Tanzania 4

Monday was a day when Dag needed to work. So, graciously he arranged for us to visit Arusha. For that we needed a guide and he made contact with Penina. She lives close to Makumira and is a trained tourist guide. Perfect.

Penina is skilled at bargaining.

First stop was the market, where my wife wanted to buy some fabrics. Penina took us into the town centre, where I parked the car in something that looked like an ordered chaos. No problem! We found a parking spot and walked a few blocks through the market to a small, tiny shop with Kangas, Kitenges and lots of other stuff.

After having picked enough material the bargaining process started. We understood that the owner was slightly disappointed that Penina did not accept the higher price (or Musungu-price). Had she done that, a small portion would have slipped into her pocket. But she knew the Tanzanian price and was not satisfied until we got there.

After a few more shops, where we bought some sweet potatoes and garlic, we made our way to Shanga. This project is eight years old and gives disabled people a job opportunity. At Shanga they prefer the word

Challenged persons

I liked that. We had lunch there and also bought a few things.

They did a lot of glassblowing and painting. They also made jewellery.

This man is probably deaf. Doesn't matter when you blow glass.

Parts from an old bicycle forms the spinning wheel that this woman uses.

The painter had a back injury as a teenager and is now paralytic from the waist down.

From there Penina took us to a heritage centre. Due to lack of time we did not see the museum but made a turn in the shop and had some coffee.

Last stop before going back to Makumira was Peninas newly opened shop in a narrow street. She sells basic groceries and her cousin looks after the shop.

Me, the cousin and Penina in the shop.

Another interesting day in Tanzania came to an end. We were fascinated that this was only our fifth day in the country and we had already experienced so much.