Care for Africa Online Journal

I’m in Nairobi have 5 min of net time so this will be brief! Firstly we’re all safe and sound. Peter has started operating in the hospital, and has given Sarah and Michael a go who are loving it! Georgie has been spreading information and education among local schools. Leanne now has African-style braided hair, which looks awesome. Sarah, Michael and I  saw a knife fight in the streets of Tarime and shortly thereafter were stopped by a semi-scary immigrations guy in plain clothes who demanded passports…..

Check out the news of what’s happening in Kenya – the election is coming up and it’s getting messy. Front page news every day, and some of us got caught up in some of it a few days ago but more about that later.

Simon Wearne and I are in Nairobi now trying to buy a truck – bloody difficult and everything here is more complicated and slower and takes more time than i could ever have imagined. Will keep you posted on how it all goes…. We’re here with ACRA leader Mchuma, as well as Pete and Didi’s loyal friend Mr Omari, without whom this Nairobi advenutre would be even harder. We’re heading back to join the others in Tarime tomorrow, hopefully with Simon driving us back in our new truck (along the worst highway in the world, dirt for most of the way and full of potholes) but let’s not count our chickens before they hatch, we may have to take the bus….

Harry, Sally, Didi, Leanne and Ange had an unpleasant experience in the hospital a few days ago when a woman who had been in labour finally delivered her baby and they were unable to resuscitate it….. harsh reality and tragic when the baby could have been saved with a caesarian had we known about it earlier.

Will write more when i can

Habaree ganee from Tanzania!  

Amazing amazing amazing…… Africa is everything I have dreamed of and more. We have just had the best 3 days staying with Barbara Winani at her resort, sleeping in tents guarded by Masai warriors with hyeenas howling in the distance, in the middle of the plains. Eating gazelle for dinner and fresh fruit for breakfast. We have been working hard but also playing pretty hard so far….

We went to Zanzibar for a day while staying in Dar es Salaam, the unofficial capital of Tanzania. Zanzibar is a very Muslim place with a lot of arabic and indian influences, and because of Ramadan there were no cafes or shops open, although the shopping was very good. We went on safari yesterday to Taringiri national park, and spent the whole day wildlife-spotting. The most amazing things were the lions, we saw a pride of females hunting, and when we saw them i stood on the roof of the landrover with the camera, and she started to come towards me….. about 5 metres between me and a hungry-looking lioness….. my heart was pounding but i couldn’t look away, she was so beautiful. We also saw giraffes, monkeys, impala, wildebeast, zebra, elephants….. and more.

Yesterday we spent the day checking out school and health care facilities in some local Masai villages. It was my birthday, and Paul (one of our drivers) took me for a motorbike ride through the tiny villages, where these gorgeous little children would run out of their huts to wave to us. We also went for a trek through the jungle to look at the main water source for some of these villages, led by 2 Masai warriors who let Michael hold their spear for awhile. We saw baboons in the jungle – wow. Also saw dust devils, zebras, and heaps of giraffes in the wild on our travels.

 Last night was my birthday party and Michael, Sarah, Musa (friend of Barbara Winani’s) and I stayed up until 2:30 with 3 of the Masai warriors talking, singing, dancing, drinking…. Michael bought me a bongo drum for my birthday and we played that as well. It was such a beautiful night, around the firepit with Africa all around us. (the only bad thing was that we had to get up at 5 to get to the plane… not feeling too crash hot today!) 

 Ok, important things: we are all well. Peter has been doing pretty well; Harry and Didi picked up a nasty bug and had vomiting and aching joints and fever for a couple of days; a few of us have heat rash; Sally fell down in the jungle and has some nasty splinters…… but all in all we’re doing pretty well. There is a lot of silliness and singing amongst the seriousness! Oh, and we are loving Kilimanjaro beer and Amarula and hoping to see a chui (leopard)!!

 Simon Wearne (the cameraman)  joined us yesterday and says he is in heaven, as i think we all feel. That makes our little group now 11 and everyone is so unique and brings something special to the group, we have been working well t0gether. We have been squeezing so much into every day and we’re off to Tarime this afternoon where internet will be hard to find but i’ll try to post something once a week if i possibly can.

 Can’t wait to get to Tarime, we’re all looking forward to settling for a bit, there’s been so much travelling. And we’re so excited about getting to some more serious work!

 More when we can.  

Heewow,

Tis less than eight hours till we are in Tarime just having a quiet one with Mr Cha Cha who is an absolute legend and the rest of the gang! Its amazing how passionate and welcoming everone is, I have never felt so welcome in all my life, not even at home!

Learning the language has been fun and Paul our most esteemed driver and teacher of filth has filled me with all the knowlegde I need to offend even the most hardy of Africans!!

Barbra’s pad was awesome, she truly is an amazing woman and looked after us all like she was our own mother. The eggs for breakfast were completely white and tasted awesome, however with all things beautiful there is a down side, they are the gasseoeus substance known to all Tanzanians!! And I have done my bit for the methane industry…

Tarangire National Park was amazing and if a lion had her mojo on we would have been all privy to a pride taking down a water buffalo. Unfortuately for her Iam a better hunter and beat her to it. There were so many animals it was as if the herds, murders, prides had nothing better to do than procreate… Mmmm

 Meeting the Masi and checking out the school Peter is planning on supporting about an hour from Barbra’s was an experience. They are an amazing people with so much pride in themselves and their people. The elders don’t like their photo’s being taken so much but welcome you and give what little they have and ask for nothing in return, just ask Sarah a masi gave her his necklass, smitten I duno????

Well I can’t be bothered telling you how good it is… Iam just gunna do it,

 Sexytimes

Jagshemash Totalnana

G’day all!

We are all in Arusha for the next few days (3). In short so far…

The people are very helpfull and smiling

Zanzibar is a mecca not only for shopoping but has the best indian and shopping around

 Arusha has many many people whom despite my best efforts i have purchased for all 20 million in aus necklaces and other such things to feed the people of the cities. Its hard to say no and they will follow you to the moon and back for a dollar!

And I can’t wait to meet the Masi and go hunting i hope and wrestle with a lion!!!

 No time but more to come Love you all………..

Michael