Wednesday, July 28

Marangu Region.

This morning, those of us in the new group didn't go to our placements. Instead, Baba John (one of the CCS drivers) took us on a cultural exploration of Marangu, home to a large population of the Chagga people, the tribe that predominantly inhabits the Kilimanjaro region. They are also the tribe to which Baba John belongs. You could see it in his face: pride, that he was going to get to share aspects of his culture with us, for the entire day.

We stopped at a blacksmith and tinsmith cooperative in Marangu, which was interesting because the men use techniques that are considered archaic by Western standards. However, I have trouble imagining that the works of art produced by these "archaic" practices could ever be reproduced by a machine. Hand bellows to heat the metal, hammer and chisel to shape it. Result? Chagga warrior spear, knife, hammer head, cowbell, noisemaker for dances, etc. They also shape wood in the same careful, artistic way they shape metal. Avocado, ebony, and rosewood trees reshaped into bowls, spoons, masks, candleholders, sculptures. The smiths graciously allowed this mzungu to try her hand at the bellows. Apparently I did all right, because they went right on with their work as I sat in the dirt and soot next to them, pumping air into the fire by hand.

We also visited the Marangu Chagga market, where everyone who was selling something greeted us with "Karibu! Karibu sana!" (Welcome! You're very welcome!) in a frenzied attempt to lure us into their stalls. The kanga lady--with a little hut filled floor to ceiling with eye-popping fabric--was hilarious. When I bought 3 kangas from her, her response was somewhat bizarre--she dropped her chin and gently head-butted my chest. Just a split second, but so odd! Not sure if it's a Chagga thing or what, but I think I'll ask Baba John about it.

Next stop was to a replica Chagga fortified hut, a complex of underground caves and tunnels so tight you had to crawl on your hands and knees, or "squat-walk" (squalk?) from room to room.

The event of the day, by far, was the hike down to Kilasiya Falls. To get to the falls, we had to hike into this valley with crazy steep walls. Stretches of it felt like rock climbing (or rather, crumbly muddy hillside climbing), but we were able to hike right up to the base of the falls. Our guide, August, saw my hiking boots and gave me his flip flops instead, as we had to wade through the river at one point. I'm not sure if it was a good idea to wade, and the warning from my travel clinic nurse telling me to avoid fresh water at all costs still lingers in the back of my mind, but the view was awesome. Probably worth the schistosomiasis or tapeworm or some other nasty bug I'll undoubtedly acquire from the lovely scenery.

Beautiful and fun experiences trump parasites. That's my motto for the rest of my stay in Tanzania.