This past weekend--our last in Moshi--was an absolute whirlwind. It's hard to believe that later this week, it will be over for us here in Tanzania. Moshi was certainly the focal point of the trip, and it certainly has not been dissapointing. Everyone here has been so welcome and appreciative, and leaving is certainly going to be very difficult.
More to come soon...
Monday, August 18, 2008
Sunday, August 10, 2008
The High Road to Usangi
This weekend, Becca and I decided to put some tourism in "volunteer tourism" and head into the Pare Mountains to hike Mt. Kindoroko, the highest peak in the Northern Pare range. Best for us, Usangi (the village at the base of Kindoroko) is only about 2-3 hours by bus from Moshi.
For the first hour or so of the ride, the bus followed the Dar es Salaam-Arusha highway, but then it turned off onto a dirt road and began to climb into the mountains. The next 90 mintues covered only about 25km of horizontal distance...but quite a bit of vertical. The plains along the highway quickly gave way to a much greener landscape, and the hillside was covered with terraced plantings of bannanas, sugar cane, cassava, and yams. One thing that is so interesting about the Pare (and Usumbara) mountains here in Tanzania, as opposed to most ranges in the United States, is that they are densely populated. According to my guidebook, the population density in both these ranges is over 300 people per square kilometer. That means that the paths that hikers used are shared by villagers to get to their homes and schools. We always think that we need hiking boots and trekking poles to climb, but the people who walk past you are in flip flops carrying huge sacks of flour on their heads while talking on their cell phones.
All of the tourism in Usangi is operated as a "cultural tourism" program through a secondary school in the village. The headmaster of the school (Mr. Kangeru) runs the program, and everyone we saw on the bus asked us, "Oh, are you going to see Mr. Kangeru?" Even our bus driver, as soon as we got on in Moshi, said, "Mr. Kangeru?" And it was the headmaster himself who came out of the school to greet us and explain the program.
The next day (Saturday), we met our guide in the morning and headed up the mountain. For the first half of the trek up, you pick your way along trails that are frequented by the people who live there, even passing a primary school that must be at over 1500m. Thankfully, there were very few convenient places where Becca could wait, and so we both made it the whole way to the top. The unique part of the trip is the way down: The guide has a laundry list of interesting places and people to visit. We chose to taste some traditional beer and to visit a local healer.
When speaking with the healer, I asked him if it mattered for his work--which includes praying to the ancestors--whether the people he was healing were Muslims or Christians. He repliedthat it did not matter the daily religion of the patient, that the traditional religion was around first, and the organized book religions are just acoutrements to the spirit world that has always existed. He laughed as he told us that "many" leaders from other traditions come to him to be healed or to receive protection from witchcraft. (I tried to buy a small anti-witchcraft charm for my dorm room, but it was really expensive!)
One of the most important aspects of the entire trip is the "Village Development Fee" charged by Mr. Kangeru and the school. This fee--about $2 per person per day of trekking--is deposited into the coffers of the local government here in Usangi. Although we didn't receive any information as to where exactly the money was going, it was nice to know that Usangi was taking some steps to force some of the money brought in by tourism to stay in the village. All too often, the money that tourists spend never makes it to the people whose natural resources and land are being walked all over. Instead, I think that the friendliness and smiles on the part of the people who showed us where to go and asked if we were going to see Mr. Kangeru were due, at least in some small part, to the fact that he has set up a program that allows tourists to do more than simply erode the village paths.
For the first hour or so of the ride, the bus followed the Dar es Salaam-Arusha highway, but then it turned off onto a dirt road and began to climb into the mountains. The next 90 mintues covered only about 25km of horizontal distance...but quite a bit of vertical. The plains along the highway quickly gave way to a much greener landscape, and the hillside was covered with terraced plantings of bannanas, sugar cane, cassava, and yams. One thing that is so interesting about the Pare (and Usumbara) mountains here in Tanzania, as opposed to most ranges in the United States, is that they are densely populated. According to my guidebook, the population density in both these ranges is over 300 people per square kilometer. That means that the paths that hikers used are shared by villagers to get to their homes and schools. We always think that we need hiking boots and trekking poles to climb, but the people who walk past you are in flip flops carrying huge sacks of flour on their heads while talking on their cell phones.
All of the tourism in Usangi is operated as a "cultural tourism" program through a secondary school in the village. The headmaster of the school (Mr. Kangeru) runs the program, and everyone we saw on the bus asked us, "Oh, are you going to see Mr. Kangeru?" Even our bus driver, as soon as we got on in Moshi, said, "Mr. Kangeru?" And it was the headmaster himself who came out of the school to greet us and explain the program.
The next day (Saturday), we met our guide in the morning and headed up the mountain. For the first half of the trek up, you pick your way along trails that are frequented by the people who live there, even passing a primary school that must be at over 1500m. Thankfully, there were very few convenient places where Becca could wait, and so we both made it the whole way to the top. The unique part of the trip is the way down: The guide has a laundry list of interesting places and people to visit. We chose to taste some traditional beer and to visit a local healer.
When speaking with the healer, I asked him if it mattered for his work--which includes praying to the ancestors--whether the people he was healing were Muslims or Christians. He repliedthat it did not matter the daily religion of the patient, that the traditional religion was around first, and the organized book religions are just acoutrements to the spirit world that has always existed. He laughed as he told us that "many" leaders from other traditions come to him to be healed or to receive protection from witchcraft. (I tried to buy a small anti-witchcraft charm for my dorm room, but it was really expensive!)
One of the most important aspects of the entire trip is the "Village Development Fee" charged by Mr. Kangeru and the school. This fee--about $2 per person per day of trekking--is deposited into the coffers of the local government here in Usangi. Although we didn't receive any information as to where exactly the money was going, it was nice to know that Usangi was taking some steps to force some of the money brought in by tourism to stay in the village. All too often, the money that tourists spend never makes it to the people whose natural resources and land are being walked all over. Instead, I think that the friendliness and smiles on the part of the people who showed us where to go and asked if we were going to see Mr. Kangeru were due, at least in some small part, to the fact that he has set up a program that allows tourists to do more than simply erode the village paths.
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Smooth Sailing in Majengo
There's not much news here in Majengo. Becca and I have been busy teaching and trying to speak Swahili. So far this week, our lessons have focused on counting, ending up with a rousing march around the classroom to "The Ants Go Marching." (I really wanted number three to be "take a pee" but wiser heads prevailed and number three still stops to "climb a tree.") We miss everyone! And if anyone sees my brother before he leaves for school, give him a big hug for me!
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