Saturday, July 26, 2008

Took day trip with one of the drivers to Tongoni ruins south of Tanga by about 17 km, first on paved then on dirty/gravel road which is quite bumpy at places. This is the site of an older habitation on the coast that was the site of a mosque founded by Arabs or Persians in the 14th or 15th century, will have to check. Jim Edwards mentioned that he checked online and found that Vasco da Gama may have landed there or nearby during one of his voyages. Had to pay a small fee to guide there who apparently represents the government. We walked on the beach by the town, that at one time was quite large. Cemeteries still there and a few fishing boats. Mangrove trees line the coast line in abundance. The tide was out so many snails and crabs about in the tidal flat.

We return to Tanga and have lunch at a local restaurant. The wait after ordering was about 2 hours so I had two Serengeti beers in the meantime. After lunch we walked across the street to a stand selling carvings, next to a market. For 28 Tza shillings I purchase an ebony wood carving of a seated human figure with head resting on one hand, the elbow resting on a corresponding knee and the other elbow resting on its knee and the forearm bridging across to the other knee. It’s a figure of weariness, perhaps both mental as well as physical. The head is featureless but faces down between the knees. Not an optimistic figure but of all the ones I saw, including many animals, it was the most interesting to me.

The crowd I find myself hanging with includes CPT Amanda Coenen, US Army Veterinary Corps, SFC Marites Cabreza, a Philippine RN who works in NY city and is an LPN in the US Army Reserve, SFC Sean Berk of the 354th CA Bde, SGT Joshua Barnett of the 218th Arty (MLRS), and SGT Justin Carnell, also of the 218th. The arty soldiers are along for force protection but on this mission do not carry weapons and are, like us in civilian clothes. We employ them, and they do a good job keeping the syringes filled with ivermectin and FMD vaccine. Keeping the old type 50 ml injection guns going takes some OJT, and they are doing well.