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Published: August 24th 2009
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Friday, April 3, 2009 -
Our two vehicles traveled caravan-style on the way to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority (NCAA; Tanzanians love acronyms, and there are many). We passed people who were walking or biking to work, students who were going home for the semester break—some waiting for buses and others on foot—, Maasai women and children congregating under the trees, and other picturesque slices of life. We stopped at the Mto Wa Mbu “Masai Central Market” to look for souvenirs.
Martin helped me negotiate prices. I saw several items I wanted to bring back to family and friends, including a table cloth (was it a large towel or maybe a sheet?) with a big picture of Barak Obama in the center. As soon as I expressed an interest in anything, other vendors or teens with similar products swarmed around, saying “Buy from me!” “Buy mine!” Each one tried to mention a lower price than the others, but I felt rushed and confused. Mindful that I shouldn't take much time, I bought only a fraction of what I wanted to and skipped stalls that may have sold items the others didn't have.
Back on the road, we nibbled
popcorn that Sheiba bought while the rest of us were shopping. In rural areas we saw many animals, including baboons. Small herds of cattle were followed by their owners. More people seemed to be dressed in Western, not Maasai clothes, than during my last trip, though some like the man sitting by the side of the road wore his Maasai clothes and a baseball cap. In a larger town, people were busy with their everyday activities. There were speed bumps along the way, and I was reminded of Bill's calling them “sleeping policemen.” Dark clouds threatened to open up at any minute, but no drops fell.
We listened to great African music as we traveled through the rural areas. It was almost like being actors in a movie with a musical score to heighten the interest. Our driver Mark Peters began telling a story I'll never forget. He said his grandfather, a Chief, had 45 wives! I asked, “Who's expected to pay the dowry—the bride's family or the groom?” He answered, “The groom,” which meant his grandfather was obviously a man of means.
“How did he handle 45 wives?” Mark answered there was a circuit of 90 days—two
days per wife. Someone would come in advance and say when the Chief would be there. Several of the wives had previously been married and weren't pleased that the Chief gave their husbands money to permanently “go away.” So when it was their turn, they would say, “Sorry, but I have my period,” or words to that effect.
I asked how many children his grandfather had, and Mark answered that he didn't know. I was puzzled until he explained that he was unaware of the number that were actually sired by the Chief. Perhaps the former husband, or even the “advance man,” was the real father.
Not long afterwards, we were about to pass a boma (a compound) with a number of huts and a long metal building nestled on a hill. Mark called our attention to it and said the man who lived there had 40 wives—all on the same land, so he didn't have to travel. The metal building was a school for his children, and he hired a teacher for their education. Within a space of less than ten miles, we heard of two men who had 85 wives between them!
We arrived at
the Conservation Area and saw a new building going up in the World Heritage Site across from the visitor's center we were in last year. Mark drove to a spot overlooking the Ngorongoro Crater which was formed three million years ago when a volcano exploded and collapsed. Fredrick Mangasini and Charles Saanane told us about the geology last year during the IYPE excursion before the conference. According to the experts, it is is the largest unbroken, unflooded caldera in the world.
Many animals live in the expanse which is so deep that even with binoculars, the elephants looked like ants. Bill and Dan set up the camera and microphones so they could video “Ranger Steve” talking about the crater. We were alone for only a short time. A number of vehicles loaded with foreign tourists came when the filming stopped.
Our team drove to a low office building to meet with Bernard Murunya, the Agriculture Conservator and Acting Chief Conservator of the NCAA. Besides being informative and helpful, the Acting Chief was very personable and had a good sense of humor.
As we ended our meeting, he suggested that we eat at the Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge.
Although Mr. Murunya had an appointment with several important men after ours ended, he said he'd try to come to the Lodge with them for lunch, so he could see us again.
The view through the restaurant window was magnificent. It looked like a painted mural, but it was the real thing. The interior of the dining area was unique as well, and the food was delicious—at least what dishes I tried. I continued to have stomach problems, so watched what I ate everywhere I went. That meant passing up things everyone else said were wonderful.
Outside I took a photo of “Ranger Steve” standing in front of a tall cactus plant. Now he really looked like a Texan.
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