Habari zenu (How are you all)? Vipi (What's up)? Poa (Cool)!
It was a great summer here in Tanzania. We had visitors at UjamaaCamp stop by all the way from Australia and Britain. They contacted me through this page and I gave them directions to the camp. It is pretty amazing that one can leave one part of the world with directions written on a napkin given by a stranger and actually arrive in another part of the world based on vague archaic directions.
Believe me, when you get the directions to UjamaaCamp it would seem that the possibility of you arriving there would be slim to none. However, they work and so on any given day as we are going through our typical day we can look up to see backpackers arriving from anywhere in the world. We recently had visitors from Britain. The crew and myself were happy to share the beautiful African sky with our guests. We shared stories from our homes and I must say our visitors had my friends wide-eyed with some of their realistic stories of the West. We are still discussing if they were really telling what we we call hadithi (a fable or myth) and what was actually real.
I also had some great treks up Mt. Kilimanjaro. The mountain was awesome as always! One of our trips included two guys; Ale from France and Eric from the U.S.A. They had booked their trip with me prior to reaching Tanzania so I knew they were coming. They arrived in Kenya and had a rough start so we started our trek a little late, but let me say these guys tore up the Kilimanjaro-Marangu path in four days. I think they wore down my crew. We had time to bring them to the village to meet our families and friends and still visit the national parks.
Time after time we are left with a great feeling. When our guests arrive they are strangers, guests in our country. But by the time they leave they have become apart of our lives, our stories and our memories. As one guest said, "When I arrived, I met my Guides. But when I left, I left my brothers."
UjamaaCamp
I spend most of my time in the village away from crazy town life. My camp was set-up for visitors so that they have a chance to experience and learn about the peace of the village, its nature and people.
Karibu Tupo (you are welcome to join us).
You can choose to pitch a tent, stay in a hut or just stop by and we'll cook you up some local food. Ugali, beans, meat and machi cha, or if you need something more familiar we'll cook you some chips mayai (visitors would translate eggs mixed with french fries, onions, green peppers & tomatoes). If you arrive in Mwanza town you can hop on the Nyegezi Malimbe bus for 200Tsh (25¢). Get off at the last stop Nyegezi Sumba and trek out to Malimbe. Just ask the locals where Rasta Japhet's camp is and they'll help you out.
Customs
Don't forget to stop and greet the people when you meet them before asking for what you want. It is our custom to spend this time in greetings. This is a custom that many visitors get frustrated with when they first arrive because they are used to going straight into business.
Remember you are visiting Tanzania to experience it, not to change it. "When in Tanzania do as the Tanzanians do." After a while I think you will begin to see the beauty in our 5 minute greetings. Habari yako, Habari za nyumbani, Habari za familia na watoto...(how are you, how is your home, how is your family and your children...).
Shikamuu (I hold your feet in respect). If you meet an older person it is our custom to give them a sign of respect before you begin to speak with them. Every Tanzanian child knows not to address an elder before saying Shikamuu.
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Rasta Japhet
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As you walk in the village of Tanzania people will Shikamuu you even though you are a foreigner. The proper reply is Marahaba (I acknowledge your respect).
If you need to get a hold of me or would like more information on safaris in Tanzania, visit my website UjamaaTravel.com
Questions?
If you want more information about this area you can email the author or check out our Africa Insiders page.
