July | 2016 | Reflections on the Teche

Archive for July, 2016

Tanzania Travel Journal #2

Posted in Travel, Writing, tagged Africa, animals, Overseas Adventure Travel, safari, Tarangire on July 11, 2016| 6 Comments »

I am writing a series of posts about my recent trip to Tanzania, Africa. You can find the first post here about ceramic water filters.

The second day of our tour led us to our first safari experience on the Tarangire. Tarangire means “river of the warthogs.” Geographically, it is classified as a wooded grassland savannah.

I was fascinated by the movement of the animals. They do not seem to care at all that their territory is being invaded by these monster safari vehicles. They just carry on with the business of eating and drinking.

The birds are beautiful here. Even the pesky birds that peck the ground at the picnic area are amazing. They are called the superb starling. And they are truly superb.

Superb starling

In the Tarangire, we witnessed a part of the great migration with zebras and wildebeests rushing to a watering hole. I captured this movement on video.

zebra with wildebeest

The guides communicate by radio. We would hear quick Swahili words then drive to something amazing. One of these sights was a python that had obviously eaten something really large. It lay still under a bush. We were told it would not be able to move for a month. Thank God. After that sight, I stopped drinking water. I was not going to have to go in a bush (water the flowers) for anything.

For these next few days we stayed on Lake Burunge. The dining area overlooked the lake where thousands of pink flamingoes waded. We had a nature hike to view these birds closer up. We were accompanied by a Maasai warrior with his spear in case we encountered any dangerous animals.

Lake Burunge sunset

flamingoes

Maasai guard

Our guide assured us that Maasai are trained at a very young age to defend their animals. We could hear hyenas in the distance and were told the following morning that our guards were awake all night chasing them from our camp. These tents were permanent solar-powered structures up on wooden platforms. I was not afraid. I trusted the guards would keep us safe.

Click on the video to view the zebras and wildebeests flocking to the watering hole, a family of elephants crossing our path, and a harem of ostriches. I thought about toying with the sound but decided to leave it in for you to have an authentic experience. Enjoy!

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Tanzania Travel Journal #1

Posted in Travel, Writing, tagged Arusha, Overseas Adventure Travel, Safe Water Ceramics of East Africa, Tanzania on July 10, 2016| 11 Comments »

I have returned from the trip of a lifetime. For my mother-in-law’s 85th birthday, she treated me and my sister-in-law to an Overseas Adventure Travel tour of Tanzania, Africa. O.A.T. is a tour company that prides itself on providing a total cultural experience. You don’t just view a country, you experience it.

Our trip to Tanzania began on June 25th, but we did not arrive into Kilimanjaro airport until the night of June 26th after two lengthy flights, Houston to Amsterdam, Amsterdam to Tanzania. There is no way around it. Africa is far away!

This experience was so full that I will be writing multiple blog posts to share as much as I can with you.

We spent the first few days in Arusha. Arusha is a bustling city. Our first stop was a clay water filter project.

Front of Safe Water Ceramics in Arusha, Tanzania.

The Safe Water Ceramics of East Africa produces clay water filters to provide clean water to families and schools around Tanzania and Kenya. The number one health problem in Africa comes from limited access to clean water. We were fascinated by the process of creating these filters.

Surrounded by drying water filters, Mesiaki demonstrates his foot powered pottery wheel.

In 2005, Tracy Hawkins met Mesiaki Kimerei, a master potter in Arusha, Tanzania. After learning of the dire need for filtered water and the process for making these clay water filters, she teamed up with Mesiaki to produce these ceramic filters. In 2015, Safe Water Ceramics won the Energy Globe Award.

Proud of his Globe Award, Mesiaki is passing the skills to his daughter.

Eleven people in our group lined up to donate. One water filter for a family or school costs $40. You can learn more about the project and donate here. Already, on the first day, I knew that this experience would have a profound effect on me. Something that we take for granted, clean water, is a privilege in the country of Tanzania.

At the end of our first day, we were treated to a view of Mt. Kilimanjaro peeking out and saying “Jambo!”