Yesterday we drove to the third city on our partnership roadtrip, Morogoro. Because we arrived on Saturday and did not have our first scheduled partner meeting until Monday, we knew we would have Sunday off. Excited by the lush, green mountains at the edge of the city, we decided we wanted to go on a hike. Our driver Vitalis, who also happens to be a safari guide, hooked us up by calling a tour company he knew in Morogoro and after talking with the guide, we had a plan to hike Uluguru mountain the next day. Our guide met us at the hotel at 8am this morning. I was expecting him to have a car that we would drive to the trail in but as we followed behind him out of the hotel parking lot and turned down the street towards the base of the mountain, it was clear we were going to walk there. Thankfully, the walk wasn't too long, as we were close to the mountains base already. As we walked along the side of the road, we turned off onto a smaller dirt road and the development around us turned from substantial buildings to smaller homes made of clay brick. Still, motorcycles and the occasional car drove past. As we continued to walk the road became narrower with more roots and rocks sticking out. Eventually, it was clear a car wouldn't be able to pass, but even still motorcyclists zoomed past. The road, which now felt more like a path, began to steepen. On either side of the road were a mixture of houses and crops growing. We realized the "trail" we had expected was actually the main road for these villagers. As we continued to climb we passed a primary school. Our guide told us that the children from the village on the mountain and the children from the village at the base of the mountain meet here, in the middle, for school. By this point, the road was getting steep and we were trekking with a steady incline. The weather was temperate, in the high 70s, but it was very humid and I could feel the sweat dripping down my forehead. I expected the development to cease as we climbed but around every bend, more houses sprung up. There were kids playing outside, men hanging out in groups talking, and women working around their homes. It was hard to believe that people lived here and had to walk up and down such a steep road to get from place to place. Motorcyclists were the main exception. They sped past us at every stage of our hike, even in the steepest and rockiest places. I couldn't even imagine riding on a motorcycle here and each time one passed, I shuddered at the thought of an accident. The danger seemed so obvious to me but the bikers zoomed past nevertheless. Most impressive though, were the women. We passed several groups of women along the way effortlessly balancing bags of produce on their heads. Our guide explained that these women walk from the village above all the way down to sell their produce in the city markets. Then, at the end of each day, they make the trek all the way back up. This feat shocked and thoroughly impressed me. The hike was difficult and I was already feeling the burn in my legs. I could not imagine doing this everyday, especially wearing a skirt and sandals while carrying several pounds of produce on my head! Even on our day off I found women who inspired me. And for them, this isn't a day off, it is their way of life. It took around two hours for us to reach the waterfall. Just before there was a lookout point with a wooden bench. You could see the mountains folding into one another below with the low clouds enveloping them in a misty hug. Even further, past the mountain slopes, the city of Morogoro where we came from. It was breathtaking. The villagers of Choma may have a difficult journey each day, but their lush, beautiful mountain home is worth it. Choma is lucky for another reason, the river that flows down the mountain means that their crops are nourished year-round. There are no dry seasons on Uluguru. With irrigation, these villagers always have healthy and bountiful harvests. Just a bit beyond the lookout, we came to the hike's end at a large rushing waterfall. Growing up in Washington, where almost every hike ends in a waterfall, I have become a bit jaded to them and it takes a lot to impress me. This waterfall however did not disappoint. The rock over which it spilled was massive and the flow of water was wide. It is crazy to think that the rivers here don't stem from massive glaciers like they do back home, but from the depths of the Earth. While we had only passed one other group of tourists on our way up, we found many at the waterfall. There were lots of people splashing in the pool and hanging out on the rocks. There were a few local men selling fresh berries that looked juicy and fresh but we had been warned not to eat fruit we did not wash ourselves so sadly, I avoided them. We had brought our swimsuits as the guide suggested but the waterfall was shaded and the water so cold that despite being hot and sweaty from the hike, I couldn't go in farther than my knees. We took some photos, ate, and enjoyed the fall for a while before heading back down. Although the villagers of Choma lived differently from the other villages we have encountered so far, I noticed a few key similarities. Despite the vastly different landscape here of mountains compared to the villages in the flat plains, children are still allowed to roam freely without parents in sight. One little boy we encountered along the road was riding down a particularly steep patch on a handmade wooden scooter. We watched him ride down, walk the scooter up, and ride down again before giving him a round of applause and moving on. As I pondered the difference between the ease of transport for motorcyclists and walkers, I realized that all of the motorcyclists were men and the walkers, women. In fact, I don't think I saw more than a handful of men walking along the road and none of them were carrying anything. Even in this village, it was clear that women were the income generators for their families while men had life easier and could ride their motorcycles or talk casually in groups along the road as many did.
While our hiking experience wasn't what we had expected it was so much more interesting. We got to see and better understand yet another way of life, this time, high up in the mountains.
7 Comments
Ione Stiles
7/7/2019 06:46:57 pm
Thank you Emma.
Reply
Cathleen Hokoda (Proud Mama)
7/12/2019 10:20:16 pm
Beautifully written. Keep up the meaningful work and continue making the most of “time off” like you did on this amazing hike.
Reply
8/1/2022 01:30:21 am
Really informative article, I had the opportunity to learn a lot, thank you. https://takipcisatinalz.com/takipci-2/
Reply
8/2/2022 12:44:58 am
Really informative article, I had the opportunity to learn a lot, thank you. https://www.ugurelektronik.com/
Reply
8/2/2022 06:46:30 am
Really informative article, I had the opportunity to learn a lot, thank you. https://takipcialdim.com/ucuz-takipci-satin-al/
Reply
8/2/2022 01:21:06 pm
Really informative article, I had the opportunity to learn a lot, thank you. https://www.takipcikenti.com/instagram/turk-takipci/
Reply
8/11/2022 03:28:21 pm
Really informative article, I had the opportunity to learn a lot, thank you. https://bit.ly/instagram-takipci-satin-al-takipci
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorI am a senior Environmental Studies major at Santa Clara University from Seattle, WA. To learn more about me check out the "About Me" page! To contact me you can email me at [email protected] or connect on LinkedIn. Archives
November 2019
Categories |