Karatu

After going and getting checked out at the hospital in Karatu, I went back to the guest house and napped for a few hours. When I was feeling a bit better, I set out to find the office of the Karatu Cultural Tourism Program. There, I met their very nice operator/guide, Richard. He was very welcoming and very enthusiastic about the program. He was so excited to get started, that evening he showed me around some local farms, brought me to a soccer field where a game was being played, and introduced me to his wife and two year old son. I even ate dinner with them- a pilau dish of rice and beef that was very good.

A view of Karatu and the swamp

The next day, Richard took me on a tour of the surrounding village and more of Karatu. We walked through a small swamp with lots of birds and where villagers collect water for their crops. Next we visited the local brick making site, where they dig up mud from the hillside and bake it in small ovens. At the end of our village walk, we climbed up a hill for views of Karatu and neighboring Lake Manyara. Heading back into town, we visited a private primary school, a center for street children, the clothes shop were his wife works, and the local food market.

The brick making site

During my last day in Karatu, we went to the monthly market. Thousands of people of all tribes come from all over to trade at the market. They were selling everything from clothes to souvenirs to live animals, some of which were slaughtered and eaten at the market as well. It was quite a spectacle to walk around and see all that was going on.

At the market