Tanzania's Southern Highlands

After Mikume (see blog entry below), we headed off down south for the Highlands of Tanzania. I was very excited about our holiday there, as it is at 6000 feet altitude- hence too high -and too cold- for mosquitoes, a variety of nasty Tanzanian bugs and even certain snakes!

I can't even begin to describe the relief that comes from being in a mosquito-free environment. Malaria is a constant worry out here, especially when one has small children, so I felt a heady sense of freedom from that nagging concern which is a part of my everyday life in Tanzania. The beds in our chalets had no mosquito nets and such a little fact seemed to make life so much easier! It seemed so simple to climb in and out of bed and to be able to reach my children to wish them goodnight, without having to grapple with a stubborn net around their beds!

I was also really looking forward to seeing greenery again! We are well into dry season here in Dodoma and it seems everything takes on the same dusty brown, sandy colour- buildings, roads, countryside, even the surfaces in my house- so it was a real treat for the eyes to see beautiful expanses of green; also, restful for the eyes to see full lakes, dams and streams after months without rain and bone dry riverbeds.

The cooler air and fresh breeze were another welcome aspect of our holiday in the Highlands- a lovely contrast to Dodoma, where the temperatures are rising as the hottest season arrives.

We stayed on a beautiful farm, with sweeping views. Here, Ben adorns the view from our chalet:

There were plenty of animals to keep the children amused. They even experienced their first ever horse rides! A proud moment, to see such Esther + Ben, despite being so little, sitting up so high on horses and thoroughly enjoying their ride:

There were also lambs to bottle-feed and cuddle:

For Andrew, some fun with fly-fishing at one of the farm's dams:

We enjoyed many walks across the farm to visit the pigs, see the trout in the fishery (this is the only place in Tanzania cool enough for trout), discover the amazing 2 acres of vegetables and fruit (including strawberries!!) growing in the specially made vegetable garden and watch the calves out in the fields with their mothers. It was nice to have the freedom to wander over such a large area of countryside.

We also learnt about coffee growing, as the farm has a coffee plantation. We visited the coffee bean pickers at work and saw how they picked the red beans. They told us all about the drying process and how 2 outer layers must be peeled off each bean -1 before it is ready to be dried and 1 before it is roasted. Finally, it will be ready for your coffee cup! Esther examines the coffee beans as they dry out in the sun:

There was even a very green croquet lawn, hidden within a beautifully tended garden! We had a fun game of croquet, although Ben decided he didn't like this game at all: I can hardly blame him when the mallet is bigger than he is!

In the evenings, the children ate early and then went to bed in our chalet. Once safely tucked up, a Masaai guard kept watch outside the chalet door, while Mum and Dad (also carrying the baby-monitor machine, just in case!!) went to eat in the farm lodge next to the chalet, for civilised evening dinners with our host and other guests. No cooking, cleaning or shopping for me- what a treat!! A truly wonderful holiday! :-)