rhys 0
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Funny story 
you describe it very well, you almost feel like being there.
It's very far from the everyday problems we encounter here en little Denmark on a rainy and cold wintersday.
Be careful out there, you won't like the Masai people to see you as a lion, who's trespassing their grounds
Peter
you describe it very well, you almost feel like being there. It's very far from the everyday problems we encounter here en little Denmark on a rainy and cold wintersday.
Be careful out there, you won't like the Masai people to see you as a lion, who's trespassing their grounds
Peter
we got to 'the spot' and the wind was all wrong. we drove to the other side of the hill and had a wee play but the conditions and slope(landing area) were less than ideal.
In africa people like to make problems in order to obtain money out of you. The area we are launching is a Masai area and fortunately for us we employ a Masai to guard our home and I am also teaching him to pack the tandems.
A guy came up to us and said we have to go to the office. I diplomaticly told him we will go to the office and do things properly. Leigh was already half way up the hill so i went up to retrieve her. the wind was all wrong anyway.
We drove to the nearest settlement and stopped at a small shop constructed of wooden logs wrapped in sacks selling single cigarettes and newspapers. The guy there spoke no english. but with my limited Swahili I could understand what he had to say.
I asked where the office was and he said "downstairs"
we jumped in our van and drove 100 metres 'down' the road.
waiting for us was the so called 'village chief executive officer' and the office was the side of the road, I smelled a rat.
He asked us what were were doing and why we were there without permission.
I have to add; the area is a masai area and we asked our guard to ask the local Masai if it was O.K. to fly there. and they were all very happy to have us there. we were there for the second time, the last time we were there all the children were very thirsty so this time we brought 80litres of clean drinking water with us. we like to respect our site and the people from there.
I told the man that we asked the locals and they were fime with it. There is no office and no sign for any such office and we appologise for overstepping our boundaries.
He then told us that we could leave but our guard had to remain with them (there were about 10 of these people by this stage)and will be taken to the police. I asked him what he had done wrong and he said "you do not know the laws of tanzania so you are free, your masai does know the laws and he will pay for breaking them.
I knew he was false and wanted to do something with our poor guard, if he wanted money he would have detained us!
I said my guard is my responsibilty, we bought him here and we are responasable. please get in the vabn and we will immediately go to the closest police station to sort this out properly not on the side of the road.
He began to sweat and told us to leave, with our guard.
we then went to Pashas (our guards) home which is a small family settlement made from cow excrement and sticks. but quite comfortable, we did sleep in our van though
http://www.on-the-matrix.com/africa/masai_people.asp
the moral of the story is that you never know what will happen when you go groundlaunching, be careful and be educated on the ownership of the land in question.
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