Farewell, Longido!

Farewell, Longido!

We’re home and the adventure is over! Wow! Seven weeks just flew by.



When we left Longido, we took the shuttle bus north to Nairobi. This was the last view we had of the guesthouse:

The large opening you see is the door off the lounge. Left of the lounge is the kitchen. Next time I see the guesthouse, I will be staying there!

In my last entry, I mentioned that we were going to go on a short safari. We spent three nights and four days on a safari that included three of Tanzania’s wonderful national parks. We had a terrific guide: he was very knowledgeable, a good, safe driver, and fun to be around. The experience was one we will not soon forget. (In case you are interested, I’ve put a link to his site on this blog.)

This is an old male buffalo. Apparently they typically live separate from the herd.

Zebras are often seen with wildebeests. Zebras see well and smell poorly. Wildebeest are the opposite: they smell well and see poorly. Apparently they stay together to look out for each other. Nice metaphor, isn’t it?

And, of course, the elephants. They are so huge, and yet they can be so gentle and peaceful. One day in Terengire National Park, we saw several family groups, a total of over 80 elephants before we stopped counting!

This one is a teenage male that was really strutting his stuff. His raised trunk and flapping ears mean he is about to charge. He was giving a troop of baboons a really hard time!

This was probably the largest elephant we saw. We came across him suddenly in the middle of the "road, and caught him by surprise. Our driver showed him “due respect” and we were all fine!



After the safari, we returned for our last week in Longido. The guesthouse construction continues to progress steadily.

The water for the guesthouse will come down from Mount Longido. It will be stored in a large underground reservoir. The hole in the picture is for this underground tank. It was about 24 feet across and about 7 feet deep. It was dug by four men with shovels in about 4 days! Now the tank will be constructed and plastered and then back-filled. The top will be a reinforced cement slab with a manhole for testing the water.

The glazier has been busy putting glass in all of the windows. The screens come next.

The rooms have now all been plastered and the floors are all finished. You can see the plasterers putting the finishing touches on the interior courtyard. The outside of the building will be next. Note the scaffolding. I wonder what a Ministry of Labour Inspector would have to say!

The finishing will come next – so many details to get right. Other Tembos will be there over the next weeks so I am very confident that the guesthouse will be everything we have dreamed…and planned! This project is the talk of the village. Everyone is working towards its success so that it will support the other work of TEMBO!

Our work is truly making a difference in the lives of the people of Longido. But we are only able to do this because of some of the wonderful people we have met and who are working with us. This is Nai and her granddaughter Sharon. Nai is a wonderful, wise friend that is very well respected in the village. We are delighted to have her as one of the trustees of TEMBO Trust.

So it’s goodbye again. I love to come home, but there is a piece of me that loves and lives in Longido.

If you decide to visit Tanzania, I know a great guesthouse in Longido! There’s lots to see, lots to do and the people are ever so warm and welcoming!

Karibu!

Arlene.