Day Two, The Trip to Mikumi
Our voyage into the interior.
We started at 5:30am for the drive south to Mikumi.
We were supposed to meet Mwanga, Gloria (Ngayoma’s daughter who just
finished film school) and Pranay from DTP at 6:30am outside of town...though we
didn’t make it there until 7:15am.
From there, we took the Morogoro Road to Mikumi. Our first stop was for tea and a light breakfast in Chalinze about 2 hours into the trip. It was definitely an experience. We pulled over and were immediately set upon by local sales men peddling drinks, artwork, and cigarettes. We sat down at the roadside for Chai, potato Samosas, and Chapati (a thick Crepe). It was home cooked and served to us by a staff that seemed to come from everywhere. One of the salesmen had a “Star Wars: Episode 1” T-shirt. Of course, I needed to take a picture with him. With our meal finished, we made our way further south.
Roadside Supermarket...
Maina Preparing to Shoot.
You keep playing with that sling shot and someone is going to loose an eye!
mmm...hand brewed Chai.
Me with the next Luke Skywalker
Trucks made from Beer Cans.
The Roadside Village as continue...
The rest of the Trip to Mikumi was filled with stories from Mwanga who grew up in a small village in the north of Tanzania. His tales weave a rich image of Tanzania’s people, culture, and history. Mwanga, like Saki in Zimbabwe, has a great understanding of both western and local african culture. He has lived in many parts of Tanzania but also spent time in the UK studying filmmaking and is an award winning film director here in Tanzania. To be honest, he was better equipped than we were. He brought 2 stylin’ tripods, 2 PD-150’s, lenses, and all sorts of accesories.
Gloria also came well equipped with a VX-2000. She just finished film school and had just returned from filming a documentary about street children in Nairobi. She is very quiet but an SMS whiz (text messaging...something very peculiar to us but common in most of the world)...
Cel Phone coverage never stopped. We were now 200 km out of Dar Es Salaam and everyone was on the phone. I’m not sure if this is a good thing :)
Mwanga catching up with the office.
There's something wrong with Cel usage in a National Park...or Something beautiful...I don't know which.
Chantal catching some of the dinner conversation...
Mwanga and Gloria picking up scenes of Vuma Hills for the DVD.
Todd explaining the finer points of QTVR development to Gloria, Pranay, and Maina
We spent the afternoon planning the DVD, shooting Quicktime VRs and getting better acquainted with our little village. Vuma Hills is amazing! It’s a “Tented Camp” but not like any tents that I have been in before...complete with electricity, bathrooms, and full beds. You do hear everything, and given the elephant droppings on the trail, we may hear alot...
We did a little shooting of basic areas at the location for the DVD and slipped out in the evening for a little wildlife shooting. We came across a family of Elephants and some Zebra. Every once and a while, you truly realize...you are indeed in Africa.
The evening shoot...
From there, we took the Morogoro Road to Mikumi. Our first stop was for tea and a light breakfast in Chalinze about 2 hours into the trip. It was definitely an experience. We pulled over and were immediately set upon by local sales men peddling drinks, artwork, and cigarettes. We sat down at the roadside for Chai, potato Samosas, and Chapati (a thick Crepe). It was home cooked and served to us by a staff that seemed to come from everywhere. One of the salesmen had a “Star Wars: Episode 1” T-shirt. Of course, I needed to take a picture with him. With our meal finished, we made our way further south.
Roadside Supermarket...
Maina Preparing to Shoot.
You keep playing with that sling shot and someone is going to loose an eye!
mmm...hand brewed Chai.
Me with the next Luke Skywalker
Trucks made from Beer Cans.
The Roadside Village as continue...
The rest of the Trip to Mikumi was filled with stories from Mwanga who grew up in a small village in the north of Tanzania. His tales weave a rich image of Tanzania’s people, culture, and history. Mwanga, like Saki in Zimbabwe, has a great understanding of both western and local african culture. He has lived in many parts of Tanzania but also spent time in the UK studying filmmaking and is an award winning film director here in Tanzania. To be honest, he was better equipped than we were. He brought 2 stylin’ tripods, 2 PD-150’s, lenses, and all sorts of accesories.
Gloria also came well equipped with a VX-2000. She just finished film school and had just returned from filming a documentary about street children in Nairobi. She is very quiet but an SMS whiz (text messaging...something very peculiar to us but common in most of the world)...
Cel Phone coverage never stopped. We were now 200 km out of Dar Es Salaam and everyone was on the phone. I’m not sure if this is a good thing :)
Mwanga catching up with the office.
There's something wrong with Cel usage in a National Park...or Something beautiful...I don't know which.
Chantal catching some of the dinner conversation...
Mwanga and Gloria picking up scenes of Vuma Hills for the DVD.
Todd explaining the finer points of QTVR development to Gloria, Pranay, and Maina
We spent the afternoon planning the DVD, shooting Quicktime VRs and getting better acquainted with our little village. Vuma Hills is amazing! It’s a “Tented Camp” but not like any tents that I have been in before...complete with electricity, bathrooms, and full beds. You do hear everything, and given the elephant droppings on the trail, we may hear alot...
We did a little shooting of basic areas at the location for the DVD and slipped out in the evening for a little wildlife shooting. We came across a family of Elephants and some Zebra. Every once and a while, you truly realize...you are indeed in Africa.
The evening shoot...
Posted: Mon - July 14, 2003 at 09:39 AM Africa, Summer (Winter) 2003 Email Comments
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Total entries in this blog: 31
Total entries in this category: 31
Published On: Aug 05, 2003 10:45 AM
Total entries in this category: 31
Published On: Aug 05, 2003 10:45 AM