Soil, Elephants, and Markets

Well hello! Today is our first non-program day, which means we have a day free of classes and instead get to do fun activities! Not that classes aren’t fun, but it’s nice to have a break.  Usually on non-program days we have some form of community service for half the day, then a more social activity for part of the day.  Today, we didn’t have the opportunity to do community service as our student affairs manager who sets up the non-program days is still making connections.  Instead we went on a hike in the rainforest and spent a few hours in Karatu at a market.  Its about 5:00 pm and we’re back at our camp and I was trying to work on my scientific papers but the Internet isn’t allowing me to find journal articles so I’m taking this opportunity to update my blog. 

Our hike was to a place called Elephant Cave, more on the actual place later, but it was fantastic! My group was led by an older man named Mao (who reassured us several times that he wasn’t Chinese but Tanzanian), who was a naturalist in Ngorongoro National Park for thirty some years.  Along the way, he pointed out so many species of plants and what the tribes have used them for; every plant he pointed out had some medicinal quality and had cured people of headaches, asthma, stomach cancer, you name it!  He also pointed out wild mint and an odiferous plant commonly called “Elephant Perfume” which the Maasai people apparently use as perfume.  He also made great care to show us which leaves to use if we ran out of toilet paper, and which not to use.  One of the exciting parts for me was when he pointed out a tree which from some past research projects I have done, I recognized to be a tree that farmers in some parts of Africa use in agroforestry tree fallow systems!

When we got to Elephant Cave, which isn’t actually a cave but numerous hollows in softer sedimentary rock, Mao explained why the place got its name.  Apparently, the bush elephants that live in the area (and there are a lot as we were constantly trying to avoid elephant droppings on the hiking trail, but we didn’t see them) come to this area and eat the soil in order to obtain specific nutrients.  The soil there contains large amounts of iron, calcium, and phosphorus so not only elephants, but pregnant women in the area will eat the soil to obtain the nutrients they need.  As we explored the hollows, we saw all these ruts in the walls, which we learned are made by the elephant tusks!  It was so neat!  Also, elephants are afraid of steep inclines, and this special soil and rock is on a fairly steep incline so we learned they sit on their behinds and slide down so they won’t break their legs!  It was such a neat place and experience, and for the soil science nerd in me, I want to learn more about the area!  The hike with all the interesting information about the plants, trees, and soil may have been one of my favorite activities thus far in Tanzania. 

Also, goodness, the views were spectacular.  I stood there amazed at God’s creation.  It’s very hard not to see the Creators fingerprints in the natural beauty in Tanzania.  And I was thinking, how great is God that he would not only create beautiful plants but give them such function like being used for medicinal purposes and what not. 

After the hike, we went into Karatu. Tanzania and spent a few hours browsing the markets.  Goodness, I was so out of my element! Before we even got out of our jeeps, children and people trying to sell us things surrounded us; it was very overwhelming.  Three or four men selling things appointed themselves our tour guides and would ask us what we wanted to buy then bring us to the stalls themselves.  Now nothing has a set price so you’re supposed to barter with the merchants, which is something I have never done and is quite unnerving.  My first purchase, I forgot to barter so I just paid the first price the woman said, but as the day went along I got better.  My last purchase was originally priced at 45,000 Tanzanian shillings (the exchange rate is about 10,000 shillings to $7.50) but I told him 20,000, which he thought was incredibly too low and almost walked away, but we haggled it to 40,000 shillings and he gave me three necklaces as well.  But my, the merchants are persistent!  Even if you keep saying “hapana, hapana” (no, no), they try to lower the price to entice you and they follow you around so it’s hard to get away from the merchants.  It was definitely a cool experience though.  We were so out of place though, thirty “Nzungus” (foreigners) got every ones attention and we were probably the talk of the day. 

Well, my plan is to spend the rest of the day working on my three scientific research papers.  It seems weird to have to do homework in Africa.  Thank you so much for all your continual prayers and support! I feel them all the way over here! I hope everyone is doing well!