The Rest of Tanzania...Finally

Ngorongoro

While in Tanzania, we finally got to go on a safari! We went to Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Basically, you drive to the top of this mountain and then go down on the other side into the middle of a 'crater.' The crater is filed with all types of animals. We saw water buffaloes, zebras, a leopard, rhino, lions, elephants, and hippos!

Our friends, the zebras

Our friend, the lion

Our friend, the elephant

It was pretty much everything I wanted to see in one place, and it was beautiful. We got to ride through in one of those cars that has the roof popped up and stick our heads out. At some points, we took the liberty of being our own tourguides with some nice "British" accents. However, the ride was bumpy, and I ended up with a large bruise on my side. The battle wound was worth it for the day.

Mt. Kilimanjaro!

 

 

Kili!

 We also got to climb a little bit of Mt. Kilimanjaro. Although we didn't get to reach the peak of Africa in a day, we did have a nice day hike. We started from the base and went up to the first hut and a little further up to this crater rim. Since we had been stuck in a safari vehicle for a few days, it was nice to finally get out and explore something, even if it was just a couple hour hike.

Hunters & Gatherers

In case you were wondering, tribes that hunt and gather still exist. We called them the bushmen and got to track down and visit their tribe.

The way it works is that they can stay in an area anywhere from 2 weeks to 2 months, but pretty much move on after that. They use bow and arrows to kill prey. They then use the meat, fur, and everything else to either eat or for decoration for clothing, bows, whatever else they need. The men primarily hunt while the women gather. However, we got to go exploring a little bit and shoot some bows and arrows.

Some archery...I'm a pro, obvi.

We also got to learn how to make fire from pure wood and sticks. I kind of thought it was actually impossible, but it's not! Fun fact. See it for yourselves

Caitlin making fire

I'm somewhat surprised gathering works because the lands are generally pretty arid and empty during the dry season. However, they gather berries and whatnot in order to provide some nutrition for their tribesman.

They also apparently smoke "tobacco" about six times ago. However, it was the most interesting smell of tobacco I've ever come across. During the census, it is rumored that the bushmen were bribed to leave their hunting areas and fill out a census in return for some free "tobacco" product. Interesting, I know. The government is all over the place.

Maasai Land

Hello there! Sorry for the delay in posts. For the past week, i have been in Tanzania. It was absolutely beautiful, but I thought I would break up the excitement into a few different posts to keep me busy.

One of the places we visited and stayed when we were there was Maasai Land. The Maasai are one of the traditional tribes that still exist around Kenya and Tanzania. They are pretty easy to spot because of all the bright colored clothing they wear. The men usually carry canes, and they are known to herd their goats or cattle.

They live in arid areas in things called bomas. The boma is a little clearing that they build all of their huts in for their family. Many many people sleep in which one, which is pretty incredible. They are made out of cow dung, so they have to be rebuilt every once and a while. We actually got to stay in one, which was pretty neat. My friend Dana and I even made friends with the women that lived in it. One of the concerns with the homes are for women that cook because there is a lack of ventilation in the huts and all of the cooking is done in there with smoky fires. The area was all pretty dusty, so it was hard to imagine how they get their water during the dry season. I think they have to walk a few kilometers to get just one bucket, which is incredible.

A Boma.

One day while we were there, they thought it was a good idea to slaughter a goat. I was picked to go on the committee to gather the goat...it was more of a goat chase, literally. Three other people and I went around chasing this goat. The Maasai man just laughed at us, but no worries. We got him eventually! We named him Nibbles and took him back to home base. There, we saw the Maasai make some fire and set up his little sacrificial area. Once they were done, they suffocated the goat. I pretty much left after that because I didn't want to see the goat be sliced apart, but everybody else stayed. They preceded to skin and castrate the goat. They then ate its liver raw and roasted a lot of its meat. Some people even ate its blood. Let's just say I was glad I was not there. Poor Nibs.

The goat chase.

NIBBY!

One of the other things the Maasai are known for is their beadwork, so we got to bead with them. (Don't worry mom, I got you plenty). Woohoo! It was pretty neat to learn what all the different colors represented. Also, each different generation of men/ 'warrior group' picks a color for their group, and them and their wives all primarily wear that color. It was fun to see. They wear these huge things around their necks sometimes, and as part of their traditional dance routine, the women bounce it off their chests. I think it's some sort of pick-a-mate ritual. The men jump as high as they can and the women bounce the beadwork. I don't really understand, but it was interesting to watch nonetheless.

The huge neck things. I really wish I knew the name.

Beading.

Overall, the people were all really nice. It was interesting to see how people function in what seems like the middle of nowhere and learn a little about their ways of life. It's interesting because they make a lot of their money from the tourism industry, but from making that money, they are able to maintain their traditional lifestyles. Pretty cool, huh?
More to come later...