Moshi and beyond

Back home. We had an "extreme" cultural wake-up call on the extension. Our guide and driver were young gentlemen, and I mean Tanzanian gentlemen and took us to see endemic birds. This trip was an amazing demonstration of culture. To see endemic birds takes you way beyond places on the map. The villagers were so poor yet happy. They have almost nothing. The women work extremely hard washing clothes in the river, gardening, walking for water, preparing food for market. I think some of the women display their vegetables and get guards to watch them at night. Sugar is unknown except for an abundance of coke and sugar cane, which grows abundantly as well as sisal. The last night we stayed in what was suggestive of a village hut; no electricity, light by lantern, minimal food but better than the OAT tour. Our hosts and Byron and I traveled by very rough road, and one route in the West Usambaras was closed. We got struck only once. Byron saw over 250 life birds. I saw less but the cultural experience and the children and people I met, I will never forget. The fresh vegetables and fruits were unlike any I have ever tasted.