Camping: Lake Eyasi

I’m sure, since you are all diligent readers, that you’ll recall our visit 6 months ago to Lake Eyasi where we did a visit to with the Hadza and had a great time.  Since we had such a great time, we decided to head back there for one last outing before school started.  It was much hotter and wetter this time, with associated bugs and mud to match, but the campsites are great and shaded and have a water faucet, outhouses, showers and access to the Kisima Ngeda lodge swimming pool.  Also, Matt and our friend Clint were lucky enough to be able to go out for a morning hunting trip with the Hadza (hopefully I can get him to write up his experience).   We had a great weekend hanging out with friends, going for walks, swimming (in the lodge pool and not in the alkaline lake) and fishing.  The rain came only while we were sleeping and the tiny, tiny ants that got into everything (i.e. inside closed parmesan cheese in the coolers, inside unopened bread in storage crates, etc) did no serious harm.  Kids came home tired and cranky, so they must have had a good time. 

On the drive out we had a great view of Lake Manyara National Park and the Great Rift Wall.  When we hit the town of Karatu (the kicking off point for the Ngorongoro Crater), we took a left turn and drove down a bumpy dirt road for ~18 miles which took over a hour and a half (pic below is where the road was still smooth) to Kisima Ngeda and Lake Eyasi.   I found it interesting that there are little mud houses and churches with no water or electricity, yet in the same village there’s a store with a satellite dish.

 

The morning that the guys went out hunting with the waHadzabe, Kati and I decided to take the kids out on a little walk which turned into an adventure very quickly.  We hit a point where the dry sand turned to mud.  And not just regular mud, but the kind that within two steps turns your shoes into platform shoes. It didn’t take too long to give up on the shoes and go barefoot.   I was hoping to make it out to see the flamingos, but we didn’t exactly make it that far. We did have a good time though.  I think Ash might have a little crush on Jack (5) and Anders on Acacia (3) … Ashlyn assures me that Tyson (from The Cottage School in Boulder) is still her boyfriend though. 

 

Back at our spacious campsite we were frequently visited by the resident vervet monkeys during the day and bush babies at night. 

 

We also spent some time fishing in the little ponds on-site (thanks to Jack for being so generous about sharing his fishing rod with all the girls).  T and A both caught fish - although they weren’t all very big it was still fun.

  

The girls also got their very first bow and arrow sets.  Tierney was doing some secret practice and managed to hit the can off the stick several times when no one else was able to hit it at all (kid handicap in full-effect).  The first thing they wanted to do when we got home was to set up a target of their own at home. (There really is no ‘arrow’ on the bow and arrow - just whittled wood…still wouldn’t want it to hit me though).  If you are wondering, that is baboon fur decorating the bows that were made by the local Hadza. 

Next visit, the grown-up girls get first dibs on the Hadza hunting trip.        

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School started without a hitch today and it’s good to be back in a routine.  Two new American families arrived in the last week or so and started school with the girls today.  I can remember, all to well, what we were going through just one year ago with new schools and, well, new everything.  I’m certainly happy to be where we are now instead of back there, but I wouldn’t change the experience for anything.