After doing the standard things like hiking up Kilimanjaro and Safari in Serengeti/Ngorongoro, I decided to do something a little bit more unusual in Tanzania. I went to what once was known as Wilhelmstal during the (bloody) German colonial period (1890 - 1918). To escape the heat in Dar es Salaam they longed for the cooling air of the Usambara Mountain Range. The town is now known as Lushoto, and it was there I hired a guide to take me around the rural countryside for a couple of days.
Apart from staying overnight in Rangwi Mission, what I really remember from this trip are all those happy kids running to get a glimpse of the "mzungu" (white person in Swahili). I could hear the chant of mzungu from a long distance away with barefoot running accompanying the vocal output. Some of them even tried using their English skills, but something says me that they usually had female teachers. "Good morning, madam" was usually the way they greeted me. I also remember a young girl taking care of her baby sister. The baby sister started to cry when she saw me. I consider myself neither very frightening nor feminine.
The visual highlight though was the small town of Mtae perched on the mountain cliff stretching out like an arm with the lowlands a long way below on three sides. It was there I shot what I personally consider one of my better pictures:
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| "The Gang of Mtae" |
