A Couple of Days in Mikumi

Getting to Mikumi might have taken a while, but there have certainly been more complicated routes in my travels. From the Songas station at Ubungo, you turn onto the Morogoro Road and go in a straight line for an awful long time. After about three hours you reach a small town called (surprise surprise) Morogoro, at which point you encounter a roundabout. You go straight over and carry on for another hour until you arrive at the entrance to the Mikumi National Park- I think I could remember those directions at a pinch!

Fortunately for us, this was not an issue. Since this was our first trip in Tanzania, we had decided to use a guide. Sure enough, early Thursday morning Bernie, our Tanzanian guide turned up in his 4X4, got us loaded inside and headed out of Dar, off to see some animals.

Although the journey lacked something in twists and turns, it was very interesting- both going there and coming back. Leaving Dar brought us into a totally different world- a world of small villages, mud huts and roadside fruit sellers. The density of Dar was in total contrast to what we saw only miles inland. The heavy rain brought out the incredible expanses of green stretching out as far as the eye could see either side of this single long road. Plenty of people braved the rain- we saw a constant stream of people going about their business. Maasai men walked by in traditional costume; youth clad in years old Liverpool football shirts cycled along; women in their colourful Kangas carrying goods in pots balanced precariously on their heads carried on conversations on mobile phones in a prefect epitome of the melange of cultures affecting a place like this. The further we headed from Dar the more stunning the scenery became. South of Morogoro, we headed through the Uluguru mountains. In the rain these mountains reminded me almost of the Lake District- green slopes, misty peaks- not what I was expecting in Africa to be honest.

After a fairly agreeable four hours of watching people, admiring views and listening to Christmas songs on my iPod with Kieran, we arrived at Mikumi. We figured we were more or less there when we saw a solitary Baboon sitting by the roadside looking at us. As we slowed down for a photo, and I hung my head out of the window for a closer look I realised we were not being looked as so much as flashed by this rather seedy little primate. Suitably amused, we headed on into the park.

Our first stop was at the Mikumi Wildlife Camp to check in, take lunch and to take a look at our accommodation. The camp was beautiful. The stated ethos of the place was that we were the guests of the animals and should therefore fit around them. Accordingly, the camp was clearly designed for low visible impact. Apart from a small shared eating area (meals taken looking out over the plains) there were twelve Bandas- small wooden lodges each with two bedrooms, a bathroom and a toilet. Between us and the Mikumi plains there was absolutely nothing- charming in the day, slightly scarier at night. Sleeping, or trying to, was an acquired skill for me. Strangely, the plains- so calm by day- were a cacophony of noise by night- the bush rats in our roof competed with crickets, bullfrogs and goodness knows what else for the privilege of stopping me sleeping. After hours of lying underneath a large mosquito net, wondering firstly what else was out there and, more importantly, whether mosquito nets would stop snakes or rats from getting in, I succumbed to tiredness and fell asleep. The second night was easier mind- I’m no Indiana Jones but you have to start somewhere!







Mikumi National Park. In the foreground Giraffes and Impala. In the distance, the Bandas of the Mikumi Wildlife Lodge, where we stayed.


So, what about the safari? Between the long, dark and noisy nights were a couple of days- these were filled with some of the most wonderful sights, sounds and smells we’d ever experienced.

Before going into all that, I guess a bit of basic information. When you think of Tanzania’s national parks, Mikumi doesn’t spring to mind- Serengeti, Kilimanjaro, Mngorongoro Crater up in the north are all much better known and are well worth a visit. Mikumi is a very underrated park, in the south of the country. Yes it is intersected by a major road- the main highway to Zambia- and this detracts from the park in the eyes of some purists. However, you’re still talking about over three thousand square kilometres of African plain, bordered by the beautiful Uluguru Mountains to the north and the Udzungwa to the south. More importantly, this park has some of the most consistently good wildlife viewing in the country. Sorry to be superficial, but if we were going to bring two small boys all this way to see animals, then we needed animals.

Boy did we see animals. We opened up the roof of the jeep to allow us to stand up and look out- Kieran named the rearranged vehicle the “parachute car” but, standing up, taking in the view, it seemed more like the Popemobile to be honest! Since the first day was wet we saw fewer animals- the long forgotten experience of feeling cold, however, was a welcome one.

Soma, Kieran and Rohan with Bernie (our guide and driver) and the "Parachute Car"

The second day was much warmer and sunnier, which made both for better photos and way more wildlife. Mikumi’s reputation was well deserved- not only did we see a lot of animals, they were often within spitting distance of the jeep! The biggest boast was that we saw some small lions. Actually, we didn’t just see them, we practically ran over them- in true “King of the Plains” style, these lions were taking a rest in the middle of the track. So what impressed us the most? I’m really not too sure. We came across a herd of elephants, coming up to cross the track in front of us. They were slightly alarmed by an oncoming truck but let both the truck driver and us know who was boss! Soma was less impressed- being from India seeing an elephant is pretty common I suppose. She was very taken with the zebras though- we saw a lot of them over the two days but had an especially close encounter on the second morning- close enough to feed them almost. They seemed less like horses- smaller and closer to donkeys if anything.

Two grown up elephants and a calf- crossed our path on day 2

The giraffes left me in awe. Although they were not as tall as I’d remembered from various zoos, they were so graceful. One after the other they just strolled across the plain, a bit like the trees from Lord of the Rings! However, I think we’re all agreed that the most magical experience actually came in the camp itself. On the second morning. We opened the curtains and saw the plain in front of us full with impala. From behind the Banda, a series of impala then came running by, leaping metres off the ground as they went- there was no obstacle to jump- they were just playing. Such beautiful animals playing and jumping with such energy- even Rohan stopped and looked in amazement!

We spent two days and nights in Mikumi. It is said that Africa gets into your blood- there might be some truth there. As the jeep headed back to Dar, I felt supremely lucky to be able to visit places like this so easily. This will not be the last trip to the parks of Tanzania- of that I am sure. I don’t know if I’m becoming more “environmental” but I remember telling Soma something as we looked out over these plains, so replete with life. “I might be the world’s biggest capitalist” I said, “but there is nothing in the world that would make ruining these beautiful plains and mountains worthwhile”.

The Joys of Househunting

It’s hard to believe that we’ve now been here for well over a month. I guess time flies when you’re having fun- at least that was the excuse I gave Soma as my mother in law’s congratulatory phone call brought it home that I’d now forgotten each and every one of our five wedding anniversaries.

A month in and we’re still enjoying life here, which is always a good sign. I’m getting used to driving around- in fact I’m slightly worried that my driving has actually got worse in order to fit in with the unwritten rules of the road here! In fact on almost all fronts- kids’ nursery, my work, Soma’s social life- we’ve made great progress. Only two major issues have hung over us- getting a place to live and sorting a work permit. The latter is not going to be covered on this blog- apart from the fact that it is a very tedious and boring subject, I’ve delegated the whole process to someone else and therefore have no clue what is going on!

I have to confess that the housing situation was becoming a cause for concern. We knew that the house market was fairly cut-throat here but thought, naively, that we’d cracked it only a week after arriving. We’d found a house that we liked and made an offer which was accepted. After a few attempts at a contract, we were ready to sign at the start of this month. We might have been ready, but the Landlord apparently was not. He maintained a solid radio silence which seemed to indicate that he had another offer but didn’t want to tell us. It was back to the drawing board for us- hope his house gets subsidence though!

Looking for a new place was not as easy as in Cairo, but, unsurprisingly, not as tough as the agents were making out. Although the market is heated, there were properties there- each time a property fell through or we got gazumped, Soma turned another one up within a day. We came agonisingly close on several occasions- we were seconds from signing on one place when the rather portly landlord (Bob Geldof and Bono need not worry themselves unduly over this particular chap) decided that he wanted us to pay his taxes on top of his rent! After a couple of weeks in which we saw the worst of the local landlord community, we finally stumbled upon a very nice place. It looks like a semi-detached Swiss chalet, and is new build. It’s a big place –definitely enough space for visits- in a compound with a shared pool (always good, as you get to swim in it but don’t have to maintain it!) Incredibly, after a lightening quick negotiation, both parties put pen to paper yesterday- we finally have a home! We’ll move into it in the New Year; we just need a work permit now so our possessions can move from Dar es salaam’s dockside, through customs and into this lovely new place!

With immediate needs now more or less sorted out, we can turn our attention to Christmas. Now why is it that I really cannot believe it’s less than two weeks away? Perhaps we’ve just been preoccupied with other things; perhaps it’s because none of the local radio stations seem to play the usual offerings of Slade and Wizzard. No- let’s be honest, while also rubbing it in shamelessly to those working their way through a cold and dark British winter. We had lunch today outside, in thirty degree heat, under bright red flame trees in a very nice seaside restaurant. We then went on to a garden party at the French school before coming home for a late afternoon swim. Being the southern hemisphere, it is the height of summer here. Being Africa, this means it’s very hot and sunny and not at all Christmassy!

December in Dar! A couple of pictures from today. Rohan waiting for lunch at Slipway. Kieran standing just a few metres further on, along the harbour. The island behind him is Bongoyo- I managed to get the world's worst sunburn there a few weeks ago!

Getting back to organising Christmas, Soma, typically has been well on the case. This is partly a matter of self interest, however, given that the boys are now on holiday for three weeks and she needs something to keep them occupied. Regardless of motive, the girl has come up trumps.

At the end of this week, we’ll be heading a few hours southwest of here to the Mikumi national park for a long weekend of safari. I understand that antelopes, zebra and hyena are pretty much everywhere here, but we’re really hoping to see some of the big animals- the elephants, lions and leopards that I’ve been promising Kieran for months. We’ll be back here for Christmas itself (Christmas dinner booked at a local pub run by a couple from Grimsby) and for New Year, before we head off for another few days, this time Zanzibar. Having so many places so close by (Zanzibar is a 20 minute flight) is a real bonus. Soma and I have learned our lesson from Cairo. This assignment could end tomorrow. I hope we’ll be here for years but we should get out and see the place as if it were our last couple of months.

Making Friends

Whatever can be said about the work here in Tanzania, repetitive is not an adjective that springs to mind. This past week has been a real insight- not only into parts of my job, but into Tanzania and its people.

One of my roles here is to oversee the work of the community relations coordinator- a very good bloke called Nicodemus. Now in Egypt, community relations meant a few donations here and there in addition to the occasional site visit. Here it’s far more applied. Firstly, the operation itself impacts on a lot of people- the gas comes from a small island which we share with a substantial local community. We then pipe our gas through 250 miles of some of the poorest parts of Tanzania, through villages all of which could use every penny of help we can provide. The experiences of companies in Nigeria, where they take out resources from a region, pay taxes to the people at the top but leave the immediate local community without a sausage is not something we’re keen to repeat. To ignore the impoverished people from whose land you are taking your gas is not only wrong but also something that could turn a peaceful area into another Niger Delta.

On Thursday, we met with representatives of the Songo Songo Island community- their village elders. It was an interesting experience- traditional African villagers coming to Dar to meet with a bunch of youngish British business types! The incongruity was there to be seen. Into our conference room walked two old men in traditional garb- one wore a grey, short sleeved cotton suit, the other was dressed more in the style of an Arab(a long gallabeya and a hashemite style keffiyeh around his shoulders- I’ll get to the bottom of this one day!) They both wore traditional style box hats. They were accompanied by a younger guy dressed in T Shirt, jeans and his box hat (I‘m guessing that the hats denoted membership of the village leadership but who knows- perhaps it’s a local fashion thing) and a smartly dressed, but sadly hatless man who announced himself as their local councillor. I was surprised to find them not entirely effusive in their greeting- there seemed to be an issue somewhere.

We walked through a number of key issues- work to be done on areas such as provision of water (the development of the island has now attracted economic migrants so our originally agreed water provisioning is not enough to go round), improving access to education and health services. However the general feeling seemed to be that things were being done and they were quite satisfied with our help- so why the underlying unhappiness?

I recently read a book about working in Africa- much of which I’ll take with a mountain of salt given the massive generalisation this entails! One thing mentioned was that, in East Africa especially, people are extremely polite and hate getting right to the point of any criticism- a major complaint may in fact come in the guise of an unimportant non issue, in an attempt to ensure the recipient of the complaint does not lose face.

Sure enough, at the end of the meeting, the spokesperson mentioned casually that they felt it was important for us all to share in the successes and good news of the operations- that they felt proud of what was being done on their island. After a bit more digging, it transpired that in fact, there had been some sort of celebration of a technical achievement on the gas field a while ago, and the village elders had not been invited. This appeared to have caused some upset and, combined with a gap in company visits to the island, had given rise to the feeling of not being respected or considered.

Although the meeting dealt with a lot of key issues, focusing on areas where we could spend money to help them, it struck me that, in fact, what these chaps were after was something more fundamental. They were indeed grateful for the investment we’re making and were pleased with the stuff we’ve committed to do next year. However, my sense was that they walked away from the meeting far happier because of the non financial promises we’d made- to visit more often, to make ourselves available to discuss things with them, and to include them in any future events. In the end, the tangible stuff was nice, but the affirmation of our basic respect was far more important.