Tanzania, December 2015
Lake Natron is a beautiful salt lake in the middle of the land of the Maasai. The Maasai are a very traditional population group. They live in huts made of cow dung with thatched roofs, which stand in their traditional, small villages. Their clothes are really colourful. The Maasai live mainly from the breeding of cattle and goat farming.
The area around the Lake Natron is touristically not very developed. This fact was the main reason I wanted to go there. I was traveling with my travel mate Alex – a young man from Germany. He, too, was not averse to the idea, so we decided to set out together without further ado.
Our couchsurfing host Jackson kindly offered to leave our luggage with him in Arusha, so we did not need to take it with us. We thankfully accepted. How a liberating feeling it was, when we could travel without heavy loads on your back. Since we intended to spend only one to a maximum of two nights there, I did not even take any clothes with me to change.
Jackson briefly explained how best to get to Lake Natron. It would not be easy, he said, as there were no regular transports to the village. If we were lucky, we could make it there in one day.
The first part of the route we could go in a Dalla-Dalla. Next, we should probably go by car. But lo and behold, as soon as we got out of the Dalla-Dalla and had just waited a short while on the road, a jeep loaded with a Maasai arrived that stopped for us. The driver only went to Engaruka. This small Maasai hamlet is still a long way from Lake Natron, but at least we approached our destination a bit.
So we could get on the jeep for some change. It was still overflowing with tons of Maasai and vegetable sacks deposited on the roof. Whenever I thought that now nothing and no one could really fit in, a few more corn sacks and people were added.
The trip took a good two hours and was quite adventurous due to the roads that were very bumpy. Since our vehicle seemed quite ready for the scrap yard, I was sometimes seriously afraid that it would just fall apart. In addition, the roof of the car bulged down under the enormous load (about 300 kg of vegetable sacks and six Maasai). In the end, we even crossed a raging river – how incredible!
When we arrived in Engaruka, we found a cheap accommodation for the equivalent of 1.30 Euros per person. It was quite simple, so only a room with bed and no electricity, but it seemed to be clean.
The bathroom was a bit further away: it was just a tiny room that served as both a toilet and a shower. In the middle of the room was a hole. You had to aim for this hole, and at the same time it was the drain for the shower. Although, the word shower probably still sounds too comfortable.
It usually worked as follows: First you had to fill a bucket in the yard with the slightly cloudy water and then carry it to the bathroom. With a smaller bucket, you now draw water from the bigger bucket and let it run over your head. But after a short time in Africa, you usually get used to this kind of showering. I am not sure if you really get cleaner after that, but at least unpleasant body odors disappear when you use soap.
In the evening, Alex and I were looking for something similar to a bar to treat us to a well-deserved drink and something to eat. Finally, we found something that seemed right in this small village with around 30 cottages.
Muzungus probably do not come here often, because in 2-minute intervals, some villagers arrived to talk to us or just to examine us. That was almost annoying, because we were pretty tired and just wanted to enjoy the nice evening in this idyllic area. But you cannot blame them either, and it should be said that the Maasai are really friendly people.
We were letting us get surprised what would be served for dinner, because almost no one here spoke English, and the women cooked a dish that was now given out to everyone. It turned out it was Ugali with tough beef and indefinable greens. There was no cutlery.
Alright, then we had to use our fingers to eat. Our neighbors began to laugh as they watched us. We were not quite sure what could be so funny. They finally explained to us that you should only use your right hand to eat. The left is seen as the impure. Good to know!
The next morning, Alex and I were on time for departure at eight o'clock. We were told that at this time, a bus would go to Lake Natron. It arrived three hours later. So once again we had been taught that European punctuality does not bring you very far here in Africa. We should have known!
A very stubborn man had been following us for a while. He wanted to be our guide at Lake Natron. We tried to explain to him that we did not need a guide. But he did not let go and said that we would not be able to go there without one. Oh nonsense! We ignored him. He then just ended up in the bus with us. Well, that should not be our problem.
The trip took two hours. Live chickens and a lot of Maasai surrounded us. But we were rewarded with an absolutely impressive, steppe-like area. I somehow tried to get a look through the windows between the people. When we even passed zebra herds and giraffes, Alex and I were very really happy. Shortly thereafter, we also saw some ostriches, which ran through the barren landscape in a decent speed not too far away on their long legs. What an adventurous ride!
On the track we were stopped three times and had to pay a total of 35 USD. Curiously, only we Muzungus had to pay. These were probably fees to enter the Maasai country. Logically, we were not very happy about this rip-off.
Last but not least, we stopped almost an hour later as we encountered another bus that had a breakdown. We all got out of the bus to get some fresh air. But even outside it was not much better, because the sun burned relentlessly from the sky.
When we got out of Engaresero, the little village near Lake Natron, which cannot even be found in maps, we met yet another traveler. His name was Danas, and he came from Lithuania. We almost could not believe it. That was really the last thing we had expected here. Together, we all decided to find a way to the lake.
The alleged guide continued to haunt us. This time, another young man with a motorbike joined him. Again, they demanded 20 USD, or otherwise we would not be allowed to walk through the village. So that really could not be true. We had already paid enough to enter this area.
Danas made it very clear to both of them that he had never needed a guide for anything. The furious men now threatened us to call the police. We thought that was a good idea. But the police had to be found first. No one knew where the policeman of the village was right now.
Some time later, the policeman finally trotted on. He did not wear a uniform, but we had no choice but to believe that he was the village policeman. But the nice gentleman was completely useless in this matter, because he – as he himself said – also had no idea what the rules for tourists were supposed to be. Apparently, there is a tourist office hut just outside the village. We should go there. It was an estimated 40 °C and we were tired and exhausted. To search for this tourist office hut for hours, right now, seemed like nonsense to us.
We decided to spend the night in the only inn in the village and leave tomorrow morning. The life in the Maasai village was really impressive but the welcome here was, unfortunately, anything but friendly. Besides, we did not want to be ripped off further.
At sunset we planned to hike up the hill behind our inn. But as soon as we moved 20 meters from our accommodation, the guy from before appeared again.
He began to insult us so wildly and said that we were not allowed to be here. I wanted to explode, but tried to stay calm. Being arrested here certainly is not funny. Danas, too, seemed quite angry and shouted some incomprehensible words – presumably strong expressions in Lithuanian – and then stomped off with a red face.
Alex and Danas suggested that we should have a beer first. We ignored the guy that was still screaming.
Fortunately, we immediately found a small restaurant – it was actually a straw hut – which sold beer. They even had something to eat: Ugali with chicken. We allowed ourselves a little cooling and tried to forget our anger. A nice elderly Maasai gentleman joined us, and we told him about our not very nice reception here in the village. He seemed deeply upset about it. The man in charge of the tourist office hut outside the village was contacted.
A little later, he appeared. He seemed very friendly and apologized for the inconveniences. It was a funny image that we three Muzungus discussed with a bunch of Maasai while drinking beer. Above all, I was the only woman at the table. It is probably not usual for women to sit in taverns here.
Finally, the tourist office official explained that we had to pay 20 USD. But this included a visit of the lake, a waterfall, and much more – also a guide was included. He would be very concerned about the unfriendly reception and would therefore reduce the price by half.
Actually, we had already decided to leave tomorrow, but the men here seemed really nice and like they meant what they said. Besides, we had already spent a lot of money to come here. Well, we were persuaded. We paid the ten dollars and were free to see the land from now on. We spent a few more fun hours with the Maasai. Danas even engaged in a drinking game with an elderly gentleman. After that, going straight seemed to be a bit difficult for him.
The next morning started quite foggy. We were promised the day before that today we were allowed to watch the slaughter of a goat. So we went to the hut where this was going to happen. Some Maasai were already standing next to the goat. It seemed to feel that something was going on, because it was extremely nervous.
Then, suddenly, everything went very fast: Three guys brought the buck to the ground. One severed his head with a somewhat rusty machete. The blood sprayed from the throat, which the men immediately caught in a bowl. Half of it was mixed with milk and a little salt while constantly stirring.
Now came the moment of truth. They handed us the bowl to drink the body-warm blood-milk mixture, as is customary among the Maasai. At first, Danas dared to take his turn. It did not seem to be a problem for him.
Then it was my turn. First, I just sipped. I tasted salt and milk. It was not as bad as expected. Then another big gulp followed. The aftertaste was metallic. Wow, I just had some fresh goat blood! Not many people can say that. Above all, it should be noted that we drank it on an empty stomach early in the morning. Alex seemed a bit outrageous. He stood a little offside.
To my surprise, Danas suddenly pulled a bottle of vodka out of his jacket pocket – "For rinsing," he said. That was once again so typical for Danas. Since I, too, did not trust the hygienic conditions one hundred percent, I joined him.
Then we climbed the hill behind our inn and enjoyed the fantastic view over the Maasai country. We could see a volcano in the distance. We had been told that this should represent the sacred mountain of the Maasai. Besides the volcano, we could only see the empty steppe. In addition to the huts of our village Engaresero, we saw a few small straw huts that were close together – so there seemed to be another small village nearby.
In the late morning we met our guide. Fortunately, it turned out that he was really nice. It was planned that we hike to the waterfall that was nearby.
The way there was exceptionally beautiful. We crossed a small village. The children ran barefoot and played with stones. The older ones herded their cattle. When they discovered us, they immediately pursued us, screaming happily. In the end, we had a huge pile of kids in tow.
The last part of the way, we really had to climb a lot though. The little kids did not dare to follow. We went through a deep canyon. Sometimes we had to go in the river or along the steep cliffs.
When we arrived at the waterfall, the guide unceremoniously got rid of all of his clothes but his pants and jumped under the waterfall. I immediately followed him along, but left all my clothes on. After all, the temperature was pretty high. In addition, at least my clothes were washed once again, since I only had one set of clothes with me. Alex and Danas followed us as well. Fantastic!
In the late afternoon we set off for Lake Natron. Our really casual guide accompanied us. He told us many interesting stories from the life of the Maasai. We listened intently and bombarded him with questions.
We had imagined the way to the lake to be easier than it was. Besides, the lake previously seemed to be so close to the village. As it turned out, we were wrong. There was not even a real way. We crossed swamps and rivers. Once again, I was glad to have been on my flip flops, because the sturdy footwear, that Danas and Alex wore, got completely soaked and soiled by the mud in no time.
When we reached the lake, it was already dawning. In the distance you could see hundreds of flamingos, and the salt lake shimmered in the most beautiful colors. Then it was already dark. So we did not have much time to enjoy there. Fortunately, I had my flashlight with me, because the way back in the dark was very difficult.
Back in the village, we inquired how best to get out of here the next day. The locals told us that we had a lot of luck, because a big truck had just arrived. We should ask the driver if he could take us with him. When we found him, he immediately agreed with our plan. The next day at 6 o'clock in the morning, we would start our way back – perfect.
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