6th - 17th June: Tanzania and Zanzibar - special guest blog!

As sad as I was to leave Ethiopia, I was also pretty excited about the next stage of my travels, which was to include not only lots of amazing animals, but also a guest appearance from my Dad!

I flew from Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) to Nairobi (Kenya) and then jumped on a bus to Arusha (Tanzania) - just over four hours drive away.  I spent a couple of days and nights just pottering around Arusha, resting after the exertions of Ethiopia and waiting for Dad to arrive.

As Dad put in a guest appearance on my Africa travels, I thought it was only fair for him to also put in a guest appearance in my blog! So below is his post. 


Dad's blog

When Grace first suggested that I might like to join her during her African year, I needed very little encouragement.  Angela (Grace's Mum) and I had visited South Africa previously and she was happy for me to go back to the continent as the family representative.

The plan was that I would meet Grace in Arusha, Tanzania and we would visit the Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater and Zanzibar.  She had chosen a superb tour company “Eyes on Africa” to look after us for 10 days and had also helpfully arranged my flights - a total of six in 12 days!

Grace expressed some concern as to how I would manage to get myself through numerous airports on my own, knowing that I can find navigating self-service restaurants difficult enough! The idea of booking an airline escort for me was even mentioned, but finally I was allowed to do it alone, under strict orders from the female members of the family that i must ask someone if i was unsure of anything or needed help.

They needn’t have worried as the the flights were pretty uneventful, despite having to declare at Heathrow that my bag contained items of female underwear! (These were mine, just in case anyone was wondering! - grace) 

My outward journey required three flights and I was told my luggage would find its own way to my final destination, which I presumed to be Arusha.  However on arrival at Dar Es Salaam (my second destination) I was asked where my luggage was. There followed a major search of the airport with my case eventually found in a large and otherwise empty hangar. Apparently Dar was classed as my final destination, as my flight to Arusha was only a domestic flight.

On my last flight from Dar to Arusha I saw the wonderful sight of snow-capped Mount Kilimanjaro from above.

African flights tend to be late so I arrived very late at Arusha to be greeted by Grace and Oscar, who was to be our guide, driver and companion for the next seven days.  He was a charming man with huge knowledge of the wildlife, especially the birds.  He also had infinite patience to allow us to take photos at will.

Getting to know Oscar

We spent the first night in Arusha, a town crowded with people; street vendors cluttering the pavements and handcarts and overcrowded buses occupying most of the rough roads.  

On reaching the outskirts of the town the following morning, we soon saw the Maasai tribes herding their livestock of cattle and goats, assisted by children of possibly only 8 or 9 years. Wherever we looked there were Maasai in their traditional dress, with red blankets and sticks. These images will live with me always.

The three of us then began an amazing seven days on safari in the Serengeti and Ngorongoro crater.

At the rim of the Ngorongoro Crater

It is impossible to convey the anticipation I felt as each daybreak we drove from our lodges or tented camps into the bush and were soon rewarded with sightings of a wide range of animals and birds.

There is insufficient space to mention it all, but below are some of the things that were most memorable for me.

Thousands of migrating wildebeest (also known as 'gnu') and zebra

A leopard up a tree with the remains of its 'lunch' drooping beside it

Seeing 28 lions in one day alone 

The great, lumbering elephants coming ever closer to our vehicle

The sunrises and sunsets

The cheeky faces of monkeys and baboons

Other highlights were hearing the morning calls of doves and the rowdy chatter of nocturnal bush-babies, seeing the pink glow of flamingos on the lakes, watching the comical warthogs and being treated to a Maasai warrior dance around our campfire.

One final treat was waking in our Ngorongoro lodge to find ourselves surrounded by a huge herd of water buffalo. The sound and smell as they chewed and ‘splatted’ within 10 feet of us made me vow never to eat mozzarella again!

Of particular interest to me, and Oscar, were the birds, many of which have spectacular and vivid plumage, such as the Superb Starling,  Red Bishop and Lilac Breasted Roller.   

Lilac-breasted Roller

In contrast there were also plenty of Ostrich, Kori Bustard and the extraordinary Secretary Bird.  

Secretary Bird on her nest

Grace offered - perhaps unwisely - to keep a bird list for me, and Oscar managed to identify a staggering 102 different species.

Back at Arusha, we said goodbye to Oscar, our eyes in Africa and a great companion.   He had even been polite enough to listen to my rendition of “I’m a Gnu” from start to finish - luckily he only had to enjoy/endure this once!

We then moved on to Zanzibar, courtesy of a 12-seater plane.   

First came Stonetown, the capital, with its narrow cobbled streets containing hordes of pedestrians, cycles and motor bikes.  The skyline was dominated by mosques and temples and throughout the day the sound of the call to prayer rang out over the rooftops. 

  
We finished our time in Zanzibar in a most luxurious and idyllic retreat on the coast, surrounded by palm trees and golden sands.   I spent one whole day on the beach on a sun lounger with the tranquil blue sea at my feet and crabs rushing up the beach to avoid the tide.  My relaxation was only interrupted by a generous supply of cocktails. 

Bliss!

Meanwhile, Grace caught up with her washing...

And so after 10 days I left Grace and Africa behind.   The journeys we had undertaken were for me an unforgettable experience and I shall miss the vast plains teeming with wildlife.  Also there was the genuine warmth and friendliness of the people we met, many of whom were Maasai.

On my flight home from Nairobi I witnessed the confusing but memorable phenomenon of two dawns, one as we came close to the Middle East and the other nearer home.

None of our adventures and experiences would have been possible without the foresight of Grace to invite me to share in her new world of Africa.  Thank you for looking after me, especially through your command of Swahili, and allowing me this opportunity to add my impressions of our great time together.

Asante Sana, Dad.

Grace's bit at the end!

Oscar may have only heard the 'I'm a Gnu' song once, but throughout my childhood (and beyond) I think I may have heard my Dad recite it almost as many times as there were Gnus in the Serengeti!  It was written in the 1950s by a comedy song-writing duo called Flanders and Swann and (astonishingly) produced by George Martin who went on to produce The Beatles.  For anyone curious to hear it (you have been warned!), here it is: The Gnu Song

:-)

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10th May - 5th June: Ethiopia Part 4 - The South and East

The South
It is possible to travel independently in Southern Ethiopia, but bus journeys are long and many visits require finding local guides, so I decided that in order to maximise the time I had left in the country, I would book a driver and guide through the same organisation that I had travelled to Danakil with. After doing so, I bumped into a couple from my Danakil group - Sonja and Toni - who decided to join me for most of the trip which was lovely. 

We didn't have to travel too far South from Addis to notice a marked change in the landscape. Thanks to several Rift Valley lakes and rivers in the area, the environment began to look more like Uganda, with its rolling hills, lush green vegetation and banana plants.

Lakes 
Our first night in the South was spent in a very small city called Arba Minch, a region with 40 local springs as well as close proximity to two large lakes - Chamo and Abaya.

Lake Chamo

Lake Chamo resident

Beehives hanging in the trees

After enjoying some natural beauty, we headed further South to meet some local people.

Tribes
Southern Ethiopia - and in particular the area around the Valley of the Omo River - is known for its many different tribes. Most of the tribal people still lead very traditional, subsistence lifestyles and have some unique and fascinating customs and rituals.

Dorze tribe and village 

The Dorze people traditionally built their homes much taller than those of many other tribes, although there was only one floor. They did this as an insurance against termites. The termites would start eating at the base of the house, so the house would become a little shorter every year. The taller the house, the longer it would last without needing to be re-built.

Traditional Dorze home

The Dorze people also have a tradition of cotton-spinning and textile-weaving that continues today. 

Cotton-spinning

Weaving

Dorze village rooftops

Bana / Bena tribe (also spelt Banna or Benna)
There are over 40,000 Bana people living in the Omo Valley.  Most live directly off the land and are cattle-breeders. 

Bana market day

Bana guys posing for a photo 

The Bana tribe is one of two tribes that holds a fascinating coming-of-age initiation ceremony for the young men in the tribe.  In order to enter the 'maza' and be deemed an adult man who is ready to marry, a young man must first succeed at the challenge of bull-jumping. 

Bull-jumping ceremonies are huge celebrations organized by the jumper's father, where family, friends and neighbours gather to enjoy food and drink, to socialize and dance and to witness the bull-jump and rituals associated with it.

Drinking (very watery) coffee at the bull-jumping ceremony .

(Toni also has a large and strong sourgum beer at his feet that

 he managed to successfully avoid drinking....)

Food cooking

Bana lady and baby

Maza with gun and headrest

Singing and dancing

Dancing - the young men take turns to perform traditional dances. 

The young women run towards the ones they like and the young 

men chase them to try to dance with them

Young men dancing

Bulls being lined up for the jump.

The young man must jump and run across the backs of at least 13 lined-up bulls, from one end to the other, naked, four times. If he fails to complete the task, he is shamed and cannot become a 'maza'. 

At the ceremony we attended, the young man slipped to the ground between two of the bulls on his first crossing - causing gasps all around - but managed to climb back up and complete the task, earning his right to join the maza. Unfortunately by the time the jump took place, it was dark, so I didn't manage to get any action shots...

Mursi tribe 

Many of the tribes are known for the way in which they decorate their bodies. Types of decoration include painting their faces and bodies using natural dyes, using plants, shells or seeds to make elaborate head-dresses, piercing or stretching parts of their bodies or indulging in 'scarification', which is a natural form of tattoo-ing.  The Mursi are one such tribe. The Mursi are perhaps the most well known of the tribes for body modification, as the women traditionally make holes in their lower lips into which they insert clay discs of increasing sizes.

The Mursi people have learned that there is profit to be made from curious visitors, so many have a strict charging policy for photographs and can therefore be quite insistent that you take their photo. Quite a lot of travellers find this a bit overwhelming and feel that it lessens the authenticity of the experience as all photos have to be pre-agreed and are then 'staged' rather than natural. It's an interesting debate. 

Personally, I feel people should have some choice about whether or not they have their photo taken and should have the opportunity to gain some profit from tourism, rather than it all going to guides and tour companies. As someone who actively avoids appearing in photos, I think i'd want something in return if people were constantly sticking cameras in my face! 

Lake Awasa
On my way back to Addis from the South I visited Awasa, a town on the shores of Lake Awasa - another Great Rift Valley Lake.  Whilst there, i paid an early morning visit to the fishermen on the lake-shore, who were returning with their catches to sell. One after another, the small rowing boats moored up and the fishermen sold their fish to those waiting on the shore.  Amongst those patiently waiting were the Marabou Storks.

After a busy and fascinating trip to the South, my time in Ethiopia was fast running out. But I had to squeeze in one last important visit before I left, so I jumped on a bus in Addis and made my way to a small city to the East called 'Harar'.

Harar

Not only is Ethiopia seen by many as the birthplace of Christianity, but it is also a place of huge significance to Muslims, with Harar itself being considered the fourth holy city of Islam by UNESCO. For its cultural significance, it has also been named as a world heritage site. Harar is said to be the destination of the first pilgrimage of Muslims from Mecca, following an order from Mohammed, and is now home to 82 mosques and many more shrines and tombs.

Harar is also a pretty important place for coffee lovers, as the first 'domestic' coffee plant is said to have come from the city!

One of over 350 alleyways in the 1km squared old city

A gate in the old city wall

Lady with fabric stall in the market

Buying spices

The traditional house I stayed in, within the city walls

Man feeding falcons outside the butchers'

Harar is a unique and fascinating city in many ways, but my main reason for wanting to visit was to observe a nightly tradition that takes place just outside the city walls, when two separate 'hyena men' feed scraps of meat - by hand - to wild hyena! 

Through a local guide, we found Jusef. Jusef has been feeding the hyenas every night for 50 years, a responsibility he took over from his father. Every night he walks into the forest with a sack of meat and calls for the hyena. He allows visitors to watch for a price - and uses the money he makes to buy the meat. The 'other' hyena man is apparently more of a show-man who enjoys entertaining the visitors. Jusef, on the other hand is a man of few words, preferring just to get the job done and appearing only to tolerate rather than enjoy the company of curious visitors!

I stayed in Harar for two nights and spent both evenings accompanying Jusef into the forest as once just wasn't enough! It was incredible to see the hyenas come out of the forest to his call and approach him. The first night three came to see him. At one point on the second night, he was surrounded by eight. In fact, at one point on the second night, I was surrounded by eight, because he let me help...

The hyena were 'Spotted Hyena'; arguably the most successful carnivore in Africa because they hunt their own prey as well as scavenging. They have the most powerful jaws of any animal, which means they can crush and eat bones. Possibly not too wise to get too close to one really...

Yum!

After my two nights in magical Harar, it was time to return to Addis and prepare to fly out of the country. 

I spent just under a month in Ethiopia, but it was nowhere near long enough to really experience such a diverse, unique and surprising country. Nothing about Ethiopia is ordinary. There are extreme natural wonders and extreme man-made wonders around every corner. And there are people who are inspiring and humbling for the way they overcome the challenges they face to survive or make a living, as well as the challenges they set themselves to show and follow their faith.

Ethiopia was also personally challenging for me. If I wasn't climbing a constantly-erupting volcano, or scaling a vertical rock face, I was coming nose to snout with a large predatory carnivore. It was exhausting, but exhilarating - the most adventurous month of my travel so far and the one that has left the biggest impact on me. I loved Ethiopia and hope that one day I will be able to return. 

:)

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