any Souvenir ideas

mil

Hello, 17 days to go ... and I'm checking out some souvenirs ideas. Local crafts easy to carry back home and at a good price, not planning on going shopping but If on my free time I see something then I'll buy. )
I do have a question, for things like bracelets, necklaces etc.. what is better : to wait till we visit the Masai Camp or The Arusha Cultural market ?
Thanks for any info.

Golly Gee

Mileg , I was on this tour last year. The Arusha Cultural market had quite a varied selection of jewelry from artisan to semi precious. I purchase a few necklaces and bracelets there.
The Masai Camp items on offer were more of the handicraft variety. If you see something you like in Arusha, do not think you will find similar items in Masai.

joycesw

Be open to buying little trinkets anywhere. In some cases in the least expected spots. Yes, maybe to those two places you mentioned, but surprisingly, the hotel gift shops had some interesting things ( Four Seasons very high end, as would be expected), and I bought a beautiful basket at the shop at the Nairobi Serena. My husband bought a lovely decorated gourd from the Fairmont Masai Mara similar to one that was in our tent that he really liked. Our Td had purchased a great leather satchel/ type handbag at a small airport shop ( in Nanyuki, I think). Another time I got a great carving of Masai warriors from someone selling them at some sort of rest stop. Although we were warned about the aggressiveness of the hawkers at the border, my husband bought a set of small carved animals. Turned out the toddler grandkids absolutely loved them, and we regret not buying sets for them. We are not heavily into shopping ( hard to believe from what i’ve Just written), but some of the items you will encounter are quite unusual.

AlanS

Yup, numerous opportunities to buy trinkets- best prices? Does it matter with trinkets? As others have said you can buy them at all the hotel gift shops, the airport at Nanyuki (Mount Kenya), the little place in the photo below at the dirt airstrip (Enkerende) in the Maasai Mara : ), a vendor outside the gate to Mount Kenya Safari Club, at the Tanzania/Kenya border from the (aggressive) street vendors, same (less aggressive) at the entrance to Amboseli National Park, at the Maasai village, and for the same stuff just much more of it, at the huge Tanzanian Cultural Heritage Center (despite its official-sounding name, a commercial establishment) in Arusha (you stop there on the way from the small Arusha airport to the Tanzania/Kenya border).

For a greater selection of nicer, larger, more expensive stuff (art, large wood carvings, Tanzanite stones and jewelry- your best bet is the Tanzanian Cultural Heritage Center- they will ship. Someone on our trip got a very nice wood carving- a trunk-to-tail line/family of elephants- at the vendor outside the entrance to the Mount Kenya Safari Club- he accepted plastic and had contacts in the town of Nanyuki so could get variations and larger or smaller versions of his display items. Also, for various African themed woven goods- clothing (sweaters, (?)), wall hangings, rugs, place mats, etc. while at Mount Kenya, there is a "private visit to a nearby village" - not sure if this is the same as the "Spinners & Weavers" we visited in Nanyuki in 2015.

There is no guarantee that any of the smaller trinkets were made by the people selling them, including the Maasai!

All the street vendors appeared to be women. At the Maasai village, once a deal is struck, the chief takes and distributes the proceeds. : )

Sealord

My wife bought a silver ‘animals’ necklace at the shop in the Amboseli Lodge four years ago, and went back to get more but they were sold out. So this year, the minute we arrived she ran into the shop and bought two more, they had three but a woman who had already paid for her purchases noticed and stopped to buy the third one. We also have a collection of animals made of metal and beads. We both bought belts made of leather and beads at Masai Mara and the Fairmont Norfolk in Nairobi. We were given blankets to wear like the Maasai would wear at the Maasai village, and everyone used them to barter for various goods in addition to cash. I don’t think anyone left with their blanket. We got some artwork but it was really just a donation. Have no idea what we are going to do with the artwork.

mil

Thanks everyone.... quick reply. )
Yes, it's trinkets that I'm talking about.. and also some paintings done by the locals... nothing fancy or $$ but a nice reminder of this trip. Jewels, I really don't wear much.. besides my watch and earrings. and have plenty in the bank's safe.. need no more..
So, basically I need to keep my eyes open and cash in hand .. & buy if I like. I'm just buying for my co-workers
and nephews ,but do want to support the locals and want items that represent the culture.
Sealord the silver ‘animals’ necklace sound great, I'll probably will get one for myself.
Thanks

AlanS

Mileg wrote:

Thanks everyone.... quick reply. )
Yes, it's trinkets that I'm talking about.. and also some paintings done by the locals... nothing fancy or $$ but a nice reminder of this trip. Jewels, I really don't wear much.. besides my watch and earrings. and have plenty in the bank's safe.. need no more..
So, basically I need to keep my eyes open and cash in hand .. & buy if I like. I'm just buying for my co-workers
and nephews ,but do want to support the locals and want items that represent the culture.
Thanks

One final piece of advice (maybe a repeat, but alluded to by Sealord)- if you see something you want or want to get for someone else- get it right then! Don't wait and hope you'll see it cheaper somewhere else.

VPL

I have NOT planned on buying any trinkets because I have a Spain and Portugal cruise + land tour after the K&T trip. After reading this thread, my interest is stirred. Is the Tanzania Cultural Center a stop on our itinerary?

joycesw

Mileg,
If you are looking for some very low cost costume jewelry, the lodge gift shops had some very unusual bracelets. They were long narrow beads on elasticized bands in widths of 2, 3, 6, (I think) rows. I bought two, one in a brownish Hue and the other in a sort of African black and while pattern. Love them and wear them frequently. I also got some primitive type Masai paintings on dried banana leaves ( I might be wrong here)...they are vertical, rectangular and I got one larger and 2 small that I mounted on a black background and framed. They look great. Again, the best advice is that if you see something that strikes you in some way, buy it ! It does not seem that anyone carries any back stock, so as Sealord points out, don’t hesitate if it is something you like.

AlanS

VPL wrote:

I have NOT planned on buying any trinkets because I have a Spain and Portugal cruise + land tour after the K&T trip. After reading this thread, my interest is stirred. Is the Tanzania Cultural Center a stop on our itinerary?

Yes, you stop there for lunch (and some shopping) on Day 6 after returning from the Serengeti to Arusha and before continuing on by bus to the Kenya border and by safari vehicle to Amboseli. In addition to the large, multi-story circular buildings (representing African Drums) containing displays of sculpture, paintings, etc. (claimed to be the largest display of African art in Africa) there is a whole campus of smaller shops and buildings with room after room filled with trinkets, carvings, jewelry, etc. etc. It is quite a large venue. Check it out at this link, this link, or Google it.

VPL

Thanks AlanS - always helpful and kind. Will check on their website and see what are offered. Will skip lunch if I need more time to shop ) Do the shops there accept plastic?

Sealord

You go to the cultural center for an hour and a half or so, but we did not stop there for lunch. We did four years ago, but this time it was just for coffee and a bit of shopping then on to Amboseli where we had lunch and then went on safari. Long stretches of the drive into Amboseli the vehicles were substantially under water do to flooding from the rains of the wet season. The approaches to the lodge were almost unrecognizeable from our trip four years ago. But, the lodge itself was much more beautiful because of the lush green vegetation.

AlanS

VPL wrote:

Thanks AlanS - always helpful and kind. Will check on their website and see what are offered. Will skip lunch if I need more time to shop ) Do the shops there accept plastic?

In view of Sealord's comment, I suspect the amount of time you spend at the Tanzanian Cultural Heritage Center depends a lot on the fairly flexible schedule that day. According to our TD and what others have reported, the on-tour flight times don't seem to follow a strict schedule; and sometimes the TD's won't know when you will leave until just hours before.

And, oh my yes, they accept plastic and probably any currency you might want to use! : ) Maybe even a wire transfer from an offshore account in Cyprus? : )

Call it a big tourist trap or a really fantastic shopping opportunity, but make no mistake, they are a big operation and you can drop anywhere from a few dollars to tens of thousands of dollars there! The owner is Saifuddin (Saif) Khanbhai, a Tanzanian of Indian Heritage, and quite an interesting guy who still occasionally works the tanzanite counter. You can find some interesting stories about him via Google. I've heard that he has connections to (owns?) one or more (5 of the largest?) tanzanite mines, all of which (all in the world) are located in an area called the Mererani Hills, 43 mi. southeast of Arusha not far from Kilimanjaro airport.

One story (urban legend?) about Saif states a young Chicago lawyer who after choosing his gems questioned the value of Saif’s offer. Saif took out a FedEx envelope, bundled up the jewels and put them inside. He handed the package to the lawyer and told him to take it home and have it appraised, and then to either put the check in the envelope or return the gems.

The envelope came back with a check.

VPL

Interesting story! My husband can enjoy his coffee and I will try my luck and see if I can meet the legendary Mr. Saif )

mil

Thanks Alans , you are always so helpful.. thanks for the pics too and the info about the shape of the building... it is nice to heard & learn things about the new places we'll visit also thanks to joycesw... Yes! I will buy right there ! not going to risked just waiting to find it less expensive somewhere else... or find out that for any reasons there isn't time to make a stop to shop. When travelling in a group , you have to act wisely and quick... and not hold the group ))
Thanks again.