9/7/14
Day 14, Entry 3
Today is the last day on safari. From the cold rim of the crater we descended into more moderate climes and stopped in the village of Karatu. As would be our luck, the monthly market was assembling for a day of brisk selling. Wares were set up in different sections of the large clearing: a section for clothes, shoes, luggage, trinkets; another for n’gombe (cows), sheep and goats; and a tool area for sale of hammers, hinges, screwdrivers and chisels. Sissal soaked in water, braided, soaked and dried again lay in long ropes across the ground. To the far side of the market, temporary food shops were bustling. Vegetables: tomatoes, yellow tomatoes, shallots, potatoes, sweet potatoes (in bags weighing 300 pounds and carried on one man’s shoulders); and salted sardines, brown sugar and salt. Crated chickens were ready for sale. Women were preparing large pots of ugali favored with shallots, bean dishes, rice and broth while the men carved slaughtered goats and cows and arranged them on the barbecue. A scene not for the feint of heart. We left as hundreds of people moved on foot, daladala and bus towards the grounds. The periodic rain didn’t dampen the interest.
The late afternoon was spent in Lake Manyara park where thousands of flamingos dotted the shoreline in front of the forest region, birds of all varieties picked at the wetland soil, and baboon families caused a raucous.
Day 14, Entry 3
Today is the last day on safari. From the cold rim of the crater we descended into more moderate climes and stopped in the village of Karatu. As would be our luck, the monthly market was assembling for a day of brisk selling. Wares were set up in different sections of the large clearing: a section for clothes, shoes, luggage, trinkets; another for n’gombe (cows), sheep and goats; and a tool area for sale of hammers, hinges, screwdrivers and chisels. Sissal soaked in water, braided, soaked and dried again lay in long ropes across the ground. To the far side of the market, temporary food shops were bustling. Vegetables: tomatoes, yellow tomatoes, shallots, potatoes, sweet potatoes (in bags weighing 300 pounds and carried on one man’s shoulders); and salted sardines, brown sugar and salt. Crated chickens were ready for sale. Women were preparing large pots of ugali favored with shallots, bean dishes, rice and broth while the men carved slaughtered goats and cows and arranged them on the barbecue. A scene not for the feint of heart. We left as hundreds of people moved on foot, daladala and bus towards the grounds. The periodic rain didn’t dampen the interest.
The late afternoon was spent in Lake Manyara park where thousands of flamingos dotted the shoreline in front of the forest region, birds of all varieties picked at the wetland soil, and baboon families caused a raucous.
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