Bob and Kris's travel blog

We're on a roll getting another post done. We left off after the game drive... did I mention that we were in the middle of the national park and Raychel got text. The cell phone coverage here is incredible!

After a lovely morning at the Hilltop lodge the owner drove us back to Iringa. Ready for a small world story? Bob was sitting in front and he asked him what he did for a living. Turns out he has been to Seattle, and visited the Museum of Flight and even the gum wall at the market. He is a Rotarian and his partner in the states lives in Lake Oswego, Oregon and had invited him to visit... so he did last year.

Our destination was the Neema Crafts Shop, Cafe and Guest House where we stayed the night. Neema is a non profit organization in cooperation with the Anglican church.

The entrance to Neema Crafts

The store front

Kris Christmas shopping....

Their mission is to train disabled people in a craft, give them a sense of pride and purpose as they become able to support themselves and their families. The crafts are for sale and I must say we did our part in 'making the world a better place' (as the manager told us) by shopping and supporting their efforts. He gave us a tour of their shop and invited us to take pictures and interact with the workers.

Making paper beads

The sewing machine operators

Learning how the necklace is made

Debbie getting fit ...

Gordon and Raychel had visited in January and Gordon had copies of pictures he had taken in the shop and was able to give them copies. Most visitors do not return so they were thrilled to get pictures of themselves. Weaving, bead making, fabric arts, clay, paper beads and use of recycled material to make bags are among the crafts represented. Book covers, lampshades, and other paper crafts are constructed from elephant dung paper.....made on site.....

Silkscreen operation

Assembly of elephant dung paper book covers.

Neema crafts also recycles glass bottles into beads. The next photos show the operation from bottles collected, young man polishing glass beads on a converted bicycle, and the use motor oil fired oven.

The motor oil fired oven

Rough polishing glass beads

The recycled glass supply

Lunch in the cafe was an experience too. All the staff are deaf and you communicate with sign language and written orders. The menu included common signs along with the food available. This place is popular with the mzungu and even had lattes... and they were good! Coffee here so far has been little packets of instant so it was a treat to have a latte.

The Neema Crafts Cafe, our room is just down the hall..

Next on the agenda - a visit to Mama Lydia and her shop in Massai Alley. A maze of open shops all vying for your business. Mama Lydia is well known to the Peace Corps Volunteers as a place to get a fair price and a hug. Mama is a delightful woman wearing a bright purple massai tunic with loads of jewelry, laughing and smiling and excited to see Raychel again. Of course we did our best to support her too with purchases of Tanzanian crafts.

Mama Lydia and her shop

Bob striking a bargain

Mama Lydia

Next morning we made our way back to the bus stand for the trip back to Morogoro. This time there were delays due to construction and the trip took 6 hours. This bus was fancy and had TV screens. They played a Bollywood movie that was dubbed in Swahili with one male voice doing all the parts with the volume turned up loud. Quite an experience. The Hotel Oasis, our place for 2 nights, was aptly named. We deposited ourselves in the open air restaurant and had a wonderful meal in the coolness of the evening.

The highway to Morogoro

Typical roadside scene

Sunday morning, the 12th we made our way to the Chilunga Cultural Tourism office for a 3 hour walking tour to the village of Mbete. Alice our guide strolled up the road into the Uluguru mountains as we made our way with her. Partway up the hill a motorbike dropped off a gentleman on his way home from church. His name is Joe and as he walked with Gordon and Bob he told them about his career in the Tanzanian Air Force flying MIGs. We got to his home and he called his wife and grand daughter out to meet us.

Joe, grand daughter, and wife

Mbete is known for making soil cakes.... Remember the things we saw in the market that looked a bit like rolls of cinnamon. They are in fact soil cakes. This village uses a special fine red soil to make cakes that are rich in calcium and minerals. They are sold in the market for pregnant women to eat. We met the women who were making them and the girls (of course) got to try our hand at making them.