| Gibb's Farm and Surroundings |
After leaving Tarangire National Park on the afternoon of 13 October we went through a
prosperous-looking farming area. We stopped along the road to watch a blacksmith hammering
concrete reinforcing bars into knives and spear heads. To make the fire hotter the blacksmith's
helper blew air into the fire, using a belows made from a truck's inner tube.
prosperous-looking farming area. We stopped along the road to watch a blacksmith hammering
concrete reinforcing bars into knives and spear heads. To make the fire hotter the blacksmith's
helper blew air into the fire, using a belows made from a truck's inner tube.
Village blacksmith converting reinforcing bar into a knife
Part of the crowd watching village blacksmith at work
Next along the road we stopped to watch a brick-making operation. A wet clay mixture was shoveled
into a form divided into six equal brick-sized sections The form was then turned upside-down to eject
the bricks, which would then be allowed to dry for several days. When enough bricks had dried they
were stacked to form a temporary furnace, at the bottom was a large space for a fire which was kept
burning for several days to bake the bricks. Then the brick structure was disassembled and the
finished bricks transported to the building sites
into a form divided into six equal brick-sized sections The form was then turned upside-down to eject
the bricks, which would then be allowed to dry for several days. When enough bricks had dried they
were stacked to form a temporary furnace, at the bottom was a large space for a fire which was kept
burning for several days to bake the bricks. Then the brick structure was disassembled and the
finished bricks transported to the building sites
After the bricks have been fired for several days and cooled
the temporary oven is disassembled and the bricks shipped to
the building sites.
the temporary oven is disassembled and the bricks shipped to
the building sites.
Brick factory, where the clay is mined, then formed into
bricks which are then stacked into the shape of an oven,
which is then fired.
bricks which are then stacked into the shape of an oven,
which is then fired.
On our way to Gibb's Farm we also visited a boys' school. Not a boarding school but it did supply
the boys with breakfast and lunch. Like the girls' school we had visited in Kenya, this Tanzanian
school was very short of funds, especially as they hoped to expand to provide boarding facilities.
the boys with breakfast and lunch. Like the girls' school we had visited in Kenya, this Tanzanian
school was very short of funds, especially as they hoped to expand to provide boarding facilities.
Kitchen at the boys' boarding school, Tanzania.
Here porridge is cooked for the students'
breakfast and lunch.
Here porridge is cooked for the students'
breakfast and lunch.
Classroom in the boys' boarding school near Karatu,
Tanzania. The man in white is the Principal,
explaining the operation of the school, a day school
which provides breakfast and lunch to the students.
Tanzania. The man in white is the Principal,
explaining the operation of the school, a day school
which provides breakfast and lunch to the students.
The stove and kettles where porridge is
cooked for the boys' breakfast and lunch
cooked for the boys' breakfast and lunch
At about 3:30pm we arrived at Gibb's Farm, a small rural resort where we stayed two nights. Gibb's
Farm originally was a large coffee plantation but most of the land has been sold and now providing
tourists with room and board is the main part of the business. Some of the land is still used to grow
coffee but much is now used to grow fruits and vegetables served in the dining room. The guest rooms
at Gibb's Farm are in cottages clustered on the upper slope of a hill, beautifully landscaped with
flowering trees and shrubs. Sitting in chairs on the lawn, sipping a cup of coffee, we enjoyed the
scenic panorama of the lush valley below. The place is so beautiful and the service so cordial that we
hardly noticed the absence of typical resort facilities such as swimming pools and tennis courts. Of
all the places we stayed on this tour Gibb's Farm is our favorite.
Farm originally was a large coffee plantation but most of the land has been sold and now providing
tourists with room and board is the main part of the business. Some of the land is still used to grow
coffee but much is now used to grow fruits and vegetables served in the dining room. The guest rooms
at Gibb's Farm are in cottages clustered on the upper slope of a hill, beautifully landscaped with
flowering trees and shrubs. Sitting in chairs on the lawn, sipping a cup of coffee, we enjoyed the
scenic panorama of the lush valley below. The place is so beautiful and the service so cordial that we
hardly noticed the absence of typical resort facilities such as swimming pools and tennis courts. Of
all the places we stayed on this tour Gibb's Farm is our favorite.