A wild ride to Moshi

Last weekend I took off with a few friends and went to Moshi for the weekend. This part of Tanzania is incredible. Unlike Arusha which is a strong Masai tribal region, Moshi is the home of the Chugga people. The Chugga tribe are not nomadic, and they prefer the higher altitude areas at the base of Kilimanjaro. Our friend is a guide, and better yet, he's a Chugga himself; so we got an up close and personal cultural experience. 

The two days were so jam packed and there are many, many stories... but what goes on tour, stays on tour... right? One of the highlights though, has to be our visit to a coffee plantation. Our host was a oldish man who kept calling us his dearest visitors. So cute. But man he knew some stuff about coffee. And we got to roast & our own coffee in the old Chugga style - chants and all. Lucky I was wearing my trusty african wrap skirt (called Khanga). I got the nickname Dada Africa (which means Sister Africa). Once the ground coffee was sorted, we mixed some together with raw sugar and cocoa and made 'coffee chocolate'. Seriously, best thing ever. I ended up with a lot of brown stuff smeared across my face because I was trying so hard to lick the powder off my hands!!!

Alright, what's next? Oh, yeah. The Chugga caves. These man made underground tunnels were used until the 1960's, when the Chugga people used to live in them when they were under threat. That threat could have been drought or a Masai attack, either way a do or die situation. The cave guide told us the most incredible history of the region. I think it is interesting that the Masai culture gets so much international exposure but the Chugga is relatively unknown. 

Those of you who know me probably know how much I hate bananas. Well I've had to deal with that issue, because Chugga food is pretty much only bananas. Bananas mixed with sauce, with meat, fried, on bread... you think of a way to serve it and I'm pretty sure the Chugga have it on their tables. There are 7 different types!!! 

We went to visit my friend's mum who lives in the area, and had the privilege of eating a traditional home cooked meal with her. She even let us help her cook; not sure why because non of us were particularly skilled in the kitchen! We prepared chipati which is a soft bread sort of like naan. I am starting to OD on carbs. Intense.

Finally, we went to a water hole somewhere in the region. Don't ask me where, or what it is called because I was totally dazed when we were told. Guess that's what happens after about 3 hours sleep and one too many Konyagi shots.

Amazing way to spend the afternoon, swimming in hotsprings and jumping off a ledge on a rope swing. We even tried tandem, but I crashed and burned. Fail. No women were swimming, just the three Mzungus (us). And I got some very strange looks when I acted like a total tomboy and used the swing. Guess they thought I was crazy. They're probably not wrong ;)

And the finale? A mad race on a Tuk Tuk with Rihanna blaring on the radio as we cruised through the desert over rocks and sand at a speed which I don't think would be acceptable for a vehicle like that even on a tarred road. Holy crap that was some fun.

The unusual craftsmen of Shanga River

On one of the days I had spare, a few of my new friends and I decided to go to a little place on the outskirts of town. Shanga River isn't really a museum, it's not really a factory, it's not a rehabilitation centre & it's not really a restaurant. I guess it's a bit of everything. 

The Shanga River started when a local jewellery maker asked her boss if the deaf housemaid could help her make some pieces. She trained the girl, saw her skills blossom & realised that this could be a way to help other deaf & mute people, who were previously seen as having very low potential in the workplace.

So the Shanga River factory was born. The team asked for glass bottle donations from local restaurants and quickly the recycled glass was turned into unique accessories... and they've since added art, textiles and homewares. To make extra money to put back into salaries for the deaf/mute craftsmen, they also added a tourist restaurant. It has an all you can eat meat buffet.. African style. Much better than Sizzler, I have to say! 

This place is pretty spectacular. The grounds are stunning, set on a luscious garden setting. The workshop area is covered in beautiful eroded glass shards. Seems odd, but it really works. And no, it's not dangerous to walk on. I had some up close and personal run ins with the cutest black faced monkeys. And I ate like a pig. Not a bad way to spend the day, that's for sure!

Yes, the prices aren't as cheap as you find on the backstreets of Arusha, but I bought some things nonetheless. It's going to a good cause, and when something costs about $6USD, you aren't exactly breaking the bank.