Where was I? Oh yes, Wednesday. Mom had heard about a good shop near Peace House called Fotini. When we arrived here she asked everyone if they knew of it, where it was, etc. We came up empty handed. Finally I googled it and discovered that it does exist, but it’s not in Arusha. It’s technically in Kisongo, a town just down the road. We asked Ernest the taxi driver about it and he said he knew where it was and that there was also an interesting market nearby. So we planned for Wednesday to be Kisongo morning, to coincide with the weekly market.
It was fun to turn left instead of right out of the Peace House road for a change and we got to see a new expanse of land. Kisongo is a Maasai village and we drove past many traditional huts. Finally we found the turn off for Fotini, with a large sign just off the road. A little ways further down we found another smaller sign directing us up a hill. How anyone finds this place without a referral is beyond me! We drove up the flower lined hill until the road seemed to end and found nothing. Thankfully Ernest asked a gentleman walking down the hill if he knew anything and he pointed us back the direction we had come. Sure enough, halfway down the hill, there was a gate with Fotini painted on it in big letters. Unfortunately there was another sign on a piece of computer paper that read “Closed for renovations. Please visit our shop at the Coffee Lodge.“ We had come all this way to a shop that was closed. Whoops.
Thankfully the day wasn’t a complete waste as Ernest drove us in to the market. There is very little rhyme or reason to the market set up, and one sort of road that sort of goes through the middle. I say sort of because if someone decides to park their truck and refuses to move it, the road becomes a parking lot.
The market was truly a sea of colors. The Maasai men wore their red or blue robes, women were in every color imaginable, the bananas and mangos were green, the donkeys gray, white and brown goats, yellow pineapple slices, and the list goes on.
There was no real structure for stalls or the like, instead it was a patchwork sea of people with their goods laid out on blankets or bags, or piled on carts. Apparently different towns have markets on different days, and people come from miles around to buy and sell. We saw people walking, biking, or riding packed into truck beds. Obviously these markets are the place to be.
Ernest asked if we wanted to walk around but we were short on time and a bit intimidated as well. There were two white couples that I saw, both with guides. He did hop out at one point to take our photo in the car and Mom also asked him to buy us a pineapple. He bargained and got us a pineapple for 1,000 shillings. That’s about 80 cents! He also got a big slice for himself, I’m not sure if that was out of our money or a free sample, but he certainly earned it either way.
After the fascinating trip through the market, we went back towards Peace House, stopping briefly at Arusha Coffee Lodge to check out the mini-Fotini and have some lunch. I’m ashamed to admit that I had a hamburger, something I rarely do when I travel. However on this long trip I decided I was allowed an American treat after eating rice, beans, kande, etc. Tonight we are finally going to try the traditional ugali. We went to lunch one other day to have it but they had a special meal as a going away surprise for one of the staff. Every other time it has been on the menu, we have had plans. Mom can’t get out of it this time!
As I said earlier, there are two sides to Africa (well, probably many more but two that I’m seeing in this short time) and we really jumped between them going from the market to the lodge. The market is a bustling place but very raw. The lodge is pristine and sculptured. Bungalows there can range up to $900 per night for full board. It is where celebrities (like Jessica Biel recently) stay and fundraisers are held (the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation recently hosted an event there). It is as far away from the rest of Africa as one can get.
The rain has hit now and the breeze is amazing. The walk back to our house will be less amazing and more wet and muddy. There are no light showers here, only storms. They are quick and heavy, and despite their force, the ground doesn’t really seem to absorb much. The top layer turns to mud and even that dries up quickly after the sun comes out.
The power has come back on so I will try to post this before the next roll of thunder kills it again!
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