The safari driver left me in Monduli - a small town where my aunt was working - on the return trip to Arusha. Monduli's landscape was a bit different to what I pictured. I thought it would be flat, hot, and maybe one or two trees. Instead, it is hugged by beautiful forested mountains (with the majestic 3500m Mt Meru in the distance), a mild temperature, and dirt roads lined by pretty jacaranda trees and flowers. The town is surrounded by farming areas - mud huts, goats, donkeys and chickens and little kids everywhere.
Like a lot of Africa, the houses in the town are mostly in disrepair, and everything seems filthy from the dirt dust in the dry season and mud in the wet season.
Most the people in Monduli are in poverty, earning less than US$1 a day. There is no running water - just a tap that is situated quite a distance from the town. Every morning, there would be women and children lined up at the tap with their donkeys and colourful buckets to fill. If they didn't own a donkey, they would walk back with the buckets balanced on their heads.
I
was always amazed at how they balanced just about anything on their heads! Frequently we saw women carrying large sticks, heavy buckets of water, a large bundle of clothes, or trays of bananas on their heads.
The town was alive on Sunday with the Sunday markets. People, donkeys, bright coloured cloth, clothing, pots, shoes, fruit and veges laid out on the ground. Noisy, smelly, dusty and exciting!
We were going to try freshly slaughtered and roasted goats meat. I was a bit dubious, so was relieved when we decided there were no choice cuts to try!
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