Goats are clumsy creatures. If you needed proof of this (unlikely but just in case you're involved in some sort of experiment regarding the agility of four-legged creatures or something), you'd just have to attend the annual Goat Races here in Dar to see that it's true.
There were only 2 reasons why The Engineer and I attended this event:
1. The races are for charity and you can't go wrong when you give money for charity
2. We thought it would be a hoot to watch goats go round and round a racetrack (this is evidence that weekend activities in Dar are severely limited)
We arrived at the Leader's Club where the organizers had created a makeshift oblong track in the middle of the field for the goats to go crazy in.
From what I gather about this event, groups of friends or families own the racing goats and on the big day, they get to dress up like clowns (literally) or in other really loud costumes and cheer their respective goats on.
There were only 2 reasons why The Engineer and I attended this event:
1. The races are for charity and you can't go wrong when you give money for charity
2. We thought it would be a hoot to watch goats go round and round a racetrack (this is evidence that weekend activities in Dar are severely limited)
We arrived at the Leader's Club where the organizers had created a makeshift oblong track in the middle of the field for the goats to go crazy in.
From what I gather about this event, groups of friends or families own the racing goats and on the big day, they get to dress up like clowns (literally) or in other really loud costumes and cheer their respective goats on.
The goats, unaware of all the hulaballoo, run around the track mainly because they have a group of young local handlers, chasing them with what looks like a thick, cylindrical contraption with handles.
They (the goats not the handlers) tend to stick together all through the first run around the track (they need to go around twice to complete the race). By the start of the second circuit it usually dawns upon one or two of the goats that this is in fact a race and that they're supposed to get ahead of their fellow goats.
At the last second one of them generally breaks away from the rest and is declared the winner.
It's quite entertaining to watch and there's something unexpectedly endearing about a bunch of goats running chaotically and comically toward the finish line.
Aside from the main event, there were tents selling the usual bric-a-brac (carvings, etc). The organizers were also going to award prizes to the most unusually dressed and the best hats. Hats off to those ladies with the hats on:
It was too hot to even think and some of these people were really courageous to turn up all turned out under that unforgiving sun!
I would have enjoyed myself more except that I'm a puteri lilin and the heat of the afternoon very quickly diminished my already dangerously low levels of patience. The Bead Queen was lucky enough to get tickets for the VIP tent but I later heard from her that the atmosphere was no cooler in the tent (which must have trapped the heat and created an oven-like feel - yikes!)
I won't lie - I was really glad to get away from the races and get home to the air-conditioners. Still, I'm glad we went. After all, boat races are a dime a dozen but goat races are priceless!
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