Moshi and beyond

Back home. We had an "extreme" cultural wake-up call on the extension. Our guide and driver were young gentlemen, and I mean Tanzanian gentlemen and took us to see endemic birds. This trip was an amazing demonstration of culture. To see endemic birds takes you way beyond places on the map. The villagers were so poor yet happy. They have almost nothing. The women work extremely hard washing clothes in the river, gardening, walking for water, preparing food for market. I think some of the women display their vegetables and get guards to watch them at night. Sugar is unknown except for an abundance of coke and sugar cane, which grows abundantly as well as sisal. The last night we stayed in what was suggestive of a village hut; no electricity, light by lantern, minimal food but better than the OAT tour. Our hosts and Byron and I traveled by very rough road, and one route in the West Usambaras was closed. We got struck only once. Byron saw over 250 life birds. I saw less but the cultural experience and the children and people I met, I will never forget. The fresh vegetables and fruits were unlike any I have ever tasted.

Outside of Arusha

August 14, 2013 - Back outside of Arusha at the doctor's home in the middle of nowhere - and I really mean it!!! The two dogs here greeted us so warmly and we are now sitting on Fiona's veranda eating homemade vegetable soup, delicious local cheese, her wheatbread, and tomato stuffed avacado. We will take a short game drive at 5pm. I think we are 7 hours ahead of you. We are meeting our new driver and guide tomorrow at 8am. Went to the market this AM and left the rest of our tour, but we made friends with a couple we might travel with again. They are from California. Hope all is well!! I think it will take a week to recover from our 'vacation'. Love, Sandy

Tanzanian public school and brick making

August 13, 2013 - Today we visited a Tanzanian public school (it was incredible). The students all wear uniforms and are very well-behaved. They study very hard. The first thing they do every morning is gym exercses and they sing and dance to wake up and get ready for school. I got some really neat pictures of the Tansanian primary school. AND, I taught the 4th graders the Cha-Cha!! After that, we went to a place where they make bricks. You can't believe how labor intensive this is. The workers dig the clay in the heat, and make the bricks in kilns with firewood. All they want is for their children to receive an education. It is so sad. It looked like a prison camp. More tomorrow.

At the hotel, lion family, malaria, tse tse flies

Finally got to Internet. I am so happy all is ok. We were less than five feet from a big male lion today!! In fact a whole family of lions came near us. They were checking out some prey but we never saw a kill. I am so glad I didn't see this. The tent safari was fabulous; the campsite had down comforters and electricity and we met the cook and learned about Tanzanzian culture and tribal practices. One of the tribes beats there wives; they believe it shows how much they love them. We learned about the spread of AIDS and malaria and the tse tse flies. Love you so much, Mom

Safari with linoness, Ngorongoro, and mosquitoes!

August 10, 2013 - Hello again!! On a safari today and got a fabulous picture of a lioness right by our camp. Beautiful sunrise with perfect weather. Two more nights here in the Serengeti!!! Miss you all! Love, Sandy

August 11, 2013 - Going to Ngorongoro tomorrow and will be in a good hotel with internet, so please write to me. Just saw a black rhino!! Got the Big 5! Love, Mom

August 12, 2013 - We are at a nice hotel now. Some of the people in our group are sick, and one man has an infection. The mosquitoes DO NOT LIKE ME!!

Ngorongoro Crater, and many more animals!

Hello everyone!

August 8, 2013 - Went to the Norongoro Crater today! We saw the spot where Leakys discovered the first evidence of man. The weather is great, not too hot and no rain. The birds are beautiful. We have a dusty ride to the tent camp in the Serengeti for four nights.

August 9, 2013 - Hello again, it's noon in the Serengeti and we have already seen lions, hippos, spotted hyena, black-backed jackal, masai ostrich, and TWO CHEETAH! More dust and rough roads, but great weather, guide, and food.

Link to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area: http://www.ngorongorocrater.org/

Text Messages from Africa!

Amazing how technology is!! Here are texts from Sandy to Sara with updates from the trip!!

August 5, 2013 - We spent the day at a village for the deaf, dumb, and blind artists. Now a few of us went to a small village where we drank beer and ate fried bananas and barbequed goat meat. The poverty is heartbreaking. Ready for bed.

August 6, 2013 - We saw wildbeast, lots of zebra, impala, elephant families, monkeys, warthog, leopard, dik-dik, and mongoose. And of course, awesome birds!! Of to the tent camp hotel. Love, Mom

August 7, 2013 - Got up early for a five hour safari. We saw elephant families, about 25 baboons, giraffe, baboons, ostrich..... and we got very lucky - we saw 6 lionnesses!! And got pictures! Can't wait to show you! More hiking in about an hour.... we then went to a Masai village and saw a very hard life for women. The women do ALL the work, while the men sit around all day and think of ways to get more wives and more cows.