I was telling Erik a few days ago that this is probably the best trip we’ve ever gone on together (we’ve been to Paris, Thailand, and Mexico, to name a few destinations). I said that before we went to Gombe Nat’l Park yesterday. Now, there’s no probably to it. Now, it’s definitely. It’s also definitely the best trip I’ve ever taken in my life.
First of all, spending time with the kids in Johannesburg was unbelievably rewarding. They were all so smart and funny and eager to learn. They really want to make better lives for themselves. I was impressed with their abilities to turn adversity and tragedy into opportunity and hope. I fully expect that some will become community leaders (and/or world leaders), some will become doctors, some lawyers, some teachers/professors and one a stand-up comedian (she shall remain nameless, but she knows who she is).
After Joburg, we hit Dar Es Salaam. It was really more of a hit-and-run. We were only there on a layover between Joburg and Kigoma. Despite that fact, we quickly fell in love with the city. The people are friendly and gracious. The landscape is beautiful, and the conditions are quite good for a developing country. Fortunately, we get to go back at the end of this week.
We are now in Kigoma and have been for five days (well, Andy and I have only been here four).
From the moment our twin-engine prop-plane hit the gravelly runway at the Kigoma airport, I knew this was going to be the real Africa. As Andy and I waited in an open-air cinder-block baggage claim (?!), five men slowly brought our (ridiculously oversized) luggage in modified wheelbarrows. Most of the African passengers had corrugated boxes for luggage. The rest of us (we foreigners) looked fresh out of an REI store.
We were picked up from the airport by Dr. Anton and Gabriel in a Land Rover Defender 110 (a safari vehicle…my favorite ATV) and taken down a red dirt road that goes from the airport to Kigoma town. Along the way, there were small, block houses with tin roofs, various markets and shops, make-shift medical offices, and people everywhere on foot or bicycle. The trip to the JGI offices (Jane Goodall Institute) was more of the same. Once we got to the JGI offices, we found a wonderful beach-front compound of offices and meeting rooms, surrounded by plant nurseries that harvest botanicals for use in nature conservancy projects. Quite beautiful.
From there, Andy and I were taken to our hotel down the road, up on a hilltop (oddly enough named The Hilltop Hotel). The hotel is a beautifully landscaped property with forty-some duplex cabins, tennis courts (believe it or not), and a pool that overlooks Lake Tanganyika (the best pool EVER, according to Gabriel, who swims there daily). There is also a restaurant that serves the best food in Kigoma. I didn’t expect real Africa to have such amenities.
On Monday and Tuesday, we spent the days teaching the secondary school kids from the Roots & Shoots program very basic computer skills. They could no more use a mouse than I could split an atom. Today, they were navigating Adobe Premiere (the editing software) like semi-pros. It’s absolutely fascinating the progress they’ve made in a few short days. I can’t wait to see the finished products tomorrow.
As I said in the beginning, yesterday (Wednesday) was our field trip to Gombe Nat’l Park. We took one of the JGI long-boats. It took a little over two hours to get there. The second we docked, I knew this was going to be the experience of a lifetime. We were checked in at the front office and then walked to Dr. Jane’s house. I can’t describe the thrill of being able to stand in the house where Dr. Jane spent years doing research that revolutionized how the world thinks of primates. To top that off, we were surrounded by friends of hers who have helped her through the years (many of whom actually live in the forest). We met the man who has been with the good Doctor from day one. He was born in Gombe, educated in Kigoma, taught school for many years, then returned to Gombe at the request of Dr. Jane. He now runs the daily operations of the park. He’s fascinating.
After a brief pow-wow led by Dr. Anton, we broke into small groups, each led by a Gombe guide. My troupe leader was a remarkable man named Alex. Alex has worked in Gombe for 17 years and knows every species of plant, tree, animal, reptile, insect, and tourist in the park. He led us through the trails (which he knows like the back of his hand) and explained to us the history and functions of the forest, as well as the habits, rituals and ???erik??? of the animals and reptiles. We hiked for two hours to the top of the mountain. At the peak, we came to a stunning waterfall, from which spring water flowed (not necessarily potable). Along the way, to and from, we came across families of baboons, swinging blue monkey, scorpions, skwawking birds, and bugs of all sorts. Our group did not get to see the chimps up close and personal, which was the only disappointment of the day. The climb down the mountain was steep and treacherous, but fun and exciting (and more exercise than I’ve had in weeks). That was when the baby baboons came within inches of us, wistfully wondering if we were going to join their play group. I was all for it, but Alex cautioned against it. He didn’t want anyone beaten bloody by a baboon on his watch.
Something happened to me on the way down, that became the mother of all stories, but I can’t exactly put it in my blog…so ask me next time you see me and I might just tell you. All I’ll say now is, “don’t drink the spring water!”.
When we got back to camp, everyone ate and the kids played on the beach (including the big kids…Erik, Andy, and Gabriel who is 35 today – happy birthday Big G).
The whistle blew, and it was time to embark on the journey home to JGI. Everyone was exhausted, and many slept on the boat trip back. We all agreed to meet again tomorrow.
Tomorrow is today, and we came together for our second to last day together. The sadness of our impending separation has been palpable. Thanks to Augustino, our attention was diverted from those sad thoughts, when he threw a traditional birthday party for Gabriel at the end of the day. It was hysterical. It was a cross between a business meeting and a Hindu wedding. There was an agenda that clearly specified the order of events and a procession of rituals that honored the birthday boy, his friends, students, co-workers, and his parents (come to find out our nice, white, Jewish boy Gabriel was born in a time-warp to two teenaged, black Muslim secondary school students). Hopefully, Erik will post pictures/videos so you can see it to believe it.
I’m such a slow writer; it’s almost midnight. Friday is minutes away. That means our last day will be here before I finish this. Maybe if I stop now, tomorrow will never come and we can stay in Kigoma for a very, very long time.
Wishful thinking.
I’ll blog again soon, and let you know how it all ends.
jaime
First of all, spending time with the kids in Johannesburg was unbelievably rewarding. They were all so smart and funny and eager to learn. They really want to make better lives for themselves. I was impressed with their abilities to turn adversity and tragedy into opportunity and hope. I fully expect that some will become community leaders (and/or world leaders), some will become doctors, some lawyers, some teachers/professors and one a stand-up comedian (she shall remain nameless, but she knows who she is).
After Joburg, we hit Dar Es Salaam. It was really more of a hit-and-run. We were only there on a layover between Joburg and Kigoma. Despite that fact, we quickly fell in love with the city. The people are friendly and gracious. The landscape is beautiful, and the conditions are quite good for a developing country. Fortunately, we get to go back at the end of this week.
We are now in Kigoma and have been for five days (well, Andy and I have only been here four).
From the moment our twin-engine prop-plane hit the gravelly runway at the Kigoma airport, I knew this was going to be the real Africa. As Andy and I waited in an open-air cinder-block baggage claim (?!), five men slowly brought our (ridiculously oversized) luggage in modified wheelbarrows. Most of the African passengers had corrugated boxes for luggage. The rest of us (we foreigners) looked fresh out of an REI store.
We were picked up from the airport by Dr. Anton and Gabriel in a Land Rover Defender 110 (a safari vehicle…my favorite ATV) and taken down a red dirt road that goes from the airport to Kigoma town. Along the way, there were small, block houses with tin roofs, various markets and shops, make-shift medical offices, and people everywhere on foot or bicycle. The trip to the JGI offices (Jane Goodall Institute) was more of the same. Once we got to the JGI offices, we found a wonderful beach-front compound of offices and meeting rooms, surrounded by plant nurseries that harvest botanicals for use in nature conservancy projects. Quite beautiful.
From there, Andy and I were taken to our hotel down the road, up on a hilltop (oddly enough named The Hilltop Hotel). The hotel is a beautifully landscaped property with forty-some duplex cabins, tennis courts (believe it or not), and a pool that overlooks Lake Tanganyika (the best pool EVER, according to Gabriel, who swims there daily). There is also a restaurant that serves the best food in Kigoma. I didn’t expect real Africa to have such amenities.
On Monday and Tuesday, we spent the days teaching the secondary school kids from the Roots & Shoots program very basic computer skills. They could no more use a mouse than I could split an atom. Today, they were navigating Adobe Premiere (the editing software) like semi-pros. It’s absolutely fascinating the progress they’ve made in a few short days. I can’t wait to see the finished products tomorrow.
As I said in the beginning, yesterday (Wednesday) was our field trip to Gombe Nat’l Park. We took one of the JGI long-boats. It took a little over two hours to get there. The second we docked, I knew this was going to be the experience of a lifetime. We were checked in at the front office and then walked to Dr. Jane’s house. I can’t describe the thrill of being able to stand in the house where Dr. Jane spent years doing research that revolutionized how the world thinks of primates. To top that off, we were surrounded by friends of hers who have helped her through the years (many of whom actually live in the forest). We met the man who has been with the good Doctor from day one. He was born in Gombe, educated in Kigoma, taught school for many years, then returned to Gombe at the request of Dr. Jane. He now runs the daily operations of the park. He’s fascinating.
After a brief pow-wow led by Dr. Anton, we broke into small groups, each led by a Gombe guide. My troupe leader was a remarkable man named Alex. Alex has worked in Gombe for 17 years and knows every species of plant, tree, animal, reptile, insect, and tourist in the park. He led us through the trails (which he knows like the back of his hand) and explained to us the history and functions of the forest, as well as the habits, rituals and ???erik??? of the animals and reptiles. We hiked for two hours to the top of the mountain. At the peak, we came to a stunning waterfall, from which spring water flowed (not necessarily potable). Along the way, to and from, we came across families of baboons, swinging blue monkey, scorpions, skwawking birds, and bugs of all sorts. Our group did not get to see the chimps up close and personal, which was the only disappointment of the day. The climb down the mountain was steep and treacherous, but fun and exciting (and more exercise than I’ve had in weeks). That was when the baby baboons came within inches of us, wistfully wondering if we were going to join their play group. I was all for it, but Alex cautioned against it. He didn’t want anyone beaten bloody by a baboon on his watch.
Something happened to me on the way down, that became the mother of all stories, but I can’t exactly put it in my blog…so ask me next time you see me and I might just tell you. All I’ll say now is, “don’t drink the spring water!”.
When we got back to camp, everyone ate and the kids played on the beach (including the big kids…Erik, Andy, and Gabriel who is 35 today – happy birthday Big G).
The whistle blew, and it was time to embark on the journey home to JGI. Everyone was exhausted, and many slept on the boat trip back. We all agreed to meet again tomorrow.
Tomorrow is today, and we came together for our second to last day together. The sadness of our impending separation has been palpable. Thanks to Augustino, our attention was diverted from those sad thoughts, when he threw a traditional birthday party for Gabriel at the end of the day. It was hysterical. It was a cross between a business meeting and a Hindu wedding. There was an agenda that clearly specified the order of events and a procession of rituals that honored the birthday boy, his friends, students, co-workers, and his parents (come to find out our nice, white, Jewish boy Gabriel was born in a time-warp to two teenaged, black Muslim secondary school students). Hopefully, Erik will post pictures/videos so you can see it to believe it.
I’m such a slow writer; it’s almost midnight. Friday is minutes away. That means our last day will be here before I finish this. Maybe if I stop now, tomorrow will never come and we can stay in Kigoma for a very, very long time.
Wishful thinking.
I’ll blog again soon, and let you know how it all ends.
jaime
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3 comments:
It's wonderful to know you so well, Jaime, and consequently FEEL your blog. What an adventure. Stay away from the water and continue to expand your horizons. WOW! And...I have quite a vision of you driving down the L.A. freeways in a safari vehicle.
What are those centipede-like black bugs shown so often in your Shutterfly pictures? Are they as huge as they look? Are they edible? If so, you've all probably eaten them. Hmmm.
The information here is great. I will invite my friends here.
Thanks
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