Today we chose to have a leisurely morning. The twelve of us decided to sleep in, have breakfast at various times, and be ready with our luggage by 9:30 am.
Our initial stop for the day was in Karatu Village (on the way to Mto wa Mbu, 17 miles ahead) at a large art and souvenir center selling jewelry, paintings, sculptures, masks, and a variety of other items. Our group certainly helped the economy of Tanzania at that locale.
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| Ebony carvers |
Next we went to the town of Mto Wa Mbu (Mosquito River), which is named for the river it is by: the Mto wa Mbu, which flows into Lake Manyara just to the south). Our guides were Daniel and Nuru. They were both excellent.
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| Daniel, our guide |
We started by having red bananas which means the skin is red on the outside. They basically tasted like yellow bananas, but have more nutrition. We saw green bananas bring prepared for shipping, but they should be yellow by the time they reach their Tanzania destination.
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| Bananas |
As we walked down the street we passed a government primary school, a ficus tree, and several shops.
Our next stop was an art center. As we entered we saw one man painting the head
of a lion. A gentleman explained to us about the three types of paintings we would see. We then walked around to observe the artwork. Several were purchased.
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| Shaina & PJ with the artist |
Finally we went to the market. It was similar to other markets we had visited. Daniel pointed out some of the vegetables and a piece of limestone which people in the area lick or chew to replace missing minerals in their diet, especially for pregnant women. Our tour had ended, so we got back in our vans to head onward for our next adventure.
It was now time for a rest stop and lunch. Another tasty and huge meal was in our bags. This time we had a piece of chicken and a cup of rice as the main portion. There was also a small veggie sandwich. One thing that was different was a bag of chips. And it was at a local restaurant - could eat outside or inside. Not bad!
A Maasai Boma was our final event for the afternoon. We had seen one before, but this one was totally different. They wrapped our upper bodies with pieces of their cloth and tied them in the front. The women in the group then got a beaded neck piece to wear. This group of Maasai was a huge family. The Chief has eleven wives. The men assisting us were brothers with different mothers. They all performed a dance for us, and in one section the men jump to see who can jump the highest.
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| Jumping contest |
We then joined them for one last dance. After the dance, they walked us through the gate that protects their homes from wild animals.
One of the brothers showed us how they start a fire by rubbing the point of one hard piece of wood onto one point on another softer piece of wood . First you see smoke and then a tiny ember appears. Some straw or cow dung is put near the ember and after some gentle breaths of air a flame appears. (See top photo).
After that we got to see the inside of their homes; two people accompanied each host. The one we entered had a small entrance and was dark inside. His wife and small child were inside in the living portion of the home. There was a fire going and meat was cooking. Right next to that was another small room which is where they sleep. They were eager for us to share a meal together, and asked us to try piece of beef with them.
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| Maasai house |
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| Inside the hut |
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| Doorway |
Then we went outside to walk in a big circle of crafts made by the wives. I saw one coaster I liked, but they were only sold in sets.
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| Handicrafts to support the village |
Once finished with the shopping our group headed toward the vans. Some of us watched the game with stones and a board with cups in it.
Now it was time for our ride to Arusha for our final night. We returned to the Masailand Lodge. After drinks at the bar, we had our dinner. Carol and Mark have an early morning flight, so we said our goodbyes to them. Then off we went for our final night’s sleep in Tanzania. We could all dream and reminisce about our outstanding home stay and safaris. Thank you Ray for planning such a fantastic journey.
