We didn’t realise my brother, Russell, had his own plane in Tanzania. Very nice. Mind if we borrow it Russell? Could save some money on suspension repairs.
Although the Masai, and other nomadic tribes, keep massive numbers of cattle, wealth is measured in number, not how healthy or useful they are; the end result is lots of tough beef, and very little dairy. The Irente Biodiversity Reserve, nestled in the hills 5km above the lush green town of Lushoto, have a rare herd of Frisian cattle, producing some of the best dairy products we’ve tasted in months.
While staying in Moshi, en route to Dar es Salaam, we took the opportunity to go on a coffee tour on the lower slopes of Kilimanjaro. Although expensive, the money raised is invested in local infrastructure and development; in a way, it is a charitable donation into the community with the benefit of a memorable experience. The tour is run by a cooperative of some 40,000 small-scale farmers on the slopes of Kili.
The plantations are mixed use; coffee grows on smallish shrubs, which need large amounts of space and lots of shade. The gaps between the bushes are filled with other crops, most normally bananas. Unlike coffee, bananas are not a cash crop; cooking bananas (plantain) make up a significant part of the diet across Tanzania, and are the staple in many fertile areas.
The tour concluded with a visit to Dennis, one of the farmers whose land we had been on, who demonstrated the process of turning dried beans into the black liquid that it’s all about.
The process involved removing the chaff (skins of the beans) by pounding them in the pestle and mortar; at this stage the beans are soft enough that they aren’t damaged. Then they are roasted, for about 5-10 minutes, before being returned to the pestle and mortar to be ground. The powder then is filtered through a sieve with hot water to produce a product identical in taste to that is served worldwide. The whole process took about 30 minutes, and drinking it about 20, but sheltering ’till the rain eased took a further 45.
For the week after Ian, Chris and Jason left, Louise and I were by ourselves. We started by finding a campsite outside Arusha for a couple of nights, then passing through Arusha one final time on the way to the Honeybadger Campsite in Moshe (very highly recommended – lovely place, and profits ploughed back into worthwhile local causes). Loving the ability to drive a little between longer stops, we spent two nights there before two in Lushoto, in another wonderful place – the Irente Biodiversity Reserve (formerly the Irente Farm), a place I visited with my parents for lunch in the middle of a long walk 5 years ago.
Finally we stayed with Garth Moffat, an old friend from my MAF days, in Dar before heading to Zanzibar to meet Henry and Kathie, slightly over 2 weeks ago.
As of Easter Monday, we have been on the road exactly 4 months; in the first three months we drove nearly 4,000 miles per month. The last month has been spent in Tanzania at a much more relaxed pace: less than 1000 miles. The difference this has made has been incredible; the stress of constant moving on has been removed, with frequent stops of 2 or more nights. Long days driving are a distant memory, and the stomach bugs that have been affecting Louise and I are finally sorted out. Weight still needs to be put back on, but with an appetite back that finally looks possible. At times, it’s actually felt like a holiday!
We’re hoping to have more internet access in the next few days (I’m writing this on Easter Monday), so will hopefully be able to bring you more up to speed with the last while.
Our East Africa leg has been convoluted, to say the least. We arrived in Nairobi, then took a bus South to Arusha, climbed Kili, returned to Arusha, returned to Nairobi by bus, then drove right round Lake Victoria and back to Arusha. It was here, the third time, that Ian, Jason and Chris left us to get the bus back, once again, to Nairobi.
The first thing to say about the Serengeti region, which encompasses several National Parks and Reserves in both Tanzania and Kenya, is that it’s truly massive. We spent two full days driving at reasonable speed, covering several hundred miles in a straight line, to get through it.
Within the area there are somewhere literally millions of large mammals. Every year, the famous annual migration, in which the herds move North and South following the rains, covers about 2000km.
According to our guide book, “The success of any safari lies in the number and quality of encounters with big cats. And when it comes to big cats, the Serengeti rarely disappoints. Lions are a practical certainty. It’s normal to see 2 or 3 prides in the course of one game drive.” I’ll let you count the big cat photos.
The size of the area is astonishing. It’s like driving through the Scottish highlands, spotting other people. Ok, so there are a lot of them, but all in a few spots. The rest is just, well, empty. Of course, the spots in vogue just now will be tomorrow’s empty plains.
Despite dire warnings of hours-long queues at both sides of the border, we arrived at the exit of the Uganda-Rwanda border in less than one hour total. Talking fluently mix Swahili, French and English (Swahenglench?), the young policeman in charge of the barrier slowly and painstakingly checked our carnets, insurance and passports to ensure everything was in order. With the rain just beginning, he suddenly remembered something.
“Gatey Passi. Vous hitaji Gatey Passi.”
Half an hour later, we returned. How could we have missed that the first time?
Gate Pass, duely issued and signed by Stevos, the Chief of Police. The other side was pre-used, with yesterday's date.
[Thanks to Ian again for this picture - we didn't realise the policeman would actually retain the pass in his files..]
Despite best Belfast hospitality courtesy of Rowan, we didn’t stop in Rwanda for long enough to get past first impressions of the country. First impressions, though, were good. A tiny country of dense mountains, fertile soil and beautiful people, it is immaculately clean and well ordered. Streets are swept, roads sealed, motorbike taxi drivers wear one helmet and carry a second for their passenger. We even managed to buy a Tomtom in a large Kigali shopping centre!
Sadly, it’s impossible to talk about Rwanda outside the context of how much it has suffered. Belgium’s Divide and Conquer colonialism led, after independence, to a genocide 17 years ago in which 1 in 6 Rwandans were killed as the world looked on (or in the case of the French, continued supplying arms). A further 1 in 3 became refugees. 250,000 fled over a single bridge into Tanzania in one day. Bodies littered the streets in every town and province. If anyone hasn’t seen them, the films “Shooting Dogs” and “Hotel Rwanda” bring the genocide into brutal focus.
To try and connect the country as it is today to its recent history is difficult. Our impression was of a people who have collectively recoiled in disgust at what they did to themselves and have, in retribution, thrown themselves at full-scale cleanliness, productivity and development. The investment money flowing in from a guilty international community plays a significant role.
It’s a country we would love to come back to and get to know; three days didn’t allow us to scratch the surface.
[Thanks to Ian for the pictures of the memorial in this post]