Still alive

I had the day off from school today for our tour. We left the house at 8, and headed for our first stop, a blacksmith shop in a Chagga village near the mountain. It was very amusing to wath them melt and hammer the metal to make arrouws and things. They had a few things for sale there, and I was able to practice my bargaining skills, which have come a far way from the first time I walked out of a car dealership, sobbing and shaking.


Next, we walked 5 minutes to the home of a Chagga family. In the 17th century, the Chagga tribe was at war with the Massai people, fighting over land and animals. The Chagga used to escape their enemy by living in caves, sometimes for up to a year, to protect their families and their animals. We had the opportunity to travel the caves, so you know I had to do it. Once I got down there, though, it was much smaller than the tour guide had described. He said we would need to crouch down to walk. Well, I was army crawling on my knees and elbows to fit through some of the passages. He said 60 people stayed in that cave for a whole year. I's rather have been killed by the enemy. I took some photos so you could see what it looks like down there.


After that, we hopped back in the bus and stopped at a local market, that doesn't get many visitors. Unfortunately, the local people don't like being photographed so we couldn't bring our cameras. It was so fascinating, vibrant, and full of people yelling, chickens being slaughtered, and fruits on people's heads. I was able to do a bit more bartering for some fabric I liked. I hate being followed, though, and people here are very harassing to get you to spend money. Even sitting in the van waiting to go, men are shoving their arms in the windows trying to show you their merchandise.


Next stop was the waterfall. We sat under a thatched roof and had lunch (which, to put it mildly, was gross), and then started out for the waterfall. This was only a 10 minute walk, so I figured it wouldn't be a problem after the hike I had already taken. And I was wrong. It was so steep that I slid down most of it. Even with bamboo hand rails, I had to climb to make it down the rocky slopes. Once we got there, we were at least 100 yards from the waterfall, and the only way to get closer was to walk through the river. Not happening. So, I took some photos, and started the trek back up. Now, if the walk down was hell, the walk back up was cleaning the devil's underwear. My heart was beating so hard, I think I saw my chest palpatating on the outside. Absolutely crazy. But, I made it, sweating and panting, but alive nonetheless.


We composed ourselves, and walked about 1 km to a Chagga museum. We saw a traditional home, which is the size of my living room at home, and houses up to 15 people, 2 cows, and some goats, with a kitchen and attic. Unbelieveable. The museum had some cool artifacts, but I was so dead tired by that point, I wasn't really interested. Next to the museum was a beautiful resort, and we were able to go in and walk around, and have a soda at the bar.



We were on the way home from there, but the guide wanted us to stop and taste banana beer. To put it best, mix oatmeal with banana juice, and add a warm miller light. It's possibly the most vile thing I have ever tasted. I vow to never again drink beer I have to chew.



I just had a nice shower, and now I'll off to have a BBQ dinner. I can't imagine it will be wonderful, but who knows. I still have some snacks from home left! I bet I will be in bed quite early this evening. After a nice cocktail of Motrin and water. Talk to you tomorrow!