Mt. Kimamjaro, Tanzania

I am presently in Tanzania near Mt. Kilimanjaro on a Farmer to Farmer assignment for Catholic Relief Services.  I left home in Billings on the 18^th of November on a route that took me through Minneapolis to Amsterdam and then onto Mt. Kilimanjaro International Airport.  Overall the flights took about 30 hours with a long layover in Minneapolis (about six hours) and a shorter (3 hour) layover in Amsterdam.  The bright spot of such long travel was twofold on this trip.  First, upon arriving at Minneapolis I saw the new John Grisham book, The Whistler”  was out which I immediately purchased and read, finishing last evening at the hotel Uhuru in Moshi, Tanzania (TZ).  The second, meeting a very interesting retired 3^rd grade teacher from Wisconsin who was traveling with one of her son’s family to Budapest and on to Vienna. 

What a great seat mate she was.  Raised in Rhode Island, meeting a serviceman form Wisconsin who returned with him for a few years so he could finish his collegiate career has made her home there ever since.  We shared many great stories and the trip over to Amsterdam went very quickly.

The last leg of the flight seemed much longer although it was only an hour or so longer.  My seatmates were not as engaging and I was not so much either as I was pretty worn out already.  The flight was uneventful and we landed about 8:30 local time in the dark. 

Immigration was an interesting experience as well.  I had to purchase a business visa as well as a tourist visa to volunteer that totaled $250 US. 

After Immigration, I had to clear customs.  I had brought 3 suitcases and a backpack with me to carry my gear.  One suitcase for my clothes, one for the training documents and the last for items carried over for a previous CRS volunteer.   There were two signs for customs; one for items to be declared and the other no declaration.  I searched about for a sign that would tell me what the value of goods being brought into Tanzania required declaration, but could not find any.  Erroring on the side of caution I went to declare the goods I was bringing in which ended up consisting of running the luggage through an x-ray machine, the same type of machine as when you go through security in an airport.  I walked to the other side and picked up the luggage and carted it off; that was it. 

A driver picked me up from the airport and the ride from the airport to the hotel was in the dark so I could not see much of the surrounding area.  From what I could see I could tell the infrastructure here is much more advanced than where I had been before in Uganda.  The buildings looked modern and well-constructed and the road was in good condition.

We arrived at the Lutheran Guest House hotel, Uhuru in Moshi, TZ around 10:30 pm local time.  True to African custom I was warmly greeted by an English-speaking receptionist and was quickly shown to my room.  The room is spacious with hot and cold running water and air conditioning; amenities that can be hit and miss in this part of the world.  I was ready to sleep, however, the immediate problem is my body thought it was noon so it was not quite ready to sleep while my brain was exhausted.  I dozed on and off a few times while reading “The Whistler” and eventually fell off after completing it around 3 am.  I rose about 9:30 am just in time to catch some breakfast.

My contact, Mekee, a Hawaiian Peace Corp volunteer, came by the room after breakfast to pick up the supplies I brought over for the CRS volunteer.  Mekee is an interesting young man who has been here about ten months working in a mountain town area about four hours from the hotel.  I sent him off with the suitcase which he would carry back as a passenger on a small motorcycle.

I took my first look for Mt. Kilimanjaro from the hotel around noon and could not see it.  I went to the guide book to get some facts about the region and learned that Kilimanjaro is usually not visible until late afternoon, 4 – 6:30 pm after the clouds have worn off.  I went back to an observation point at the hotel and got my first looks at the famed mountain.

The mountain peak is a little over 19,000 feet above sea level and the tallest mountain in Africa.  It is an extinct volcano that still lets out some steam and is the reason most people come to Tanzania.  There are several routes to trek to its peaks that are non-technical; however, they all take minimally four days to reach so I will not be making that accent. 

I am wrapping up my first full day in Tanzania just loitering about the hotel and its beautiful grounds.

On Monday, the 21^st I will be met and taken to the Kilacha Training Center where I will spend the remainder of my time working with the Accounting Department.  An earlier volunteer was here a year ago and set the Training Center up on QuickBooks.  My assignment is to teach the managers, accountants and bookkeepers how to use the program.  Additionally, I need to write a procedures manual and help integrate the Excel spreadsheet accounting they presently use into the new system.

My expectation is to have a reasonable internet connection at the Training Center so I hope to be able to make daily posts with my comments, insights and pictures.

Mike

20 November 2016

Remembering how fortunate we are to live in the US

Each time I visit this area I am reminded of how fortunate we are to live in the US.  Driving between the hotel and the office I go past several schools with soccer fields which are being grazed by cows who, as nature has it, leave a trace of their past on the pitch.  The fields are hilly, hardly any grass and have upright poles for goals; yet the kids fill them every day to play.

I walked into town yesterday looking for a wireless network card to fix a computer and came up empty.  However, I did stop at Sancofa coffee shop for a muffin and a water.  The shop is on the 3rd floor overlooking a park and the road; the following pictures are of the area.

Grazing cattle in a city park

Waiting for a fare

Security Guard going to work with his antique rifle

Delivering a bed

Non stop foot, bicycle, motorcycle, truck and car traffice

Hitting the Ground Running

Since landing in Uganda I have been non-stop in getting my affairs in order to travel out to Loyo-Oryam.  CRS was gracious enough to allow me to sleep until just before 9 am after reaching the hotel at the stroke of mid-night gaining only an hour here and there of sleep along the way.

After a quick search for a cellular modem and smart phone and the trials and tribulations of converting US dollars to Uganda Schillings (bring new crisp $50 and $100's) or suffer the fate of inspection and discount; thankfully the ATM dispenses shillings at the going international rate).

The modem is a usb device that not only connects to the 3 and 4 G networks; but also acts as a wireless router.  This router provides ease of use and configuration for small groups at a minimal expense.


The drive from Kampala to Loyo-Oyam can take anywhere between four to six hours depending upon traffic and road conditions.  Since Eid had just ended many people are on holiday which, unlike the US, left the roads open for ease of travel.  Upon reaching the SACCO (savings and credit cooperative (credit union to  us) the discussion centered upon my return and the gift of their solar power unit from Mark, Jim and Neal.  The materials were purchased in Kampala and installed by the same company.  The company did an excellent job with the installation including monitors and circuit breakers which are a bit uncommon in the rural areas.

Jacob (jaw cup) the SACCO manager is standing next to the inverter ( blue box).  The white panels across from him are the manual throw switch to go onto solar from the wire and the circuit breakers.  The two small boxes between the blue and white panels and the inverter are the power monitors (solar amps, power, load amps).  There are ten 4 x 2 foot panels on the roof that charge the four gel type batteries.  The battery backup can power the SACCO for ten days without sunshine; however, being on the equator no one can remember going 10 days without sunshine and/or power.

The solar panels are so advanced they were generating electricity upon my arrival on a very gray and overcast day.

The following pictures were taken on my Iphone on the trip from Kampala to Loyo-Oyam.

Downtown Kampala

Downtown Kampala

Note the Railroad Crossing Sign

Typical Kampala traffic

typical bathroom - gender identification is not an issue here

Chicken stew for lunch; rice, cabbage and the back of the chicken 

Baboons hanging out near the Nile for handouts

Typical truck loaded with items and people after the market

My view from the room - early morning washing of the pots and pans that will cook the food I will eat.

Traveling coffee mug and french press.  I admit it; I have become a coffee snob.

INSTALLING SOLAR BACKUP POWER AND UPGRADING COMPUTERS AND SYSTEMS 2016

Ten months ago I met with the group at Loro-Oyam SACCO on an assignment to teach the use of computers and applications to allow the outfit to computerize their savings and loan records.  Recently three friends,  Jim Mack, Mark Sevier and Neal Sorenson, funded the purchase and installation of a solar power backup system it was brought to my attention there are issues with the local area network and computers I had previously installed.    This trip is to troubleshoot and update the network and install a Mifos accounting system.

Mike

Loro-Oyam SACCO September 2016

Playing Catch Up To End This Trip

As happens I got behind in ending this trip.  Well the group was able to get their little network up and running.  Data was being inputted and all seemed to be working when I left Loro District.   I leave you with a few more pictures of life in Uganda.

The Board of Directors and Class

 The River Nile

 The preferred mode of travel for infants

The preferred mode of travel for adults and freight

Rotary International

Being a Rotarian is one of the best decisions I have ever made.  The principal idea of putting service above self rings true to me and has a lot to do with what guides my decisions to make what I call these mission trips.  On this particular trip I was fortunate enough to stay at the Margaritha Place Hotel in Lira which is where the local Rotary Club meets on Tuesday's.  This small, but very active group, have an enormous impact on their country, politics and its' youth (running two RYLA camps a year).  I enjoyed their fellowship, swapped banners and took the following pictures.