Readers,
Our day started with what we consider a relatively late start, what our standard of waking up late has become, about 7 in the morning. We were lucky enough to not have to break down our tents and were greeted with a welcoming spread of sausages, crepes, and bananas, which gave us the adequate fuel to hike up into the Usambara Mountains in inland Tanzania. The greenery that surrounded the trails were reminiscent of the forestry in a state such as North Carolina in the great smoky mountains, however, the shanty villages that peppered the hillsides did not draw such similar correlation. What remained was a shared understanding of the beauty of the landscape and a curious ambition to see this new ecosystem. We hiked our way through several villages and picturesque farms before we found ourselves on a cliff overlooking the valley the mountains held on its outcrop. It was beautifully picturesque and offered itself to be a great spot to take some photos and rest for a couple minutes.
From there we descended back into the villages of the mountains, where after cutting into the center of a settlement, we sat for a lunch of local cuisine in a straw-roofed building. The spread was similar to much of the cuisine we had experienced in Africa so far, but was dotted with flavors of local intricacy that made it something entirely brand new at the same time. After our delicious meal (made incomplete without the available for purchase sprite) we walked outside of the hut to watch and participate in a local dance. Consisting of marching in a circle, leaving money in front of the drummers, and then having the locals split down to pick it up with their teeth all in rhythm, it was quite a fun experience, except for I was pulled in to dance by a local woman, who’s rhythm I could not match.
We continued our hiking back towards our camp but we’re delighted to be interrupted several times along the way by chameleons. Now these were no ordinary chameleons, these were unlike any chameleon we could have dreamed of seeing before, no, these chameleons, were those endemic to the Usambara Mountains. Now as much as we tried to spot these six inch creatures in the trees, the duty faltered to our local guide to spot and point out the lizards, a skill none of us could quite get the hang of. It was fascinating to see these creatures morph their appearance as they inched from a green leaf to a brown stick, and to hear them hiss when they felt threatened by 20 curious faces looking on to them. So after marveling at a few specimen, we began more diligently hiking back to camp wherein we spent the rest of our afternoon.
Alastair
One additional story from yesterday, for which Alastair was not present. Prior to dinner, Magnolia and I walked down into town to look around. Along the way, we were greeted by locals wanting to say hello, shake hands, fist bump, and high five. We drew a lot of attention as tourists don’t typically find their way to Lushoto. A few asked from where we came and confirmed that we were indeed tourists. On our way back to the campground, we wondered into a church because I saw a few women in choir robes, it looked like the service was about to begin, and I wanted to hear the singing. We were greeted by a nice young man who spoke English very well, and he confirmed that this was a Seventh Day Adventist Church and that the service was about to begin. We sat together and two young girls sidled up to Magnolia, almost staring at her. We drew a lot of attention with congregants looking to see us at the back of the sanctuary. After a few hymns, the service started with readings from Habakkuk and Isiah. After that, Maggie and I were invited forward to introduce ourselves. I explained that we are Christians from the US, traveling for the summer, and had recently visited the Holy Land. After expressing the peace of Christ and well wishes from the US, I also explained that we were drawn in to hear the singing. I also explained that we had to leave for dinner and could not stay for the service. As we walked out of the sanctuary, the congregation all rose, followed us out, stood on the steps of the church, and sang hymns for us as we walked away. I wish we could have stayed for the service, but it was a great experience nonetheless. - Dave
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