Tuesday, August 14 Today we say goodbye to Tanzania, our luxe hotel and possibly even a good shower. The two managers we were friendly with and three Masai wave goodbye to us from the main entrance. It’s one of the special touches each hotel has done and leaves us with such warm feelings of our […]
Monday, August 13 It’s seriously amazing the glass windows of the vehicles don’t blast out. The vibration from the road and the rocks flying and smacking the Toyota Landrover is intense. These SUVs take a lot of abuse and they stand up to the challenge. We jump into the SUV and take our shoes off. […]
Sunday, August 12 Ahhh, the feeling of a real shower is priceless. And the taste of French toast with vinegar is awful! S took french toast for breakfast and put what he thought was syrup on top. When I got to the table and saw the plate aside I asked why. He explained it didn’t […]
Satuday, August 11 It’s 5:30 am. It is dark and cold and we are readying for our air charter to the Serengeti. The continuously paranoid eight-year-old asks, “Are there a lot of mosquitos there? I need bug spray.” His fear is unknowingly legitimate this time. The Serengeti, we will learn, has an abundance of tsetse flies […]
Friday, August 10 5:30 am: “I am pouring the water now,” huffs Hassan, our butler, his breath labored by the weight of the hoist. He has to pour 40 liters of water into the tarp bucket and hoist it about 10 feet in the air. “It is ready,” he confirms. I pull one of the two ropes in […]
Thursday August 9 In the middle of the night Luca calls out “mom”. I don’t respond. “Mom” he says again. I ask “what” and he replies, “a zebra!” I smile, knowing he’s having sweet dreams. Zzzzzzzzzzzzziiiiiiiiipp….zzzzzzziiiiiiiipp. What the What is that noise?! I lift my head and realize it is S unzipping the windows to […]
Wednesday, August 8 It is 6am and I wake to the feeling of crisp air (and a full bladder. But for storytelling purposes let’s stick w the crisp air.) It is pitch black inside and out and there are only faint sounds of life outside. 6:18. He chirped and others responded. A faint shadow of the […]
Tuesday, August 7 Today we meet our safari guide, Spiros who will be with us through August 14th and is driving us 2.5 hours (four hours with stops) in our safari vehicle to Tarangire National Park. Becoming a safari guide has been a notable accomplishment. Spiros studied wildlife for five years; has a Bachelor in Wildlife Science and must know the history of the animals, the animals themselves, their habitat, what they eat, gestation period, etc. Additionally, he must know some botany, insects and birds.
Saturday, Aug 4 It’s my birthday, I’m gonna party like it’s my birthday. My sweet little love and I are awake at a mere 5am. He rolls over and looks me in the eye. “Happy birthday mommy! Do you want to chitter chatter? I can’t sleep!” The best start to my day! Since I skipped […]
Monday, August 6 Outside the city of Arusha is very poor with small shanties as homes, clearly with no running water and built directly on dirt grounds in some cases. Within the city, though more established, still appears to be less than anything moderately acceptable to anyone I know. There are continuous lines of run […]