Life in Africa V

The Amboni Caves near Tanga are interesting and I would have liked to have been able to spend more time there exploring some of the wildlife.
I would have liked a closer look at the bats - they are the only indigenous mammal in New Zealand.
The old guy that took us in there with his torch, switched it off to show how dark it was! Tanzanian torches do not always switch on!

Tanga was our first visit to the Indian Ocean and of course I was taken by the dhow sailing by.
So I felt the warm ocean and enjoyed the different vegetation there.
Tanga seemed a quiet town then - perhaps now it is much different but I am pleased we visited there even if it was for one night and even if we chose a hotel that carried a lot of night traffic.

Kapok was harvested from trees like this in days gone by for mattress and pillow filling as well as life vests and many other thing. Still it is used locally but there is no market for it these days.
Ceiba pentandra has few other uses save for firewood and local medicine, but none the less it is a striking tree - up to 30 metres high.

Soni Falls is on the way up the Usambara mountains to Lushoto - a must see stop for people visiting Tanzania.
We often stayed there and at first the small hotel was pretty much run down, but over time it improved and we always had very good service there.
There was a hole in the fanlight window in the dining room and during the evening meal a bat, or bats would fly in, circling the light-bulb to catch a moth and fly out again - very good radar!

The turnoff to Lushoto is at the village of Mombo, which is a busy market town and a rest stop for buses making a longer journey.
On a river terrace I found this stand of well tended trees.

On the corner of the Lushoto road the restaurant/hotel serves up a chicken and chips dish that is worth the journey!

I am told that the Arusha to Dodoma road has been much upgraded, which is a very good thing! I sometimes took this road to Babati and on up to Dongabesh on the pay run, and during the wet season the road had its challenges - sometimes there were deep holes and once water flowed over the bonnet.

I always like Baobab trees and seek out fine specimens - this one is on the Dodoma road and I just had to take a closer look.

Nasula Primary School

Those of a more ancient vintage may remember a movie called 'Hatari' starring none other than John Wayne, Hardy Kruger, Red Buttons and some others. This movie was filmed in part at Momella and we were told Hardy Kruger opened a safari lodge there.
I travelled over a lot of that country, and the movie makers must have faced challenges racing those Landrovers! The move now also interests because some of the filming was also in Arusha and some of the scenes are familiar.

We called the school 'Momella' because we knew no better and it was not until a signpost was eventually put up that we realised the school was in fact called 'Nasula'!
To my mind it was very appropriate that we worked in this area because the climate was difficult from the rain shadow effect of Mt. Meru. The short rains had started to fail and most times crops that were planted to utilize the short rains failed too.

The National Parks authority often donated funds to school that were on their borders [well also Ngabobo too, which was quite distant] and it was obvious that Nasula had received assistance because the wall and ceilings of the classrooms and teachers' office were lined with hardboard - called there 'ceiling board'.

Sometimes it is difficult to know how well the teachers and students cooperate, but a good litmus is the behavior of the students. These kids were very good to work with.
There were a number whose parent(s) were National Park officials and we used to give a lift to students we encountered along the road. Actually it was quite a hike for them!



I have not covered the use of banana fibre for making planter pots
instead of using polythene, which is expensive for some.
Take two pieces of banana trunk fibre (dry and supple - maybe by soaking) +-10cm long and +- 25cm long. Set them in an even cross and sit a small jar or soda bottle where the fibre crosses. fold the fibre up, around the jar/bottle and fold the top back +- 15cm and tie to secure with a thin piece of fibre. Carefully remove the jar/bottle and bingo, you have your pot - gently fill with soil and sow the seed. The pot is biodegradable some may be planted in situ. A very good system!


Because the soil was very sandy, we advised that large holes should be dug [pits] and filled with dry animal manure. The hole would not be filled, as much as 30cm from the top. This gives the tree some shelter from the winds and acts as a receptacle for water.




An example of the cooperation we received: we turned up on a school holiday/day off, which is why these kids are not in school uniform. We wanted to be sure the school understood the need for proper planting preparation and while the whole school was not there, these other kids passed on the information.





I had seen how trees were dispersed by some other agencies and all my training teaches that poorly handled trees equates to poor survival outcomes. Respect the plant as a living thing. So unloading tree is an opportunity to reinforce the message to the kids.
Hold the tree by the pot and line out in rows of the same species.
Most times the kids took this very seriously.




We struck a bit of a hiccup! The new plantings were browsed at night - by giraffe! They were just able to wanted on to the site and chew the new plantings. So the kids protected their trees with thorny branches.










The lines of protected trees ready for inspection. The kids labelled their trees so I could identify the grower. Some would add a little message, usually a slogan that we used in the seminars, to prove I guess, that they had been listening - thus enhance their chances of gaining a prize.



Generally the teachers like our visits because we looked after the whole school role for at least half the day - sometimes the whole day. At Nasula, we were some distance from a shop and I suspect the teachers supplied their own food to us. Generosity much appreciated.
The man to the right is the environmental teacher and the one in the dark suit is the new Head teachers. The department moved the teachers around the area.


On inspection day, the kids liked to stand beside their tree and I would talk to each one and discuss their tree/trees. There is always the kid whose tree has failed and tries to put a live stick in the ground to make it look like there is a tree.
Actually the system is not really fair because there are so many variables and they don't start off evenly because we never kept culls in the nursery so some kids planted big trees while other planted the smaller ones - but it was the best I could do.


The outcomes at Nasula were very good and while the soils might have been sandy, the work the kids carried out to ensure the survival of their trees was considerable.
They did have the advantage though of nearby race water.

A good result.

Ngongongare Primary School

It was always hard for me to get my head around the name because mentally I would think of 'gong' and not 'gon' but as with most names, once familiar with it, the easier is to pronounce.

Loti was the Chairman of Ngongongare Primary School, and he often told me of some of the problems he faced there. Loti had no kids but was always interested in education - education was a passion of his.
The school population was made from a mix of local kids and those from the Seventh Day Seminary as well as 'imports' whose parents serviced some of the Lodges and other industries including the National Park - children of the Rangers.
Loti had his work cut out to keep the school running efficiently and following the curriculum! Part of the problem was, as far as I could see, that many of the teachers were the wives of lecturers at the seminar who were not as dedicated to their work as could be expected.

We carried out a full environmental programme at Ngongongare with the seminars as well as the planting programme. I wonder now at the progress of the Cupressocyparis leyandii that we supplied there. I found some of these trees in the Lushoto Arboretum and took cuttings from them - this species was a large part of my New Zealand experience.

The day we called to inspect the tree plantings and to encourage the kids, we found the young teacher who had been appointed the school's environment teacher, to be inciting the kids to be disrespectful to us. Loti had been side-tracked by the Head Teacher on school business so this young guy accompanied us around with the kids. I have no idea what was going on in his head; perhaps he did not realise that we spoke Swahili.
The school received a lot of visitors from overseas and maybe they had become used to visitor not understanding their language.
Regardless, I was not prepared to put up with the way he was acting and the way the pupils were responding, so I called off the inspection and decided not award any prizes. Loti was shocked and embarrassed about this and called an assembly where he gave the teacher and the pupils a good telling off.
The outcome, as you would expect in such situation was that the teacher was moved on.

Poor old Loti had another problem - he had arranged for some American student to visit the school and build a classroom. However the Head Teacher used the funds for the bricks to assist with his own personal problems. The news of this occurred just shortly before the students were to arrive so Loti had to scramble to find appropriate work for them.

Happily, Loti was able to sort out most of the dysfunction in the school - mainly by finding a good Head Teacher who lifted the performance of his staff. We carried out another planting programme where prizes were awarded and we were able to supply text books and some other supplies to assist the school.

Kids sitting under the Grevillea trees to listen to the environmental seminar.








Some of the teachers listen to the seminar. It was usual for the whole school to sit in on the seminars because while we targeted to older kids; the younger ones were distracted by our presence.







Kids lined up for the role play to demonstrate how trees help prevent erosion of the fertile soils.







Presenting chalk and other materials to the Head Teacher. For this we had received funds from Trade Aid, Timaru and also from Hughie and Trixie Muldrew of Hampden, Moeraki, Waianakarua and/or Oamaru. The support we received from different organizations and people was much appreciated.





Learning is never one way! The pupils of Tanzanian schools taught me through their singing of their national Anthem and Song, how proud they were of their country and freedom.
I staged this photo of Tanzanian school text books with the New Zealand flag because I was proud of the partnership.

The Road to Ngarenanyuki

It must be remembered that the only constants is that there will always be change, and certainly the this road developed and changed over the seven years we used it. It is remarkable that one old guy I spoke to told me that he had once seen a pride of lions resting under trees at the turn-off. Arusha national Park has no large cats, so that sighting must have been a very long time ago.
And now I see the road is now tar-sealed!

The Ngarenanyuki road leaves the Moshi - Arusha road just East of Usa River but there is no sign to inform, but that is usual! There is a large, concrete godown on the corner which is opposite the large rose farm.
The farm daily exports flowers to Amsterdam and they employ a number of workers who do not benefit from the same health and safety regulations that horticultural workers elsewhere have. I used to go there to buy lucerne hay for Mama Upendo.
I guess every statement deserves an explanation :
The use of insecticide and fungicide without adequate protection is unacceptable but the issues involved were too complex for me to address at the time and this is not the forum either.

The farm encompassed a large are of grass [the roses were grown in tunnel houses] which had been planted in lucerne which was regularly cut and baled. They sold it to specific customers, but would sell to casuals when a surplus was available. Hand cutting fodder for zero grazed cattle is an onerous task and as the season becomes drier, the gathering of fodder is over a much larger area. To help Mama Upendo - and Upendo - I used to buy some of the lucerne hay and from time to time, bundled fodder cut by young men from further up the Ngarenanyuki road or from Usa River.

The road starts off long and flat, with rough gravel, through some Silky Oak trees planted each side of the road. Past the new school, International and established to make money, and through fertile farmland. This is where young men cut fodder and transported it on their bikes to Usa River for sale.
There is a ramshackle wooden house where often two men sat to sell a few bananas or other produce and we had an acquaintance that was a twice daily wave as we passed by. We stopped the day we were transporting a sick woman to hospital who needed water and I asked them if the water was clean. They showed me a small, flowing natural spring with fresh, clear water - they were lucky indeed to have it.

To the left there are fertile fields where different cash crops are grown flowers one year, peas another. There is good water here, but during the wet season once the road became impassable and a diversion was made through a large farm. I guess the farmer was not too happy about that. Another time a similar diversion was made because a huge tree fell across the road.

On the corner just before the road climbs uphill, a large, posh safari lodge has been established among what was a very good coffee plantation. Money talks and the owner apparently made his money in the Tanzanite mines - he made it rich and is said to have tossed money from the balcony of the Impala Hotel. At least the story sounds good!

Up the hill there is the homestead of the coffee plantation; obviously well set up and during our stay the built a huge plastic lined reservoir - a huge bank of water should the dam collapse! In the earlier I used to pick a man from Usa River who worked at the plantation - a nice man and I never knew why he never appeared again.
Once this first uphill section has been completed, there is a flat spot where there is a tiny produce market and a road junction that goes to Mt. Meru - actually to Mulala where Mbise lived.
Along on the left a small orphanage was built using burnt bricks - maybe ten children stayed there and over time we had one of those waving relationships which saw us eventually providing a few toys and a little food.
To the left there was a large poultry farm, and again I became aware that I no longer saw people going to and from, so guessed it had closed down, but I never asked and was never told.
Further to the left a new house was built by a Pastor and we helped him with trees, and closeby a sawmill set up business and they committed the unsound practice of spreading sawdust on the road surface.

Again the road climbs, turning as it does so and to the right a family built a burnt brick home so one day we stopped and provided them with trees that were well cared for and flourish - that went on for three seasons.
At Ngongongare there is the Seventh Day Adventist Seminary with its guarded gate and a village beyond complete with dukas and a clinic. Loti lived beyond the village as he has a substantial farm. The guards at the gate knew me and I did not need to sign the entrance book.
Very often people would want a lift down to Usa River and I did not always cooperate as sometimes I needed some space and some quiet. Sometime providing lifts can involve complications.

There is a small market place with some dukas and a research facility for the fluoride in natural water. A few safari lodges, among them Ngurdoto Lodge hosted by friends Dick and Delores Novac - a very nice place to stay!
A little further along is Ngongongare Primary School and beside it a snake park where I saw the biggest chameleons I have ever seen. I'm not sure that it remains open.
To the left is the Lutheran Ailanga Seminary - it was vacant ground when we arrived in Meru and the General Secretary requested ideas from me for its use - I had no input into the suggestion of a seminary. We assisted with tree planting and the rainwater harvesting spouting and tank.
On the other side of the road is the Lutheran Church which was an older, wooden building but by now, I guess there has been some improvements.

This area suffers from wandering elephants, mainly at night, and crops are lost, water projects damaged.

Shortly there is the entrance to Arusha National Park - the road to the left goes to a sawmill where we sourced sawdust, but it closed down, perhaps to reopen.

Nowadays, shortly after the gate is the post where payment is made to enter the park, but previously it was on the right junction of the road a little further on. Sometimes during wet conditions when our usual route was impassable, we took this route and had to negotiate hard for access.

We usually took the free, rough route to the left past Little Serengeti where slips once caused the road to become a bog. The road passes through scrublands, climbing all the time, sometimes rocky and rough. It was always ideal to use four wheel drive as it was easier on the vehicle.
Near the summit the vegetation becomes rainforest and there are always Dik Dik, sometimes Colobus Monkeys and often clouds of iridescent blue butterflies.
Once over the small ridge, the rainforest peters out but there are always sitings of warthog with their aerial tails and giraffe and on the roadsides, sometimes there are views of the Ngarenanyuki river as well as indigenous Pencil Juniper trees.
The road heads roughly North and the further you go, the drier the land/vegetation becomes.

The Park exit [or entrance depending where you come from] is where the hikes start their climb of Mt. Meru and where the guides sit and wait for custom - they were usually friendly and waved to us as we 'pita'(ed) by.
The road becomes sharply down hill and the road is of river washed stones - harder to climb. And as the road flattens there has been a cellphone tower erected. Most of this part of the road was dirt with many wet crossings [fords] but the base was hard and there was no danger of becoming bogged or stuck.
This road has now been upgraded.

To the left is the turnoff to Mwakeny Primary School and to the right Momella, later renamed Nasula Primary School.
Momella is the area where filming took place of the movie 'Hatari' starring John Wayne, Hardy Kruger, Red Buttons to name a few.
After the thicket of yellow-trucked Fever Trees the growing village of Olkung'wado is within site and the turn to the left is now where the local government office is, but past the office is a ford and the road goes on to Kisimiri.
But straight on there is a small bridge which is the entrance to Olkung'wado.

Olkung'wado is a market town with the 'main street' being a row of dukas. Over the seven years we noticed that this was a growth area - especially houses made from concrete block, causing us to name it the 'grey village'.
Just North of the main village, DME built a new, large clinic and there is their district office and the church, closeby is Olkung'wado Primary School.

It is difficult to find them without some knowledge, but between to village and the DME area there is almost a crossroads; to the right you can reach King'ori via Lendoiya and to the left there is a ford across the river which is a shortcut to Ngarenanyuki village through an area that is wet enough to sustain a banana plantation.

On the 'main road' which by this time becomes more like a track, there is a turnoff to the right which takes you to the village - no, not quite a village - of Emanuel where a new church replaced and old one and where a new primary school was established.
But following the 'main road', after a bend to the left there is the Ngarenanyuki Secondary School, which is also part of the DME fold.

Shortly after there is a bridge that passes over a deep gorge with the Ngarenanyuki River and then a T junction.
To the left is the way to go to Ngabobo and onwards through Maasai country to the North - there was a police post, which became derelict, but because it is possible to reach Kenya on this track, stolen vehicles and contraband used to move through here. There is a junction where the road heads East through Ilkirimuni and on to Sanya Juu.
There is a track that goes off to the right that eventually goes down a long ridge where in our last couple of years, the new Kisomonu was built.

The main road goes on to the small village of Ngarenanyuki, passing on the way, the home of the OiC of the Olkung'wado Clinic, who was a nephew of Loti's making him an associate of mine. Ngarenanyuki is a small market area with a couple of stalls and the road going back to Olkung'wado is to the left and on that road [track] is a small government hospital.
By this time the road is really heading West and passes over another bridge and there is an old signpost bearing the familiar Shell petroleum symbol for years ago an international car rally passed through here.
The road/track begins to peter out to a dusty track and through a gulley where to the right a track goes up to where we took Neema (see another post regarding her).
Onwards past the home of Loti's sister and the track is a dust-bath, there is the Ngarenanyuki Primary School and church, after which the worsening track passes through Uwhiro and on to Kisimiri.

While there is a village named 'Ngarenanyuki' the name refers to the area which is huge and we worked throughout the area over the years.

Over the years we carried out a lot of work in the area which will be detailed as time goes on

Typical is a young child carrying water at Kisimiri