The ride there was 25 km, but there was this crazy long 3 km hill that I had to walk part way. When I got off my bike to walk I was in the lowest gear, and when I went to get back on I couldn't start peddling because the gear was so low, so the tour leader (who of course was with me because I was last) gave me a push to get me started. I felt a little bit like a 5 year old. It must take a lot of patience to lead tours.
After we showered we went on a game drive in Lake Manyara park, which is well known for birds and monkeys. There were so many baboons, monkeys, flamingos, pelicans, and the occasional giraffe and hippo. It was pretty nice.
The next day we went on a cultural tour with two local guides. The Igloo camp is located at the top of a plain, and so we were able to ride down to the valley (fun!) and to the town. The town is called Mto Wa Mbu, which translates to Mosquito Town. Fortunately, it isn't mosquito season. I didn't see a single mosquito the entire time I was there. Mto Wa Mbu is famous for it's good climate and excellent soil. There are many different tribes living together in the village, so we were able to ride our bikes to meet people from a diverse range of cultures. We started by riding our bikes on dirt paths through banana plantations. So cool! Banana trees take 6-9 months to mature and they only produce one crop of fruit. The farmers harvest them when they are still green so the monkeys don't eat them. We saw a few different varieties of bananas, and people were able to try banana beer (my stomach was a little funky and I didn't think banana beer would help it, so I just smelled). We also visited a family of the Justin Beiber tribe (OK, not really, but they had a very traditional mud and stick house, with a Justin Beiber sticker on their door. It was out of place), a rice farm, and then the cultural center for lunch. Africans eat with their hands - or, I should say, with their right hand. Since I'm left handed, that's tricky. I made an effort. The food was really good and I wished my stomach was less funky so I could have more.
Later in the day we visited a Maasai Village. Village is a bit of a misnomer in my opinion, because it was really one family - dad and his 13 or so wives, plus all the kids. There was a traditional dance, they sold us some bracelets, and then we watched as the cows and goats came back from the fields. We were meant to watch the cows being milked, but it got dark. One thing happened in the Maasai Village that will stick with me for a long time - I was wearing my fitbit, as I always do. I must have moved my arm, and it lit up. The kids all gathered around to look at it, and I demonstrated how you could tap it and the display changed. All of the kids thought that was so cool, they all wanted to tap the fitbit and watch as the numbers changed. Of course, they had no idea what the numbers meant and we didn't speak a common language. But, I was trying to imagine how I would explain to a group of 8 and 9 year olds who spend their days in 90 degree heat tending cattle what a fitbit is, and why I wear it. I don't think a common language would help. It made me see how spoiled I am that I have to make an effort to take enough steps in a day and I need a tracker to help me count them.
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