Fire and Water and Things I've Learned

After several days of traveling and several days of recuperation, some words have come back to me. It is way too early to be up right now, and I’m still mildly jet lagged, but I’ll do the best I can to write some closing thoughts.

It’s going to be a long time while Luis and I process everything we’ve experienced. Luis prefers to write about his own experiences, so look for his account of climbing Kili, oh, in about July. Kidding! I’m kidding. Sort of.

It may sound stereotypical, but fire and water have been recurring themes during our trip to Tanzania. I don’t mean it in some primitive way, although I do mean it in sort of an essential way. Let me see if I can parse this out.

We forget, living in the city, that fire and water are the foundation of everything. While traveling, however, especially in a place where you are witnessing whole ecosystems, such as in the Serengeti, it becomes apparent that these are the engines that drive the system. It is simple and beautiful.

·      As safari guests, we saw recently burned grasses that had come back bright green in Ngorongoro Crater, providing nourishment to grazing animals. We saw how the pools drew animals of all kinds.

·      As visitors to the lodges and camps, I sat in awe as a Maasai man made fire for me with just the tools and trees at hand. We relied on an endless supply of bottled water in order to stay healthy.

·      On the mountain, Luis relied on an army of porters to collect, filter, boil, and carry water and all of the supplies up and down the mountain for their needs, and to make fire in freezing conditions for daily hot food and warm drinks. Luis battled his own fears of hiking on snow and ice to reach the top of the tallest freestanding mountain in the world.

·      At Gombe Forest Camp, every evening the staff would ask “Are you ready for a fire now, Miss Laura?” and make a bonfire while we sat and enjoyed the beauty of Lake Tanganyika.

So many of our experiences are directly linked to fire and water in ways that are indirect, convenient, or invisible back at home.

OK, now on to…10 Things I learned while traveling in Tanzania:

1.     Wear your Maasai bracelet on the left since the right arm is your spear arm.

2.     If you are a breasted person going on safari, there are only two important words: Sports. Bra.

3.     Everyone has facebook, including the Maasai and all the members of your remote tented camp.

4.     While preparing to visit the chimps at Gombe, you must do WAY more stair climbing exercises than you think are necessary. Preferably in humidity while wearing a backpack.

5.     Always choose the Warrior with the lion’s tail for a date.

6.     Beyoncé is internationally loved.

7.     If the hotel desk staff person asks to marry your daughter, hold out for three cows and at least two goats, or no deal.

8.     Not having wi-fi can be a blessing.

9.     Every time you see a warthog in the Serengeti you must resist the urge to sing “I was a young wartHOGGGG” because once is really enough.

10.  Talk to everyone you can. They are interesting and smart and different from you.

I’ve come to the conclusion that traveling, like fire and water, is also essential. Traveling requires an open mind and a willingness to feel slightly uncomfortable. Traveling is not tourism, in which you are insulated from the realities. Traveling is basically a Buddhist practice, in which “not knowing” is a daily state. These slightly uncomfortable moments are the ones when I’ve become a better person, more connected to the rest of the species and less self-centered.

I wish I was able to step even more off the beaten path, but risks are, well, riskier as a woman. But every time I’ve ventured a little farther, or asked deeper questions, tasted something new, ridden in some vehicle that just shouldn’t be legal, or gotten to know someone I would never cross paths with in my usual daily routine, I have grown. Far more than souvenirs, it’s these moments that make traveling essential.

Thank you for reading! It was nice knowing you were listening.