Arusha Coffee Lodge

Well, it has been another eventful 2 days. Roman and I flew yesterday from Dar to Kilimanjaro Airport...another mile high sighting of Mount Kili made it worth it. Kili airport is half way between Moshi and Arusha. We were lucky to have a bus to transport us to Arusha that was provided by the airline. Some interesting characters wanted to give us the 1hour lift and I am not entirely sure where we would have ended up. We went on a whim to a place called the Arusha Coffee Lodge. It is a hotel with 21 individual cottages set within the coffee plantation (coffee is a big export for this area of Tanzania). The lodge was a welcome site after travelling through Arusha and its outskirts. It is actually quite a tropical place (which is odd because the land around it looks like what you migth picture in an African film about the Serengeti).

Let me also say, Roman and I are still unable to grasp the amount of poverty. We feel an indescribable guilt about having what we have. There are people everywhere who look like they need 1. Food 2. a bath 3. a medical check-up. The kids are the hardest to look at. I don't know how to describe it any other way....but, despite this, many have smiles and are just going about their day..trying to survive. Today is our last 'cushy' day staying at a real hotel. The next week or so will be up at the hospital in Kilema and surrounding area. HIV is definitely here as well but it is not openly discussed (ie. billboards etc) as in some other African countries but if you ask people they will talk about it and how it has affected them.

As it was our last day of time to ourselves/vacation, Roman and I decided to do something a little off the beaten track. We went into Arusha and went to the United Nations building where the Rwandan War Crimes Tribunal is still ongoing (how many years now). We traded in our passports for a visitors pass and went to one of two court rooms that had proceedings ongoing. Dad, I know you would have loved it. It was really, really interesting. Everyone was in formal court attire (robes etc) and we got a headset with English translation. They had a concealed witness in the witness stand who was being examined and cross-examined about the goings on in an area of Rwanda at the time of the genocide. We gathered that he was an army officer who would have witnessed various meetings etc of higher up officers who might have been involved in carrying out orders to kill. The discussion was very circular and people burst out laughing at times , including the judge. The witness was clearly afraid of having words put in his mouth and he refused to acknowledge some obvious things (Example: Look at this picture, Mr Witness, does the roof not look slanted to you? No, I cannot say that it looks slanted, I was not there.etc etc...the judge eventually asked him to admit what everyone else in the room could see in the picture...the roof was slanted!!!). We could have stayed all day as it really was more interesting than that. I guess this was where Romeo Dallaire would have testified. We are going to the airport tonight to meet Greg John from CACHA and Danielle Trudeau, the law student who will stay here until January to work onthe project. I am looking forward to seeing Moshi and Kilema....it has been a real eye opener so far.