2/1/14: SAFARI DAY 7: MASAI CULTURAL DAY

2/1/14: SAFARI DAY 7: MASAI CULTURAL DAY

We arrived late on the sixth day at a school outside of Arusha, past the airport and off a dirt road. This was regular camping, with foam mats, sleeping bags and pillows in a very dusty dirt area in back of the school, near the cook room.  Stephanie and John decided they didn't want to stay, that it wasn't in alignment with being on honeymoon, and so Muba made arrangements for them to stay at the same lodge they stayed in Arusha for their first night, a rather fancy spot owned by a friend of Donna's, the owner of Masai Wanderings.  They were to take off for Zanzibar the next day by plane.  So, we said our goodbyes after dinner, sitting outside at a table.

We had a good talk with the principal of the school of 900 children - whew!  With about 100 kids per classroom.  Donna works with him to find funding to build more classrooms, buy textbooks, etc.  he is a dedicated man with the vision of all children in Tanzania receiving an education. Facebook:"A is for Africa" funded the newest classroom.  (I thought this was a large organization but when I got home and searched for it, it's a family that went on Safari with Masai Wanderings and decided to create a fundraiser for this school after visiting it, just like we were doing!) He had a series of great questions - about the rate of divorce in the USA, politics, why people aren't happy when they have everything, about education, about support for Obama.

Slept very well, but woke up and didn't make it to the outhouse, so got our friend to bring a bucket of water to the tent, I stripped and cleaned myself and my pink pajama bottoms.  We had brought along a few plastic pads and a large adult diaper, which helped as security after such a bout.  For breakfast, the guys helped me make oatmeal from our stash, which I had with banana and a chapatti and jam.

 

Kids pose on our walk up the hill. Some are shepherds!

 

 

Traditional family dwellings! This is where we thought we'd be spending the night. 

 

The principal took us through the school, talking some more, then took us for a walk to visit a Massai  woman wearing all her lovely robes and jewelry.  He translated.  The Masai circumcise their boys before marriage, sometimes as old as 30, but usually in their late 20's, with no painkillers and, although the Tanzanian government has banned female circumcision, they still practice this in secrecy. Whew!  When asked why, the response is "tradition - it's our culture."  Sound familiar? 

She was a lovely woman, showed us photos, asked us some questions, dressed us up in Masai garb to take photos with her. Unfortunately, the men were away at a council about some problems, so we didn't get the demonstration of dancing that was planned. 

 

inside home

outside home - dress I think was Christian religious, like for a baptism

 

 

 

Many traffic circles in Arusha are well decorated. 

We had a hot lunch of rice and chicken with a great sauce plus fruit and some cooked cabbage.

We said our goodbyes, drove into town to the Cultural Center, where Yehudah bought a small blue stone called Tanzanite for one earring.  Muba took us to get bus tickets to Mombasa, buy some kanga cloth (at what we later realized was native prices) Marky requested and, finally, took us to the place we stayed our first night in Arusha.  We bid fond adieus to this remarkable guide and gave him a generous tip in a polar bear card. We have just had dinner, I have uploaded some videos to UTube, Yehudah got semi lost on a walk, we have washed some clothing, took showers and are ready to go to bed, all packed for the early bus ride.

Tomorrow we ride buses all day, first to Mombasa, then all night to Lamu, where Yehudah has booked a room in the same place Mary Metzger recently stayed, at $100 per night rather than $150 she payed. We shall see what's in store for us there.  We have three weeks left, all on the coast, first north to Kenya, then south to Zanzibar and, finally, to Dar es Salaam. Lorne wonders how we will fare in June heat. So do we!

Slept very well.