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The Beginning, Dar Es Salaam
• beeTt
Launched
Issue 1 - Tanzania
• Annual AOTU Meeting • Transitions and Sustainability
PRACTICE • LEARN • SHARE
Photo: Van Gervan Pangani to Tanga road
What is
?
A slow journey to: Practice being true Learn about sustainability Share this knowledge with others
beeTt
The Sustainaship Cornflake hurtles through the galaxy exploring & seeking new ways of living to bring knowledge back to their home planet. The crew spot Earth and tune in to BEeTology: Camping.
“Host Robert Worst has contestant and BEeTRoUtE team member Aukje Van Gerven reporting live from Tanzania. Prizes to be won... The photo and handy cam story of the actual journey. Raw journey footage and the Best of... photos. Tanzania: witness the roads, the sounds, the sights, the sand and the animals, kids screaming "Mzungu" and "give money". Coming soon from Kenya!
Leg 1 - Tanzania to Turkey
KMs Travelled: 300kms Plastic Water Bottles consumed: 2 X 1.5L Highlight: Cycling through the Sadaani Game
Reserve. Feeling very aware of being watched. An absolutely stunning ride (see beetroute the SLOW Journey) Lowlight: Stress involved pre-departing Dar es Salaam, and then the journey began...
Sustainability - Jon
Annual AOTU Meeting - Aukje We felt starved, tired, just went through the 5 star Lodge disaster, but then had a wonderful local dinner at Mkwaja Village. The mama who cooked our food told us to stay at the local 'guesthousie' because there were people around that cut off your arms and slit your throat while you were asleep. Or that’s what I understood anyway. We decided to cycle on and quickly found a secluded place to pitch our tent by a large tree some 30m from the road. I felt a little anxious, not wanting the locals to know we were there. We silently put up our tent, whispering while we threw our gear inside and locked the bikes to the tree. It was hot and we were dripping with sweat. Then Jon discovered a monkey in the tree. Or maybe it was more than one? We tied the food to our bikes so the monkeys wouldn't try to break into the tent. It was dark by now. Still sweating in the tent, I peeled off my clothes and there was nothing much more to do than get to sleep. Jon said he felt on edge. 'Why?’ I asked. 'Because of the baboons'. 'Well, what is the worst thing that can happen? They can steal our pots and food, and mess with the bikes, but that's it.’ I didn't worry and grinned because I could just see the monkeys talking to each other: 'There is a big yellow dome at our UFO landing place! They finally have come!' I told Jon but he wasn't amused. It was a very interesting night. A couple of times, Jon slapped the floor real hard, or barked like a dog. I nearly had a heart attack in our sticky, smelly tent. He said there was deep grunting and the baboons were close. I still didn't worry and continued on with my little fantasies about dumbstruck monkeys by a yellow tent, during the most important annual AOTU (Apes Of Tanzania Unite!) meeting this year would occur! Jon didn’t sleep that night and kept his clothes on, ready to fight. At somepoint during the night, he squeezed my hand: 'I'm so glad you're here'. I'm glad i'm here too :)
Photo: Earle
To learn about Sustainability - Woah! We have set ourselves an almighty task. I think this is a life long task, and one that I certainly am not going to completely understand after this relatively short journey (in the overall scheme of things). What can I share? Currently for me on a personal level, sustainability means 'balance'. To sustain myself on the bike on a daily basis, I am going to need to eat, sleep, rest and drink. For us as a BEeTRoUtE team, I need to take my team mate's needs into consideration so that we together are sustainable. On an environmental level we are travelling using very low carbon. The fuel from our stove, emits carbon dioxide (CO2), and we travelled yesterday 200 metres across a river using a local ferry, power used to re-charge our batteries, air-miles from a few food products such as energy bars must also be taken into account, however overall I have never lived in such a simple/balanced way that is having a low impact on the natural resources of our one and only planet. I feel very privileged to be able to live and experience this way of living/travel.
Photo: Van Gervan “Contrasts”
"If civilization has risen from the Stone Age, it can rise again from the Wastepaper Age.� -Jacques Barzun Contact Information: www.beetroute08.blogspot.com beetrouteinfo@gmail.com
Photo: Van Gerven Wami River Crossing
Next Issue ... Kenya...