My host observed a man, leaving the scene of the elephant carving, on a bike, with the elephant liver strapped to the back of the bike.
Gross.
Thursday, January 8, 2009
It's not all roses...
Ok, it's true, I'm sleeping in a comfortable bed and chilling in one of the whatever-number wonders of the world. But I went to put my bra on this morning (sorry Brad and Dad for that detail) and it had mold on it. Not green gross mold, just black dots on the inside. I mean, I haven't eaten food our of a refrigerator in a week, and my standards for the size of bug I will allow to be in the food I am eating has increased dramatically, so I shrugged and put it on for the day.
Too much information?
Sorry for the lack of photos kiddos, I don't have my cable right here with me, you will have to wait another 24 hours.
I'm listening to hyenas right now out my window.
Too much information?
Sorry for the lack of photos kiddos, I don't have my cable right here with me, you will have to wait another 24 hours.
I'm listening to hyenas right now out my window.
It was like I was in the NatGeo special
First of all, can we discuss why National Geographic has changed their TV name to NatGeo? Why fix something that wasn't broken? It just seems cheesy and annoying. Anywho....
I'm writing this blog in the middle (and I mean smack dab middle) of the Serengeti. We came in this morning for some meetings and such. While driving through the village closest to the park there was some high dealing between my host and the local teacher in the village. After about 5 minutes of discussion my host turns to me and says, you want to see something cool. Uhhh... totally! So we start driving down a dirt road that takes us out of the village. About half way down, we turn off and are now driving through the high grass field, I swear that Serengeti is what the Great Plains must have looked like 150 years ago, complete with animal migration, but I digress...
After driving across the field we see about 75 people all standing around in the middle of the field, but we couldn't tell what it was because the grass was so high. We get close and see a HUGE elephant on the ground, headless, and there is a guy (sorry if you are faint of heart) hacking the tusk out of the elephants head with an ax. But these were no poachers, apparently this elephant, and his unfortunately brother which was receiving the same treatment about 1/2 mile away, was destroying crops and the village called in the game warden who shot both elephants last night. The villagers will get over 7000 kilos of meat from each elephant. Seriously something I never in a million years thought I would see. I have a some incredible pictures if you think you can stomach it. I also have a gruesome video. Oy.
I'm writing this blog in the middle (and I mean smack dab middle) of the Serengeti. We came in this morning for some meetings and such. While driving through the village closest to the park there was some high dealing between my host and the local teacher in the village. After about 5 minutes of discussion my host turns to me and says, you want to see something cool. Uhhh... totally! So we start driving down a dirt road that takes us out of the village. About half way down, we turn off and are now driving through the high grass field, I swear that Serengeti is what the Great Plains must have looked like 150 years ago, complete with animal migration, but I digress...
After driving across the field we see about 75 people all standing around in the middle of the field, but we couldn't tell what it was because the grass was so high. We get close and see a HUGE elephant on the ground, headless, and there is a guy (sorry if you are faint of heart) hacking the tusk out of the elephants head with an ax. But these were no poachers, apparently this elephant, and his unfortunately brother which was receiving the same treatment about 1/2 mile away, was destroying crops and the village called in the game warden who shot both elephants last night. The villagers will get over 7000 kilos of meat from each elephant. Seriously something I never in a million years thought I would see. I have a some incredible pictures if you think you can stomach it. I also have a gruesome video. Oy.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
It's really the little things....
Today we spent all day out in the villages meeting with some folks and doing a pilot of a survey we are going to implement. I am totally obsessed with rural agricultural villages, I guess I'm in the right field (pun absolutely intended).
In any case, on the way back we stopped to get something to eat in the largest town. At the restaurant my host decides that he would like to use the restroom. He goes, as directed, to the back of the restaurant, and sees that one bathroom is locked and one is occupied. Well, the lady cleaning in the back wanted to help this poor potty-less white guy so she of course asks the appropriate question: "do you have to do 'big bathroom' or 'little bathroom'". When he informed her it was only little bathroom, she directed him to the shower, at which point he peed in the shower at the back of the restaurant.
And for all of you following the beekeeping excursion with bated breath - tonight, in a blind taste test between 3 honeys I picked ours as by far the best.
In any case, on the way back we stopped to get something to eat in the largest town. At the restaurant my host decides that he would like to use the restroom. He goes, as directed, to the back of the restaurant, and sees that one bathroom is locked and one is occupied. Well, the lady cleaning in the back wanted to help this poor potty-less white guy so she of course asks the appropriate question: "do you have to do 'big bathroom' or 'little bathroom'". When he informed her it was only little bathroom, she directed him to the shower, at which point he peed in the shower at the back of the restaurant.
And for all of you following the beekeeping excursion with bated breath - tonight, in a blind taste test between 3 honeys I picked ours as by far the best.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
I would like to revise my stance on beekeeping
Maybe I was a weeeee bit hasty yesterday, all sweaty from the outfit (yes there are pictures) and itchy from my bee sting. It turns out harvesting honey is amazing! I mean really really great. Tonight, we were determined to try again. So all 4 of the men in the office came back after supper, a team effort of 6 guys, to harvest honey from the second hive. It turns out Gene "the Machine" really is a machine -- a honey harvesting machine. With his friend Elias all wrapped up in the beekeeping suit, Gene the Machine jumps up on top of the wall, strips off his shirt, and gets down to business. Apparently the Tanzanian beekeeping suit is a birthday suit. Who knew?! In any case GtM was all over it, and we harvested an entire platter of honeycomb and some very very delicious honey.
Monday, January 5, 2009
She's baaaaaack...
Hey Kiddos! Have you missed Ms. Jiggy? I know I have! I was reading through some of the back posts from past trips, and man, Jiggy is quite the rascal. Such a pip.
So I come to you once again, not from Central America, but East Africa. Way better in so many ways. Like, here they haven't killed all the wildlife and chopped down all the trees. It seems that they have yet to discover the megamall - definitely a plus. They have however firmly situated themselves at the bottom of the used clothes food chain, which is charming as hell. For example, last night I went out to check for animals in the front yard and stood there silently and uncomfortably next to the two guards for the house. (Yes, two are needed, who is going to protect us from the lions?!) Anyway, as we sit there, I take a gaze at one of the guard's jackets. Naturally it's a jacket from some tire place, worn without any irony -- but the best part is that the name of the jacket was "Gene the Machine" which I found infinitely funny. I immediately started to giggle, to make the situation more uncomfortable, and then had to retreat to the house, because there was no way I could explain my strange giggling outburst.
I myself have come to enjoy a different garb... that being a beekeepers suit. My host has two beehives that he is trying to produce honey in, and because he is so tall, he can't fit in the beekeeping suit. I bravely agreed to give it a go this afternoon. For those of you that are sitting comfortably in your offices and fantasizing about the quaint life you could have beekeeping in VT, let me wake you up. It sucks. It was hot, and those bees apparently don't like it when people start taking apart their house and fishing around for their honey. They hate it, in fact. They get doubly pissed when you kill some of their brothers, and then they attack. My host sadly got stung 3 times, once inside the nose. I unfortunately got swarmed and had to walk around for 30 minutes trying to get the bees off me! Finally they went away when I crouched down by the fire and smoked them off. Phew.
So I come to you once again, not from Central America, but East Africa. Way better in so many ways. Like, here they haven't killed all the wildlife and chopped down all the trees. It seems that they have yet to discover the megamall - definitely a plus. They have however firmly situated themselves at the bottom of the used clothes food chain, which is charming as hell. For example, last night I went out to check for animals in the front yard and stood there silently and uncomfortably next to the two guards for the house. (Yes, two are needed, who is going to protect us from the lions?!) Anyway, as we sit there, I take a gaze at one of the guard's jackets. Naturally it's a jacket from some tire place, worn without any irony -- but the best part is that the name of the jacket was "Gene the Machine" which I found infinitely funny. I immediately started to giggle, to make the situation more uncomfortable, and then had to retreat to the house, because there was no way I could explain my strange giggling outburst.
I myself have come to enjoy a different garb... that being a beekeepers suit. My host has two beehives that he is trying to produce honey in, and because he is so tall, he can't fit in the beekeeping suit. I bravely agreed to give it a go this afternoon. For those of you that are sitting comfortably in your offices and fantasizing about the quaint life you could have beekeeping in VT, let me wake you up. It sucks. It was hot, and those bees apparently don't like it when people start taking apart their house and fishing around for their honey. They hate it, in fact. They get doubly pissed when you kill some of their brothers, and then they attack. My host sadly got stung 3 times, once inside the nose. I unfortunately got swarmed and had to walk around for 30 minutes trying to get the bees off me! Finally they went away when I crouched down by the fire and smoked them off. Phew.
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