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Jambo!
We really enjoyed our time in Tanzania staying with Kate's bother Paul, and his framily - wife Magda and nieces, Marika (3) and Milla (17months) - in his house on the campus of Moshi International School where he is the technology teacher. It was also great catching up with Kate's sister Beth, and her husband Andy, who were also visiting until going on to Zanzibar. Moshi is on the edge of the foothills of Kilimanjaro, Africa's tallest mountain, but unfortunately we couldn't see it most of the time because it was covered in cloud.
We mostly just joined in with everyday life, playing with the children; shopping in Moshi, which is a typical bustling African town; and meeting some of Paul and Magda's friends from various parts of the world who taught at the school. Kate also went in to school a few times with Magda to help out in some of the primary classes which was fun - just like being back at Lightcliffe but with much smaller class sizes!
We did get out and about a fair bit, much of which involved travelling along uneven dirt roads. We went to a place in the middle of nowhere which had pools formed from hot springs complete with feet nibbling fish and the odd crocodile which luckily decided to keep away. We went for a drive on the foothills of Kilimanjaro through small villages and plantations and also to West Kili which is an area which is meant to be good for seeing wildlife such as zebra and giraffe but we only saw herds of cattle, often looked after by Masai, and plenty of goats.
One day we went with Paul and some of the older students to a local primary school, alot like Mara Primary, where they are helping to improve facilities as part of a community project. They had already built some extra buildings and now they were digging a trench over 1m deep and 1km long so that a water pipe could be laid. The students did really well but they were more than out done by the many local children who had turned up to help. Needless to say we were more than useless and a few children who had not turned up with thier own tools soon took over ours and put us to shame with thier energy, skill and enthusiasm.
We also got out on foot with Beth and Andy and hired a local guide to take us on a walk up to a waterfall near where one of the routes up to the summit of Kilimanjaro starts. He told us about the local plants and crops and showed us how aloe vera can be used to sooth skin and wouldn't take us any further until he had covered all of the many mosquito bites on Beth's legs with it. Although she said that it was very effective at getting rid of the itchiness, pasty white English legs covered in red bites covered with crusty green sap isn't the most attractive sight! The guide took us to a tiny bar in a village which produced a very strong banana beer - definitely an aquired taste, and banana wine which was quite nice. We also went to a nearby restaurant where they brought us out out a bit metal tea pot full off water so we could wash our hands before eating a typical local meal of chicken, rice and vegetables.
Damian also managed to fulfil one of his aims of this year which was to play golf somewhere on our travels, although playing in Tanzania would probably have been the last place he thought this would happen. The golf club was set in the middle of a huge sugar plantation and other than the heat and the troop of monkeys running across the fairways it was very similar to playing in England.
We are now at home looking forward to catching up with life back home and spending time in Luddenden Foot before heading off again to South America in April.
See you then!
K & D X
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