Hiking, Swimming, and where's the teacher?

Sunday June 6, 2010

On Sunday the power is shut off from just before 8 am until after 5 pm. This is done to conserve energy. This meant that Sunday morning there was enough hot water left in our tank for one shower - lucky Janice! Breakfast was cooked over a propane stove.

The day is cool and overcast as usual- coldest day yet since we've been in Africa (none have been very hot). We head out to Gibbs' Farm - a tourist resort/coffee plantation in the Ngorongoro highlands for our hike to view some elephant caves and a waterfall.

It was almost raining - a very heavy mist - as we get there. The jeeps were forced to stop halfway up a steep, grassy, slippery drive as the drivers didn't think they would make it all the way up. We got out to walk the rest of the way up. We were met by a guide, Charles, who quickly pointed out the stinging nettle plant so we could avoid it. Susan and Mary later discovered how aptly it was named. After about a 500m hike straight up the wet grassy drive, we get to the start of the trail. We stop, gasping for breath as we meet our second guide, Liza, who carries a gun to scare off any dangerous animals we might encounter. We let Liza go first.
We started off down the increasingly muddy, jungle-like trail full of mist, vines, huge plants and animal tracks. We almost expected to see Tarzan come swinging out of the trees or Indiana Jones come pelting down the trail chased by who-knows-what. We passed by many fresh, wet piles of dung, mostly buffalo. You could hear people helpfully yelling out “Poop!” up and down the line so you knew when to watch your step. The trail grew progressively muddier and steeper (downward) and more difficult to navigate. Finally felt like we were wading and sliding through the slippery red, volcanic mud up to our ankles. It was only a matter of time before someone slipped. Shortly thereafter, from the back of the pack everyone hears Janice’s distinctive laughter boom out of the forest, and we all knew she must have been the first to land on her butt (but she certainly wasn’t the last). We saw glimpses through the mist of the mountains in the distance and the valley below with the acacia trees silhouetted against the backdrop of green – absolutely stunning. Traversing a particularly treacherous stretch of the path, Charles, our helpful guide, took my hand to help me balance. When I assured him I was doing fine, he said that the younger girls were very strong and didn’t need any extra help. I did not kick him over the edge, but it was tempting.
Arriving at the end of the trail, we see the caves near a muddy stream. No elephants, but a couple of buffalo skeletons from animals that got stuck in the mud. The guide explained how the elephants could walk up the steep slope to the caves, which have a lot of minerals in them to keep them healthy, but to get down they have to basically toboggan on their knees. Sounds like quite a site!
The trail to the waterfall leads us to the top of the waterfall – not the most spectacular way to see the actual waterfall but stunning anyway. Teachers were quite worried about the kids getting too close to the edge of the 400m drop – no such things as guard rails or warning signs in Africa. However no one fell over (although Larry did cause Peter a few anxious moments) and we got some great pictures before heading back up the trail. The trail was just as slippery going back, although by this point we were much less careful about avoiding the mud (poop - yes, mud – who cares) as we are covered completely in it. Another hazard to avoid is the ants. Big, bitey ones, as Morgan can attest.
After completing the hike, exhausted and exhilarated and very dirty, we admire the grounds of Gibbs’ Farm. As we are strolling through the beautiful gardens (apparently impatiens grow 5 feet tall) we make a marvelous discovery – a gift shop! We make a few purchases and head back to the hotel/hostel to clean up for lunch. Not an easy task with no warm water and no lights.

Lunch – Tanzania style
The day is still overcast – usually it burns off by afternoon but not today. We are all wearing sweaters or jackets except for Peter who refuses to wear a jacket in Africa because everyone knows Africa is hot, even if the temperature is only 14 degrees and there is no sun. We drive to a restaurant called Dofu to dine outside (no lights inside) on a wonderful meal of ugali, chicken, beef, vegetables, salad, and the ever-present bottles of soda pop. I can’t believe how much soda people drink, but I guess if you can’t drink water… Ugali is sort of a porridge or dumpling made from maize, water, and salt. Basically tasteless – a bit like bland potatoes – it’s a staple of Tanzanian diet. It fills the stomach very well. Jean insists we eat with our hands to get the real African experience. Wish I hadn’t taken the extra gravy.
Although it’s still cold and overcast we have swimming planned for the afternoon, and Jean has managed to get us in to another very posh resort to use their saltwater pool. We quickly drive back to the hostel to pick up our swimming stuff. As the last couple of teachers are coming out of the room, the first jeep leaves followed by 2 others loaded with students. We jump into the last one, which has 3 of the boys. I’m asking the boys (okay, Matt is the only one who actually pays attention) if all the kids are in the other cars and go through each of the names. He assures me everyone was accounted for. A few miles down the road, we are enjoying the scenery when Jan suddenly says “Where’s Susan?” Peter, Janice, and I look at each other in horror and then burst out laughing. We attempt to radio the other cars to see if she’s in one of them, but can’t get a response. Decide to go on to the resort as it’s very close to see if she’s there, rather than turn back. Meanwhile we’re drawing straws to see who has to go back to get her and imagining vividly her reaction. Sure enough, we lost 1 teacher. Pete heads back but doesn’t get very far when she drives up with Japhet. She apparently came out of her room in time to see the last jeep drive out the gate and, after a few choice words, started walking down the road when Japhet drove up and jokingly asked if she’d been left behind. He also roared with laughter when she said “Actually, yes!” and then was kind enough to drop her off at the resort. Ironically, this was the first time we left anywhere without doing a head count.
The resort is absolutely gorgeous, with individual guest houses and an elegant dining room. It grows coffee and bananas as well as many beautiful flowers on the gorgeously landscaped grounds. Most of the kids opt to go swimming, despite the cool weather. There was also a really great gift shop! It actually accepted credit cards – first place we’ve found since coming to Africa. So for letting our students use their pool (there was no one else around as everyone goes on safari during the day) the resort made a small fortune in their gift shop.
We return to the hotel at about 5:30 (yay – power is back on!) and get ready for another party night at Happy Days. We have a cake for Karen G in honour of her anniversary (ok, so her husband was halfway around the world, it was a great excuse for a song and dessert). It’s an early night as everyone is quite tired from the strenuous activities of the day. We carefully count everyone, including Susan, before we head off home.