Some more obligatory pictures of the Hillmans not working…but as you can see from the other posts we DO have work times…they just aren’t always photo-worthy! We spent a week near Pangani at Peponi’s, which we love before heading to Dar es Salaam for a week to work with a Young Life camp and see the O’Neils before returning for Easter. We had a great time and a much-needed break from work.
The Pangani River empties into the Indian Ocean at the village of Pangani so we (the Hillmans and our neighbors Tom and Sally who are ELCA missionaries here) arranged for a boat ride up the Pangani to see some new sights. The village of Pangani is on both sides of the river so travelers need to take the ferry if they are using the road. We got on our little river boat (ala Disney's Jungle Cruise, but authentically
rustic) and headed upriver. It was amazingly lush, with mangroves lining the banks. We were surprised to see very few houses along the river and no wildlife, except a few monkeys and birds. The houses we did see were small and made of makuti, a thatch made of woven palm leaves. Almost all of them had nets drying next to them.
We did see lots of people fishing in small dugout canoes. We stopped by one of them and bought 2 pounds
of fresh shrimp for about $1.50. They were delicious that night pan-fried in butter and garlic with a glass of white wine, eaten at a small table on the beach while watching the sunset! Ava was very interested in purchasing a fish--but our interest (or lack thereof) in cleaning it made us take a pass on the little guy!
We turned off the main river onto a small channel and found some m
en selling green coconuts. They were more than willing to shinny up the tree and 
cut a few for us (you can see how far up the tree he is compared to his friend on the ground). The climber uses a length of palm leaves that are braided into two circles with a length between them. He puts his feet in the loops to help him climb. Ava loves coconut milk and these coconuts were brimming with it. Unlike the brown coconuts we're used to, the meat in these was limp, with almost the texture of fat. Fresh coconut has a much milder taste than the stuff you buy already shredded in packages, but none of us could get past the texture.
There are lots of things you can eat in Tanzania. Like these things, the name of which I can't remember. These have been munched on by monkeys, but they fall from the trees and you can dig them out of the mud. The taste--well, it's very chalky and made your mouth feel kind of numb. The closest thing I can
compare it to was eating chokecherries as a kid in Montana. The pit is large, like a peach, and inside it is a smaller kernal that tastes like an almond. Ava is the best of all of us at trying new things! Others are not quite so adventurous!
The whole day was very relaxing and fun. The guides were great about showing us lots of things and even letting the kids drive the boat on the way home. We live in the part of Tanzania that is generally featured in travel guides--the dry, dustier savannah/bush country. It's so interesting to be on the coast where everything looks so different and where people have different foods, etc. It felt very "Indiana Jones" adventur-y, off the beaten path (yet still safe!) which is always fun.
No pics of the rest of the week, but we had a great time in Dar es Salaam. We went to a real waterslide park that was clean and lots of fun, largely in part to the fact that no one really monitored the slide use so you're free to load up the tubes and do lots of things that sound fun but are never allowed. The day also included go-kart racing, with fast karts and no seatbelts (this part was dangerous at times) and a great introduction to Young Life and the amazing work they do. We also went snorkeling on an island preserve there with amazing tide pools and coconut crabs (giant crabs that live in trees). They had a bar with cold drinks and they grilled whole fish and chips there--yummy! Ava and I were able to see two squid and a sting ray just walking near a coral patch. We finished with some time with the O'Neils and got a taste of just how hot Dar can be when their power went out and we had no fans! It was a great and uneventful trip--just the way we like it!
The Pangani River empties into the Indian Ocean at the village of Pangani so we (the Hillmans and our neighbors Tom and Sally who are ELCA missionaries here) arranged for a boat ride up the Pangani to see some new sights. The village of Pangani is on both sides of the river so travelers need to take the ferry if they are using the road. We got on our little river boat (ala Disney's Jungle Cruise, but authentically
rustic) and headed upriver. It was amazingly lush, with mangroves lining the banks. We were surprised to see very few houses along the river and no wildlife, except a few monkeys and birds. The houses we did see were small and made of makuti, a thatch made of woven palm leaves. Almost all of them had nets drying next to them.We did see lots of people fishing in small dugout canoes. We stopped by one of them and bought 2 pounds
of fresh shrimp for about $1.50. They were delicious that night pan-fried in butter and garlic with a glass of white wine, eaten at a small table on the beach while watching the sunset! Ava was very interested in purchasing a fish--but our interest (or lack thereof) in cleaning it made us take a pass on the little guy!We turned off the main river onto a small channel and found some m
en selling green coconuts. They were more than willing to shinny up the tree and 
cut a few for us (you can see how far up the tree he is compared to his friend on the ground). The climber uses a length of palm leaves that are braided into two circles with a length between them. He puts his feet in the loops to help him climb. Ava loves coconut milk and these coconuts were brimming with it. Unlike the brown coconuts we're used to, the meat in these was limp, with almost the texture of fat. Fresh coconut has a much milder taste than the stuff you buy already shredded in packages, but none of us could get past the texture.There are lots of things you can eat in Tanzania. Like these things, the name of which I can't remember. These have been munched on by monkeys, but they fall from the trees and you can dig them out of the mud. The taste--well, it's very chalky and made your mouth feel kind of numb. The closest thing I can
compare it to was eating chokecherries as a kid in Montana. The pit is large, like a peach, and inside it is a smaller kernal that tastes like an almond. Ava is the best of all of us at trying new things! Others are not quite so adventurous!The whole day was very relaxing and fun. The guides were great about showing us lots of things and even letting the kids drive the boat on the way home. We live in the part of Tanzania that is generally featured in travel guides--the dry, dustier savannah/bush country. It's so interesting to be on the coast where everything looks so different and where people have different foods, etc. It felt very "Indiana Jones" adventur-y, off the beaten path (yet still safe!) which is always fun.
No pics of the rest of the week, but we had a great time in Dar es Salaam. We went to a real waterslide park that was clean and lots of fun, largely in part to the fact that no one really monitored the slide use so you're free to load up the tubes and do lots of things that sound fun but are never allowed. The day also included go-kart racing, with fast karts and no seatbelts (this part was dangerous at times) and a great introduction to Young Life and the amazing work they do. We also went snorkeling on an island preserve there with amazing tide pools and coconut crabs (giant crabs that live in trees). They had a bar with cold drinks and they grilled whole fish and chips there--yummy! Ava and I were able to see two squid and a sting ray just walking near a coral patch. We finished with some time with the O'Neils and got a taste of just how hot Dar can be when their power went out and we had no fans! It was a great and uneventful trip--just the way we like it!
2 comments:
How cool! That does look very Indian Jones-y. But I have to admit when I look at these photos I keep thinking "Heart of Darkness."
I was looking at it again and thinking "Mosquito Coast" which takes place actually in central America.
I have "Heart of Darkness" on my list of books to read, but don't have it here. Someday...
Post a Comment