Grade 7 ESP: EXPERIENCES IN BAGAMOYO and PUGU HILLS

In Bagamoyo we had a lot of experiences. The Nasser Virgji building was built by a rich Indian businessman at the end of the 19th century. The top floor was a guesthouse and the ground floor had offices. Many changes have taken place and it is 120 years old. The Arab Coffee and Tea House was built by an Arab merchant, Abdullah Merhabi, in 1860 and was where the Arabs could come and have tea of coffee. It was originally built as a hotel.with stores at the ground floor. When we got to the Boma my eyes burst out because they had built it very well as they had a view of the sea, they could observe who were coming in or sailing out with the ships. The Caravan Serai was built in the early 19th century and was made for accommodation and storage of slaves. It was a trading post.
The Ruvu River was very interesting and the new bridge is good. The Salt Works was built really intelligently with pipes connecting the salt pans with the sea.

Adil Osman

EXPERIENCE OF BAGAMOYO

During the first day we walked to different historical landmarks. We first went to the Nasser Virji building. Then we continued to the Arab Tea and Coffee house, the Boma, the Fort and the Speke Monument. We used compasses and a trundle wheel to find these places. Back at the hotel we had a shower and then began working on our brochure. These will be given to the hotel for anyone who wants a tour of historical buildings in Bagamoyo. We had dinner at 8.
The next day we went to the Ruvu River. When we drove along our teacher told us to look at how the land slopes upwards and back downwards; when we consulted our maps we had coloured in class we saw what she meant, contour lines! At the bridge we measured the depth of the river. When we got back people immediately jumped into the pool. At 6 we went to the Salt Works. It was huge. With the sunset it was beautiful. In some areas of salt there was a pink sheen and when we touched it our finger went straight through into the warm water underneath. We saw mounds of salt higher than ourselves.
Back at the hotel we continued with our brochures before going to dinner.
The 3rd day after breakfast and room cleaning we dragged our bags to the buses. At 11:33 we were on the way home. A bunch of girls were singing loudly and one teacher fell asleep. Bagamoyo has been a great experience.

Anuj Ramaiya

OUR ESP TRIP TO PUGU HILLS

We arrived at the lodge at 8:45. First we went for our long and tiring hike to the reservoir. We were back at 12:00 and ate our packed lunches. Soon we went to set up camp. For some people this was their first experience of camping so some had trouble pitching their tents. After a little free time we played activities. The best was ‘Spider Web’.
Between 4:00 and 5:45 we had cooking lessons – how to use the stoves, cooking eating and cleaning. After some more games we had our showers. After we had a chance to shower or before we played card games at the lodge. Some people also went for a night hike. We all watched a slide show about the Pugu forest by Mr. Kick. Then we went to camp for scary stories which were rather creepy and soon we were off to bed.
The next day we got up, stretched and had breakfast. We went on a one hour hike looking for deforestation which was not too exhausting. Having taken down our tents and loading the bags, we were ready to leave.

Mumtaz Meghjee and Leila Mufuruki