« Home | Mto wa Mbu – Babati; Lake Babati » | Karatu – Mto wa Mbu; Lake Manyara » | Ngorongoro Crater » | Moshi – Arusha – Karatu » | Lushoto – Moshi; Kwalei, Soni » | Mazumbai – Lushoto » | Mazumbai 2 » | Mazumbai 1 » | Dar es Salaam – Mazumbai; Chalinze » | Stockholm – London, onward » 

5 February 2006 

Babati – Kondoa

I woke up feeling better, but not perfect. We stopped at Lake Babati and talked about montmorillonite, birds, hippos and the changing water level. Our presence was very amusing to the dozens of local kids who gathered around us. Somewhere along the road we stopped to look at miombo woodland, which is a Brachystegia - Brachylaena forest type indigenous to this area. Characteristic species we observed included Brachystegia microphylla and Brachystegia spiciformis. Other taxa we were able to identify were Calodendrum capenses, Combretum molle, Julbernardia globiflora, Camelia sp., Osyris sp. and Rhus sp.

Later on we joined an under-informed guide and hiked up to see some of the famous Kolo rock paintings. Most were quite clear despite many years of weathering and we could make out giraffes, elephants, gazelles and both male and female human figures engaged in a variety of activities. Unfortunately, I am still unclear on exactly how old this art is; it seems that sources conflict and I am unaware of a clear consensus. An internet search returned estimates ranging from a few thousand to 30,000 years old.

After a bit of hotel hopping we settle into our rooms and endured an incredible wait for dinner, which, in the end, turned out to be an insufficient amount of bad food. When we finally got to bed I had a really strange experience: intense visual hallucinations. Perhaps a side effect of the mefloquine (Lariam®), these visions were vivid and disturbing, regardless of whether I opened or closed my eyes. They only abated when I finally fell asleep.

Why so much science? What is this?