After the Simba Lodge in Karatu, we went to the FAME medical clinic. Or those of us who were interested (we had two nurses, a pharmacist, myself, and an adult educator). We had planned to go to drop off some supplies we had carried from Canada for the hospital there (through the Packing with a Purpose program; the supplies for office and schools we left at the Lodge to be picked up there). I admit my expectations were to find a dusty, poorly-maintained, windowless, busy clinic which was struggling to manage the wave of sick people at its doors.
I was wrong on all counts. This was a clinic begun by two Californians, she being the chief administrator, he being the main doctor. We met them both, and they were both energetic and charismatic. And they have done a wonderful job of bringing high-quality medicine to the people of that area. While it is fee-for-service, the fee is small ($1.50 for a visit with the doctor). They began about ten years ago, and have grown to a compound with five buildings, including a maternal health centre, a lab area, an operating suite, in-patient area, and out-patient clinic. They have done many deliveries, going from 160 two years ago, to 425 this past year. They just delivered a set of triplets! And their maternal mortality is zero. They do c-sections when needed, as well as other surgeries.
Their X-ray facilities include a CT scanner and digital X-ray machine, which was donated and is very modern, as well as ultrasound and echocardiography. They have become the recognized best place for diagnostics in the area.
And the place was clean, organized, feeling busy rather than rushed. The grounds were tended, and also organized. They have many volunteers, and a paid volunteer coordinator (I noticed that there are ten volunteer doctors coming over the next few months; they stay for a month on average, although some stay a lot longer).
Clearly, I was impressed. This is what it should be like. Our 1-hour time limit turned into more than ninety minutes, and it was worth every minute.
After this, we did not have time to rejoin the others (who were visiting a local tribal chief in the town, and also were reported to have had a wonderful time). So our driver, who was born in this area, drove us around the town. t was market day, so lots of people in the town. And lots for sale, from clothing to backpacks, to motorcycles to, of course, food. The area around Karatu is pretty fertile, so a lot is grown. Most of the market things are apparently grown in smaller plots, while the larger plots are taken for wheat production.But apparently no one has a large plot: the families may own about five-ten acres on their own, but co-operate so that they have overall maybe fifty acres, and can bring in a tractor or a team of oxen to plow the fields. We saw a lot of this activity going on, since the farmers are getting prepared for the rainy season.
From here, it was a two-hour drive to the Ngorngoro crater and the Olduvai Gorge. We went to the gorge first, and it was an amazing experience for me (not for all of us, but that's okay). It is just north of the Crater itself. The Gorge is the result of erosion through many layers of volcanic dust, laid down over millions of years. So the remaining taller sections give a visual look at about a million years of history, with another two million years still under the current land level of the Gorge. This is where Mary Leakey found the footprints of Austalopithecus Africanus, our distant ancestors (2.5 million years ago), set into volcanic dust which had become almost like concrete over the millennia. And, of course, stone tools and animal fossils were in abundance. We were given a short talk by one of the people running the place. Again, I was fascinated by this, not just for the spectacular scenery, but also for the history.
From here, on to the Rhino Lodge for the night. I had to share a room with Roger Peters, who I had met on the flight over here. But I was still a bit rocky in the bowel department, so ate lightly before going to bed.
The night was more remarkable than I had counted on. About midnight, there began a loud and bright thunderstorm, with constant lightning going on for about an hour. And the rain: we were in a lodge with wooden ceiling and a tin roof over that. The rain was the heaviest that I have ever experienced. It seemed that the rain itself would beat down the roof! And that went on for over two hours, before quieting down to a dull roar and steady rain for another few hours. Sleep was interrupted, but the experience was amazing.
The next morning was the one day we had to get up especially early, to be ready to leave at 6 AM for the Crater itself. We set the alarm for 5, when it is of course still dark. I decided to go out on the veranda to see what the weather was like. It was cool (about 15 degrees), and not raining. I couldn't see anything since there are no street lights or anything like that here. But I heard what sounded like breathing sounds. I said to Roger, "there's something out here". He got his flashlight, and shone it into the darkness, and saw the reflections of eyes. Then he got his camera, and did a flash shot into the darkness. As wee suspected, there were cape buffaloes there. We thought maybe a few. But as it became a bit lighter, it was clear there were quite a few. One of our party counted over sixty of them, all lying on the grass behind out lodge, quite placid, seemingly. One of our party said that one had come up to her railing through the night to rub himself against it. A terrific surprise to get us going.
Then to the crater rim, and the descent to the floor of it. Tank heavens for four-wheel drive: this was steep and full of hairpin turns. Through what was almost rain forest on the slopes, giving way to a treeless savannah on the floor of the crate. The scenery almost stole the show from the animals.
...But not quite. There were lots of animals from giraffes to hippos to lions to wildebeest to gazelles, and so on. Even the occasion black rhino, although they were way off in the distance. And then there were the birds: egrets, kites, bustards, cranes, and so on. It was pretty amazing. We spent the morning there, before heading up the ascent to the top of the rim, another harrowing drive. Left the park at about noon, to head for our flight to Zanzibar.
Lunch at a place which is obviously a tourist trap, but is well-organized, and had a lot of local art there. The wood carvings and the fabrics were amazing (I know I use that word a lot). Most done out of ebony. But they are heavy and expensive, and would act as dust-catchers at home.
The drive to Arusha was uneventful. Very strange to be on a paved road after being on mostly dirt roads for the previous three days. They are much less interesting. And when we got to the airport, we got through security without problem, and waited for our fourteen-seater plane to arrive. The flight over was easy, and being a smaller plane, was close to the ground, so I enjoyed it for the 90 minutes it took.
And then we were in Zanzibar City. Coming off the plane was like hitting a wall. Heat and humidity both high, and a bustling mass of people. We were whisked through the security to get out, and a bus had been arranged for our transfer to our hotel. And what a different experience from Arusha. The streets were busy with vehicles and people. Noise and activity everywhere. Houses of multiple stories packed together. Lots of little shops open, and the market going full force (even at 8 PM). The driver went through small alleys, took lots of turns to get to the Zenji Hotel, and dropped us.
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