So after leaving the farm we started on some proper backpacking with hostels and everything. For this blog rather than listing it all day by day I thought I might try a different approach. So I'm going talk about things topic by topic in the hope that it all might come out a little more clearly.
1) Tribes
Within Kenya, Tanzania and I'm assuming the whole of Africa each country is divided into 30 or so tribes. The tribe which you are part of has a massive impact on how you live. The two main tribes I've come across so far are the Maasi in Kenya and the Samba tribe in the Usambara Mountains (Named after them) in Northern Tanzania. Basically what the Maasi do is own huge shambas (areas of land) have loads of cows and thats about it. The Samba people on the other hand do a lot more farming and have maybe 2 cows. I've just finished a 3 day trek through the Usambara Mountains, to put it into Bristolian language they are 'like proper well lush and like tropical and hilly and that'. The Samba people own smaller shambas maybe the size of a couple of allotments and every single inch from peak to valley of the hills is used to farm potatoes and bananas and avocados. I reckon, due to the food I would choose Shamba.
2) Alcohol
So inevitably there has been a lot of alcohol comsumption. Beer first. There ain't no real ale round these parts but they do have some good lager, Tusker and Killimangaro are pretty lush and go for about 1 pound a pint. The other day me Nick and Dave (who are currently half way up Killimangaro) went on a barefoot (unprepared in the shoe deartment), muddy search for a water fall within the banana plantations above Moshi. We found it, it were lush, had a quick strip and dip and then on our way down had a try of the local banana wine. I would't say it was something I would try again, I was strong: 10% and very similar to home brewed cider but with a banana kick. Lastly on alcohol, these Maasi understandably have quite a lot of time on their hands. This means that you tend to come across a fair few mzees (old tribal men) who love to drink their home brew all day long. Came across a maasi mzee the other day, he spat on my hand, I spat on his we shoke hands and he made me spin around. Ever so slightly uncomfortable situation but nodding and smiling helped a lot.
3) Food
What would a blog from Grace be without a mention of food?? So in Kenya as I might of said there was a lot of ugali, very bland and stodgy but not so bad if you need something to fill you up. The farm workers would take massive lumps of the stuff and cram it in for breakfast lunch and dinner. In Nairobi for the day we got taken to a restaurant in the city where all the office workers go. I had a whole fish, it was very very good and I ate it all with my hand, impressive I know. Lastly on food is a new discovery of ours. After searching high and low around Nairobi we finally found this mysterious fruit: the custard apple. I don't know whether any of you have tried it but if you're in a hot country and you happen to stumble across it, buy it, it's probably the best fruit ever. (It's green, knobbly, mango sized). Apparently it has mystycal properties but this could be a lie.
As an extra, as I said I just got back from a trek in some mountains. Finished in a little village perched right on the very edge of the mountains called Mtae (google it). You could see all the way into Kenya one side, Killimangaro straight ahead and the Pare Mountains to the other side. Best view yet and one of the best sunsets so far.
So that's it for now, off to the coast in northern Tanzania then up to Mombassa to stay in a house of Nick's extended family again, they are the nicest family ever and then down to Zanzibar.
Love Grace aka Copper aka (in Swahili) Copplejiwe
