| July 1, 2008 (Tuesday) 10:30 P.M.
Day 9
No Forest Like Nou Forest
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Since we consistently reach our campsites at night, it has been nearly impossible to judge what our surroundings look like on first arrival. This always makes first mornings at a new site an interesting experience. Inevitably, we emerge from our tents in a place quite unlike anything we had expected. This morning was no exception as we stepped into the misty morning of Nou Forest. We are continuously amazed by Tanzania’s diverse climate and incredible variance in landscapes. After breakfast, we set out on a hike to explore the forest which is very different from the savannahs we have experienced in the past few days. The fog was so dense we could scarcely see from the front of our group to the back of it and the haze hid anything that was not within a few meters of our group. |
After trekking through a few kilometers of dense forest, we arrived at the farms of the Iraqw people, the caretakers of Nou Forest. Karoli, our guide, welcomed us into his home and answered questions concerning his people’s way of life. The farmland was so beautiful that it seemed to be something one would only see in movies. What struck us was that the thatched-roof houses and the rolling pastures looked much like those seen in many other parts of the world, like Wales or Paraguay. This age-old agricultural lifestyle, so integral to countless cultures worldwide, illustrated an almost poetic commonality among humans.
While walking through the farms, we came upon a group of Iraqw villagers who sang and danced for us. After they finished, we decided to display some of our “talents,” including juggling, acrobatics, Polynesian dancing, and more. The result was a veritable High Tech High-Iraqw circus. Karoli found a chameleon in the brush. After observing our fascination with it, the Iraqw children collected several more of the reclusive reptiles for us. We learned that villagers mistakenly believe the harmless chameleons are poisonous and kill them in great numbers. We explained that chameleons are actually very beneficial because they feed on insects that can bite and spread disease. This example of information exchange echoed our expedition’s larger message -- that all parts of nature should be respected and preserved. Later, Karoli talked about this subject, through Miggie’s translation: |
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We understand that there are big advantages to having a national forest
that can’t be destroyed, so now they are going to work better to ensure
that they will report people who destroy the forest (cutting trees and such)
to the park service. When they saw you with the chameleons, and after you explained that they are good and not poisonous, the people responded. His people are not going to kill the chameleon anymore… or other wildlife anymore. They understand the connection between them and the wildlife.
-Karoli |
After a relaxing lunch at camp, some of us decided to go on another hike through the Nou Forest, where we saw more of the remarkable wilderness and idyllic countryside. We also got the chance to watch winged termites emerge from their nests to start new colonies -- a rare occurrence. We returned in time for another dinner around the campfire. Tomorrow we plan to leave Nou Forest for our next destination, Yaeda Valley.
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