Tanzanian Family
After an 8 hour flight and post egg custard food coma, we arrived in Tanzania from Lisbon. Officially the United Republic of Tanzania, the country is made up of over 120 tribes with over 120 spoken languages (though Swahili is the official language). Mainland Tanzania is 378,000 square miles of coastal plains, a central plateau and highlands in the north and south. Over the years, this beautiful country has become a second home to me. The descent into my second home was special, though. Usually the flight lands into Arusha late at night but this time, we landed as the sun was setting. That meant we had views of Mt. Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa standing at well over 19,000 feet.
The moment you step off the plane, you feel like you're in another world. There is a certain dust-like smell that is strange at first but upon traveling there so many times, that smell becomes the smell of your second home. You hop in the four wheel drive and never really bother to put on your seat belt. There is one main road that connects a multitude of villages and there are hardly any traffic lights — three max. As you drive along the road, you see women in colorful traditional clothing carrying buckets of water on their head. Perhaps you will even see some with suitcases on their heads. The men can be seen guiding their cows and goats along winding dirt paths, wearing bright red cloth and carrying a long, wooden stick. Trucks pass by endlessly, overstuffed with maize. This country is Tanzania, a beautiful, peaceful, amazing country whose people are always so welcoming and hospitable.
Upon landing, we got on mini buses and said "Jambo!" to the guide, who then thought I knew Swahili. I told him that I know the names of animals (no surprise there since I'm a wildlife photographer. On our very first trip to Tanzania in 2006, I actually had our guide and friend Walter translate every animal we saw into Swahili for me.) I also told him that I know the famous Jambo Bwana song, which I then happily sang. After a very pole pole (slowly slowly) drive from the airport to Arusha, we arrived at the Arusha Coffee Lodge where the staff were singing Jambo Bwana. Imagine the look on their faces when I started singing with them! After a quick beloved pizza at the Arusha Coffee Lodge, it was time for bed. We had a big day ahead of us.
The following morning, we had a very happy reunion with our longtime friends — our Tanzanian family.
We first met Walter on a Kenya & Tanzania migration safari in 2006. It was a family safari, which meant the kids had our own safari guide (Walter) and the adults had their own safari guide. Over the years we kept in touch via email and Facebook and on our many return trips, we grew to know his family very well. Now, our happy family is a reunion of 10 with newborn Trisha being the newest addition. Everyone was all smiles as we headed out to one of my favorite parks, Tarangire.
Tarangire is a national park in Tanzania's Manyara region and its name originates from the Tarangire River that runs through the park. While we normally stay overnight while on safari, we just did a quick day trip with the whole family. For some of the girls, it was their first time on safari so the experience was even more special. At one point during the 2 hour drive there, Walter pointed out traffic police hiding in trees. He said sometimes the traffic police dress up as Maasai so drivers don't recognize them. If someone is speeding, they call ahead to a traffic stop where officers are waiting via Whatsapp but sometimes the reception is bad and the waiting officers don't always get the call. After a bit of off-roading, we reached the main gate. It was pretty crowded, given this is a less popular park than the Serengeti or Ngorongoro. We walked to the baobab where we had been years ago in 2012, but this time we were able to climb to the top (last time, monkeys blocked our way!)
We hadn't driven too far into the park when we came across a huge watering hole with tons of zebra, wildebeest, and impala coming to drink.
We stopped for a quick picnic lunch prepared by our friends and then continued on. There's a long time joke that I have "Africa eyes" as I have often spotted wildlife before our guides over our 8 trips to Tanzania. As we were heading off towards the elephants, I found a mongoose on a termite mound. A mongoose is a small predatory carnivore found mainly in Africa but also Southern Asia and some parts of southern Europe. They are known for their attacks on highly venomous snakes though they also feed on small mammals, birds, other reptiles, eggs and occasionally fruit. These small critters are short-legged with pointed noses, small ears, and a long, furry tail. Their claws don't retract and their fur is gray to brown flecked with lighter gray.
After taking some photos, we also came across water buck, a variety of bird species, warthogs, a jackal, giraffes, and the most gorgeous baobab trees. Below are some photos of wildlife along the way.
There are nine species of baobab trees... six from Madagascar, two from mainland Africa and one from Australia. Their biggest enemies are drought, water logging, lighting, elephants and black fungus but even so, they can potentially live up to 3,000 years old. These deciduous trees store large volumes of water in their trunks, which is why elephants, eland and other animals chew the bark during the dry season. Baobabs are also utilized by humans for a variety of purposes including shelter, ceremonies, food, medicine, fiber, juices, and beer.
Continuing on, we were treated to a herd of elephants in the dried up Tarangire River. It's now the middle of the dry season (typically lasting throughout June, July, August, September and October) during which time rainfall is unusual, even on the islands. The "short dry season" lasts from January to February, following the short rains in November and December. The main rainy season, "long rains" lasts during March, April and May. With climate change, it's now much drier than usual. The river is completely dried up, meaning the elephants need to dig for water. During the dry season, you'll find elephants digging into dry stream beds or other spots to find water lurking below the surface. They create large holes by digging with their feet, trunks and tusks. These holes also provide the elephants with a source for mud, which they spread over their skin as a sun protectant. When they are done drinking from the holes they have created, other animals come to take advantage of what's left behind.
We had only continued on for a few minutes when we came across a different herd of elephants right on the side of the road. Below is an iPhone video for perspective!
You're not allowed to off-road in Tarangire (and very few places in Tanzania in general), so seeing animals so close to the road is a special treat. To see our friends getting so excited over their local wildlife, however, was a real treat in itself. Though they quite literally live in nature's backyard, most locals don't have the opportunity to go on safari. If a school takes students on safari, the children are piled into large school vans with a roof that doesn't pop open like the safari cars. The look on their faces was priceless. Even for someone like myself who has been to Africa 9 times, there is nothing more powerful than staring into the eyes of wildlife mere inches away.
By the time we had driven out of the park and driven the 2 hours back to Arusha, we were all exhausted. We were in bed by 8pm. The following day, we stayed around Arusha. As is our Tanzanian tradition, we did shopping damage at Shanga. Shanga is a social enterprise that employs people with disabilities to create jewelry, glassware, and home ware incorporating recycled materials. Shanga opened in 2007 and we have been visiting every other year since 2008. It's an uplifting local community project where you can even visit the workshop and meet with the artists who create the products. In 2017, Shanga moved to the Arusha Coffee Lodge partnering with Elewana as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility program. Now, you can visit their open workshop for glass-blowing, weaving, sewing, Tinga Tinga painting, bead-making and metal work as well as a huge shop.
We then set off on a wild goose chase around downtown Arusha. When we were in the Serengeti a year and a half ago, we had bought beautiful beaded placemats that were brought in from the Maasai Women Fair Trade Center which is located in Arusha. According to their website, MWEDO is "located along Simeon Road Corridor area behind KK Security Arusha". At first glance, the directions aren't great and GPS won't get you there. We arrived in the location, only to find that the shop wasn't there. We drove around asking street vendors where the shop was and eventually one man informed us that it had moved about 45 minutes away along the main road. When we were nearing the shop, we asked some locals which direction the shop was at. One man pointed left while a woman pointed to the right. Okay... We followed the woman's advice, and eventually we came across the shop.
While the shop mainly takes on commissioned work requested by hotels, restaurants, and other businesses, they do have a small shop that you can visit. Established in 2000, this non-government women-led organization empowers women to enhance sustainable human development for Maasai women through access to education, economic empowerment, maternal health, and HIV/AIDS education. The organization was initiated by three maasai women who gathered in Monduli to voice their issues regarding gender disparities, violation of human rights, and lack of education for their children including insufficient health services within their communities. Coming together, the women decided to establish an organization to call their own. Now, MWEDO is a membership organization with over 5,000 grassroots women members from the Arusha and Manyara regions of Tanzania. When you purchase something from MWEDO, the money goes back to the women directly (whereas you pay quadruple the price from a hotel because the hotel wants make a profit instead of giving back to the community.) The wild goose chase was worth the wait, and we did a bit of shopping damage here as well.
Our original plan for the day was to visit Walter's house after shopping but it took so long finding MWEDO that by the time we were done shopping, it was 2pm and everyone was hungry. After a nice family lunch, we all headed back to the lodge where we set up a slideshow of my photographs in the conference room. We all sang Jambo Bwana as a family (video below) and after lots of hugs, we said "see you next time" because no matter how many times we say we aren't returning to Africa, we always find ourselves back at home here.
The next morning, we took the new bypass one last time past the rice paddies, banana plants, and sunflower fields. Unfortunately this dry season has been particularly bad and most of the corn growing alongside the road won't be able to be eaten by humans... only the cattle. Food insecurity is severely influenced by the weather and as Tanzania is in a tropical region, soil fertility varies and agricultural practices are dependent upon rainfall. The inconsistent weather patterns lead to food shortages since the country receives either excessive rain or not enough rain. Such fluctuations in the climate (droughts, floods, and severe storms) further influence communities as it creates an even more distinctive socio-economic gap as pooper families suffer greater losses during this time. This then impacts education as there is a higher demand for labor in the months of the dry seasons as families need to ensure enough crops are planted since so many can be lost during these fatal months. When put into perspective, the spirit of the Tanzanian people is even more amazing to me. There are so many things we take for granted and sometimes, you don't realize how "easy" we have it until you see other lifestyles for yourself.
From Tanzania, it was time to leave for Madagascar... round two. But not before a flyover of Mt. Kilimanjaro, a very special privilege!! It was bittersweet, however. When we flew over the top, I was shocked at how little snow remains. I know the snow has been melting, but the severity of the situation since the last time I saw snow-capped Kilimanjaro just a few years ago was disturbing. It is estimated that Kilimanjaro's 10,000 year old glaciers could disappear entirely by 2030... Just 11 years from now. In our lifetime.
Our fingers (and toes) are crossed for a safe, un-interrupted journey to Madagascar, as last time we were evacuated because of approaching Cyclone Ava. Thanks for reading about my African adventures… Stay tuned for what’s to come and be sure to hit the subscribe button to be notified of new posts! As always, follow my Instagram @elissatitle for more pics.
 |
| Flying in at sunset. |
 |
| Mt. Kilimanjaro as seen from the plane (taken with my phone). |
The moment you step off the plane, you feel like you're in another world. There is a certain dust-like smell that is strange at first but upon traveling there so many times, that smell becomes the smell of your second home. You hop in the four wheel drive and never really bother to put on your seat belt. There is one main road that connects a multitude of villages and there are hardly any traffic lights — three max. As you drive along the road, you see women in colorful traditional clothing carrying buckets of water on their head. Perhaps you will even see some with suitcases on their heads. The men can be seen guiding their cows and goats along winding dirt paths, wearing bright red cloth and carrying a long, wooden stick. Trucks pass by endlessly, overstuffed with maize. This country is Tanzania, a beautiful, peaceful, amazing country whose people are always so welcoming and hospitable.
Upon landing, we got on mini buses and said "Jambo!" to the guide, who then thought I knew Swahili. I told him that I know the names of animals (no surprise there since I'm a wildlife photographer. On our very first trip to Tanzania in 2006, I actually had our guide and friend Walter translate every animal we saw into Swahili for me.) I also told him that I know the famous Jambo Bwana song, which I then happily sang. After a very pole pole (slowly slowly) drive from the airport to Arusha, we arrived at the Arusha Coffee Lodge where the staff were singing Jambo Bwana. Imagine the look on their faces when I started singing with them! After a quick beloved pizza at the Arusha Coffee Lodge, it was time for bed. We had a big day ahead of us.
 |
| Our room at the Arusha Coffee Lodge. |
 |
| Any time I'm at the Arusha Coffee Lodge, I make sure to order their margherita pizza... the best in all of Africa! |
The following morning, we had a very happy reunion with our longtime friends — our Tanzanian family.
 |
| Walter, Anitha, Fashood, Linda, Lissah, Maureen, mom, me, Trisha and Hepi. |
We first met Walter on a Kenya & Tanzania migration safari in 2006. It was a family safari, which meant the kids had our own safari guide (Walter) and the adults had their own safari guide. Over the years we kept in touch via email and Facebook and on our many return trips, we grew to know his family very well. Now, our happy family is a reunion of 10 with newborn Trisha being the newest addition. Everyone was all smiles as we headed out to one of my favorite parks, Tarangire.
 |
| En route to Tarangire. |
Tarangire is a national park in Tanzania's Manyara region and its name originates from the Tarangire River that runs through the park. While we normally stay overnight while on safari, we just did a quick day trip with the whole family. For some of the girls, it was their first time on safari so the experience was even more special. At one point during the 2 hour drive there, Walter pointed out traffic police hiding in trees. He said sometimes the traffic police dress up as Maasai so drivers don't recognize them. If someone is speeding, they call ahead to a traffic stop where officers are waiting via Whatsapp but sometimes the reception is bad and the waiting officers don't always get the call. After a bit of off-roading, we reached the main gate. It was pretty crowded, given this is a less popular park than the Serengeti or Ngorongoro. We walked to the baobab where we had been years ago in 2012, but this time we were able to climb to the top (last time, monkeys blocked our way!)
 |
| With Fashood at the main gate in 2012. |
 |
| Stairs lead all around this baobab at the main gate in Tarangire. |
 |
| Selfie from the top of the stairs at the baobab tree. |
We hadn't driven too far into the park when we came across a huge watering hole with tons of zebra, wildebeest, and impala coming to drink.
 |
| Impala headed to the watering hole. |
 |
| Separated from the rest, this imapala bent over for a drink. |
 |
| A noise set the impala off into a sprint away from the watering hole. |
 |
| Various animals gather at the watering hole to drink during the dry season. |
 |
| Zebra gallop into the water for a drink. |
We stopped for a quick picnic lunch prepared by our friends and then continued on. There's a long time joke that I have "Africa eyes" as I have often spotted wildlife before our guides over our 8 trips to Tanzania. As we were heading off towards the elephants, I found a mongoose on a termite mound. A mongoose is a small predatory carnivore found mainly in Africa but also Southern Asia and some parts of southern Europe. They are known for their attacks on highly venomous snakes though they also feed on small mammals, birds, other reptiles, eggs and occasionally fruit. These small critters are short-legged with pointed noses, small ears, and a long, furry tail. Their claws don't retract and their fur is gray to brown flecked with lighter gray.
 |
| A mongoose sits on a termite mound by the side of the road. |
After taking some photos, we also came across water buck, a variety of bird species, warthogs, a jackal, giraffes, and the most gorgeous baobab trees. Below are some photos of wildlife along the way.
 |
There are nine species of baobab trees... six from Madagascar, two from mainland Africa and one from Australia. Their biggest enemies are drought, water logging, lighting, elephants and black fungus but even so, they can potentially live up to 3,000 years old. These deciduous trees store large volumes of water in their trunks, which is why elephants, eland and other animals chew the bark during the dry season. Baobabs are also utilized by humans for a variety of purposes including shelter, ceremonies, food, medicine, fiber, juices, and beer.
Continuing on, we were treated to a herd of elephants in the dried up Tarangire River. It's now the middle of the dry season (typically lasting throughout June, July, August, September and October) during which time rainfall is unusual, even on the islands. The "short dry season" lasts from January to February, following the short rains in November and December. The main rainy season, "long rains" lasts during March, April and May. With climate change, it's now much drier than usual. The river is completely dried up, meaning the elephants need to dig for water. During the dry season, you'll find elephants digging into dry stream beds or other spots to find water lurking below the surface. They create large holes by digging with their feet, trunks and tusks. These holes also provide the elephants with a source for mud, which they spread over their skin as a sun protectant. When they are done drinking from the holes they have created, other animals come to take advantage of what's left behind.
 |
| iPhone shot for perspective. |
 |
| An elephant drinks water on the dry river bed. |
 |
| An elephant digs for water. |
 |
| A bee-eater photobombs the elephant. |
We had only continued on for a few minutes when we came across a different herd of elephants right on the side of the road. Below is an iPhone video for perspective!
 |
| Elephant close up. |
 |
| This male was gorgeous! |
You're not allowed to off-road in Tarangire (and very few places in Tanzania in general), so seeing animals so close to the road is a special treat. To see our friends getting so excited over their local wildlife, however, was a real treat in itself. Though they quite literally live in nature's backyard, most locals don't have the opportunity to go on safari. If a school takes students on safari, the children are piled into large school vans with a roof that doesn't pop open like the safari cars. The look on their faces was priceless. Even for someone like myself who has been to Africa 9 times, there is nothing more powerful than staring into the eyes of wildlife mere inches away.
 |
| Elephant photobomb! |
By the time we had driven out of the park and driven the 2 hours back to Arusha, we were all exhausted. We were in bed by 8pm. The following day, we stayed around Arusha. As is our Tanzanian tradition, we did shopping damage at Shanga. Shanga is a social enterprise that employs people with disabilities to create jewelry, glassware, and home ware incorporating recycled materials. Shanga opened in 2007 and we have been visiting every other year since 2008. It's an uplifting local community project where you can even visit the workshop and meet with the artists who create the products. In 2017, Shanga moved to the Arusha Coffee Lodge partnering with Elewana as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility program. Now, you can visit their open workshop for glass-blowing, weaving, sewing, Tinga Tinga painting, bead-making and metal work as well as a huge shop.
 |
| With my new Shanga necklace. The beads are recycled glass bottles. |
We then set off on a wild goose chase around downtown Arusha. When we were in the Serengeti a year and a half ago, we had bought beautiful beaded placemats that were brought in from the Maasai Women Fair Trade Center which is located in Arusha. According to their website, MWEDO is "located along Simeon Road Corridor area behind KK Security Arusha". At first glance, the directions aren't great and GPS won't get you there. We arrived in the location, only to find that the shop wasn't there. We drove around asking street vendors where the shop was and eventually one man informed us that it had moved about 45 minutes away along the main road. When we were nearing the shop, we asked some locals which direction the shop was at. One man pointed left while a woman pointed to the right. Okay... We followed the woman's advice, and eventually we came across the shop.
While the shop mainly takes on commissioned work requested by hotels, restaurants, and other businesses, they do have a small shop that you can visit. Established in 2000, this non-government women-led organization empowers women to enhance sustainable human development for Maasai women through access to education, economic empowerment, maternal health, and HIV/AIDS education. The organization was initiated by three maasai women who gathered in Monduli to voice their issues regarding gender disparities, violation of human rights, and lack of education for their children including insufficient health services within their communities. Coming together, the women decided to establish an organization to call their own. Now, MWEDO is a membership organization with over 5,000 grassroots women members from the Arusha and Manyara regions of Tanzania. When you purchase something from MWEDO, the money goes back to the women directly (whereas you pay quadruple the price from a hotel because the hotel wants make a profit instead of giving back to the community.) The wild goose chase was worth the wait, and we did a bit of shopping damage here as well.
 |
| Traditional necklace handmade by a Maasai woman. |
Our original plan for the day was to visit Walter's house after shopping but it took so long finding MWEDO that by the time we were done shopping, it was 2pm and everyone was hungry. After a nice family lunch, we all headed back to the lodge where we set up a slideshow of my photographs in the conference room. We all sang Jambo Bwana as a family (video below) and after lots of hugs, we said "see you next time" because no matter how many times we say we aren't returning to Africa, we always find ourselves back at home here.
The next morning, we took the new bypass one last time past the rice paddies, banana plants, and sunflower fields. Unfortunately this dry season has been particularly bad and most of the corn growing alongside the road won't be able to be eaten by humans... only the cattle. Food insecurity is severely influenced by the weather and as Tanzania is in a tropical region, soil fertility varies and agricultural practices are dependent upon rainfall. The inconsistent weather patterns lead to food shortages since the country receives either excessive rain or not enough rain. Such fluctuations in the climate (droughts, floods, and severe storms) further influence communities as it creates an even more distinctive socio-economic gap as pooper families suffer greater losses during this time. This then impacts education as there is a higher demand for labor in the months of the dry seasons as families need to ensure enough crops are planted since so many can be lost during these fatal months. When put into perspective, the spirit of the Tanzanian people is even more amazing to me. There are so many things we take for granted and sometimes, you don't realize how "easy" we have it until you see other lifestyles for yourself.
 |
| Tanzanian landscape as seen from the airport runway. |
From Tanzania, it was time to leave for Madagascar... round two. But not before a flyover of Mt. Kilimanjaro, a very special privilege!! It was bittersweet, however. When we flew over the top, I was shocked at how little snow remains. I know the snow has been melting, but the severity of the situation since the last time I saw snow-capped Kilimanjaro just a few years ago was disturbing. It is estimated that Kilimanjaro's 10,000 year old glaciers could disappear entirely by 2030... Just 11 years from now. In our lifetime.
 |
| Kilimanjaro as seen from the plane window. |
 |
| Mt. Kilimajaro from the air. |
 |
| Flying onward to Madagascar over Mt. Kilimanjaro. |
Our fingers (and toes) are crossed for a safe, un-interrupted journey to Madagascar, as last time we were evacuated because of approaching Cyclone Ava. Thanks for reading about my African adventures… Stay tuned for what’s to come and be sure to hit the subscribe button to be notified of new posts! As always, follow my Instagram @elissatitle for more pics.
Awesome photos Elissa! Fingers crossed for Madagascar!!
ReplyDelete