Meeting culture: Photographs

 

What a beautiful calendar

My organization is frequently invited to attend formal workshops, meetings and other types of official events. One amusing aspects of meeting culture here is the presence of freelance photographers. Their main purpose is to take the official photo of attendees, which typically is one of the first agenda items, and then they are free to roam around and take photos of attendees. Whether this is capturing people sitting and listening to presentations, having informal chats at tea break, or any other activity, the photographers are there to capture the moments. 

They're very entrepreneurial and if they've taken photos in the morning, they'll have printed them and display them for sale outside of the meeting hall. Many attendees are dressed quite smart and the glossy photos look very official and professional. There is also the appeal of having captured photos of people speaking with big wigs such as ministers which can appeal to ones ego. 

I recently attended a workshop and I was surprised at the ingenuity of the photographers. When I exited the meeting hall I noticed they not only had a photo of me speaking on the phone, but they had designed a calendar with said image. I do not normally purchase photos of myself but this one was too unique to pass up.

Kisolanza Farmhouse in the dry season

 

October vibes

I've waxed poetic about Kisolanza Farmhouse (Post I, Post II, Post III) and enjoyed a dry season visit this past weekend. It's not as cold as the peak months (June and July) but still a much cooler temperature than lower elevation areas this time of year. 

They've full repaired their dining area and it's a mix of traditional construction and modern roofing. I personally feel that it really works and matches the aesthetic of the rest of the rooms and the property. Everything is done so tastefully with a farmhouse feel. It's challenging for cottages in Africa to not go overboard with Maasai sheets and other kitsch stereotypical designs and I think Kisolanza Farmhouse has one of my favorite "feels" of any lodge in Tanzania. Everything is locally made, tasteful yet not ostentatious, and the place feels downright homey. The fireplaces lend themselves to an evening of reading by the fire, a perfect activity! Even during the day there is adequate seating inside and outside for us to simply relax or the property is large enough for a variety of different walks.

The food is amazing with no fixed menu. We always enjoy the surprise of what the food will be and one of the challenges of an extended stay at Kiso is eating in moderation. The breakfast is particularly delectable and one of my favorite elements is the homemade yogurt with honey, farm-fresh butter, and homemade strawberry jam. All of the dairy based food items are extremely fresh and rich. The strawberries and cream dessert caused an awakening of my palette that I never imagined possible!

Yes, please.

In memory of the Greek Club

Greek lasagna in the background, one of my favorites

Oh, how I miss the menu!

 

It is unfortunate that I never chronicled the Greek Club when it was active as it was one of the more unique enterprises in Iringa town. Iringa region has a relatively large population of Greeks and although the Greek Club was literally a membership driven club (I'm unsure if you needed to be Greek), it was more well known for its Friday night movie nights and delicious restaurant. The food was a rotating menu based on whatever the proprietor had prepared. The owners were both Greek and the matriarch was an amazing cook. The restaurant had a serious home cooked meal feel and although it was very expensive relative to other restaurants in the area, it was also a unique style of food prepared with high quality ingredients. Some of my favorites were the bacon calzone and the greek lasagna. 

The Greek Club was located a little outside of town in an unmarked but convenient location. It had a large outdoor area, small veranda with dining, and then a large area inside with overflow seating. The owners were always around and very friendly people clearly highly involved with a wide social network. If Neema Crafts is the unofficial coffee shop and meeting point for traveler and local alike, then the Greek Club would be more like a permanent residents meet up point. It was less noisy and hectic than Neema Crafts while still being centrally located. 

Unfortunately the Greek Club closed rather suddenly a few years ago. Rumors abound regarding the reasons why but I am not close to the source so I will not speculate. The only thing I know for sure is that it is sorely missed!

Inside where movie nights were held on Friday evenings

Unassuming building. Events were inside and dining was done on the veranda (far right)

 

 

 

October dry season

 

Sunset

The heat is ON. October is deep into the dry season and is the hottest and driest time of the year. Temperatures regularly hit 38 C (100 F) and even some of the nights are toasty. It's not unusual for the temperatures to reach uncomfortable heights by 9am and if there was one time in the year that we use a fan at night, it's October. To be fair it's not dramatically different than August but at this extreme even the most incremental increase in dryness and heat is noticeable. 

The end of October will have a few showers, at least some respite and moisture entering into the environment. Some of the miombo species in the area have put out their leaves, a harbinger of the rains to come. We'll also hear the first European Bee-eaters coming back from Europe, usually in the beginning of the month. There is another family of plants, the Caper Family (Family Capparaceae) that tends to flower this time of year as well. After a few months of relative stagnation in the ecosystem, it's an exciting time to notice all the small signs of the rains to come. 

The edge of camp

The main entrance at sunset

The Iringa airport

 

Departures on the left, arrivals on the right.

The runway, you simple walk out the doors and climb into the plane.

 

The airport at Iringa is small and servicable and dare I say a bit charming? It is located about a half hour drive outside of Iringa town, north towards Dodoma in a rural area with the typical Iringa granite studded hills providing a beautiful backdrop. 

The airport recently received some renovations and there is now a separate departure and arrival section. There is only one "terminal" so to speak, a large room with one entrance. As the flights are maximum 12 people and there are never more than two flights within an hour proximity of each other, you do not need to show up very far in advance. At the entrance there is a x-ray machine and walk through metal detector and then a small desk that serves as the ticket counter. The airport is small enough that you can view everything openly; there is no conveyor belt sucking your bag into an abyss unknown, no mystery regarding the whereabouts of your bag between the moment it leaves your hand and when it enters the underside of the airplane. You simply hand your bag to the clerk, he weighs it on a scale (non-digital, might I add) and puts it on a cart. The cart is wheeled out through the doors and onto the plane in front of everyone to see. 

There are clean bathrooms with western style toilets as well as a few concessions. When the renovations were completed a few years ago the concessions stand was manned with a few local classic like samosas and chapati along with beverages. For the past year or so it has not been opened and thus there are no services available and no public water availability. 

The airport is still under construction with a larger runway being built. It will allow for easier hosting of the larger Air Tanzania planes. Air Tanzania began servicing Iringa a few years ago and then abruptly stopped with concerns about the size of the runway. It was a shame as the Air Tanzania flights were a fraction of the cost but hopefully it will be back up and running shortly. 

The airport has come a long way. When we first moved to Iringa it was basically a one room building with minimal security infrastructure and very informal. I like the new renovations because they are not ostentatious or gaudy but completely appropriate for the size of the airport and hopefully we'll be able to fly more often when the new runway is complete.

Terminal 1