Mto Wa Mbu and Gibbs Farm

February 26
Thirty kinds of bananas grow in Tanzania.  They use several varieties when making banana beer in the town of Mto Wa Mbu.  It takes a day to brew and six days to ferment.  Mto Wa Mbu  is located at the north end of Lake Manyara.  It is home to 25000 people from 120 different tribes.  The big new highway funded by the Japanese will follow the road that goes through town and so many unfortunate people will lose their front yards and/or their houses.
Brewing banana beer
Next we drove up the Rift Escarpment, out of Maasai territory and into Mbulu territory.  The landscape was very lush with rich farms and dense jungle.  We had a delicious lunch and dinner at Gibbs Farm--a working farm and hotel.  Our afternoon hike was up through the jungle to a waterfall and salt lick where the elephants and cape buffalo go.  We heard the fabulous call of the bou-bou bird along the way.



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