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So excited to have snagged a last minute upgrade to business class for our KLM flights to Tanzania. Such a treat when facing a 6 hour flight to Amsterdam, followed by an 8 hour flight to Kilimanjaro airport. We left Toronto on Monday Nov 27 and arrived in Tanzania on Tuesday night. Adrian's friend and the driving force behind the projects we're visiting, Clamian, and his brother Jackson picked us up at the airport and drove us to Arusha. We spent our first night in Arusha with Clamian and Jackson picking us up on Wednesday morning for the drive to Makuyuni.
We were greeted with a traditional Maasai welcome - such happy, open and friendly people.
We were greeted with a traditional Maasai welcome - such happy, open and friendly people.
Boma can mean both the building or hut we stayed in - traditionally Maasai built and it can also mean community or village. So we stayed in the Boma's designed for tourists, complete with bathrooms and solar power. The gathering area also served as the eating and serving area. The welcoming fire was always going and this was. a great place to sit ad hang out.
Adrian was here primarily to check on the project his former charity started. That project began with support for the Nashipay School which started with just 7 students 10 years ago - now with more than 400 students - and included social enterprises to support the operating costs of the school. The social enterprises now include bee hives, women's beading and the eco lodge where we stayed. Our hope is to restart the Voluntourism that Adrian's former charity created, on our own. Organizing groups of 10-15 people who would travel at their own expense and spend 10-14 days doing volunteer construction in this community. No experience required.
Email Adrian adrianbohach@gmail.com if you're interested in more information
on how to join us - I guarantee it will change your life!
So much change since Adrian's last visit, hundreds of trees planted, the permaculture gardens introduced and thriving, the eco lodge continues to grow and so does the school. Much of our visit was spent with Clamian - talking about future plans and looking at future sites for more Eco Boma's. The Maasai culture is community based, highly democratic and very welcoming. The community has created it's goals for the future, with education being number one - and the support of that education through social enterprise close behind. The vision for a Warrior Walk - whereby visitors can experience Maasai life by walking from community to community with aa place to stay along the way, has it's start with this Boma. We visited a number of places that could be the next spoke in the wheel for visitors. The landscape is beautiful and walking is just a way of life. No one in this village has a vehicle, people walk everywhere.
You'll see in our photos that our visit was well known to the community. Lot's of kids joining us on our walks and many invitations to come into huts for tea, including into Chief Rhyna's Boma to meet his family.
The Maasai still herd goats and cows as they always have - although the available land for roaming is continually being reduced by the government. Many in this community live below the Maasai poverty line - which for Maasai is four cows and nine goats per family. The school is flourishing and this year graduated it's first group of students who attended all the way through pre-school to grade 7. Students come from this village but also from the surrounding areas - some from far enough away that they have to stay in the dormitory. You can learn more here https://nashipay.org/
It's impossible to express in words the beauty of this land and it's people - you simply have to experience if for yourself.
Adrian was here primarily to check on the project his former charity started. That project began with support for the Nashipay School which started with just 7 students 10 years ago - now with more than 400 students - and included social enterprises to support the operating costs of the school. The social enterprises now include bee hives, women's beading and the eco lodge where we stayed. Our hope is to restart the Voluntourism that Adrian's former charity created, on our own. Organizing groups of 10-15 people who would travel at their own expense and spend 10-14 days doing volunteer construction in this community. No experience required.
Email Adrian adrianbohach@gmail.com if you're interested in more information
on how to join us - I guarantee it will change your life!
So much change since Adrian's last visit, hundreds of trees planted, the permaculture gardens introduced and thriving, the eco lodge continues to grow and so does the school. Much of our visit was spent with Clamian - talking about future plans and looking at future sites for more Eco Boma's. The Maasai culture is community based, highly democratic and very welcoming. The community has created it's goals for the future, with education being number one - and the support of that education through social enterprise close behind. The vision for a Warrior Walk - whereby visitors can experience Maasai life by walking from community to community with aa place to stay along the way, has it's start with this Boma. We visited a number of places that could be the next spoke in the wheel for visitors. The landscape is beautiful and walking is just a way of life. No one in this village has a vehicle, people walk everywhere.
You'll see in our photos that our visit was well known to the community. Lot's of kids joining us on our walks and many invitations to come into huts for tea, including into Chief Rhyna's Boma to meet his family.
The Maasai still herd goats and cows as they always have - although the available land for roaming is continually being reduced by the government. Many in this community live below the Maasai poverty line - which for Maasai is four cows and nine goats per family. The school is flourishing and this year graduated it's first group of students who attended all the way through pre-school to grade 7. Students come from this village but also from the surrounding areas - some from far enough away that they have to stay in the dormitory. You can learn more here https://nashipay.org/
It's impossible to express in words the beauty of this land and it's people - you simply have to experience if for yourself.
Ngorongoro Crater National Park - Sunday Dec 3
Fabulous day trip to the Ngorongoro Crate with Josephine and Clamian. The crater is the 6th largest in the world and is believed to be a collapsed mountain - larger than Everest. We travelled up the mountain and then down the otherside into the crater area. This is an amazing national park with wildlife everywhere - sadly the government no longer allows the Maasai to use this land for grazing their herds. The traditional Maasai land is quickly disappearing in favour of tourism.
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Adrian and I were very lucky to be invited to spend American Thanksgiving with our ATW (Around The World) cruise friends, Mary and Steve Kotrch. Mary and Steve have a beautiful historic home, one of many, in New Bern, NC.
We also got to meet Steve's daughter Melania and her husband Rob. Fabulous full-on turkey dinner with mashed potatoes, chestnut stuffing, home-made cranberry sauce and a selection of pies for dessert. We were there for 3+ days and the food was amazing the whole time, both Steve and Mary are great cooks.
New Bern is a beautiful, small (30,000 people) community on a river. The historic community is full of fabulous architecture, has a lovely small town feel, with unique shops and is the birthplace of Pepsi. In celebration of the communities namesake Bern, Switzerland there are artistic versions bears throughout the community. The waterside promenade was only a couple of blocks from where we stayed. We had great weather and enjoyed walking and exploring this great community - best part, we're invited back next year!!
We also got to meet Steve's daughter Melania and her husband Rob. Fabulous full-on turkey dinner with mashed potatoes, chestnut stuffing, home-made cranberry sauce and a selection of pies for dessert. We were there for 3+ days and the food was amazing the whole time, both Steve and Mary are great cooks.
New Bern is a beautiful, small (30,000 people) community on a river. The historic community is full of fabulous architecture, has a lovely small town feel, with unique shops and is the birthplace of Pepsi. In celebration of the communities namesake Bern, Switzerland there are artistic versions bears throughout the community. The waterside promenade was only a couple of blocks from where we stayed. We had great weather and enjoyed walking and exploring this great community - best part, we're invited back next year!!
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, Boy did you get me! What a wonderful surprise - huge thank you to Mary-Ann for hosting and to everyone who came. I was completely gobsmacked. It was a wonderful afternoon, Mimosa's, fabulous food, wonderful friends and so many laughs.
A huge thank you to all who donated to the Margaret Hennigar Public Library in honour of our wedding - such a thoughtful gesture. I had so much fun opening all the other "gifts" so many penises (sp) I shall never be without! Lots of other great gifts too - vintage apron (thank you Lisa and Christine for parting with one of Joyce's), my beautiful hat - an original Vicki Lynn Bardon design, a laundry basket (picked out by Kyle), a my very large bride mug complete with penis straw, a wonderful mug with our picture and so much more. I cried and laughed all the way through the beautiful cards people gave me when I got home. I am so grateful to you all. Thank you!
A huge thank you to all who donated to the Margaret Hennigar Public Library in honour of our wedding - such a thoughtful gesture. I had so much fun opening all the other "gifts" so many penises (sp) I shall never be without! Lots of other great gifts too - vintage apron (thank you Lisa and Christine for parting with one of Joyce's), my beautiful hat - an original Vicki Lynn Bardon design, a laundry basket (picked out by Kyle), a my very large bride mug complete with penis straw, a wonderful mug with our picture and so much more. I cried and laughed all the way through the beautiful cards people gave me when I got home. I am so grateful to you all. Thank you!
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Adrian and I took a quick trip to Sheridan, Wyoming. We flew into Billings, Montana and rented a car for the not quite 2 hour drive to Sheridan. This was a scouting trip to look at a project Adrian's interested in. The Storyhouse project is one of economic development for the region with a focus on affordable housing for veterans and the development of a Sound Stage to support this and other community needs.
Sheridan is a lovely small western town - sorry I didn't take more photos. The most amazing thing about Sheridan was the artwork. There's a plethora of wonderful artwork - large and small throughout the community. More photos if we get to go again! We had a great visit, amazing "big Sky" country and a truly inspiring project - fingers crossed there's some consulting in Adrian's future!
We stayed in a charming Airbnb - former garage converted into a great place to stay. Wonderful friendly people and a walkable charming community.
Sheridan is a lovely small western town - sorry I didn't take more photos. The most amazing thing about Sheridan was the artwork. There's a plethora of wonderful artwork - large and small throughout the community. More photos if we get to go again! We had a great visit, amazing "big Sky" country and a truly inspiring project - fingers crossed there's some consulting in Adrian's future!
We stayed in a charming Airbnb - former garage converted into a great place to stay. Wonderful friendly people and a walkable charming community.
