This page is intended to capture my thoughts just after the trip, and is composed chiefly of my observations and a little research.

Tanzania is a melting pot of people with no dominant tribes, so much so that the top 100 tribes make up perhaps one third of the population.  As a result, Tanzania is one of the more stable countries in Africa- the people are Tanzanian first, tribal second.  The rivalries that have decimated neighboring countries like Rwanda do not seem to cause too much problems here, just a few hundred miles away.

Perhaps the most famous people are the Masai, which occupy Northern Tanzania and Southern Kenya.  They are a simple people that dress very colorfully, and many still cling to very traditional ways. 

Many, if not most (in this area, at least), seem to live in very simple huts made of sticks and mud.  There is a small cluster, arranged in a circle, with a central ceremonial area and the huts around the perimeter, themselves surrounded by a simple fence.

The day is spent outside, as the huts are tiny and meant for sleeping.  You can see the bed in one of the huts to the right.  A small fire is built inside, which helps keep it warm, and probably also repels mosquitoes.  This hut looked like it slept several people, perhaps a couple and a child.  The interior picture to the left is a different hut than shown above.

This particular boma, or village, was located just outside the Olduvai Gorge visitor's center.  Our driver had asked if we wanted to see a Masai boma, and of course we said yes.

Our experience in this particular case was perhaps not the most positive one, and if I had to pick one negative of the trip, this would be it.  However, I do not let the experience reflect on the Masai people.

In this particular case, the boma was located just outside a tourist attraction, and the boma likely receives a fair amount of tourist traffic.  It cost $20 apiece for us to visit and get photographic rights.  However, upon entering the boma and greeting the chief, we immediately felt self conscious and felt like intruders.  The people of this boma also did not seem very excited to see us, having likely seen many other tourists.

My wife was pulled into a circle for a "song and dance", but it seemed half-hearted on their part, like it had been done several times that day already.  The fellow to the right then became our tour guide and asked if we wanted to see inside a hut.  He then proceeded to urinate in front of me before entering the hut, and then tried to extort additional money from us (an additional $10 apiece) once we were outside the view of our driver.  This was for additional permission to take a picture inside the hut.  I refused and said that the $20 apiece was agreed to take all the photos we wanted (he did speak English), so he relented and let me take the picture anyways.

Once we left the hut, a crushing crowd of Masai pressed against us wanting to sell us copper bracelets and other trinkets, for $5-$10 apiece.  We bought one and quickly tried to leave and get away.  We almost felt violated, and it left a bad impression.  Upon returning to our vehicle, we told our driver about the attempt to get more money from us above the agreed amount, so he would know and perhaps adapt for future safaris.

Given all that happened, and the less-than-genuine experience that came from it, I would still recommend that a traveler to Northern Tanzania visit a boma- just pick a different one than the one outside Olduvai Gorge.

When we were driving from Olduvai Gorge to Ngorongoro Crater, we passed an idyllic boma just before the entrance to the crater.  I would much rather have seen that one, for both it's setting was nicer, and it wasn't busy.  Of course it too could have been similar, due to it's proximity to the Crater, but it at least looked more inviting.

Again, I won't let this color my feelings for the Masai people- they live a hard-scrabble existence, eeking a living off the land through subsistence farming and raising cattle.  Money helps, and a steady flow of tourists through an area can change dramatically the personality of a particular group.

During the drive from Olduvai to Ngorongoro Crater, our driver asked us if we minded giving a ride to a couple of Tanzanian government officials, and of course we said 'yes'.  During that ride, there were no complaints from our rides about my frequent stops to take pictures, and they were helpful as well filling in additional information about the area with out driver- Peter.

Regarding Peter, pictured to the right, I don't think we could have had a better driver.  He was excellent- his encyclopedic knowledge of the flora and fauna of the Serengeti was near perfect- he seemed to know every species of bird, thumbing through well-worn bird books to show us pictures and details of the birds we were seeing.  As well, he was perceptive to what we wanted out the safari (it was a private safari, just my wife and I, along with Peter, the guide).  He learned quickly that we wanted to see just about animal out there, and that I liked to take a lot of photographs and video.  He was very kind, very helpful, and was a good representative for East African Safaris, the outfit we used to plan our safari.

It was sad at the end of the trip to say goodbye- he became a natural part of the team and we almost felt like we were on vacation with him.

At the end of the trip (we started in the Serengeti and moved eastward), we stayed on the slopes of Kilimanjaro at Makoa Farm, a coffee farm (see description under the Lodges section).  We took a tour of the farm and while walking down a road, I photographed this child coming home from school.

I regret in many ways not taking more photographs of the local people- they were so colorful.  I felt though like doing so was an intrusion into their life, and that I'd be putting them on display for the rest of the world when they were simply going about their everyday, normal life.

Some missed opportunities were women carrying very large bundles on their head, and perhaps the best one, a woman carrying a large pod of bananas on Makoa Farm.  Perhaps I should have asked if she minded if I took the photo, or even offered her a few dollars (US currency is generally welcome over the entire area), but I didn't and the opportunity passed.

And finally, as we parted ways with Peter later that day (to fly on to Zambia, for part two of our honeymoon), we snapped the picture of  Peter above, and he snapped the picture of us, to the right.

In all, my interactions with the people of Tanzania was positive, and we had a great time.  They are very polite and helpful, and above all, colorful.  We miss them.