Chagga Waterfalls

Today we went on a trek through the foothills of Mt. Kilimanjaro in what was supposed to be a trip to find Marangu Falls. A friend at the hostel, Amanda, works with a man who offered to take us to the falls and show us around some caves as well. Masaki was his name, and hiking was his game. An hour and a half and three different dala rides later, we arrived in the village. It was already much cooler than Moshi because of the altitude, and the surroundings were quite rainforest-like.

Masaki wanted us to visit the Hope Foundation along the way, so we first hiked to the orphanage to find a much heated church service, laundry on the line and Mama Marina, (the 60 year old woman in charge). We visited for a short bit with some coffee and tea, then headed off to see a waterfall nearby. Great news: it did in fact rain all day long, and us Mzungus (white folk and not a derogatory term) slipped and slid both to and from each destination. Locals popped in randomly all day to accompany our group of 6, so we had an interesting day to say the least. All were very helpful, as it was obvious we were not in Kansas anymore, and they just lent a helping hand and looks of pity to the poor slipping Mzungus.

One waterfall down, caves to visit, kids to meet after church at the orphanage, and Marangu falls to go...

We decided it was best to hike to the cave next, as it was somewhat on the way back to the orphanage. More great news: Fantastic Caverns? No. It was actually a manmade cave somewhat like the catacombs in France, minus the bones and standing room, and on a much smaller scale. To make an already long story a little shorter, we hiked to a shelter that turned out to be the home of the Chagga people “operating” the caves. In groups of three a teenage boy took us down a 90 degree angled ladder to pitch black dirt tunnels. About two hundred years ago, civil war broke out between the Chagga and Maasai tribes, as the Maasai took the cattle of the Chagga people believing all cattle belonged to them. Another long story short: the Chagga built these underground rooms for protection, and to lure in the enemy for their demise. Now both tribes live side by side in Moshi in complete harmony.
Cave, and random waterfall down, the rest to go.
We hiked back to the Hope foundation where 3 hours later the church service had yet to conclude. Mama Marina had prepared for us a lunch of goat stew and maize, so we ate while a thunderstorm passed. Once the rain stopped, we said our good-byes and headed out of the village. Time had gotten away from us, and we opted not to go to Marangu falls, as we would not have made it back to Moshi by dark-—more importantly by dinner.
Another weekend down, and five days until safari...will try and post pictures, but my camera is being most uncooperative. Kwaheri!