Friday, and not surprisingly there is still no power. I rearrange a new meet date with Clement. They are suddenly competing to invite me. Saitoti wants me to visit him now as well. I visit the Mondo office at lunch to get some printing done. I am given some pen pictures for Saitoti, Julius and Nelson. Some of the information I know but some I don’t. I wish I had it earlier. Back at Eureka, Catherine finally completes her tests on her petrol driven computer. Having done all the work I can, I end up playing games on Boniface’s Laptop to kill the time until the latest volunteers meeting.

This is my last meeting. It is also the last meeting of Emily, Aaron, Willike, Tina and Kate2. It’s a bit of a clearout this weekend. End of a chapter. After the normal individual updates, Kate gives us all a farewell speech. I hadn’t realised I had visited every single other persons project during my time. There is tears from Emily and Aaron. They have been her over six months. For me it seems a bit strange because I still have ten days to go so doesn’t feel like an end yet. However this weekend is going to be the last time I see some people (in Tanzania at least). John, Dee, Karen are all there but will not be in Arusha before I go home. As it is a big last weekend, it is decided that everyone will meet up again tomorrow for a meal and then go to the ‘infamous’ Maasai Camp night club to party….

For Saturday, me and Karen arranged to travel out to a Maasai market in Mondui for an adventure out. New girl Caroline, from London, is coming with us. She is staying in Kijenge Juu to so we will be sort of Neighbours for about ten days. We all meet up in town. It is observed that there is suddenly a lot of Wellington boots suddenly on sale. Rows and rows of them everywhere where sandals were just last week. Is this a sign?

We take the hour and half Dalla Dalla ride to Mondui Chini. We then needed to find onward transport up the hill to Mondui Juu. This is harder because of its isolated location. We had been told of dodgy trucks and landrovers that will run you up for a fee. We find where they go from by bribing some small boys with biscuits. Putting our trust in a bunch of Africans we don’t now we bounce up the track into the wilderness, standing on the back of the landrover. We only breakdown twice.

After about twenty minutes we arrive a Mondui Juu to the site of the Maasai Market. This is certainly not a tourist market. This is the real thing, a market for Maasai, selling products, clothes, jewellery, foodstuffs and livestock. Karen was determined to buy some Maasai cloths to make some clothes from. She got excited buy the battle of business and started buying in bulk. She is a fierce negotiator allied with Teutonic efficiency and tries all the tricks of bartering helped by her already excellent Swahilli. Me and Caroline just watch the show and are occasionally asked our opinions (though Karen said we Brits are to diplomatic and never give an straight answer). She ends up buy ten cloths which she is really pleased with. A few persistent Maasai women try selling us their necklaces but on the whole we are not hassled at all. It’s a pleasure to be here and experience the atmosphere.

We are all dying to take photos. We start with the old ruse of posing for photos while zooming through each other. Later we get braver and more blatant. Some Maasai hide their faces as many don’t want their photos taken. After a couple of hours and with a threat of rain on this cold hill side, we get back down the hill and head back to Arusha. On the way home a spot a rare species. I see a Newcastle United Dalla Dalla, the first Premiership non-top four DD I’ve seen.

Kate, Kate2, Aaron, Emily, Karen, Caroline, Willike, Naomi, Dee, John and me, meet at Stiggys for our second farewell meal. Afterward we head for Maasai Camp. Maasai Camp is nothing to do with the Maasai. Its slightly out of town and is a popular nightclub. Popular with white tourists, young volunteers and the locals it has the reputation as the local meat market and pickup joint. Every town around the world has one! It lives up to its reputation. Its like an 18-30 club. African boys attempt to bump’n’grind with any white girl that dances, to a soundtrack of r’n’b, bongo flava and the odd western track. Its all good spectator sport and a fun night out is had even if its not most of our groups first choice of a night out (we are far to mature!). But its here we start saying our good buys as people start to leave. So its farewell hugs to Karen, Emily, Aaron, Kate2, Wilike, Naomi, Tina (who has now joined us) and Dee, and a hearty handshake for John. Wow, I won’t see these people again in Tanzania.

I taxi home with John and Dee. We manage to negotiate Tsh9000 to get us home. When the driver realises how far up Kijenge Juu I live, he keeps muttering about the price for the combined journey. One up to the Muzungu on this taxi ride for a change! I have to wake Soudi up again as it 2am.

A lazy start to Sunday. Up late. I have been invited to Jamals (Minja Second Born) house for lunch. Hashime walks me over. Jamal has a small home where he lives with his pregnant wife Happy and their daughter (who’s name I cant remember). The home is not much bigger than a one bedroom flat. But they do have an indoor bathroom (squat style). Despite the size this is not a poor family. The front room is nicely furnished (they have carpet), as well as colour satellite TV and a big stereo system. We have a nice lunch but the TV is on and so we mostly stare at the screen to watch MTV Pimp my Rise, part of a Stephen Fry drama, and the Will Smith film, Hitch. I cant help being drawn to these snippets of western culture and so was everyone else, so I can’t say conversation flowed. The TV effect again. But it was still a pleasant afternoon.

I had also arrange to go on a walk up Kijenge Hill afterwards. The hill stand over Kijene Juu and offers good views of Arusha. I want to do this before I went. Hashime and a guide accompanied me and I got some pictures, observed more rain falling over the east and got a good Sunday afternoon walk. The guide points out Mount Longido. No way is that Mount Longido. Its the wrong shape and wrong direction. My cartographic instict has kicked in, no way can you see Longido from here, its behing Mount Meru. The local insists its Mount Longido and Mr Muzungu visitor is not going to argue, but if it is Mt Longido, I will eat this computer.

We descended into the back alleys of Kijenge Juu, places I’ve never seen. It was nice to see these parts. Locals all greet me with ‘Jambo’. I find this more annoying than being called a ‘Mzungu’. ‘Jambo’ is not correct Tanzanian Swahili. The correct term is ‘Hujambo’. Tanzanians only use ‘Jambo’ for tourists. I always try to use the correct ‘Sijambo’ reply, but I guess I’m never going to look like I’m not a Tourist.