This morning the rest of the group went hiking to the elephant caves but because we had already been there we went to Gibb's farm. Gibb's is a coffee farm and resort. The first place we went when we got there was the bathroom and even that was impressive; there were two rolls of toilet paper (one hanging on each wall) in the stall and a gorgeous view looking out over the farm from the sinks.
We just walked up and hoped that someone had time to give us a tour. Luckily they had a guide free to give one. The best part it was free except for the tip we gave our guide.
The guide took us through the organic gardens first. They had everything there from herbs to vegetables to fruit. They had two types of thyme, oregano, parsley, basil, rosemary, dill, mint, broccoli, artichokes, squash, turnips, carrots, lettuce, spinach, peas, string beans, chili peppers, chives, tree tomatoes (they are most similar to pomegranate as far as I can describe them), rhubarb, strawberries, papaya, bananas and, of course, coffee! The best part was that we could try everything. I ate some kind of flower that is used as a garnish, thyme (lemon and normal), oregano, parsley, mint, peas, string beans, tree tomatoes, and strawberries. I also licked raw coffee beans: they have a sugary taste to them. The tree tomatoes were surprisingly bitter but once you got to the inside the seeds were good. The strawberry that I had was probably the best strawberry I've ever had in my life. The guide was awesome because when we liked something he would just pick more of it for us. I couldn't believe it because we were not paying guests. I hope I didn't get giardia or anything from eating raw unwashed food. Time will tell I guess...
After we finished in the gardens we went to see the animals that they kept. They had pigs, donkeys and cows. They kill one pig every two weeks at a butcher block that they have there on the farm. They keep the cattle for milk. The animals ranged in age from newborn to full grown breeding adults and I was generally impressed with the conditions that they were kept under.
Once the tour was over we browsed the gift shop and ordered some coffee. The coffee was delicious. I don't even like coffee that much but I was so satisfied when we left. And it was only $2 for two large cups of locally grown freshly brewed coffee.
After we finished our coffee we met back up with the rest of the group and headed to Karatu. I was so confused when we got to Karatu because we came into town a different way than usual. It took we pretty much all day to figure out that we were in an area of town that I actually know. It was depressing how lost I was just because we came into town a different way.
The best part about Karatu was going to Fahaad's house. Fahaad is one of the East African students and Karatu is his home town. We got to meet his mother, father, brothers, sister and a handful of extended family members. They were all extremely nice and their house was very nice too. They owned a compound area that was built in a U shape that included living space, toilets, and covered garage-like areas where they kept machines to process food. Faahad invited us all into his room- which, by the way, was big enough to hold two full size beds, a couch and a coffee table- and brought us sodas. People here are so hospitable and polite. Fahaad and his family told us that the giraffe is the national animal of Tanzania because it is peaceful and polite like the people of Tanzania. I will miss the people here so much when I have to go home. Before we left Fahaad's middle brother rapped for us and his youngest brother sang us a couple of songs that he had learned in school. Then we got a picture with his whole family and they told us that we could come back and visit even if Fahaad wasn't there.
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