Sunset XII - Moshi
The dreaded alarm fired off at 5:30am, and not withstanding gaining an hour crossing an international border, leaving us with only 2 hrs sleep. However, we were super excited to see the one thing inspiring us to travel to this corner of the continent. Moshi is an outwardly seedy looking town located in the southern shadow of Mount Kilimanjaro used as the setting off point for those taking on the mountainous trek. Moshi has a population of 200,000 people and was established by German colonists in August 1893 after the army set up a military camp but was formerly inhabited by the Chagga people. With not much to see or do, nor any great selection of hotels available, Moshi gives its modern day existence solely to Mount Kilimanjaro tourism and Serengeti adventures. We specifically singled out the Kibo Hotel being the highest in Moshi, even stumping up further for a balcony king room with Kilimanjaro view.
So with a fanfare perhaps a little too exuberant for just 2 Australian travellers, we pulled back the curtains with cameras at the ready to reveal overcast skies, light drizzle and no sign of the famed mountain. Undeterred we headed down for breakfast as our driver would be arriving at 7:00am and surely by then the clouds would burn away under the harsh African sun.
With limited time but much to do, before leaving Australia we’d organised for a private driver and guide for the day. Turning up right on time we squeezed into their relatively small hatch back to start our adventure. Located on the lower slopes of Killamanjaro, the Moshi region is the home of coffee in Tanzania and we were heading out to visit the village of Materuni famed for its coffee plantations. As luck would have it our guide Peter was born in the village and promised a few extras along the way.
Despite the overcast skies and light drizzle rain, the country had a distinct charm to it with a colour palette of rich alluvial soils and deep tropically green vegetation. Add the layer of water and everything glistened with their colours even further accentuated. Approaching the village the roads turned to dirt and began their uphill accent which our driver fought against valiantly. However, a 2 wheel drive Mitsubishi Colt is no match for Kilimanjaro and at some point we found ourselves bogged facilitating our onward, and upward journey would be on foot.
Peter the guide was formely a mountain porter summiting Kilimanjaro over 150 times and found this to be of little consequence. We on the other hand took our time photographing and admiring the scenery with his constant commentary distracting from the brutality of a 2 kilometre uphill climb.
we stopped to meet Mumma Angus like an old lost firend for a tour of her small home and witness daily food pereperations and the cattle housing arrangements. this whole viollage was hinestly amazing with houses of varying stature dotting the roadsides with school children and workers simply walking up and down the slippery, muddy road without a care in the world. Lyndall even had a fall at one point, not majorilly but enought ot scuff up her trousers and dirty up her camera lens…a battle scar she proudly left in true wildlife photographer fashion.
we reached our chossen destination not soon enought which was seriously a mountainsaide oasis in full view of Killamanjoar had there not been any bloody cloud! Materuni Village Experience is hotel, hostel, coffee plantatioon all in one atrractving bisotoirs for varying expereinces. we grad a seat and a water then began our journey thorugh the history and origins of coffee and its importance now to the tanzanians. next we actally went hroirugh the process iof making oiur own coffee putting into practose all we had just learnt.
Tanzanian coffee is highly regarded for its quality and unique flavor profile, stemming from excellent growing conditions and careful processing. The high altitudes, volcanic soils, and ample rainfall in this region create the ideal environment for growing Arabica beans.
From the coffee plant the fruit is harvested then aloowed to dry for a operiod. orginally done by hand biut now throiugh hand cranked machinery, the outer layer of the fruit is removed to produce the bean within. With some firther drying the bean have their thin outer husk removed thorugh a series of sifting msnually on woven pans. at the smae time a wood fire ios started to warm a thick clay cauldren before adding in the ebans for roasting. This is where things get interedsting for in this village, and all african villages, the next rpocess si doen through song as a means of “whiling away the work”. With just a simple animal skin drum and rthymic hand clapping, our 3 hosts sang the most beautoifal and harmounious afrcaon work songs while Peter comnstantly stirred the beans through theior rpasting process. Once removed and still steaming, the ebeans are agin sieved for imperfections and speeding up the cooling process. form there the beans are placed in a floor based mortar and crusged with a 6ft long branch acting as a mortar. More song accompnaies this process but also dancing as one needs to rotate areound the moprtar to crush them propoerly. The fine coffee granuales were then removed and mixed with boiling water to produce the best, freshest, and most fun cup of coffee we’ve ever had.
making our way back down the still slipprey road, the rain was slowiny starting to abate and we found our driver had thankfully unbogged our car and was ready for us once again. For about another hour we fought dirst roads and village streets to cross the plains into the toewn of chemka. here we would be having our invluded lunch which turned out to be frshly charred grilled chicken which we saw being cooked on our arrival.
About 40km out of Moshi, which in Africa speak on African roads is a lifetime, stands Chemka Hot Springs. A natural geothermal oasis located in Masama Rundugai, Chemka means "boiling" in Swahili and considered a sacred site by the Chagga people. usually thriving with tourits, we were the only ones onsite today and had the place to ourselves thus managing to negotiate a tough price on the hire of 2 tyre inner tubes. The water is a constant 27°c making it not only refreshing as a swim, but a little sothing too after days reciving our “african masssage”.
The water comes from underground sources fed by Mount Kilimanjaro and is filtered through volcanic rock resulting in the springs' clear, turquoise appearance and warm temperature. Emerging from the ground in a fashion making it appear to bubble up, hence the name “boiling”, the springs are in places up to 10 metres deep with a soft sandy floor you can see at all times. They are absouletly beuatufil and without prior knowldeg, completely hodden in a thicket of palms and tropical vegetation. Cat fish and Red garra resding in the srpings eat the dead skin off the feet of visitors just like the ones in fishtanks on balinese back streets.
We swam and relaxed and let the surprisingly stroing current guide us down the length of the water way for about an hour before being forced to retreat for our jounrey home.
Back in town after an abosuletly full on day in and around Moshi, we showered and adjirned to a pre aaarned dinner on the hotel rooftop to witness a spectacular sunset over Mount Killamanjaro just like in all the tavel brochures. We sat on the balcony as planned, with a few whickeys as planned, picking at our tapas as planned. It was sublime except for one thing…Mother Nature didn’t read the script and as they say….the best laid plans of mice and men. Hiding behind clouds of varying formations for the entire day, the closest we got to seeing “broken top” through a tantalising race between cloud dissipating and a rapidly setting sun. we could see the cloudy slowly move from the east but from the opposing cardinal point the suns demise was winning. It just wasnt mrant to be we’re afriad to say but we definatently had a terrific day in Moshi.
we would be off again in the morning for the start of our Serengeti Safari so for us went to bed pretty early in preparation. Fatpap had evidently picked up a bug of some sorts over the past 24hr giving him ample opportunity to acquaint with the hotel bathroom and in one night unequivocally dispelling the old adage that you only need to travel with 3 pairs of undies.
