The Maasai sheperd takes a break at the watering hole on the way to the grazing fields for the day.
I met many amazing people while living in Longido. My best friend was definitely Faraja. He was a driver, which is a very good job. I ended up eating one or two meals a day at his house. His wife, Mary, was an amazing cook and their three-year-old son, Arnold (named after the Governator himself. No really, I asked!), was always trying to make me laugh. Their house turned into my home away from home. Another good friend I met in Longido was Dr. Steven Kiruswa. He is probably the most amazing success story that I have ever personally witnessed. He is a Maasai man that grew up in the neighboring village of Engarenable. He was forced to attend school by Tanzanian mandate where he performed very well. He somehow made it to university in Nairobi and then to Regent University in Virginia Beach. He now works for AWF (African Wildlife Foundation) in Arusha. He could spend his time and money doing many things, but he prefers to help the Maasai in Longido District. He has formed an organization called Loocip to help fund Maasai children’s school fees, raise AIDS awareness and tackle many other problems in the area. Most of the time he would be late or cancel our meetings because he was so busy helping other people in their time or crisis. He is an amazing success story, and I hope to raise money for Loocip one day.
Dr. Steven helped me secure a bed at Manyara Ranch, which is funded by his company, AWF. Manyara Ranch is a progressive farming operation that is trying to combine wildlife management with a working cattle farm. It is located on a vital migratory route between two national parks, Taranguire and Lake Manyara National Parks. There was an abundance of wildlife on the ranch, often grazing side by side with the cattle. The ranch hires local Maasai men to shepherd the cattle during the day to protect the herd from predators. I spent about a week on the ranch in total. I divided my time between the livestock manager and the shepherds. Every morning we would go to each cattle kraal to vaccinate the sick cattle. They did not have the proper infrastructure to properly doctor the cattle. So, instead of fences or even smaller pens to work the cattle, the Maasai shepherds would grab hold of the sick cow’s tail and hold on for dear life. Depending on how big and/or how sick the cow was determined the duration of the fiasco. Basically, one shepherd would grab the tail, the cow would then begin to run, while the others shepherds, including myself, would try to knock the cow in its side. It turned into quite a show with all of us laughing and chasing the cows around in circles. It made for a very eventful start to the day.
I spend two days with out in the fields tending to the cattle with the Maasai. I originally planned to stay longer, but it was just too unbelievably boring. The day consisted of herding the cattle 10km to the grazing grounds, stopping by the watering hole on the way, then finding a shade tree in order to take a nap. An hour or two of this would have been fine, but the nap often took 5 to 6 hours. It was hot, dusty and I finished every book I brought with me. The highlight was on the second day when we came across a pride of lions. We were making our way to the grazing grounds when one of the shepherds tapped me on the shoulder, and pointed at three yellow dots about 150km away. I asked, in my broken Swahili, what they were, and he simply replied, “Simba”, which is Swahili for lion. That is when I had an “oh shit” moment. Meaning, I had a walking stick and I was between lions and their food, the cattle. It is when I said, “ Oh shit, what do I do now.” As we approached the lions, to my surprise, they quickly got up and moved away. I guess they have learned to fear the Maasai after being hunted by them for so long. I thought that was a good day to end my visit. I returned to Arusha the next morning: tired, smelly and worn-out. I decided to go on a two-day safari. Ngorongoro Crater was the most stunning place I have ever visited. The landscape and wildlife were simply amazing.
