Tuesday, October 25, 2016 (Travel to Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge, Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania)

We had a relaxing start to the day today...we would not be leaving until closer to 9:30 this morning. But they wanted us to have our suitcases ready to go by 8:10...not an issue for us since we seem to wake up early anyway. So we were showered and all packed up and ready to go well before then. As we stepped out of our door, a lodge worker was already there and took our luggage. We wandered down to the lodge for a relaxing breakfast and then decided to go for a walk to get a closer look at Lake Manyara.

This is the campfire area where we sat after dinner last night watching the stars...
It's a bit of walk to the lake...with no discernible trail to follow. The main thing you have to do is watch were you walk...there is A LOT of animal droppings all over! Ah...there's Joann and Kaye out for a walk too!

A Zebra posing...beautiful shot, Steve!

Here comes trouble... Alan, Marjorie, Byron and Annette also out exploring the area...

Lots of Flamingos!
Annette, Marjorie, Alan, Byron and Kaye...
Cape Buffalo skull...
Me, Kaye and Joann....
We ran into Joe and Betty on our way back...here's Joe...
Individual 'tented' camps...you can see that the wildlife just roams freely...
The lodge...with the pool area on the right...
The pool area...
They all got out of our way quickly as we walked towards the lodge...
A Wildebeest and Warthog...
Steve took a picture of Uncle Gord....
...and Uncle Gord took a picture of us (thanks  for the photo!)...that's Kaye, Joann, Betty and Joe in the background...
A photo op with a Maasai as we walk down to the Land Cruisers (with our boxed lunches in hand)...
With everyone's suitcases loaded into the four Land Cruisers, we're off!
Maasai village...

The local watering hole is busy as everyone brings their livestock down...
It's amazing that Steve managed to capture this shot...Maasai Warriors. They usually turn their backs immediately...wanting to be paid to have their picture taken....

Our first stop today was at a Maasai Village...where we were going to be given a tour and learn a bit about the Maasai People.
The Maasai are one of the best known tribes in Tanzania. By nature, they are nomadic livestock herders and move to greener pastures as need be. Cows play an extremely vital role in their day to day lives and Maasai believe that God gave them all the cattle in the world and that cattle represents a sacred bond between man and God. There is strong hierarchy among the Maasai and each individual has his or her place within the community.  
We were greeted by the tribe chief...
The women lined up on the left...and the men on the right...
The men performed a ritual dance...
The fellow second from the right is blowing into a musical instrument...

Gordon and Larry joined in...

Oh look...Brian is in there too!

It was a fairly windy day out, with numerous dust devils twirling around...
After the dancing, they took  us through the thorn fence into their village...


Inside the compound, the men lined up again and started another ritual. Interested in what exactly it was they were doing and why, I found this info...
It’s a tourist favorite, and it’s been captured in endless pictures, videos, and documentaries; the adumu, often called the “jumping dance,” is a highly recognizable ritual of Maasai life. But many tourists may not know the true meaning of this dance in Maasai culture (tribesmen will often perform an out-of-context version of it for visitors). For the Maasai, the adumu is just one in a series of rituals that make up the Eunoto, the ceremony in which the junior warriors, or morani, graduate to the ranks of manhood. 
Maasai warrior society is (broadly) organized by age groups; children stay at home with parents until the teenage years, when the boys are inducted into the first stages of manhood via the Emuratta, a ritualized circumcision ceremony (women don’t have their own “age group” like boys, but do undergo some of their own rituals on the way to adulthood). Boys who successfully go through the Emuratta (one of the requirements is that you not even flinch) are officially elevated to the status of junior moran. After the ceremony, the new morani move to a “manyatta,” an encampment where they will live together for up to ten years. 
Cordoned off from the rest of their tribesman and not even allowed to eat or drink in the presence of a woman (part of the reasoning behind the manyatta camp is to teach male Maasai independence, since mothers generally take care of household tasks as they’re growing up), it’s understandable that the morani jump at the chance to graduate to full adulthood…literally. 
The Eunoto ceremonies may last for more than ten days, and feature singing, a parade in front of elder warriors, ritual cow slaughter, and the first sip of alcohol, traditionally made from the fermented roots of aloe and honey. But one of the most photogenic elements of the ceremony is the adumu. The young morani form a circle, which one or two will enter at a time. Bodies held in a narrow pose, heels never touching the ground, the young warriors begin to jump. The higher and more graceful the jumping, the more appeal the warrior has to the young women looking on (giving the young men, who will have the opportunity to marry only after the Eunoto ceremony is complete, some serious motivation!). 
When one warrior tires (usually after just a few jumps; the height attained is often impressive, and requires serious athleticism), another takes his place. All the while, the morani forming the outer circle sing, raising the pitch of their voices to “match” the height of the jumps. After the ceremony is over, the morani shave off their long hair as a sign of their new status as full-fledged warriors. They can now return to the community, marry, and start families of their own. Really, it’s enough to put a spring in anyone’s step!
While the men were jumping, the women looked on...

Next, they demonstrated how they start fire....


Smoke and...
Fire!
After that was accomplished, they took us outside the compound and demonstrated spear throwing...

Gord tried everything...
But the wind and dust threw off his aim...
The children sang a song for us. This is their school tree...
Very cute...
Then we were escorted back into the compound and each couple was given a tour of a Maasai hut.
Interestingly, the men are not responsible for building the houses but it's the women who take charge of this duty.  Only the pregnant and elderly women are excused from building duties. The elder ladies do, however, instruct and teach the younger generation on how to build good and stable houses.

All materials used for building are natural and collected from nearby areas. The huts are usually circular or oval shaped. The first step is to build the frame which is done by fixing gathered timber poles into the ground. Thereafter, the poles are interlaced with a lattice of smaller branches which are then plastered with a mixture of water, mud, cow dung and even human urine. Finishing touches are done with a mix of cow dung and water.
A side-note: we were told they also used ashes in the mixture...and the "human urine", well...they never mentioned that but I guess water is scarce!

The next step is the roof, which is also plastered with cow dung and then covered with grass that is collected in the bush. The cow dung is what makes the roof waterproof.


The building process can take anything from a few days to a few weeks and depends on how many helpers there are and if all the material is available.
All houses together make up a boma that is usually surrounded by a large thorn fence. In addition, a much smaller thorn fence is built in the midst of the huts where the livestock can safely rest at night.
Roughly 3 x 5 m in size and with a height of approx. 1.5 m the houses are generally quite small. But they serve their purpose and families cook, sleep, eat, socializes and store reserves, fuel and even small livestock in there. It is very dark inside as apart from a few tiny round holes in the walls, there are no windows. There are usually 2 beds – one for the parents and the other for the children. Each woman is responsible for her own hut and she is also in charge of renovations.
The final thing they wanted to do was take us around and show us all of their crafts...and, of course, buy lots...


We were escorted around as we looked at everything they had to offer. We had been warned by the guides to not feel that we had to buy anything and if you do, ensure you barter. Feeling very obligated to buy something, we ended up with two little hand-carved figurines (a giraffe and a zebra) for our grandsons. It was very confusing given the currency conversion. Long story, short, we probably paid a "premium" price but, hey...we can tell our grandsons that they are from an authentic Massai Village.

Looks like fresh building material...

We were also told that the more cattle a man owned was a sign of wealth and the more wives he'd have. Because of the increased work load as the family and village grew sometimes the wives would ask the man to get another wife to help out.

After our purchase, we were very quickly escorted back to the Land Cruisers which was strange. It had been a very interesting morning!

Once everyone was back at the vehicles, we were on the road again driving towards Ngorongoro Crater. Lots to see.

One thing we were told before coming on this trip was to not wear bright coloured clothing. Well that's exactly what all the locals wear!




Banana plantation...


Up and up, we went...beautiful views. That's Lake Manyara in the distance on the right where we had stayed...
Now, I'm not exactly sure where we stopped for lunch...
...but it was a lovely spot that had a large area where we could sit at tables with our box lunches and also buy refreshments...
After eating, everyone explored the shop next door...lots of African souvenirs....





We were finished our looking around and sat back down to wait until it was time to board the Land Cruisers again. Steve and Kaye...
Then we were back on the road again...with more great views!
See the sign? "Hillary Clinton Shop"....too funny!

We passed a huge market...

Our next stop was at the entrance to Ngorongoro Conservation Area, where we were able to stretch our legs, use the pottie, check out the visitors centre, and have an ice cream bar...all while the guides took care of the paperwork for our entrance into  the park.

Ngorongoro Crater...we'll be staying on the crater rim on the right...
The "Big Five"...

While we waited for the guides, the Baboons kept us entertained...

Poor Joann had a heck of a time getting out of the Land Cruise with the baboons trying to get in. She eventually ended up getting out the other side....
Geez those butts look painful!
Giddy up!
The baboons seeing us off!
With paperwork approved and in hand, we were off to a viewpoint of the Ngorongoro Crater!

That is one big crater!
Closeup of the dark area in the above photo...

Cape Buffalo...above and below photos...
View from from crater rim looking away from the crater...
Maasia herdsman. Because they are herders and not hunters they are the only tribes allowed to live in Ngorongoro...
The road continues up that hill...
Sopa Lodge turnoff...

After a very bumpy ride, we finally arrived at Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge...

As usual, we were greeted with wet facecloths to wash off and refreshments while we waited for room assignments. A beautiful lodge...


And then we were all escorted to our rooms...
Wow! Large beautiful rooms! This is the entrance...
...that goes into the bedroom....
...with a beautiful 'bay-type' window...
A huge bathroom...
Steve even spotted some female Waterbucks from the big window...
View from our window as the sun goes down....
After getting cleaned up, we headed back to the main lodge...time for a cocktail before dinner! Gordon, Esther, Shelagh, Kaye, Joann and Steve....
Time to go into the dining room for dinner. We were all seated at three separate tables. Gordon, Esther, Steve and I took the small table for four....


The  other two large tables seated the rest of our group....

The staff provided some entertainment...


A young lady at the table behind us was having a birthday!
Well...that was another long, incredible day! We're looking forward to our game drive into the Crater tomorrow!





2 comments:

  1. With your mad line dancing skills I am surprised that you were not out there dancing! Really cool how they build their huts and create fire.....

    ReplyDelete