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| A view of Moshi from our hotel |
We returned to Moshi yesterday and enjoyed a comfortable
night in a very pleasant hotel, the Climbers Corner. Whilst still pretty basic in
some respects, it more than met our needs. It is cooler in Moshi than Muheza and
so we all slept well. Breakfast was enjoyed in its rooftop café / bar offering fantastic
views of the town centre and also of the famous Mount Kilimanjaro. I must say
seeing it ‘in the flesh’ has definitely upped my desire to climb it. I was
already pretty keen, now I am even more so! It is a beautiful mountain. We
shall have to see if I can squeeze that in…..
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| Mt Kilimanjaro in the distance |
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| Dicing with death in the dala dala |
Today we arranged a trek through the rainforest to a local
waterfall. To save some pennies (and also wanting to enjoy some authentic African
experience) we decided to go by Dala Dala - the local bus. These are basically small minibuses,
of mostly Japanese makes, rusty, dusty, creaky and packed to the brim with
passengers. Sardines in a can. It is quite something. They whizz along at what seems
to be break neck speed, the ‘conductor’ hanging out of the window and
communicating with the driver with loud bangs on various parts of the vehicle,
stopping to drop off and pick up.
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| A view forward! |
We loved it to be honest (perhaps we are
reckless) and it was one of the highlights of the day. The return journey was
even more eventful as the driver navigated his way round a traffic jam by
undertaking a long line of vehicles, only to be thwarted by a bridge. Not to be
stopped that easily, he then drove over the accompanying narrow pedestrian bridge,
people jumping out of his way! This was evidently unusual behaviour given the
raucous cries of dissatisfaction (or were they approval) from the local
passengers. Either which way bonkers, but quite fun too in a sadistic sense.
The trek to the waterfall was just brilliant. We started off
walking through local villages which was such a privilege as I suspect it would
be very difficult to get such experience on a ‘package’ holiday. It is fascinating
the way different villages are arranged, some have road (baked mud track)
networks, others – like the ones today – are predominantly paths for walkers /
animals through the forest. It really is a very different way of life. Clearly
the developed world has ‘developed’ the way it has for a reason, but there will
always be drawbacks to that process too. Our ‘commute’ through the villages was
delightfully sociable, with our guide chatting away to all the residents, busy
with day to day life. When we managed to chip in as well it was greatly appreciated,
and we were made to feel very welcome (I was of course eclipsed by the delight
when any of the children spoke in Swahili). For a ‘westerner’ there was a
slightly uncomfortable feeling to these paths / routes as the concept of
property / boundaries is clearly very different. We would not infrequently walk
through someone’s garden or past their front door (even through some drying washing
at one point). 
The waterfall itself was great. A very steep (and probably
very dangerous) path down to it certainly added to the excitement. The chidlers
were all most excellent. They were all very careful and had absolutely no
trouble in navigating it (some of the steps were quite big and Beth was very industrious
with how she clambered down and then back up – possibly with a bit of help from
dad!). It was well worth all the effort, a great excursion. There is something
very magical about water. As we stopped to eat lunch, I found myself quickly
becoming lost in watching the water cascade down, the very therapeutic sounds. The
stresses of life just seem to slip away…
On our return journey we were treated (or was it slightly
sprung upon us) to a trip to a coffee farm. There was an interactive tour,
showing us the plants, how they harvest and then prepare the coffee beans. It
is a fascinating process involving the removal of three skins (using a massive
pestle and mortar), roasting in a clay pot, more usage of the pestle and mortar
accompanied by lots of dancing and singing to motivate the person pounding the
beans! Whilst I’m sorry to say that I don’t like coffee, it was a brilliant and
very interesting experience nonetheless. For coffee lovers this would be a
dream come true, you don’t get fresher coffee than that, organic too!
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