married and now has 5 children. He and his wife Anna had 3 children and then they took in 2 more when James' younger brother died last year.

He has been a safari driver for about 14 years and has worked with a few different companies.

We headed to Tarangire National Park first. We saw so many elephants that after a while there was no point in stopping as it was "just another elephant!" We also saw impala, baboons, ostrich, dik dik, and a few giraffes. There were even a few distant lions.   We were hopeful that we would get closer to these big cats. Also many folks had seen cheetahs on safari so our hopes were high.

 

 

After a long safari drive on some rather bumpy roads, we were almost to our first lodge of the trip, the Boundary Hill Lodge. We had one more stream to pass but with the recent rains the ground was somewhere between mud and quicksand. James had no choice but to back up and drive another 3 hours in order to approach from another direction.  As for us, after much contemplation, we decided to cross the mud pit with the assistance of 5 Masaai warriors. We all emerged with mud socks and much laughter.  Then we had just a 20 minute walk to the lodge with our Masaai guide Lauri. Now keep in mind that we are in Africa...so the walk ended up taking an hour and we arrived just before dark. We didn't have any luggage so we couldn't change or shower. We headed off to the outdoor dining room for a glass of wine and some dinner.  Interesting start...of course after this, nothing phased us.

 

 

Our driver and luggage showed up at about 9:30. Time for bed. Throughout the night we heard rain. That would prove to be important.

Phase 3 Songota Falls, Arusha, Tanzania

 

In Tanzania, like in Canada, Christmas is for family...unlike Canada, not a gift was exchanged.  Today we had the privilege of visiting with members of Joyce & Raymond's family.  First we are invited to lunch with Preska's family.  When her mom saw us she squealed.  Apparently she knew she was having company, but she didn't know white people would be visiting.  If she had known, she would have prepared differently. As it was, she prepared a wonderful lunch...chicken, beef, rice, potatoes, cucumber, coleslaw.  We met Preska's family, including Winnie (we think Preska's niece).

 

After lunch we were off to visit with  Grandmother (Ella) & Grandfather (Davis).  They too were very happy to have us visit.  Grandfather, Davis spoke very good English, so we were able to have a nice conversation with him.  He spent time in the US in 1969.  He worked for many years in administration for the Luthern Church. 

 

As we travelled through the streets of Arusha, we saw many sites...we did not take many pictures because it is either unsafe or we feel that it is intrusive.  Let's just say it is very different than anything we are used to.  Most of the streets are dirt, which means mud when it rains and in Arusha it seems to rain on and off all day.  Almost everyone walks, so there are always lots of people that the cars have to maneuver through.  Shops & homes are all made of concrete, most with tin roofs.  Homes may be just a couple of rooms separated by a curtain.  Outside is dirt/mud...or if you are very lucky there may be some grass.  All of the cooking and clean up is done outdoors.  We did notice television...apparently there is free television, so many have it.  Water is piped in for many...which is good.  Hands are washed prior to eating and eating is done with your fingers.  We are given cutlery😎.

 

 

We visited Living Waters Children's Centre.  It is the orphanage that Joyce's brother runs.  There were about 30 kids there and they were beautiful and wonderful.  The lady who was there didn't speak much English, but the children did.  Suzanne jumped in and introduced herself to each of the children and had them tell her their name.  That took a little while but it broke the ice.  They all then got very excited about showing us around.  It is unbelievable...nothing that most North Americans can fathom.  There are so many living in such a small space it is amazing.  They have bunk beds and the mattresses are foam.  It looked to us like they could use new ones but when we asked what they needed one of the boys said notebooks and pencil sharpeners.  They had no toys or things to play with, but they did have a television and a CD player.  The kids sang We wish you a Merry Christmas...and they knew all of the words to all of the verses...we did not.  It was very heartwarming.  We played a couple of games with a few of them and others went back to doing their laundry...scrubbing by hand in buckets and hanging on the clothes line. 

When we returned to Joyce's, her brother Anza and his son David were there to talk to us about the orphanage, their plans and their needs.  They have the orphanage, they have built a primary school and now they want to build a secondary school.  The kids here don't get adopted and they don't go back to their family so those who operate and work at the orphanage are their family and they want to support  them until hopefully they can send them off to university.  Their needs are textbooks, land and $ to build their school.  The last school cost $50,000 for the land and $400,000 to build.  Annual budget is $200,000.

 
We went for lunch at a local café in downtown Arusha, went to the Masaai Market and the  Heritage Cultural Centre.  Both were amazing in their own way.  The market is just like a big flea market with hundreds of stalls selling pretty much the same things...and at each stall you will get a "very good price."  We were offered discounts for being the first customers of the day, for being Canadian and for Boxing Day sales.  At one of the first stalls, Suzanne tried her hand at weaving beads...it wasn't easy.  It also meant that she was pretty much obligated to purchase something that was like what she had helped to make...okay...not really.  She bought 4 beaded coasters.  We also bought some miniature kalimbas and a bracelet.

 The Cultural Centre was amazing.  The building itself is a work of art.  Artwork depicts the history of Africa as well as current modern art.  Each level of the spiraling floors has a different focus.  There were also depictions of daily life outside including imitation huts and a slave boat.  Seeing the slave boat was quite emotional, particularly when Preska said that her grandparents had been affected by/had experienced the slave trade.  There were also gift shops which contained many of the same items sold at the Masaai Market, but with fixed prices, so no hassles and no bargaining...

We returned to Songota where many new people had arrived.  We met Bob and Karen from Washington State who had just returned from safari and were very excited.  They were ready to socialize as they had been out for 12 days with just themselves and their guide.  We had a great visit.  They are off to climb Mt. Meru for 4 days and then back.

Note to self...when leaving shoes out overnight in the rain at least be smart enough to turn them upside down.

 

Next we went to Diluti Lake where we saw many species of birds, trees and iguana.  The lake provides water for the local community but it has to be boiled first.  As we hiked around the lake we could hear singing and chanting.  Our guide Anton said that the land next to the lake is used for praying.  If someone is sick or in trouble, people will come to the area and pray, for maybe a day or a week.

 

The highlight of the day was the Mulala Women's CollectIve.  Mamma Anna started the collective for the Meru village.  The women make honey, cheese and coffee and sell their products.  Proceeds support the village...schools, etc.  Some of the women own a cow. When that cow has a calf, the calf is given to another woman - and so on. Our guide was Justin...Mamma Anna's son.  Justine is 23 years old and attends boarding school in town to study Tour Guide Management.  He was great.  The highlight though was Mamma Anna herself...she had so much spunk and positive energy.  We learned how to make mozzarella cheese, honey and we got to practice getting the coffee bean from the plant to the ground state.  It was informative, but more importantly a ton of fun.  Lastly, we learned how to carry bananas on our heads.  Mamma Anna first rolled banana leaves to place on the top of our heads and then came the bananas.  With much singing and dancing, balance was tested.

                        

On the hike Justin pointed out the peace plant.  It is planted between 2 fields owned by different people.  If a disagreement occurs, one person takes a leaf from the plant and gives it to the other person as an apology...and then all is forgotten and they go on.

 

Today we visited the Masaai Museum and we were supposed to visit a village...but an upset tummy turned us around to return to Songota Falls.  The Masaai Museum was very informative.  They had lifelike displays of huts, hunting tools, cooking tools, Masaai dress, explained circumcision for both men and women.  Our guide was Oly and he was very good.  Masaai are nomads and the men can have up to 10 wives.  The wives all work together and the Masaai men split their time among their wives...he said they actually schedule their time.  They have as many houses as they have wives.  The women build the huts and the men tend to the animals. 

Met with some friends of Joyce's who have set up a women's collective to support each other and their community.  They provide $200 micro-loans for a woman to start her own business or to send her child to school.  Government school is not very good, so many people try hard to get their kids into private school which costs $700-$1000 per year. A monthly salary in Tanzania is around $150 so education is out of reach for many.

 


Joyce is very involved in supporting and improving her community.  The community land is originally Masaai and when members of other tribes buy land from the Massai, they essentially become a community together...no tribal lines exist.  The women's collective is helping all women, but in particular, they want to help Masaai women be self sufficient and able to support their children.  Masaai men collect wealth through owning cattle...if a Masaai has 10 wives, he likely had over 100 cattle to purchase them...he would be considered wealthy.  His wealth however does not support his wives and children.  In our terms the Masaai warrior probably epitomizes male chauvinism.

 

We also met a young card shark by the name of Khalid. He would be around 9 and goes to Living  Waters school. His English is great and he told us of his safari trip with a young traveller friend. Then he proceeded to show us a number of card games. Either we're not that bright or the rules were being made up as we went along. It was a great afternoon with a new friend.

 

Our friends arrive...yeah! We awaken early by our standards (6 ish) on New Year's Eve in order to pick up Sue and Shelly at the Kilimanjaro airport. We have Raymond go with a sign so we can hang out and surprise the ladies. They end up surprising us when they emerge a few minutes early from the terminal.

 
The rainy days have let up and the day is sunny and warm. Sue and Shelly are "ready to go . . . We're in Africa don't you know". So off we go on a drive toward the elusive Kilimanjaro. The ladies saw Kili from the air and we saw a quick glimpse on the drive in. Then the clouds roll in and she's gone for the day. We end up at Kilasiya Park, where we do a hike to a waterfall. It's a nice hike, with many stairs. We realize along the winding staircase that what goes down, will probably also involve a trip uphill as well.

 
Our guide is Nelson and he takes the time to point out plant life and birds along the way. We take pictures at the falls with Presca posing of course, and Shelly and Heather trying to stay dry - mission accomplished! Sue and Suzanne stay at the bottom of the stairs and take photos of those of silly enough to walk the rocky path through the waters to the falls.

 Part way on the uphill trek, Heather needs to stop and take a break as the humidity combines with low energy and lack of appetite. Then we make in back to the car and realize that S &S are more tired then they realize. We stop for a "quick" lunch break of pappadum, chips and spring rolls and then head back to Songota.

The ladies have a nap and a shower and then join us to ring in the New Year. We share wine with Raymond, Joyce and even Ombeni takes a break.  Together with S & S we give Ombeni some school supplies for his son and enough cash to purchase a new cow for his wife. Then it's off to bed at 9 although the churches, fireworks, drums, etc. ensure that a quiet night is not exactly going to happen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Phase 2 Amani Beach Resort, Tanzania

Amani Beach Resort is just south of Dar es Salaam.  It is not far distance wise, but due to the road conditions and travelling through the city from the airport, it is at least a 2 hour drive.  Our first glitch of the trip occurred at the Dar airport.  Jimmy, the manager of the resort thought we were arriving in the afternoon (we arrived 3:45 a.m. not p.m. and our e-mails confirmed that) so our ride wasn't there.  Fortunately, the taxi drivers were very friendly and one of them let us use his phone.  In fact the driver Jimmy uses is one of the airport drivers on the side...he gives him a deal.  This created quite an opportunity for the drivers to have a good early morning laugh...dumb tourists...

The drive from the airport was humbling.  I have never seen such sights.  Hundreds of people walking, women carrying water buckets on their heads, and many more people just sitting.  Through Dar, you could see that many were going to work, but once we got through the city and into the country and through the villages, you could tell that they weren't off to work.  There were many partially finished houses...it made me just want to stop the van, get out and ask what I could do to help them finish their home.

There were a number of schools on the way to the resort which is good to see, but apparently the kids only go some of the time.  Some of their time is also spent fishing/helping to support the family.

 

 

 

 

Speaking of fishing, we observed some local fisherman in action.  They had a boat anchored just off shore from the beach and visible from our room.  Each day we watched them swim out to the boat and bail it out...because overnight as the tide came in, it often filled the boat.  Once emptied, they would go about their day catching fish.  This is how they feed their families...plus whatever fruit they find on the trees in the area or whatever they can grow. 

 

 

 

We also watched 6 men fish with a very large net.  At low tide, they spread a very long net out and then they worked to form a circle, closing the ends of the net and then walking toward shore with the net over their backs, it formed sort of a large sack...with lots of fish inside.  It was very cool to watch the process.

We ate lots of fish cooked in different ways while we were there...we can get chicken and hamburger anytime.

The other method of fishing is used by the young boys in the area. They wait until the tide recedes and then go to fetch any fish left behind in small pools. It is the method of catching that cracks us up daily. The boys entered the shallow, muddy pools head first, with  butts and flailing legs in the air...unfortunately we have no pictures to show this.

This was quite an amazing and interesting place.  First it was beautiful, second, there were only 5 of us there at any one time...so we essentially had the resort and beach to ourselves.  The beaches were not private so we shared with the locals.  We didn't see a lot of them, but when we did, they are so, so friendly..., 3rd, the resort had a very unique way of providing service.  Breakfast was served from 8:30 - 10:00...we had  fruit, toast, croissants & muffins and eggs cooked however we wanted...with bacon...it took us 5 days to finally get it served crispy.  There were a few staff who spoke pretty good English and others who were just learning and trying really hard...sort of like us with Swahili.  Anyway, back to the service.  Sometime during the day, Hassan would track us down and ask for our lunch & dinner orders.  They had a menu and they prepared our order specifically.  We also had a choice of what time between 12 & 2:30 and 7 & 8:30 we would like our lunch and dinner served.  It was an interesting way to do it for sure...it mades us feel that we are getting personalized service.  Now, Adam...the chef could actually use some help from Heather in the kitchen.

 

The resort has a bio farm attached to it where they grow their own fruits and vegetables, milk their own cows/goats, gather their own eggs from the chickens (and probably kill their own chickens...not sure about that one).  We went for a walk to visit the bio farm and met William.  He was so happy to have visitors and he gave us a great tour...although his English and our Swahili made communication quite difficult.  He was sweet though and so, so excited to show us around.  We were excited to arrive just after a baby goat had been born...literally.  The placenta was still on the baby and attached to the mom.  Very cool.

 

We also had resident vervet monkeys, cats and a baboon...although we never did see the baboon.

We really enjoyed the peace and quiet of Amani Beach Resort.  It was a wonderful reprieve after the hustle and bustle of Istanbul and definitely allowed us to be well rested before our safari & gorilla trek.  At Amani we had about 3 people serving us the whole time...Christine, Elizabeth who has the most beautiful smile, and Hassan.  The service from North American standards has been lacking, but everyone is very friendly and personable...the ladies a little shy.  Asha, the office assistant, has been most helpful with tips about our trip to Arusha, which is where she is from...when you mention it, she lights up.

We also had Mary, Yousef and Hadiga later in the week.  Maradi taught us mambo and poora...greetings instead of Jambo.

 

One night we were picked up in a Toyota corolla by Juma.  He drove through his village, pointed out his house on our way to another beach...he was taking us to his sailboat for a sunset sail.  It was so cool.  Essentially a dug out canoe with stabilizers on each side.  Like an old fashioned catamaran.  There were two other fellows who did all of the sailing...one captain and the first mate of course, whom was on the bow navigating and changing of the sheet when we jibed.  The sunset was actually mediocre, but the experience was great.  We arrived back just before our friends (Leslie, Mike & Shannon from Malawi) we left behind at the hotel were about to have someone check on us 'cause they were worried.  All of the sailing, changing of the sail is done with bare feet and sturdy hands...no cranks, sailing gloves, or keen sandals to help with footing.

What's the story?  The guests all arrive tomorrow...said every day by Jimmy...the hoards never did arrive.

We're famous...for knowing and using everyone's name...for being polite Canadians...can't believe it.

Oh yeah, and don't believe the hotel guide book...the tour of the village apparently isn't very good, the island is too far away to visit, and the so called snorkeling at the ship wreck led to the sighting of one blue fish, a scraped foot and claustrophobia.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Phase 1 Istanbul, Turkey

We decided to spend a few days in Istanbul to adjust to the time difference before heading to Africa.  Many people had mentioned that it is a great city and easy to see in just a few days...and they were right.  We very much enjoyed our stay and became more comfortable with the sales people and the traffic as each day progressed.  There are no signal lights used...just horns indicating that they are coming through so get out of the way.  The streets are very narrow as they were built for horse and buggy.  Somehow the local drivers manage to pass one another without incident...as pedestrians, you just have to keep your eyes open, wits about you and run as fast as you can.

Blue Mosque

What an amazing place steeped in history and tradition.  The mosques are unbelievable, particularly the Blue Mosque.  We visited there first and then the Hagia Sophia and Topkapia...huge and the artifacts are simply amazing.  We were there at a very good time of year for sightseeing with fewer crowds.  We were able to see the famous 3 spoon diamond, which is often difficult due to the sheer number of people visiting...it is 86 carets and I can't even describe its size or beauty. We had an amazing lunch with the most tender calamari either of us had ever tasted. We also enjoyed interacting with the staff of Adonin who were equally obsessed with Christmas decorations and the iPad. Dinner at Ali Babi was a little more low key than our first night.



 Trying on scarves at one of the shops at the Grand Bazaar...

the salesmen are smooth!!!

Beautiful lamps at the bazaar,
 if only we could have brought some home safely

On day 2 we were able to experience the Grand Bazaar.  It is the world's largest flea market, complete with the most used car salesmen you will ever find.  The main products being sold were carpets, scarves and leather. If your salesman did not have what you want, his uncle/nephew/brother had it at their shop and they will walk you over. Business is conducted over a glass of hot apple tea and can take a long time. The opening line for these entrepreneurs is usually created when they hear your language or in our case, see our Canadian flag. You are from Canada . . . I know someone in Canada . . . Can I ask you one question . . . Are you looking for a carpet . . . And so it goes. Essentially the same dialogue from every stall you pass . . . Did we mention there are thousands? It's hard to believe we left with any Turkish Lira to our name. 



On day 3 we decided we had seen all the mosques . . . Once you've seen a few, they start to look alike . . . We were also shopped out so we headed to the Basilica Cistern (Heather's favorite as they reminded her of Luxor Egypt). Next we went on an adventure to find the tower for a view of Istanbul. Then we caught a local ferry that took us from Europe to Asia, where we went for the famous meatballs. They were OK. The waiters were very attentive and friendly and we got to speak with one fellow for a fair bit. This evening was very different from our first in Istanbul. Our first evening we ventured less than a block before being so nervous about the local salesmen that we returned to the safety of our hotel. Now here we are, out after dark, in drizzling rain, taking public transit and venturing from Europe to Asia and back again without a second thought.

 

Our final day was a slightly warmer, drier day and there was time left before our flight for a cruise of the Bosphorous Strait. What a great way to take in the scope of the city and the dichotomy that is Istanbul. There is a carnival atmosphere on the waterfront, with fishing from the bridge, mosques all around and business people chatting on cellphones while on their way to catch the tram to work. The energy is palpable. We have a bit of time before our flight so we head off in search of the best seafood restaurant in Istanbul. When off in search of a new location it is always good to keep your guidebook handy and the name of the restaurant. Maybe next time! For now, we head off with a map and a general guess as to the name of the restaurant. We have success. The calamari is wonderful although we decide that Adonin was as good and we missed our friendly Christmas decorators.  Now back to the hotel, via another small market, and off to the airport for our next great adventure.

 

A gentleman at the Grand Bazaar working on his fez.

Everybody sells everything and you can buy anything anywhere...even and especially on the street.