Babati – 28 June
This morning I left for Babati, after a slight miscommunication with the taxi driver who was supposed to be here at 8am and arrived at 9:30, they refer to this as African time. Taking the local bus with two very large bags and my day back for a “hectic” 3 and half ride. The bus makes flying in China look like a polite, processed and easy experience. The good news everyone has an assigned seat and I was lucky enough to have one, as they fit as many as possible on to the bus, all with more bags than I was carrying in addition to children, bags of onions, potatoes and rice. We drove through the country side where stretches at a time you it was flat plains, seeing Maasai people – largest tribe who are the best warriors and believe all cattle is theirs – herding. Their colourful dress, as they dress in red and blue sarongs were beautiful to see against a mountainous back drop. Bus stops were small villages along the road appearing out of stretches of plain where children chased the bus and women and men were selling baskets, water, biscuits, peanuts and rice.
Arriving in Babati, it is a small city where the population is XX which is made up of mostly children. Julian, the head of The Living Stone Tanzania Trust, meets me at the bus stop, a welcome surprise as I am still dragging the cooker! After a quick lunch we headed up to the school and farm, which was started in November of 2007 with very little financing. The property is gorgeous and what they have accomplished in under 3 years is really unbelievable. It is set on a beautiful piece of land that is calm and serene, overlooking the mountains. They have rebuild the school turning around the “worst” school in to the best school in Babati. The classrooms are clean, colourful with a brand new kindergarden. The farm is a working sustainable farm created to sell produce and other goods at the market. The fields are filled with bananas, the best passion fruit you ever tasted, avocados, mangos, potatoes and cabbage. Behind the fields are 4 fish farms build out of the ground with nylon bottoms. In addition to the fish, there are chickens, goats producing milk and several cows. There is even a killer bee hive – yes a killer bee hive where they produce organic, free range killer bee honey.
The farm continues to need a lot of work but is really impressive in terms of the progress over the past 3 years. The time spent here will be building a fence, helping with water irrigation/supply and painting a third classroom. We walked back to town and it was an honor walking with Julian as all the children in the city know him by name and come running out to say hello. A quite evening where the staple meal is rice, beans and cabbage – the good news is costs under a £1 a night.
Off in to the African bush tomorrow for 3 days to meet several of the oldest tribes. It will be an honour to meet them as they will show me how they live and share making traditional meals, clothes and dance. Next update to come when I return on Friday.
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