Tanzanian Buses - Where Would You Like To Go Today ?

Shall we catch a Tanzanian bus, & go on an exciting journey somewhere together today ?!
Buses are one of the main modes of transport here for people wishing to travel from one city to the next

You can catch a bus to Kenya, Zambia, Uganda, Rwanda, Mozambique or Malawi

So .... which city would you like to visit today ?!

Where would you like to go today ? Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, Uganda, or Rwanda ?

On almost all Tanzanian roads, you will find these buses running – especially along the major routes like Dar es Salaam or Arusha to Nairobi, Kenya. They’re bright, shiny and travel at break-neck speed on long, open stretches of road ! (We don't have 'highways' or 'freeways' here). Just ask a friendly local in whichever town or city you happen to be in, where the closest bus depot is - hop on, and enjoy the ride !

Buses are the main means of transport for local Tanzanians to get from one town or city to the next. They are also a popular choice for travellers on a budget, and I know several tourists who have successfully (& safely) travelled around Tanzania on them – and had great fun in the process !

Whenever one of these buses passes slowly through a town, or slows down at an intersection you see lots of vendors running up with boxes of goods for sale for hungry/thirsty passengers. The vendors push the goods up through the windows – shouting their prices out, haggling & running alongside the bus in order to keep up. I’ve watched many an exchange of boiled eggs, bottled water, peanuts, bananas or bread between vendors and bus passengers – a great source of business for the vendors and no doubt a source of entertainment for the travel weary passengers !

As a matter of interest, catching a bus from Dar es Salaam to Nairobi, Kenya would take you around 13 hours and the trip from Arusha to Nairobi would take you around 5 hours (of course these times may vary slightly depending on how long it takes you to get through the Namanga border post which lies between the 2 countries). If you’d like to go to the Kenyan coast, then a coach from Dar es Salaam to Mombasa takes around 12 hours.

You can also travel from Dar es Salaam to Lilongwe (approx. 27 hours) in Malawi, or even to Mozambique, Uganda (this route usually runs from Nairobi via Dar es Salaam to Kampala) or from Kampala, Uganda to Bukoba on the shores of Lake Victoria.

If you’re a traveller reading this, and plan on using one of these bus services sometime in the future, my advice to you would be to take something to eat & drink with you on the bus, along with a small pillow and some reading material. Have your camera handy, too & be prepared to meet, talk & make friends with your fellow travellers – Tanzanians are naturally friendly, welcoming people and you will find that your fellow passengers will be only too happy to tell you more about life in Tanzania, and to point out any interesting landmarks along the way !

Certainly more exciting than catching a 'plane from one city to the next, buses allow you to really get a ‘feel’ for the country and the wonderful Tanzanian people –so sit back, relax …. and enjoy the ride !

Tanzanian Roads Travelled This past Week .......

As regular readers know, I've been quite busy lately with lots of new projects on the horizon - building a house on the land we've just bought, refurbishing our guest cottage, school runs .... not to mention catching up with old friends (from sedate morning tea's to boozy barbecues !) and .... shopping trips to the city.

So, I decided to post a few photo's of the roads I've travelled this past week - just to give you another idea of what a diversely beautiful country Tanzania is. The road above is the 'driveway' to my daughter's school - which is nestled on the edge of a very old coffee plantation. Beautiful, isn't it ?

The other road scenes were taken on the way to our plot, on the way to the city, on the way to a friend's house - all over, really ..... I particularly like the shady, tree lined road above - and always feel really peaceful when driving along it ....

So much of Tanzania is still relatively untouched - no power lines or telephone lines to marr the horizon (although we do have several really ugly mobile 'phone towers dotted here and there).

Punctures are a common occurance here, but as long as you are prepared you're usually okay. Within minutes of stopping you can expect around 1 million kids and people from the nearest village to surround your car offering to help (as you provide them with their daily entertainment !)

My children are so used to driving on bumpy roads and sleep better when we're driving on them, than they do when we're on the tar !

If you'd like to see some more incredible African roads and scenery from different parts of this magnificent continent, then pop on over to two of my favourite African blogging friends .... 'One Stoned Crow' over in Namibia has posted breathtaking photo's of Namibia's stunning Orange River road in a recent post over here and Jo at 'Memorable Meanders' who is currently posting from her home in the Sudan (did you know that the Sudan has more pyramids than Egypt ? I didn't ! Browse Jo's blog & visit some of them with her !) did a (heart wrenching) post on 'Children of The City' early this week - click here to read that and see the streets of Khartoum.

My News ..........

The land has views of Mt Meru (above) - Africa's 5th highest mountain

The land is currently a banana, maize and bean subsistence 'shamba' (farm)

The land is lush and green, with over 100 trees on it


We have also bought the existing house which is on the land - this will be used as a building store/for locking building supplies in, and we may eventually turn it into a lock-up garage or outside store


Village leaders from the local village which or land falls under, signing the Land Sale Agreement at the village office

Sorry I haven’t been around much lately – but here, at long last, is a post to let you all know what I’ve been up to !

I mentioned earlier this year that there would be some changes on the horizon for our family in the near future – well, I can now tell you that after about a year of planning & negotiating (things are rarely ‘smooth sailing’ here in Africa !) we have finally managed to buy 2 acres of magnificent Tanzanian land overlooking a National Park (and close to the base of Africa’s 5th highest mountain – Mt Meru) where we will start to build a home early in 2011 (as the seller will vacate the land in December this year).

The land is next door to two of our oldest and dearest friends who we have known since we moved to Tanzania in 1998, and is a mere 20 – 30 minutes from our daughter’s school – and around 1 ½ hours from the farm (& ½ hour from the city) so the plan is that we will build a home and move there towards the end of next year, so that we can be close to the school and so that our daughter (and son, as he will start nursery school in a couple of years time !) can attend it daily.

We will still keep a home base here on the farm (my husband will commute daily between our new home/farm/city office) & will come out here to stay over school holiday’s, weekends etc so it’s not going to be too sad (hopefully !) the day we finally make the move. (This being Africa, anything could happen and we could move sooner or later than the end of 2011 – so watch this space !)

I am going to be devastated to leave the farm as a permanent home base (but as hubby says, ‘Just wait until you see your own house being built, then you’ll be really excited to move !) as I love, love, love it here and if it were not for the children I would never ever want to leave (and I can tell you that I have had a love/hate relationship with the farm and that it took me many years to feel this way – when our daughter was still very young I was very unhappy here & wanted to move, but for the past several years I have been very happy & content here !) But as a parent, we all know that you make sacrifices for your children and as I do not want to send our children away to boarding school, we feel that this will be the best move for our family.

So, we have been going for endless meetings with village heads, officials and lawyers, land surveyors etc and it has all been quite exhausting with endless paperwork in order to have everything legally done, and countless trips in & out of the city which is what has been taking me away from the farm & blogging lately !

I’ve included a few photos of our land in this post for you to see – it is currently a bean, maize and banana ‘shamba’ (farm) - our friends (neighbours) have game such as elephant and hippo coming on to their land and what is really great is that the subsistence farmers who owned this land were having so much trouble with wild animals coming in & eating their crops that they were only too happy to sell, were paid very well for their land and this has enabled them to move further ‘inland’ and buy land were wild animals are no longer a threat to their crops/livelihood, so it is a win-win situation all round. There are quite a few people buying land in this particular area now, and restoring it to natural, indigenous bush & encouraging the game and birdlife back (which is what we also plan to do), which is wonderful.

I have also been keeping very busy with my Guest Cottage venture these past few weeks - and have had lots of guests in and out ! Many people have asked me what I will do about this once we move off the farm – well, a year is a long time and anything could happen in that time, but the idea is that I will still handle all the bookings/marketing etc from where we live and I will employ a good local person as a caretaker to oversee it for me in my absence (meeting & greeting people etc), and of course we will still be coming out to the farm over the odd weekend/holiday so I will still be able to keep an eye on things.

So, that’s what I’ve been up to lately ! I have also decided to only update the blog weekly (once or twice a week) for the time being, as I try to get on top of things going on in 'real' life. I also hope to find time this week to start visiting/commenting on everyone else’s blogs, too – and tackle my overflowing ‘Inbox’ aswell ! Thanks everyone, for keeping in touch – and I hope to be back in the blogosphere more often soon …..

Typical Scenes Along The Road To The City .....

So much to see along the road into the city ..... I thought I'd share some of it with you today ..... homes along the roadside (above) with a young girl laughing as she carries 2 buckets (probably to fetch water in - few people have water on tap in these rural villages) .... with washing hanging on the line behind her (click on any photo to enlarge for more detail).

Early morning time, and many people are fetching water for the day .... carried on foot, bicycle or donkey - you can see the donkey's in the photo below, with yellow plastic water containers strapped to their sides (I often think of that when I switch on a tap - and lecture my children about wasting water and the 'luxury' of having it on tap !)

This is a fairly new shop on the roadside below - selling slasto/sandstone - I think it's lovely, and would make a great veranda floor surface (or even an interior chimney/fire place covering ?)

A truck carrying goods (probably from the city of Dar es Salaam) with woven baskets balanced atop his load filled with oranges and other fruit (which makes me think he originated from a coastal area, where they grow and are sold very cheaply along the roadside). Never mind the vehicle overtaking this truck on a solid white line with oncoming traffic - that's very common here, too !


Would you like to hire a motorbike (called 'piki piki's' here) to get you around for the day ? Well you can take your pick from those below at the local motorbike hire shop ......

And you can fill up with fuel at the nearby filling station, too .................

Then stop off at another shop to buy yourself a soda ...... (or even a beer - if that's your choice of morning beverage !)

Another roadside shop selling soda's and snacks ......





In the photo below, people are busy making cement building blocks .... there is so much building and development going on in Tanzania at the moment, which is always a good sign ...


I love the local shops and the buzz of activity along the roadside wherever you go .... sure, I love travelling away to the 'first world' where sprawling, shiny shopping malls welcome you into their airconditioned comfort and where you can buy anything your heart desires - but you know what ? Call me crazy, but I'll take this over that anyday - somehow, it's so much more fun !

The Banana Mama's

What's this coming up ahead of us on the road ?!

Why, it's the 'Banana Mama's' on their way to market, of course !

I know that these photos are a little blurry (click on the photos to enlarge them if you’d like to view them a little better) – they were taken in light rain from a moving car - but I wanted to post them anyway, to show you a typical Tanzanian scene ! The people on this vehicle were on the way to market to sell their bananas early one morning recently (and we were on a school run !) Typically it is the women (‘Mama’s’) who harvest and accompany the bananas to market – can you see one Mama hanging on to the back of the truck, and another Mama perched on top of the load ?!

Of course as we overtook the banana truck we hooted and waved and were met with waves and laughs and great big happy Tanzanian smiles all round ! It’s things like this – things which you can’t really describe but rather can feel here, which make this country what it is – the spirit, the joy – of her people.

Bananas are very important here, both as a food and as a source of income. I wrote about their importance, and a little more about banana ‘farming’ in Tanzania over here if you’d like to read it – the blog was very young at that stage & I think I only had around 2 readers then (!!) so doubt that any of you read that that post.

You can also read about our very own banana plantation & see photos of that over here. (It is visible from my office window as I sit blogging !)

If you’re feeling inspired by these banana posts, why not try some of the recipes I’ve published on the blog featuring bananas as one of the main ingredients ? There’ve been quite a few ‘banana’ recipes, but here are some of my favourites – a great breakfast recipe (especially on a lazy Sunday !) for ‘Banana Vanilla French Toast’ or – if you prefer to drink your calories ;) then how about trying my ‘Peanut Butter & Banana Smoothie’ ? You could also try one of my all time favourite puddings - ‘Mariet’s Banana Caramel Pudding’.

Hope that everyone is having a great weekend - am getting into 'blogging mode' again so I’ll be back again soon !

Losing A Wheel !

We were extremely lucky that the car didn't roll as it swerved out of control on 3 wheels .......

Two weekend's ago, when my mother-in-law was still visiting us from the UK, we decided to go through to one of the major towns for lunch at one of our favourite (Indian) restaurants. We had just left the farm, and around 15 minutes into our journey (we were not yet on tar and were still driving on the dirt road) my husband, who was driving, suddenly lost control of the car and we started swerving all over the road, almost rolling the car. It was pretty scary, I was sitting in the back between the 2 kids (both strapped in) & just grabbed on to both of them as best I could and held my breath .... as we skidded all over the road & finally ground to a shuddering halt.

My first thought was that we'd had a burst tyre .... we all got out of the car (baby son had been asleep and continued sleeping throughout !) to survey the damage - we'd lost our back left wheel/tyre (thank goodness hubby hadn't been driving any faster than he was, else we would've flipped the car for sure).

Every single passerby - without exception - stopped to offer their help to us

We had recently - a week before - broken the back left hand shock absorber when we mistakenly hit an unmarked speed bump (or 'sleeping policeman' as we like to call them here) on our way to the Tanzanian coast for a few day's break. Hubby had replaced it himself upon our return, but had left the farm mechanic to put the tyre back on & tighten the wheel nuts - which were obviously not tightened enough, which is why we lost the entire wheel ! (And yes - incase you were wondering - I did have choice words with hubby on the side of the road as to why he hadn't CHECKED IT HIMSELF !!!!)

The wheel studs broke off & this is what remained of our wheel !

Anyway .... there we were ..... all dressed up with no where to go .... stranded on a fairly remote strip of road in the blazing hot African sun ..... missing a wheel which we searched for to no avail. By this time lots of people (mainly kids) had appeared out of nowhere to help us look for it. A young boy called Samuel eventually found it for us .... buried deep within the grass on the roadside ... and he proudly rolled it up to the car for us, as his friends cheered him on !

Two of our farm mechanics arrive to survey the damage, and bring us a 'rescue' vehicle to drive back to the farm in !

We waited on the roadside for about half an hour waiting for our farm mechanics to arrive to 'rescue' us (hubby had managed to phone one of them - thank goodness for more reliable mobile 'phone networks in our remoter areas these days) and in the meantime I began chatting to the children, who were gathered around and watching everything with great interest - we were their daily entertainment ! I asked them in Swahili, if any of them spoke English, and Samuel replied on their behalf 'Yes, a little'. I then asked them if they all went to school and they replied proudly 'Yes !' and Samuel was very pleased to tell me that he attends 'Secondary' school. He was such a polite and helpful child, and I gave him a small gift ('to buy yourself and your friends some soda's') as a thank you for retrieving our wheel for us.

Every single person who passed us during the time we were sitting on the roadside, stopped to offer their help - be it people in vehicles (few & far between), trucks, on bicycle or on foot - both old and young alike. But then, that's the spirit of Tanzania and her people !

Our car has since been repaired and is back on the road again. (The damage included a bent shock absorber, broken wheel studs, broken hand brake cable, shattered brake disk and we also lost the brake pads !) I took the opportunity to point out to hubby after the incident 'It would probably never have happened if we'd been driving a Landrover instead !' ('cause you all know I'm a Landrover girl at heart ;)

But jokes aside, we are lucky that we were all safe, as things could have been a lot worse.

Tanzanian Taxis !

Tanzanian taxi's are usually beautifully decorated & often showcase things such as the taxi owner's favourite sports team or musician

The majority of Tanzanian taxi's (or 'dala dala's' as they are called locally) are beautifully decorated with all manner of pictures, quotes and advertisements written on their sides, doors & even roof tops ! The taxi names / themes change frequently ... for example, around 1999 we had a spurt of 'Millenium' themed taxi's on the streets and recently we've had many 'Obama' themed taxi's. Some Taxi owners also like to decorate their taxi's with their favourite religious quotes and e.g. pictures of Jesus (or John Lennon !), yet others like everyone to know which sports team/club they support.

Part of my ancestral roots (on my father's side - he is British) lie in Liverpool, England and my father has supported the Liverpool Football Club his entire life (some of my earliest childhood memories are of him listening to the weekend matches on our transistor radio in 1970's Rhodesia - and thinking how noisy it all sounded !)

So, when I happened to see this taxi driving in front of us in the city the other day, I just had to take a photo of it. (I hope that all my UK readers - no matter which team they support - will enjoy it !) Tanzanian's love watching football and many local bars often screen the matches on TV for patrons to enjoy. Many of these TV's are often run on generator power if no electricity exists in that specific building/part of the village. Some places may even charge a small entrance fee to watch the match !

I must admit that I have never been, nor will I ever be a 'sporty' person and don't enjoy watching sports - unless this man is playing, of course. In fact, he could probably convert me and I must admit that I would probably support any team he played for - ha ! Pity it was only a rumour last year that he was planning on climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro in the near future *sigh* but a girl can always dream, can't she ?!

(If you'd like to see some incredible photo's of someone getting a 'discounted taxi fare' on a Tanzanian taxi & the post I wrote about this almost 2 years ago - then you really should click here and prepare to be amused ! There's a link at the bottom of that post to some more 'crazy - free ride' taxi photo's, too !)

Paying Month-End Accounts & Farm Wages ....

"Mama Lynda's Shop Account with Justin" is the title of the exercise book above. As Justin's biggest customer, I have the honour of having my own book, apparently !

Different denomination notes come in different colours and with different pictures on the front, too

Paying a monthly account here is not as simple as a quick online transaction, or a monthly debit order off your bank account - but more likely the ‘old fashioned’ way of having to stand in a queue with cash in hand, and wait your turn. Paying farm wages each month, is not that much different, either.

On our farm, monthly hand written records are kept in a grubby ‘Muster Roll’ book by the farm foreman (known as the ‘Bwana Shamba’) and paying month-end farm wages requires first ordering the cash (& correct change) from the city, and then collecting it and bringing it back to the farm. It is collected on different days of the month, in different vehicles and by different people so that we follow no set routine (as hubby has been shot at by ‘bandits’ which came across the Kenyan border when he was on his way back to the farm a couple of years ago – I kid you not !).

After the very busy harvesting season when we have several hundred casual labourers to pay aswell as our own permanent staff, the cash is flown in to our farm airstrip by light aircraft. (You can see a photo of our company ‘plane and read about/see our farm airstrip in my blog post over here).

The farm staff then line up outside the main workshop area, where the farm admin office is, and they sign for their wages which are placed in to small brown envelopes and given to them. For security reasons we also pay wages on different dates each month – this past Saturday happened to be the day we paid July wages, so there was a hive of activity on the farm that day ……

I have written before about Justin’s shop (you can read that blog post over here). Justin (or his girlfriend, Anna) waits at the workshop area when wages are being paid, to ensure that people settle their shop account debts with him immediately ! At the same time each month, he presents me with my account. All the items I’ve bought for the month are written up in a grubby exercise book with “Mama Lynda’s Shop Account with Justin” written on the front (see the photo above). Not everyone has their account written up in their own exercise book, but as his biggest customer, I have the honour of my very own book !

So, on Saturday I also set about paying Justin what I owed him …. which turned out to be quite a tidy sum - since my absence from the farm at the beginning of May (hubby had not bothered with paying the account whilst I was away ‘Wait for Mama to return’ he’d apparently told Justin ‘Mama is the only one who can check & pay it !’)

I thought that I’d also post a photo of what our local currency - the Tanzanian Shilling - looks like. Our highest denomination note is 10 000/= shillings, so you can imagine how ‘fat’ your wallet can get, when you are carrying a relatively small amount of money – our notes also come in 5000/=, 2000/=, 1000/= and 500/= and then our coins come in 200/=, 100/=, 50/=, 20/= and 10/=. To give you an idea, at the moment 1000/= Tanzanian shillings are equivalent to around .75c (US) and .45p (UK).

It also doesn’t take much to become a millionaire here (!!) as 1, 000 000/= Tanzanian shillings in your bank account, is equivalent to U$755 ! A millionaire ? A Billionaire ? Why ..... anything is possible in Africa !

My Coal Iron - Older Is Often Better !

Coal irons are easily available to purchase here and are still used in many homes today. My coal iron (pictured here on it's special stand - just visible) is made in India.

You're probably going to do a double-take when you read this but yes, we do still use coal irons here in Tanzania - and yes, I know that the year is 2009 !

The truth is that many people here still live without electricity. Especially in the remote villages. (Many live without running water, too - but that's another story). The Tanzanian people are a very proud people and are always impeccably turned out. You will rarely - if ever - find a person wearing dirty, wrinkled clothes here. I'm amazed, actually, at how they manage when many Europeans here (who have all the mod cons including washing machines, tumble driers and electric irons) don't. Laziness I suppose. Or perhaps a lack of pride in their appearance. But anyway, I'm going off track here ........

As all villages have cooking fires and access to charcoal as a result, you will still find coal irons in use all over the country. If you want neatly pressed, wrinkle-free clothes and have no electricity - it's the only way !

We also use a coal iron in our house from time to time. We don't have electricity on the farm, well it is not supplied to us - we generate our own and run the house off a bank of car batteries, charged up by a generator. (I have written all about this in an old post over here if you're interested to see how we do it.)

We cannot run an electric iron off batteries (it drains them too quickly) and if, for some reason, we cannot switch the generator on (due to repairs being carried out on it, or perhaps a shortage of diesel to run it with until our next delivery) - then we haul the old coal iron out. (You can buy them easily in most of the shops here).

Justin, who has become so used to using an electric iron now, is not too happy when he has to use the coal iron and I don't blame him ! It's very heavy to handle, and you have to get the charcoal at just the right temperature (not too hot, not too cold), and keep it filled so that it does the job properly. Justin had never seen an electric iron until he came to work for us as a teenager many years ago.

Coal irons are reliable, they never break, they cost much less than an electric iron to run and I've never known one to burn a hole in clothing or linen at all - sometimes older is better, and I love the fact that in the year 2009 I still have access to things as quaint - and useful - as an old coal iron !

(If you'd like to see where Justin does his ironing, just click here - I reckon he has one of the best ironing spots in the world !)

Old & Interesting Things ....

The above photo shows what I can only guess is an old brass communion cup, and a brass bell with "A Paris" on the front & "0000" on the back
One of the many Primus stoves which have come my way .....

This Primus stove has "Made In USSR" clearly stamped on it's base

Over the years, I've often had local Tanzanian's approaching me with things to sell - from dazzling Tanzanite stones wrapped in pieces of grubby cloth (don't buy from anyone who is not a registered dealer & who cannot supply you with a genuine certificate of authenticity !) to old rusted cowbells, padlocks, coins, dusty clothbound books, monogrammed silver plated spoons and forks, old wooden cigar boxes, battered tin teapots and gramophones.

I can never get a straight answer as to where any of these items originated from - most often I am told that they are remnants of the "colonial era" and have been passed down from grandparents/elders who were given them as gifts by European settlers who they used to work for here. Many of the items are old enough for me to know that a.) they did not originate from here and neither were they made here and b.) they must have been brought here by someone, mostly European settlers as I doubt very much in those days that local Tanzanians would have had the means to import them, especially as air travel was scarce (non existent ?) and there was no other way of reaching foreign shores except by ship.

I've always loved history and felt a connection to things from the past. To hold something very old in my hand and to try and imagine who it once belonged to, and what sort of a life they led - well, it is just something that has always fascinated me. Over the years I have bought items from people that have really interested me. Of course I will never know the history behind these items, or how old they really are - but it's nice to conjure up stories about them, and wonder about their previous owners.

I own a few old brass Primus stoves (like camping stoves, these are fueled with kerosene/paraffin), all of which I bought here in Tanzania. Internet searches to find out how old they are have yielded few results, even though some of them have clear markings engraved into them.

I have one Primus stove which bears the markings "Monitor - British Made", another which reads "Primus No. 1 - Made In Tanzania - under licence" (it also has "Optimus Primus" written on the burner/top section) and then another which reads "Primus No. 5 - Made In Tanzania - under licence". Interestingly, the caps on both Tanzanian made Primus stoves bear the name "Sweden" but the cap of the British made Primus stove had had it's name filed off. The fact that the Tanzanian Primus stoves say "made in Tanzania" and not Tanganyika indicates that they were made anytime from the early 1960's as this is when Tanzania gained her independence and was no longer known as Tanganyika.

(I usually have these Primus stoves on display as decorations out on our veranda, but did not photograph them all as they haven't been cleaned for a while and are all rather dull and dirty at the moment !)

I also have a beautiful carved brass communion cup (well, what I think it is as I was told it originated from a Church) but on asking the owner if she had any more (as there would surely have been a set of them ?) I was told "No". I also have a lovely & very heavy brass bell marked "Paris" (the top/handle of the bell looks like it has been modified though) and coins, cowbells, very old padlocks, books and silver plated cutlery - some of it very well worn.

Maybe someone reading this post (or Googling information on old Primus stoves one day in the future) will be able to shed some light on any of the items mentioned/pictured above. I really don't know. All that I do know is that the history and origins of most of these items are a complete mystery to me - and probably always will be !

Home Is Where The Heart Is ....

Traditional huts built of local wood & thatched simply with grass from the surrounding bush

It’s an old saying, but it’s so true. Home really IS where the heart is. I’ve always said to my husband that I could make a home anywhere – as long as he & my daughter & my pets are there – I could even make a home from a tent in the bush (Which I did, actually, for several years !)

So many people here live in extremely basic houses, yet they are very happy there. Many people have no electricity or running water, have never owned a TV & don’t have simple things that we take for granted like curtains over their windows. Yet many of them are happier than people I know living in palatial homes with every single mod con you could think of. Which just goes to show – as clichéd as it sounds – that money does not buy you happiness. This I know for sure !

A traditional mud hut with a flat tin roof, photographed in Northern Tanzania

The world economy is in a mess. Of course it will have an effect on us here in Tanzania, too. (Most notably on our tourism industry, which is one of this country’s biggest income generators). But seeing as we live in a country where poverty abounds, where people are used to living hand-to-mouth, where many have never had cash to spare or so-called ‘luxury’ items … well, it hasn’t – yet – affected people here as it has in the rest of the world, and many people here are not sure what all the fuss is about - try explaining to a Tanzanian the horror of someone in the first world losing their home (as he has never owned one), their job (as he has never held a permanent one), their annual overseas holiday (he has never left his village, let alone the country) and he will look at you and say “But does that person still have their health ? His family ? His children ?” Then he is a rich man !

Anyway, the object of this post was to share some local Tanzanian homes with you. As you can see by the photo’s, they are all built from natural materials, gathered from the bush which surrounds them. They are – for the most part – weatherproof, snug and provide a secure shelter for the families who live in them. They are built by hand and if the family ever needs to move on, they simply leave the house as it stands, and it will eventually ‘disintegrate’ back into the bush. The floors are made from mud (although some are made only from grass), as are the walls which are held secure by interweaving the mud with pieces of wood.

Another grass rooved mud hut - very well camouflaged. Fire is always a risk in dry conditions such as these, especially where no running water is available.

Most homes have outside bomas which are areas secured by thorny branches (to form a type of boundary hedge) where the livestock are kept safe from predators at night. Small outside structures raised high off the ground are usually where the chickens are kept as night falls. The toilet is also placed outside the house – nothing more than a ‘long drop’ or deep hole in the ground, crudely blocked off with a ‘wall’ around it constructed of twigs and grass.

The people take great pride in their homes & every day the women sweep the mud floors and outside areas with bundles of twigs tied together with twine. No matter what time of the day you drive past these homes, you will see a fire burning and children playing outside … perhaps a few chickens scratching in the dirt and a scrawny dog or two, lying in the shade. If you had to stop here - even as a complete stranger - you would be offered something to drink and / or eat, you would be told “Karibu !” (“Welcome”) and even though these people have very little, they would not hesitate to give you what they had.

There is so much to learn from people like this. Sure, I may have a good education, certificates and diplomas behind me – but my knowledge is nothing – nothing compared to the life lessons I learn from people like this every day …. and I am all the more richer because of it.

Ice Cream Kids

The kids always run up excitedly when we stop our car outside their parent's shop & shout "Picha ! Picha !" (Picture ! Picture !)

This is the ice cream shop - typical of most shops in Tanzania. You can see 2 of the younger children playing outside the main shop entrance.

We have a fantastic ice cream manufacturer here in Tanzania – Azam ice cream. They make cups, pre packaged cones and sticks in various flavours. I can honestly say that this ice cream is on a par with the best ice cream I’ve tasted in countries like the UK & South Africa. (Pretty impressive for a 3rd world country !)

As Tanzania becomes more developed and more villages have things like electricity and back-up generators, you find shops selling ice cream in the most unlikely of places !

A common site is also the “Ice Cream Men” on their bicycles with ice boxes (filled with dry ice) strapped to the front of their bikes, pedaling around the little villages, selling ice creams to passerby. The ice creams are sold very cheaply, at the equivalent of less than U$1 or even .50c per cup/cone which makes them affordable to many people.

In one of the main villages on the tar road on the way to our farm (the last ‘big’ village before you hit the dirt road) is an ice cream shop which stocks Azam ice cream, and we have been stopping here en route to the farm to buy ice creams for a few years now. Nothing makes the journey more enjoyable on a hot, dusty day than to enjoy an ice cream as you bump along the potholed road !

This ice cream shop is run like a franchise from what I can gather. A man & his wife own it & they actually live in a few rooms adjoining the shop. They have 6 children ranging in age from a baby to around 7 years. The kids are always outside playing in the dust when we pull up outside. When they see our car they shriek with delight and the braver (older) ones come running up to see my daughter.

They shout “Mzungu ! Mzungu !” (white man ! white man !) to us as they call their parents from the back rooms. The older ones like to touch us and are fascinated with our hair. I always stop, bend down and chat to them. The last time I was there with my camera screen they shouted “Picha ! Picha !” so I took their picture & then they were delighted to see themselves on the screen ! I taught one of the older kids how to operate the camera, & he delighted in taking pictures of his siblings, and me.

I always feel bad stocking up on ice creams whilst these kids sit playing in the dirt in the heat of the day, so I always leave them with a few coins (or tell their mother to keep my change) & tell them to buy themselves an ice cream, or a soda.

Of course we don’t always stop for ice cream, and when we don’t all the kids wave to us as we pass, beckoning us to come inside & throwing their hands up in the air when we don’t ! Now every time we stop, the kids all rush up to the car and shout “Picha ! Picha” when they see me, and are always a little disappointed if I don’t have my camera handy (which is not too often these days, especially since I’ve entered the wonderful world of blogging !)

The Baobab Tree - An Ancient Symbol of Africa

This Baobab tree was photographed on the road heading towards Lake Manyara, a few weeks ago. Baobab's are also often referred to as "Upside Down Trees" as their roots appear to be growing in the air !

For me, the Baobab tree is a true symbol of Africa. (Especially a Baobab tree with a beautifully blue African sky behind it.) I was therefore surprised to learn recently, that Baobabs are also found in both Madagascar and Australia (I have a theory that Australia and Africa were once all joined together as one, so am always excited to learn things like this !)

The Baobab tree is also known as the “upside down” tree because it’s branches – especially when bare – look like roots sticking up into the sky. One African legend has it that each animal was given a tree to plant after creation and the hyena was given the Baobab tree to plant, which he proceeded to plant upside down, which is why the tree continues to grow “upside down’ !

Baobabs can tower up to heights of 30 m and the diameter of their trunks can be anything from 7 m to 11 m. The trunks of Baobab trees are large and hollow (you can walk around inside them) and as a result are often used for water storage. In the past the hollow trunks have also been used as animal shelters, store rooms - and even prisons ! Some Baobab trees on well known tourist routes around Africa have also been converted into pubs and restaurants.

Although the tree is a poor source of firewood or charcoal (thank goodness, as this is probably why they are still found in abundance here) the roots can be cooked & eaten like a vegetable (as can the leaves) and the root bark is also used in some parts of Africa to make rope.

The tree has white flowers which are pollinated by bats (as well as insects). The bats find the flowers easily in the dark due to the brilliant white of the petals. The fruit of the tree has a Vitamin C content which is higher than that of oranges, and the fruit pith can be used as a substitute for cream of tartare. Locally here in Tanzania, the fruit is also used to brew a homemade (and potent !) alcoholic drink.

Baobab’s do not have annual growth rings like other trees so it can be difficult to date them. However, some carbon dating carried out on these trees has indicated that some of them have a lifespan of between 1000 and 3000 years. That’s a long time !

I remember as a child that the Baobab tree was one of the first tree’s I ever learnt to draw, because it was quite easy. Each year we used to travel by car from Salisbury (Harare) to the South African coast for our annual beach holiday and along the way we would pass hundreds and hundreds of Baobab trees, which were always one of the highlights of the journey as my sister & I tried to count them all as they whizzed past !

The Baobab is one of my favourite trees and maybe part of that reason is because it has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember, & is one of those things in Africa that you just seem to take for granted as always having been there as a familiar and comforting part of the landscape. I know that I for one, couldn't imagine an Africa without these magnificent trees !

From Boy in a Tree to Talented Chef ... A Maasai Named Endeso

As a young boy, Endeso's life as a cattle herder lay ahead of him - here he sits in a tree (in traditional red Maasai blanket) in Tarangire, 2000

8 years later, Endeso is now a fully grown man & a proud Chef - here he poses with me (photo taken 2 weeks ago) outside the restaurant where he now works - I am so proud of what he has accomplished in his life !

(This is the longest post I’ve ever written on my blog & I won’t make a habit of being so long winded, but if you can make it through to the end it will shed some light on a part of my life and Tanzania which I have not yet shared & I hope, will make interesting reading for you)

Many years ago, my husband & I were offered a unique opportunity by the company we were working for at the time. We were offered the job of designing and building a luxury safari camp from scratch …. from finding the location for the camp (days spent trekking through remote wilderness with bush knives/panga’s to hack a pathway for the vehicle to pass), sitting under the tree’s with village elders to discuss purchase/hire/use of the land which belonged to them, to planning the layout and design (my dream ‘bush’ kitchen !), to sourcing the building materials, employing staff, training them, putting systems into place, choosing and finishing interiors and opening the camp up before handing it over to a Management couple and moving on to develop a new hotel the company were about to start building on a coffee estate in a city.

Phew ! It was quite a job and although first daunted by the task, after thinking about it for a while, my husband and I jumped at the opportunity being offered to us, because we knew it would never come our way again and we also knew that it was a chance for us to create a magnificent spot in a magnificent country, and leave our mark here forever.

I could write an entire blog just about this camp, which we decided would be a camp built in and around a series of Baobab trees, tree-house style rooms which opened out onto the vast Tanzanian sky. The first camp of it’s kind in Tanzania, bordering the world famous Tarangire National Park, we decided to call the camp “Tarangire Tree Tops”. You can see the website for the camp if you click here and although it was sold to another company long ago, and has undergone some changes (for example, some of the central areas burned down in a fire many years ago & had to be re-built) it is still very much a part of us, and of our hearts and indeed, some of our original staff still work there.

Well, as usual I’ve gone off track but I just wanted to give you a little background to Endeso Lengai, the young Maasai man you see standing with me in the photograph above. When we first started building the camp (my husband & I lived with 300 construction crew in tents to begin with) we got our water from the nearby Tarangire River. It was quite a mission as it was very dry at the time, and the elephants were always down there digging for water. Endeso was a young Maasai boy who we employed from the local village to guard the water pump which we had stationed at the river from elephants (who love to trash things like that !) As part of our agreement with local villagers, we employed several of the local Maasai boys/men to work in and around the camp as askari “guards”. This was the only job we could give them, as they spoke the local Maasai dialect and no English whatsoever.

I would regularly go down to the river & Endeso would always be there, sitting in a tree overlooking the river bed (height = safety from the elephants !) He would even sleep up there ! (I don’t know how he never fell out !) Through a translator, he indicated to me that he wanted to learn English, & how to write his name. I taught him a little each day until one day he asked if he could get a job in the camp kitchen, as he dreamed of becoming a Chef. Well it was difficult with him still speaking no English, so I gave him a job in the scullery, washing all the dishes & cleaning up. He was thrilled & as a fast learner soon started watching the other Chef’s and learning the basics of salad and bread making. Soon after we left the camp and it was several years later that I was in the city one day when I heard my name being called from across the street “MAMA LYNDA !!!! MAMA LYNDA !!!!!”

Imagine my surprise when I turned around to see a smart young man dressed in a pristine white Chef’s uniform – it was Endeso, motioning to me from a local restaurant across the road – he was the head Chef of the restaurant, and now spoke fluent English !

I was so proud of him, and he clasped my hands in his & said “Mama Lynda - you gave me a chance when no body would & it is because of you that I am where I am today, I can never thank you enough”. I was quick to point out that it had nothing to do with me – sure, I opened the door for him but if it were not for his hard work & dedication, he would still be nothing more than a young man herding his livestock along all day. It was because of the chance that someone took on US (by offering us the opportunity to build a camp) that I was able to give Endeso a chance.

I am now a regular visitor to Endeso’s restaurant. Whenever I am in that part of town I will pop in to say hello, and he will always make my husband & I some chicken and chips, which we usually ‘takeaway’ with us if we are in a hurry. (We took this photo just 2 weeks ago as I felt it was a story I must tell on my blog).

Endeso has grown from a puny, inexperienced young boy who spoke no English & sat in a tree with no future but that of a cattle herder, into a tall, proud young man who is a hardworking chef with a happy heart and a good future ahead of him, and a better life for his family.

And it is that fact, which makes me the proudest of all !

A Tanzanian Beetroot Recipe from the Serengeti National Park ...

Deceptively simple yet so delicious - Salim's Serengeti Beetroot Salad

The world famous Serengeti National Park. Home to the annual migration of around 1 million Wildebeest and Zebra, 14 763 square km’s in size, a world heritage site – and once, my home.

My husband and I used to live in the Serengeti National Park, and refurbished & ran a luxury tented safari camp here. Living there was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. Especially when the Wildebeest used to gallop BETWEEN the camp tents as we slept. Thousands of thundering hooves … tons of dust. It was terrifying. But delightful. It used to leave our guests in awe.

When the migration was around the camp (usually always in the early morning), I’d get the waiters to set the breakfast tables out on the wooden deck with the best view of where the Wildebeest happened to be grazing. The food would be forgotten, as cameras and binoculars took over … no amount of money could guarantee that you would see it, hundreds or thousands of grey Wildebeest, as far as the eye could see ….. even now, just the thought of it makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up.

You know what they say about the ugly old Wildebeest, don’t you ? That after God created all the beautiful animals … the zany Zebra, the magnificent Lion, the breathtakingly beautiful leopard … he used all the left over ‘bits’ … put them all together, and came up with the Wildebeest. It’s true ! If you look at the Wildebeest he is an ugly, hotch potch of a fellow … unbalanced and beasty looking. Poor soul !

Anyway, I’ve veered off the topic as usual … I wanted to share with you a very easy but extremely flavorsome salad which one of my Serengeti camp chef’s, Salim, used to make. He used a slightly different honey & mustard dressing for his – I don’t have his recipe I’m afraid –but you get the idea ….


Salim’s Serengeti Beetroot Salad

4 – 5 large beetroots, cooked & sliced
1 large red onion, finely sliced
Salt
Honey & Mustard Salad dressing (see my recipe for it over here)
Spring Onions, finely chopped

Lay the beetroot & onion slices on a large platter. Sprinkle some salt over and pour the dressing over this. Allow to marinade in the fridge overnight. Just before serving, top with the finely chopped spring onions.

Veggie Mama - "Mama Mboga"

Mama Kusuma - or "Mama Mboga" ... my fruit & veg Mama (far left, in blue jersey) & her helpers !

A few month’s ago I wrote a post about the lovely fresh fruit & vegetables which I buy from my “Veggie Mama” on the side of the road when I go into the city - we go back a long way, my Veggie mama and I - she has been supplying me with wonderful (top quality) fruit & veggies for years now and you can read a little about our ‘history’ together in that post over here.

When I was in the city recently, I asked if I could take a photo of her and her helpers (who are family members of hers) – she obliged and here the photo is above - she is the lady in the blue jersey on the far left – they are all jovial, lovely friendly Mama’s but they wanted a “serious” pose for this photo !

My Veggie Mamma’s name is Mama Kusuma, but I always call her “Mama Mboga” (Mama vegetable) as this is what people tend do to here. For example the butcher may be called “Bwana Nyama” (Mr Meat) or the farm manager “Bwana Shamba” (a “Shamba” is a farm in Kiswahili). Mostly the local Tanzanian people have nicknames for the Mzungu (white people) but you never know what they are – they are a closely guarded secret !

Do you see the colourful cloths that all the ladies are wearing around their waists in the photo ? This is the local Tanzanian Kitenge cloth (“Kanga”) which is a locally printed, brightly coloured cloth which comes in many different designs and patterns and is worn by most Tanzanian women here - especially in the rural areas. The women also traditionally wear matching kitenge cloths wrapped around their heads and / or over their shoulders, too. For special occasions such as weddings or Sunday church you can see all manner of bright kitenge been worn by the women as they walk along the roadside - they add a wonderful splash of colour to the rolling green countryside and endless blue skies around them !

So, now you have met Mama Kusuma and I wish that by looking at the photo you could feel her warmth and friendliness because she is truly a great lady and it is her nature and warmth that has probably also kept me as a loyal customer for so many years now – I look forward to going to her roadside stall, standing in the busy, shady street and chatting & laughing with her as we talk about mundane things like the weather, children, husbands and how we plan on cooking and/or eating the vegetable of the day.

After a visit to Mama Kusuma I always come home with not only a full basket of delightful fresh produce, but also a full and happy heart – it’s people like her who make up the wonderful spirit of Tanzania.

A Walk In The Tanzanian Bush ......

On Sunday we left the farm and traveled to a beautiful part of the country, not too far from the Arusha National Park (you can read about this beautiful park here).



We have some friends who own property in the area, and they are in the process of building a home there. So, we packed some lunch, bottled water and soda’s, our walking shoes, hats and sunscreen and off we went.

Walking in the African bush is very different to walking on the farm. For one, we had no real set pathways to follow, but rather we followed the natural pathways left by animals who had walked that way before us. We also had to frequently side step fresh piles of elephant dung.



We saw a flooded wetland area ahead and walked towards it, with the dogs leading the way.



My daughter contemplated wading in ….. and couldn’t resist (I stopped her when she was only ankle deep though !)



We admired the beautiful scenery and the dense forest above us ……………


It was a lovely way to spend a Sunday .... walking in the African bush with good friends and the people that I love ... listening to the birds, looking out for small game and breathing in the fresh bush air ..... magical !