DAY 14: GETTING ANOTHER VIEW OF MOROGORO
Today we left steamy Dar es Salaam for the slightly cooler climate of the Uluguru Mountains, and a return for Kellee and me to Morogoro.
The “we” to whom I’m referring, in addition to Kellee and myself and other members of the CEPF staff, is a group of workshop participants who are traveling on to check out Bunduki Gap in the Ulugurus, a key conservation corridor, and to visit nearby Mikumi National Park. On board for the ride are:
• Kathy MacKinnon, lead biodiversity specialist and CEPF task manager for the World Bank
• Sarala Khaling, regional coordinator, CEPF investment in the Eastern Himalayas
• Ang Phuri Sherpa, national CEPF investment coordinator for Nepal
• Azisa Parker, project developer, Cape Coordination Unit, South African National Biodiversity Institute
• Suman Rai, the national coordinator in India for CEPF’s Eastern Himalayas investment
• Bhaskar Acharya, project coordinator, CEPF investment in the Western Ghats, India
• Nugzar Zazanashvili, regional coordinator for CEPF investment in the Caucasus
First stop was Morogoro, where we are staying for the night. After settling in at the guesthouse, we traveled to a nearby forest reserve for a brief hike on a bright afternoon. The hike we undertook with the guidance of Elisa Pallangyo from the Tanzania Forest Conservation Group, started in a residential area, and we found ourselves stepping around backyards to take a look at the first wildlife we catch a glimpse of—Sykes’ monkeys enjoying a low-key afternoon in the shade. 
We traveled on up the trail, with three inquisitive local boys in pursuit, moving over some rock formations between which we could see the flow of fresh water from the mountains into pipes for the community. Then we reached a hillside that provided an excellent view of the surrounding mountains, which looked lovely, but whose understory has been undermined by removal of wood for building poles and fuel.
That sobering perspective was brightened some by the spotting of more wildlife in the area, including a group of black and white colobus monkeys not far in the distance.
On our way back out of the forest, we passed by a small church that was holding services, and the congregation’s surging harmony as it sang provided a soothing cap to the afternoon and a reminder of the vibrancy of the community surrounding the forest.
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