7. und 8.1.2017: Entspannungs- und Arbeitstage in Momella und Abschied.
The last two days are dedicated to further plannings in the health centre (Computerised data system) and to relaxing.
This of course includes a comfortable breakfast ...
... served by Nema.
Outside the kitchen, laundry is done ... Nema takes a short rest ...
... and other guest houses get their breakfast from Violeta.
Watchmen hanging around ...
The kitchen, where breakfast and dinner is prepared. Not built according to Austrian rules, but the meals are yummy anyway.
Simple furniture, but functional. Wooden shelves, nailed together. By sure better than many products from European home centres.
I walk down to the Momella village - in the meantime I know the way.
Most people here are living in rather ordionary houses, which Europeans would use as garden houses, with garden around, or at least what could be a garden, more or less maintained.
here and there small fields for self-supply - these are beans.
Banana plants around many of the houses.
This could be a fig species ...
... but what kind of?
Ricinus plants along the way.
Pesticides are sprayed readily all over Africa ...
Tomato fields. After 3 months, they are abandoned, the rest of the crop isnīt used.
Water form irrigation channels crossing the way ...
In between where there is no irrigation, is barren land.
Tomato field
Banana plants
I ask myself why so many tomatoes are thrown away.
Tomato pickers
Agavae along the way, the empty areas are not cultivated. Too many stones? The volcanic soil would be very fertile.
Approaching the Momella health centre.
A dust devil in the distance. Dust is omnipresent during the dry season.
Near the health centre, there is a computer school with a nice house garden ...
... with bananas and Papayas, ...
... and different kinds of vegetables.
Donkeys on the free areas.
The pasture beneath the tomato fields are green and even flooded in places - irrigation seems to be not very efficient.
This garden is fenced and beautifully maintained.
So many tomatoes! A Sugo factory should be built here for the thrown-aways.
Mukuru peak
I walk up to the house of Dr. Cornelia Wallner-Frisee, to check the capabilities of the available laptops.
Fields outside the village.
Cornelia is busy with economic planning and book keeping. verything must be in a good order when donations are collected.
In the evening the view to Mount Meru from Corneliaīs terrace.
A newborn girl, her mother died after delivery. The grandparents donīt show any interest, so she is given a young woman from the village as a "surrogate mother", supported by 4 Austrians with 70 Euro a month - not very much for 4 Europeans, but enough to take care of and feed a baby in this country. At age two, she will be accepted in the orphanage (another project of Africa Amini Alama). Presumably she will get even much more chance there as compared to her mother (a teenager, father unknown). She will get enough to eat and will attend school - muchmore than many kids in this poor country. Iīm always surprised at the creative solutions found here.
Spending a wonderful evening and dinner with Cornelia, her mother Christine, Anton and the four Austrians, which had witnessed what happened ....
8.1.2017: the last day; Relaxing in the morning (the coming night I will not find much sleep in the aeroplane) At lunchtime I once more walk to the village.
Some locals love flowers.
Kilimandscharo wrapped in clouds as every day.
Worseg Vision English Academy and Computer school as part of Africa Amini Alama.
Puddles beneath the irrigated fields
Garden near the school.
Dust devils near Ngare Nanjuki.
Farewell now from my tent, everything packed. It was good sleeping here, except the few nights with gusty winds making it rather noisy.
Apart from this, everyting is ok.
The drive to the airport. I asked Monishi for a short stop at the Big Momella lake, for a last view to Mount Meru and to the Flamingos, which are still here, after two days. The opposite side of the lake is outside the National park, sowe come close without permit.
Hundreds of Lesser flamingos in the Big Momella Lake.
The KLM flight departs in the evening from Kilimandscharo Airport, via Daresssalam to Amsterdam and then with KLM to Vienna. 22 hours after my farewell from the tent I enter my house at home.