Day 71: November 14: Jodhpur

Breakfast was the usual, but after we did the unusual- we got a massage. It was cheap, but only O.K. and it left us thinking we should give it another shot with people who knew what they were doing. Too bad really since we've been waiting forever to get one...

After a quick shower and a quick pack, we paid up and hit the street shops. We both found what we were looking for in pretty much record time. Amazing considering Karla's indecisive skills.

We scurried back to the hostel, threw on our backpacks and did some skilled bargaining before getting an auto-rickshaw to take us to the bus. Of course it was the travel agency and not right where the bus was and so had to walk down a few hundred meters to get there. Darn it!
We were the first ones on, a striking contrast to how full it got leaving Udaipur. It was a private coach but it loved packing in far too large groups of people from the side of the road and transporting them a few kilometers. Further into the trip this happened with less frequency and things quieted down. We miraculously got there only 45 minutes late, and were happy to be picked up by our guesthouse. What service!

We were taken aback when we arrived at our guesthouse- it was lovely! And cheap too!
There were flowing fabrics and fun couches to lounge on. Best of all, their rooftop restaurant had a fantastic view. The kitchen was technically closed as the family was out at a wedding but their nephew whipped up a wonderful dinner for us. We knew what he had gone through to make the dishes and we were grateful. Plus, the tea was yummy.

Soon after we jumped into bed (it even had a blanket!) we were snoring loudly (only Karla really) before we knew it.
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Day 70: November 13: Indias country side

Despite our late night last night, we woke up early to the same breakfast on the rooftop(we're starting to become old ladies with our routines!) and then hopped in a cab with two young Brits on their gap year before university. These chaps made good company (and made the cab cheaper!) on the 2+ hour drive up to the Kumbalgarh Fort.

The fort was MASSIVE - it has a 135 km circumference, and is the second longest wall in the world. It was a good warm-up to the Great Wall in a couple of weeks!

Not really knowing where to begin, we did what was natural for us, and went up first. Up we went to the highest point in the fort (the palace of course!) and got spectacular views of the rolling hills on the outside and the small villages, fields, and dozens and dozens of temples on the inside. As usual, we took a lot of pictures. Despite the fact that we both got extra memory cards hand delivered to us on this trip, we're starting to fear running out!

After we got the lay of the land from up top, we set out to explore as far and wide as we could before getting back to meet the Brits at the appointed time. We saw many temples, most of which appear to have been abandoned. We had a lunch of left-over bread and baked goods that we'd made ourselves with Shashi in the shade of one temple in a complex, completely out of sight of any other human. It was really refreshing given the number of people in any city in India.

After lunch, we walked toward a small village. There, we got more great views of the fort and mountains while some women and children looked on. They were just as curious about us as we were about them, if not more so. But as usual, they just waved and said 'namaste' and pretended to go about their business outdoors (which involved washing their small child in a bucket), while sneaking looks at us.

We walked back to meet the boys along the fort wall, then got back in the taxi to go to Ranakpur Temple. This ride was over an hour long, but we again passed some interesting scenery, which included beige and charcoal-colored monkeys sitting on a wall, eating and watching the cars go by. Their hunched position and their crumpled faces made them look exactly like little old men!

Upon arrival at the Temple, we bought our tickets and went inside to see a veritable complex of worship places with literally hundreds upon hundreds of columns, each intricately carved as though it was the only one. It was awe-inspiring.

Now you may wonder how we can continue to exude enthusiasm about the sight we see this far into the trip. But each place we go to is so singularly impressive that it's hard not to be struck by how much thought, time, and even love is poured into each monument. So we have to be enthusiastic!

We wandered around the rest of the complex, taking in the other temples, before we hopped back in the can for the 2 hour drive home. At least this time we were driving over paved roads, so the trip seemed to go a lot faster.

Back at the ranch, we had dinner at our guest house with our new British friends, and retired early.
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Day 69: November 12. Cooking Gurus

We had the same breakfast this morning of porridge (milk oatmeal with bananas and honey) and chai masala, supplemented by an omlette on the rooftop. It's so darn good!

By the time we got going, it was almost 11, so we high-tailed it over to the Bagalore Ki Haveli museum, where we saw the traditional dancing last night, to see the actual house. It was simple, yet tastefully decorated for noble or royal blood, and was downright humble compared to the extravagant opulance that we saw in the City Palace yesterday. We saw another puppetshow in the interior courtyard of the haveli, then stopped through turban land where we were in the presence of the largest turban in the world (each side represented a different style in Rajasthan) and compared turban styles between professions and castes (Karla's fav was the carpenter's and Alicia liked the barber's). Then we went downstairs to the portion of the house converted into an art gallery. The most interesting section to Alicia was the Hungarian artist's exhibition. She had traveled extensively in India, converted to Hinduism, and adapted traditional painting methods to show her devotion. Karla was fascinated by the glazed sheet-metal pieces mounted on canvas. Big surprise.

After the Haveli museum, we meandered over to a roof-top restaurant (the only way to dine in Udaipur!) by way of our hotel. While we were waiting for our food to be prepared, Alicia ran down the street to pick up an album that she'd had made. Efficiency is a must on a busy day!

Next we walked to one of the markets in town. This was a silver, gold and textile market, and we were fascinated at how proficient the women were at picking out fabrics to match as pieces of saris, not to mention knowing how much fabric they wanted, and their measurements for the tailor. The fabric stores alone are a feast for the eyes: there are literally hundreds of fabrics in different colors and materials, some with sparkles and sequins, some without, folded neatly onto shelves, with shoeless men pulling them out haphazardly and flicking them onto the floor with flourish, where their female clients are sitting. It's such a colorful sight! We must have passed more than 2 dozen of these scenes on this one street alone! It was quite intimidating to attempt at getting something for ourselves. When we did finally walk in, they asked for our measurements. Uhhhh...we had no idea.

We found our way to the fruit and veggie market next by pure willpower. This too was colorful. Different again from any other produce market we'd been to, here the vendors were all seated on the ground with their wares laid out in baskets in front of them, and people pushed their way through the narrow gaps to try to find the freshest food. The women shopping and selling were wearing their best, moat colorful saris, which complemented the deep purple of the eggplants and the bright red of the tomato well.

After we had seen our fill of fruits and veggies (wishing it was safe to buy them), we started heading back toward our part of town. We weren't exactly sure where we were, but it didn't matter because we of course got distracted by another shop where Alicia did in fact buy herself a traditional outfit. And it's fantastic. By the time we were done bargaining, of course, we had to take a rickshaw back to be on time for our 6:00 Indian cooking lesson!

Our instructor, named Shashi, is awesome. She is a progressive Indian woman, doing her own small part to rebel against the caste system that, even at the top, works to oppress women and keep them confined to the home. Her story of how she started the cooking and learned english was inspiring. Not only is she interesting, but wow can she cook! We learned to make naan, chapati, vegetable masala, chai masala, pokara (fried veggie snack food)...and a variety of other dishes, all within 3 or so hours. We left her home stuffed, happy, and decked out with bindis on our foreheads and bells on our wrists. Now we're looking and cooking like real Indian women!
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Day 68: November 11: Breath of (relatively) fresh air.

The alarms went off at 5:30 this morning, and we arose from our uncomfortable berths wondering if the train would actually stop at the appointed time of 6:10. Of course, it was running 2 hours late, but when we asked the first time, they told us we'd arrive at 7. Alicia was able to doze a short while longer before packing up, but Karla was too uncomfortable (and takes longer to pack).

We took a rickshaw to our guesthouse, and while we were waiting for people to check out at 10, we had a lovely breakfast on the rooftop. The guesthouse is laid out like a traditional haveli (Indian home), and has a beautiful decor and a family-run feel, which is a refreshing change! When we got our room, we dropped our stuff off, listened to the patron's schpeil about what there is to do in Udaipur, then set off to find the City Palace. We both felt like the train ride was just a nightmare.

We love this city. First of all, we can breathe again (well Karla's cold makes it harder so maybe only one of us can) - unlike Agra and Delhi, there is not a huge cloud of smog lingering over us at all time. Second, the streets are a lot cleaner and it's not as smelly. Third, we're harassed by vendors and rickshaw drivers much less frequently here (flash back to Luxor which was absolutely terrible in this regard). Last, it's beautiful. The city is situated on a lake (which has seen cleaner and less green days), and the houses and shops are painted in pastels. It's actually a pleasant place to be!

We found the City Palace and we decided to go into the museum. The museum essentially was the palace, and it showcased the ornate, and at times extravagant, decorations of the maharanas who lived there. The vast majority of the rooms were painted bright colors or were frescoed, and there was a fair amount of stained glass. It was really beautiful. Although definitely over-the-top.

We were both ravenous after walking through what seemed like a never-ending palace, so we went to lunch on another rooftop (don't tell our guesthouse! It would be jealous), where we watched women passing in their brightly-colored saris, along with the traffic of rickshaws, motorcycles, stray dogs, cows, and yes, even an elephant. It was a spectacle!

By the time lunch was over, it was close to 4:00 and we headed toward the Jagdish Temple, which is dedicated to Vishnu as Jagannath, Lord of the Universe. The exterior was beautifully carved with hundreds of little statues, and we walked around the whole exterior admiring the craftsmanship. We also admired a new kind of monkey that was hanging around the temple. These ones have funny eyebrows and look like old men when they sit and stare at you hunched over.

We really meant to make it to the Bagore-Ki-Haveli to explore before the cultural show, but we got distracted looking at shops that sold blank books covered in traditional materials because Karla had the brilliant idea of buying photo-album-type books to each make an album of our trip. Of course we then had to try to explain to the vendors that we loved the hand-made paper, but that we just wanted to buy the covers because the paper was too heavy...we both ended up finding ones we liked, although Alicia saw the fabric that she wanted in the corner of the room and commissioned the exact cover that she wanted. We'll pick it up tomorrow. Now we just have to get them home in one piece...and of course keep taking pictures to fill them up. But that's never been a problem.

We finally made it to the Haveli, but unfortunately the museum part closed an hour before we arrived, so we bought our cultural show tickets, and kept wandering the streets. But in a safe way. Karla actually bought some hilarious pants (look at us on our shopping spree!), then we went back to the Haveli.

The cultural show consisted mostly of folk dances from Rajasthan, although there was one puppet act thrown into the mix (this included a puppet who's trick was to throw his head around). The first and last dances were by far the most impressive; the first dance was performed by a young woman who shook what her mama gave her with fire in a pot on her head. The last act was a 60-ish woman who danced with 10 pots on her head! She really brought the house down (all 50 of us. Small venue).

Karla and I trotted home for dinner, which we ate on the roof again...who would have thought that it's only possible to eat on roofs in Rajasthan? We had every intention of getting to bed early tonight, but here it is, after 11 and we're still fussing about. Maybe we'll sleep in tomorrow.
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Day 67: November 10. 'The fog is so blinding!'

We woke up this morning before the sun rose, and scurried around to get to the Taj Mahal for the sunrise. We arrived around 6:10 and there was already quite a queue! Unfortunately, they didn't open the gates until around 6:45, and then they started screening everyone before allowing them to enter, so we didn't get in until nearly 7.

Unfortunately, it was a very foggy (or maybe smoggy?) day. You could barely see the Taj from the entrance gate. However, the sm/fog added a level of mystique to the building. After all, we figured, anyone can see the Taj Mahal on a crystal clear day. We saw something unique! Although it WAS unfortunate that we got up so darn early to see the sunrise reflected off the white marble. A good imagination can only get you but so far.

The Taj Mahal was built in the 1600's by the Mughal ruler Shah Jahan as a tomb for his wife, who died while bearing their 14th child. Nowhere was it mentioned whether the child lived! As we stood admiring the huge edifice, more fog (if you can believe it) began to roll in from the river, until Karla and I couldn't see each other from 50 feet away! It was a cool experience. Especially since the fog was moving so quickly.

Admiring the Taj one more time, we walked back to our hotel for breakfast. We were hoping beyond hope that we would be able to see it from the roof, but of course we couldn't. Oh well.

Next we hired a rickshaw for about 6 hours, and took off to the Agra fort. The fort seems to have been a city within a city, and as many different rulers built their palaces here, there were many different architectural styles. The most interesting tidbit of info that we picked up was that Shah Jahan (you might remember him from the Taj Mahal) was actually overthrown by his son, and was imprisoned in the Agra fort for 8 years before his death. He is rumored to have spent his time there in his beautiful white marble octoganal porch overlooking his creation and his wife's final resting place (and his future resting place). Unfortunately, due to the aforementioned fog, we were not able to do the same. Blast!

Next on our list was the Itimad-Ud-Daulah, affectionately nick-named the Baby Taj. En route, our driver pulled out his little book that he has signed by happy customers, and we stumbled across one that said 'nice guy! Be cognizant of circuitous preambulations!' We found this hilarious (and wondered if the writer had gone to Wes), until we realized that we ourselves had been taken the REALLY long way to see the Baby Taj. Luckily we had pre-arranged a price and weren't going by the meter! He must have thought we'd like getting that much more exhaust in our lungs and he of course knew by looking at us that sitting in traffic was just our thing. Through clenched teeth we kindly asked him to be more direct in the future.

The Baby Taj was also right along the river, and by this time it was starting to clear up a bit, so we had a view! We saw tons of cows lounging on an island in the center of the river, which we thought was odd as there didn't seem to be much to eat, but prefer it to them in the middle of the city streets, holding up traffic. We enjoyed walking around and through the Baby Taj which was even more ornate than the big guy, then found our driver.

At this point, he took us to his 'nephew's shop', and looked a bit ticked when we didn't purchase any extravagantly priced textiles, but we carried on to lunch despite his mood. He then agreed to give us 30 minutes to look around the market, then drove us back to the hotel.

We decided to wander around the Taj Ganj area where our hotel was for a while, before going back down to the river to see the back view of the Taj Mahal again. It was fairly clear by now which was pleasant, and we enjoyed watching the monkeys eat bananas, the cows eat trash, and the dogs play.

We walked back to the hotel for a cup of chai and to say goodbye to the Taj before grabbing our stuff and a rickshaw and heading to the train station. Even though the platform was unmarked, we found our way to the right car (somehow!) and settled in. We were under the impression that dinner was served on the train (especially after they told us it was coming), but were mistaken, and the very nice middle-aged Indian couple we were sitting and chatting with offered us some Indian sweets left over from the wedding they were coming from to tide us over before bed. They were scrumptious! They even wrote down their names to make sure we could buy them.

Although the night was less-than-comfortable (we obeyed the guide book which said to take the top berth and sleep with your things!), due to the amount of crap that we were sharing our already-small beds with, and the fact that the A/C was blasting into our faces (Karla was wearing a hat and her heavy coat and Alicia had her scarf around her face) and the fact that we didn't know exactly when to get off the train, our first sleeper in India was an ok(at first) to terrible(while sleeping) experience. It didn't help that Alicia wasn't feeling well and Karla's cold was at its worst. And now we know what to expect of the rest of our time here in terms of trains! We think a bus might be the answer.
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Day 66: Nov 9th: Train of Events

This morning we had breakfast at Sam's Cafe again, less because it was excellent, and more because it was close and a safe bet. Then we checked out of our hotel and walked to the train station.

We looked for our train on the board, and seeing one that said Agra City, we headed toward that platform. However, when we got there, we realized that the train number on our ticket didn't match the one on the board. So, weaving in and out of Indians with suitcases on their heads and children trailing close behind, we headed back downstairs to the main departure screen, and asked the guard. He told us a different track number. However, when we arrived at this new track, someone told us an entirely different story! When we got to this new track, we immediately approached these two women, asking if we were in the right place. It always seems like a better bet to approach women. Although they aren't as likely to speak English, they also aren't as likely to be scam artists, and will point you to someone who can help.

Anyway, it turns out that we were finally on the right track (literally!), so we headed towards our car number, stopping to help a lost Korean tourist going the same way.

Waiting for the train was much less pleasant than the train ride itself. The platform was crowded with families that looked like they never actually went anywhere, and the tracks were littered with human waste. The whole area, indeed the whole city, was covered in a smog so thick that it obscured the face of someone standing 100 meters away. But we would soon learn that it doesn't get too much better in the country-side!

The train ride was actually more pleasant than either of us had imagined. We were riding second class, but had assigned seats, which made the boarding process much less stressful. Although, while there were only supposed to be three to a bench, a fourth, then fifth person squeezed their way onto our bench. At least we could store our bags overhead, right where we could see them! We had opted to not buy the chains they were selling before you boarded.

When we arrived in Agra, we took an auto rickshaw to our hotel, listening to our driver pitch his full-day services. We checked in, then went up to the rooftop restaurant for linner, as by this time it was nearly 4! When we got to the top, we had a breathtaking view of the Taj Mahal. It's beautiful. We sat eating, looking at the view, and watching the monkeys leap across buildings and in and out of trees (and sometimes trying on peoples clean laundry).

After linner, we walked around the city a bit, making sure to arrive back at our hotel just before dark. We walked to the backside of the Taj, which faces the river, then headed back, walking right behind this cute family, and watching the monkeys play as we went. At one point we stopped to take a picture of the mini people (aka monkeys) and these three old men passing us told us worriedly and in a heightened voice, "don't touch..they bite!" We laughed and said we wouldn't. They were the cutest old men ever.

Back at the ranch, we settled in for an evening of catching up on blogs and attempting to view the Taj in the moonlight. Unfortunately, it was hidden by the smog. We did, however, see the tail end of a wedding parade and festivities, which was cool.
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Day 65: November 8. A Whole New World...

We arrived in Delhi at 3:45 am. We wandered around airport, collecting our luggage and trying to figure out where we were going. The lock on Alicias bag was open probably from a security check and so Karla made her look through it for stashed drugs. You just can't be too sure. After telling her some horror stories about stashed drugs in boogie boards in Indonesia, she made a thorough search. We couldn't get our phones to work, so we found a pay phone, and called a hotel. Luckily they had room.

Heeding the warning about taxi scams over the loudspeaker, we hired a cab from the pre-pay booth in the airport, and arrived safely at our hotel. The time was 6:30 am. We passed out til noon.

When we awoke, we tried to plan out our stay in India. We got as far as planning the next 4 days. This is real progress for us!

Next, we went to the train station to get tickets for tomorrow. We almost fell victim to a tout, who tried to convince us that the ticket office was across from the train station, but remembering what we read in the book and what the man at our hotel had said, we walked into the train station one more time to find the right office. Phew! We booked tickets to Agra and Udaipur, then walked back toward our hotel.

On the way, we got distracted by the little shops selling all sorts of textiles. Karla bought a lamp-shade and pants, and Alicia bought herself a scarf. Not that she'll need it here...but its beautiful and cheap and awesome....

Next we went to dinner at a little touristy cafe called Sam's. We tried to be more adventurous, but we couldn't find the restaurant that we were aiming for. Oh well. We had a bit of a scare anyway because we ordered mango lassis after asking the waiter whether there was water in them. He (and another waiter) assured us that there was no water, but when we got them, we saw ice (after we started drinking!) But he again assured us that the ice was boiled water. We're keeping our fingers crossed. Karla was about to start taking antibiotics right away just to avoid being sick one more time. But turned out just fine.

Next on our list was a movie. We were already late, so we hired a bicycle rickshaw for about $0.50, and made our way to the theater. Getting in was quite a process - Alicia got frisked (by a female police woman), and Karla got all her snacks taken away after the most thorough bag-search either of us had ever seen. Both of our worst nightmares.

The movie was hilarious. We had intended to go to a traditional Bollywood film, but the names of the actors was all we had to go on, so we ended up seeing a modern Hindi comedy called 'Golmaal Returns'. It was super-dramatic and hilarious to try to follow along. And it was loong! There was even an intermission! We had fun, although we still want to see a Bollywood musical! At least there was an amazing group dance scene.

What an interesting first day in India...
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Day 64: November 7. On the Road Again.

We woke up at 3:45 this morning to catch our 4:30 taxi to the airport. We stopped along the way to pick up our fellow traveler, Guy, with whom we were sharing a cab.

When we were dropped off at the Kilimanjaro airport, they weren't checking people into our flight yet, but we got the lady to look us up, just to make sure that we were in fact bumped to this Precision Air flight after our Air Tanzania flight was canceled. Not only were we not on the flight, but our names weren't even in the system for the waiting list! The woman at the counter patronizingly told us that our tickets were for Air Tanzania, so we were at the wrong counter and there was nothing she could do for us. Although it was not yet 6 am, we called our travel agent, Irene, to see if she could do anything for us by talking to this Precision Air rep in Swahili. All she got out of her was that we were now first on the waiting list for seats because we were the first people to arrive for that flight (thank goodness we got up so early!! (Although it appeared that only we were in this predicament)), but that we had to wait for Air Tanzania reps to get there to transfer the tickets for us. Oh the suspense!

After what felt like a very long wait, the Air Tanzania reps arrived, transferred our tickets, and advocated for us, and by some miracle, there were three seats on that plane, so we left at 7:30 for Dar!

Once there, it felt like noon but it was only 8:30 am. We left our luggage and got in touch with Hellen, who came shortly thereafter to pick us up, with Stephan in tow. It was such a happy reunion! We had missed her!

She took us back to Njia Health Center, where she proudly showed off the tiling that had been laid down in our absence, and we checked one last time for malaria (still clean!!) before heading into town for lunch. We are starting to like the finger prick...

We had a very pleasant lunch at the City Garden, before Hellen took us back to the airport. We got to talk to Apo and George from the village on the phone, which was really fun. They had taken such good care of us! Then we had to leave Hellen. It was a sad goodbye. We were also disappointed that we didn't get to say goodbye to Eric, who couldn't get out of work. Oh well. Karla doesn't like goodbyes anyway.

We boarded the plane to Qatar, and were seated next to Guy, which was fun. We had a pleasant flight, then landed in Qatar for 2 hours. We had a quick dinner at a fast food place and tried out perfumes at the duty-free shop before boarding the plane for Delhi and passing out. If only Alicia had put on more perfume, Karla wouldn't have had her first case of air sickness.
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Day 63: November 6: Lake Minyara

Day three of the safari. We again awoke early, but this time we had to pack up before we set out and that took longer. Breakfast was good, with eggs, toast, fruit and all sorts of beverage selections. After stopping at Twiga camp on the way to the lake to drop the gear and our cook, we arrived at the gate of Lake Minyara National Park and waited quite a while for Emanuel to get his credit card to work. By the time we got inside the park it was 9:30. Luckily we saw some elephants really up close right away. Soon after that, Emanuel saw simba tracks in the sand and by some grand stroke of luck, we saw a few lionesses with their cubs (so adorable!!!!) in the bush.

We continued to see hippos, baboons, flamingos, twigas, and zebras in great abundance but still no leopards. Graham was especially disappointed but we all knew it would have taken a miracle.

When it was time to go, we headed back to Twiga Camp to pick up Mike the cook and to drive back to Arusha. When we arrived at the office, there were two other people who had just hiked Mt. Meru. The guy, whose name was Guy, was trying to settle his flights. We felt bad that his flight was canceled until we realized that it was our flight as well!!! We were angry that the airline hadn't called when it happened so that we could have booked with another company. Now that everything was closed as it was after 5pm, we had to call around. The only other flight going to Dar in the morning was full! We thought about the options, but in the end driving seemed the only solution until the travel agent called the other company and asked if we had been bumped automatically onto the full flight. And we had been! Hooray! Those insane frantic 45 stressful minutes were for nothing. Except that we still had to get there real early to make sure we had first priority, whatever that was supposed to mean. Getting up at 3:30 seemed daunting but we were relieved to be able to catch our flight out of Dar at 2:30 pm the next day. We always have problems leaving a country!

Back at the ranch, we busied ourselves getting ready for dinner and packing for the next morning. We were surprised but not surprised that Suzanne and Jan had organized a dinner party. It was lovely as usual although we didn't get to try out the dance mix that they had prepared for after dinner. It was late and we had a lot to do.

Goodbyes were sad, but we are kind of getting used to them. We know that we can always get in touch if we want to. Saying goodbye to Graham was much harder for Karla as she probably won't see him for another eight months to a year. He's off to Taiwan to teach English. Very exciting!
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Day 62: November 5. The Circle of Life

Day two of the safari started off early! (But only because we wanted it so). We knew we had relatively little time in the crater and that the animals are out much more before the heat of the day. We drove the good hour down into the belly of the crater and arrived at 730am.

On our way into Ngorongoro, Alicia's sister Joce texted on our Tanzanian phone that Obama won! Alicia let out a whoop and we all cheered. It even made Karla feel better (descending was also helping). We happened to pass by some Americans that we had chatted with at breakfast time and shared the good news by shouting it to them as we drove by. They were super excited as well. We told Emanuel to say something over the radio so that everyone else would know. The rest of the day we occasionally heard his name mentioned. Tanzania was very happy.

Today was a great day for seeing a lot of different animals. We were most pleased to see simbas, jackels, hyenas, vultures and hippos up close and personal. Of course there were the usual waterbuffalo, zebras, wildabeasts, ostriches, and antelopes and gazelles around...

The main highlights of the day were:
•Around 9:30, Emanuel stealthily took us to a drying river around which there were herds of animals and safari vehicles gathered. Clearly there was something exciting going on. Just as we were pulling up we saw a lioness in the distance prowling the area. Then, another, and then a young lion! And a grown lion with his alpha female! And another male by the river! It was then that Emanuel pointed out the water buffalo carcass in the distance. Apparently the pride had recently killed it but had lost control of it when the waterbuffalo herd had chased them away. Every time they approached, the herd went after them. Eventually they walked back to the river to wait. It was extra cool because they had to cross the road where the cars were to get there. Some of them would stop and check out the cars while others would lay in their shade. Clearly they were used to seeing cars. The unfortunate (fortunate for us and for our observing purposes) thing was that while the herd chased the lions away, the jackels, hyenas, and vultures moved in on the kill.
•During these two hours we also got to see a giant group of hippos lounging about. It was especially fun to see the baby hippos and the adults when they yawned. They are so big (and cute)!
•Having to stop the car to pee etc. and hope that there weren't any predators around.
•Looking for leopards and rhinos and not seeing any (not a good highlight but important because we spent a good two hours looking).

We were sad it was over when we headed back to the camp on the rim for lunch. It was a delicious lunch, and were pleased.

The next step was to drive to camp Keratu to set up our tents. We got there rather early and so went to the bar that caters to tourists and watched the news on TV, hoping to get more details on the election. We saw Obama's victory speech(amazing), part of McCain's not victory speech (the funniest), and Bush's congratulations speech (also funny).

Dinner was great and relaxing as usual. We were told after dinner that there was "traditional" african dancing and music in a nearby courtyard. The dancing was quite impressive and covered a variety of African styles, but their outfits were a little, shall we say, stereotypical. They looked like the flintones. It must have been for the tourists because we've never seen Africans dress in that traditional style before...

Back to the tents we went. It was a good sleep except that in the middle of the night Alicia was convinced that there was a lion in the bathroom and so refused to go. Hahaha...
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Day 61: November 4. Day 1 of Safari, Tarengire

We were collected this morning at 7:30 by our safari guide, Emanuel, to start our safari in Tarangire National Park.

Yesterday, before we bought the tickets at the office, they took us in our safari car to the bank. We had all piled in and sat waiting for the car to start. When it didn't, the two of us let out a big groan- not again!!! No way. They said it was the battery and took us in another car.

Today, while we were walking out to the car, we saw it being pushed and started as it was manual. We were angry/worried/thought it was not possible. Apparently they hadn't fixed it. Once on the road to go to the office to collect gear etc, Emanuel told us that they would change the battery when we got to the park. Luckily they had a battery and five guys ready to fix it waiting for us when we arrived at the office. It was dodgey for a bit but they got it working fine and dandy. Phew.

It took a few hours to drive there and we all took turns dozing and talking excitedly. We were all trying to recover from a light bout of nausea we had all woken up with. Suzanne had too and thought that maybe something we had eaten wasn't good. Luckily by the time we arrived at the park we were all doing much better.

The park was amazing. The neat thing about Tarengire is that there were plains, rolling hills, trees, rivers, and every thing in between. There wasn't a lake and there weren't any big mountains, but there were many many wildabeast and zebra. Twiga (giraffe), elephants, all kinds of funny looking birds, including an ostrich, many gazelles, buffalo, monkeys galore, and even a lioness in the distance thanks to our guide. Emanuel had superb eyes. His trick is when he sees something or knows something, he'll stop the car and look through his binoculars and wait to say anything until he's sure as to not get our hopes up.

Graham had brought binoculars and good thing he did because we used them a lot. Especially when we were watching two elephant families take their turns mud bathing in the same hole. We had a great lunch break overlooking the park. The fence in front of us with monkeys everywhere trying to steal people's food made it seem like a zoo. We were still getting used to the idea of being out in the wild...

One thing that was great was that mosquitos weren't an issue. Unfortunately the tsetse flies were out to get us. And they can carry sleeping sickness (who knows what that is...)!!! And on top of that, they hurt when they bite! Ouch.

In the early afternoon, much to our regret, we drove out of the park to camp on the rim of the Ngorongoro crater. As we climbed up and up, Karla got sicker. Maybe it was the altitude combined with who knows what else. She had a rough night and following morning, which greatly contributed to her grumpy mood.

Setting up the tents was easy and fun and they were roomy. They looked like they were built to last because they had; since the forties.

Dinner was pleasantly spectacular. Starting off with a bowl of popcorn was a fabulous idea. There was beef, rice, soup, and vegetables. MMMM. Dessert was fresh fruit and hot chocolate.

Bed came soon after as we were all tired and gathering our strength for the next morning. We went to bed anxious about the results of the election. We would know at 7am our time the next morning.
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Day 60. November 3: Taking Care of Business

After breakfast this morning (again with fresh fruit, yogurt, coffee, and home-made bread!), we spoke to a safari operator who was sent straight to our door by Jan. His name was Abu, and while he came highly recommended in terms of knowledge about the animals, he was sub-par from a business standpoint. He seemed unsure of what to charge us, and finally said that we should 'drop by' his office, 4 km from there. We said we'd think about it.

We all got ready, then walked into town. Karla and I tried to figure out flights from Arusha to Dar for Friday (when we're flying out), while the boys talked to more safari companies. Karla and I settled on taking an Air Tanzania flight, but halfway through the transaction, we realized that Air Tanzania only takes cash. Jeez! So we had to walk about 5 min away to find an ATM that deals with more than just Visa, then stood in line for about 7 min to use the machine. But when it was our turn, the ATM didn't work, so we had to go across the street and wait on an even longer line (about 30 min) to use that machine. Luckily it worked!

We found the boys on our way back to Air Tanzania and they told us to wait to buy our tickets, because they found a safari operator that was also a travel agent and could get us a discount. (Don't worry, the operator was recommended by our guide book as a legitimate business!) We ended up being able to plan out our ideal safari with them and negotiate a price below what we'd been quoted before. We were sold! We were scheduled to leave the next morning at 7.

The company took us in one of their safari cars to the bank, then to the airline company to buy our tickets. Our important items of business taken care of, we parted ways with the boys again, this time to do some khanga-shopping. We realized very quickly, however, that our two items of business (khanga-shopping and going to the hospital) were in exact opposite directions, and that we were likely to miss the doctor if we waited much longer. So we headed toward home, arriving at the hospital in the nick of time to see the doctor to make sure we were 100% healthy, and to get a note from him to justify our flight change to the insurance company. Phew.

We walked back toward town, and this time were receptive to a young man who approached us, asking if we wanted to see his fabric shop. It was a bit of a hike, but it we both ended up finding almost exactly what we were looking for, and left happy.

Back at home, we freshened up and helped with dinner. Jan had of course prepared yet another extravagant meal, which we enjoyed with one guest who might be a contact for Graham and Chris to start volunteering. When the guest left, we were all in a jovial mood and danced for a while before packing for the safari and heading off to bed.
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Day 59: November 2. Baaaaah Savenyah...

Today we slept in a bit. The safari yesterday must have taken more out of us than we thought. It was well worth it though. After a brunch of pancakes/crepes, bacon, fresh fruit and banana bread, we set out into town to use the internet machine. We have a few decisions ahead of us. As it looks right now, we are going to cancel our flight from Dar on Monday so we can keep recovering from malaria and take a safari before leaving from Kilimanjaro airport on Friday or Saturday. We will probably still fly into Delhi despite the recent terrorist attack to the east of Darjeeling in the northeast.

After using the internet, we went back to Shidolya safaris to talk about taking a 3-day one again. We got him to a price we liked, then told him we'd be back the next day to finalize and pay him. Which we had every intention of doing until we got home and talked to the people at the dinner party, who persuaded us to compare with more companies, as Shidolya wasn't the best.

The dinner party was really fun - the people in Suzanne's social circle are really interesting! We got more safari advice, and talked to a judge who was making a documentary about the Rwanda Tribunals, a U.S. social worker, a bioenergy engineer from Israel, and some people who worked on the tribunal. It was a great party!

Although we were tired when the party guests left, we had a hankering to watch 'The Lion King', seeing as there are so many Swahil words and names in it (and to get us in the mood for a safari!) so we had a screening before bedtime. Of course Suzanne couldn't help but make fun of us. Asante sana squashed banana...
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Day 58: November 1. Twiga what?

After breakfast this morning, we scrambled around to get ready to go to Arusha National Park. We had to get out of the door in a timely manner because Suzanne was going to a conference practically next door to the park.

After dropping Suzanne off at her conference, Graham experimented with driving on the wrong side of the road, and got us safely to the park! Practically upon entering, we saw giraffes (twiga in Kiswahili) and zebras grazing in the distance. Knowing that we were about to take a walking safari through the park, we left the animals to graze.

If the walking safari had been marketed as a guided hike, we would have all felt better about it. Although Chris was excited to be getting some exercise, it was perhaps a tad on the strenuous side for those of us still recovering from malaria. At least Amari was a really good sport.

Anyway, the only animals we got up-close and personal with on our walk were the water buffalo (can kill lions if provoked) and the warthogs. To be fair, we really were comforted by the ranger with a gun when we were close to the water buffalo! The other thing worth mentioning on the walk was a beautiful waterfall.

After our little hike, we ate lunch before venturing off on our own (with the car). This was much cooler! First of all, we went the wrong way out of the parking lot, and just as we were about to turn around, we spotted more twigas literally right next to the road. We were so excited!

Once we found our way, we saw a whole little community of animals, including warthogs, twigas, water buffalo, zebras, and water bucks. We got out of the car (but not too close!) and noticed that they were just as interested in us as we were in them! A mari did a cart wheel at some point and sent the zebras running. They are beautiful.

Next we headed toward the lakes. There we saw flamingos and hippos! On our way to the crater, and then out of the park, we saw 3 kinds of monkeys - colobus monkeys, baboons, and one unidentified species - and guinea fowl, as well as many more twigas just chillin by the side of the road. It was so majestic!

We headed out of the park, picking up Suzanne along the way, and going home for a short time before heading back out to the Colobus Club (again with Amari) to see a Russian guitarist play. In reality, although the guitarist was quite talented, it was overzealous of us to go after a loong day of safari-ing. We didn't even make it through the first third of the performance before we all started falling asleep. Luckily it was Amari's bedtime, so we all had an excuse to go home. Sometimes it pays to hang out with a 12-year-old!
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Day 57: October 31. Dalla-dalla bills y'all

Once again, again, breakfast was a very welcome site. We might start getting used to this and never want to leave! Luckily, the two of us usually feel uncomfortably restless when we start feeling too comfortable.

Shortly after the cozy meal we got ready for the day. Today we were going to meet up with Mathew, aTanzanian lad about our age who was recommended to us by Jan. He was going to take us to a beautiful lake outside of town (close but far enough to get really lost without him). We followed him to where we took a Dalla-dalla to Tangeru. It was Graham and Chris's first local bus ride in Africa. It was packed and Graham had to half stand half the way. Despite being much less discrete when traveling in a group, I feel like the local Arushans are much more accustomed to having white people around and even tried to catch the American football that Graham threw at them. Throwing it back always turned out interesting. So we slowly made our way towards the lake, paid an entry fee which we of course had to bargain down, and started walking.

The lake was beautiful and we had a great view of Mt. Meru, the second highest mountain in Tanzania. I believe it was then that Chris committed himself and Graham to climbing it before they leave in December. Soon after, we saw a monitor lizard slide into the lake and disappear. Then we passed by some white people catching spiders for research. When we asked them if they'd had any luck they grumbled a yes and carried on ruffling through the leaves. Must be rough for them. A little further down the path Mathew was leading and Karla was behind him. Mathew heard a rustling, paused, and let a rather large and deadly green mamba slither by. After holding our breathe a little waiting for more animals, we stumbled upon a bar that served flat Coke and ginger Stoneys. Soon we got hungary for real and headed back to Suzannes for lunch after a moment of, "maybe we can try this tiny restaurant...ok maybe not, it doesn't look safe.". We ended up walking to town to have a cheap but yummy meal with Mathew near where the dalla-dalla dropped us. When we got back to the house, Amari was there to greet us. It was a Friday and he had just come home from being at boarding school for the week. He's 12 and in the process of being adopted by Suzanne. He is fluent in English and Kiswahili and is a great little translator

It was Halloween night and Suzanne was going out for a party and we were unfortunately too tired to join her. Instead we had leftovers and watched 'My Best Friend's Wedding .' It was nice to relax on a comfy couch!
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Day 56: October 30. Market

Today we got off to a slow start again. We woke up and ate breakfast before lounging around for a little while and going right back to sleep! It was the perfect way to do the 'bedrest' ordered by the doctor.

When we got up for real, we decided that, since it was market day, we should go! Luckily we stayed away from goats this time. It took a few tries to find it. No one really knew what we were talking about when we asked where the market was, which is hard to believe because it was quite big! It was packed with everything from kitchen-ware stores to fabric stores to fruit and veg stands and of course, butchers. It was Graham and Chris' first market and third/fourth day in Africa but they didn't seem fazed. We were delighted to walk through and realize that no market is quite the same as the next. We were in search of khangas- we were addicted to finding the right ones. Yet, we all grew hungry and weary before long and headed to grab a bite at the local Muzungu eatery. We met Suzanne there at Via Via (which we later found out was designed by Jan!) before she hurried back to the UN building where she has worked with the Rwanda Tribunals for nine years.

We started our walked home to relax and shower while Chris stayed behind to use the internet. We stopped in to check on flights to Dar es Salaam briefly on the way.

When we got back Suzanne asked if we wanted to go a movie with her. We said yes before we knew what it was. It turns out that it was about Jonestown. It was quite the experience. Some of us knew less about it than others and we all came out of the movie feeling either sad or depressed, but it was overall very informative. Suzanne offered to take us to dinner after and so we drove just a little further down the street to Stiggy's. Here we had very interesting and emotional conversations. The night ended with a few tiffs but in the end we all learned a lot from each other and about each other. We were definitely tired out from the long day.
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Day 55: October 29. Arusha

We woke up rather early considering the previous day's excitement. We walked into the kitchen to find a delicious assortment of fresh fruit awaiting us. Most, if not all, came right from the garden. Coffee and homemade bread made it the perfect breakfast. After the village breakfasts, we were ready for anything. After breakfast, we opted for more dozing and relaxing. Suzanne's house was perfect for this. It was full of fun colors and comfy pillows. And there were a ton of interesting books to browse through.

Around one, we thought it would be good to look into some short safaris as we would be leaving on Sunday (as far as we knew at the time). It wasn't long before the two of us felt very tired and weak and so we abandoned our short safari search and made our way to the Arusha hospital to be tested one more time just in case. We were negative for malaria, but as we were waiting for results, Chris and Graham had struck up a conversation with the doctor that lead to finding out that we hadn't taken the proper medication in the correct order. Apparently, what we took, Malafin, was only used as a supplement to the normal four day medication, Cotecxin. He strongly suggested we take it immediately before we became resistant to it. Without question we of course got it.

We were both happy to get the right treatment but unhappy that we had to take more meds and get more rest. Resting is hard when the world is layed out before you.

We walked home for a late lunch of the delicious soup that Jan had made the night before (carrot ginger). It was a tough time for the two of us. I was just then realizing how delirious I had been at the hospital in the village and we were both exhausted. This was discouraging because we really wanted to go on the safari, but couldn't because of the medicine.

When Suzanne came home from work, she walked with us to show us the hotel nearby with a swimming pool in case we wanted to go there one day to relax (and a gym for the boys). Next we walked to the grocery store right across the street from the house to get some cereal and potato chips.

Dinner was a little quieter as Suzanne and Jan went out. It was the only night that Jan wasn't around to make his usual masterpiece. He is a true chef. We topped off the day with yet another relaxing activity- a movie! It was the first for us in a loong time. Of course 'My Best Friends Wedding' was the perfect solution.
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Today! November 9

Sorry for not updating in a while. We didn't have data connection for the last couple of weeks in Tanzania, and we were just plain lazy about writing them because of our illness slash distraction. We're working on it, and we'll be fully up-to-date in a couple of days. Promise!

Love,
Us

PS - don't worry...we're healthy again!
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Day 54: October 28. You say goodbye and I say hello

Today we were released from the hospital. Graham and his friend Chris came to be our knights in shining armor and picked us up from the hospital to take us back to Arusha. Alicia finally stopped feeling as dizzy and Karla made a miraculous recovery.

We went home to Ubetu and packed our things, saying goodbye to all our friends who had quickly become like family. We were really sad to leave! Poor Graham and Chris were exhausted from the drive and couldn't understand why we weren't rushing to get back to Arusha. In our sick state, we hadn't had time to pack! Thankfully, they were patient and grew to love the place even during their short two hour stay.

We began the long long drive to Arusha around three in the afternoon. As the car was small, it couldn't handle the short cuts Hellen suggested. They were just far too bumpy. Leaving, we saw Kilimanjaro from new perspective.

We arrived at Suzanne's house - Graham's aunt- in Arusha and settled into the bungalow that Chris and Graham had already moved into. Soon, we were walking into the big house to meet Suzanne and Jan, her Belgian friend. They had prepared a lovely dinner for us, and we chatted away. After dinner Jan, knowing the way to our hearts, made us some scrumptious lemon-ginger tea, and we went to bed.
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Day 53: October 27. Malaria part II

The day got off to a rough start. Karla and Alicia both woke up feeling ill. We found out that the car was beyond repair, and Hellen became very upset about all the things that were going wrong.

At least the lab techs were at the hospital bright and early today, so Alicia and Kar got tested for malaria - Alicia's came out clean (hooray! The drug worked! Bed rest for 4 days then she'll feel better!), but unfortunately Karla has malaria too. At least she doesn't have it as badly as Alicia, although her symptoms were much more violent.

It was a day of rest and recuperating, punctuated by Karla being confined to bed, a couple of IV's and Alicia taking her first weak steps toward recovery. Karla became delirious in her weak state and made all the staff as well as Hellen, upset. It was a cause for a lot of emotional pain for everyone until it was told that Karla didn't actually remember any of it. The rest of the day was thankfully more quiet as Karla slept for the first time. That night she was forced to eat as she finished her second IV. Poor Hellen gave up her bed and spent the cold night on a mattress on the floor. She's a saint!
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Day 52: October 26. Malaria

Alicia woke up in the hospital this morning, and Karla woke up in Ubetu, each acutely lonely for the other. Who would have thought?

Karla took a short walk around the plot after some tea and a bite of PB&J (making sure not to get lost) to shake the nausea out of her body. After gathering some things and laying down for a bit, she was suddenly dragged to possibly church, possibly the hospital. The boys didn't even know. We ended up stopping through both. By the time we had made it there we had about fifteen people walking behind us, curious as to why there was a Muzungu in their village. What a spectacle I made! The church was beautiful. Everyone was dressed up and singing loud and proud. We didn't actually get to go in as it was full, but it was fun as it was.

Alicia finally got tested around 10am, after her 2nd IV, and Hellen's suspicions were confirmed: it was in fact malaria. Alicia spent the day dozing and trying to feel better, while Hellen scurried around, telling people to bring supplies, and setting up a 'kitchen' in the hospital room to pump Alicia full of nutrients. (The best part of malaria is that you have to keep eating and eating!)

Karla walked down to visit with the boys for a little while before walking home and doing laundry by hand in buckets with Apo and Eric. She didn't know what was in store for her later.

Around dinner time, Felicissme brought a chicken with its head freshly cut off into the hospital room and began plucking it over a basin to catch the blood while Alicia watched from her bed. She giggled all the while, and poor Felicissme thought Alicia was laughing at him because he didn't see anything out of the ordinary in the situation. It didn't help that she only speaks English and he only speaks Swahili!

Plagued by their loneliness of the night before, Karla hopped on a motorcycle back to the hospital with her overnight things, and slept in the hospital bed with Alicia. Unfortunately, Karla too became violently ill... It didn't help that the bed was far too small. She spent practically the whole night making trips to the bathroom. By morning she felt drained and very weak.
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Day 51: October 25. They killed the goat for us.

For breakfast this morning, we forwent the leftover goat intestines, opting instead for pb&j. After much fussing around (cleaning dishes is quite the process!), we hiked up the dirt road to Kilimanjaro at a slow pace, passing many khanga-clad women and children working in their fields or carrying giant bushels of grass or buckets of water on their heads. They would stop and look at us for a moment before picking up speed on the downhill. We could only climb so far until we reached the edge of the forest, where government officials apparently hide to fine people for trespassing. We're not quite sure we believe this...anyway, we played some games with Apo and Eric (learning what they do to entertain themselves with no tv etc), running around and expending our energy by throwing bottles of water like footballs and arm wrestling, until we started to feel rain drops and hurried back down the mountain and almost falling on our faces. Occasionally Karla would stop to snap a photo of the breathtaking landscape.

Miraculously, it stopped raining by the time we got back down to Apo's aunt's house and store. We hung out there for a while, sitting under tree drinking beer (for K) and Coke (for A, who was feeling a bit iffy). The boys tried to teach us Swahili until our brains hurt! 'Kiato' is shoe (Ks favorite) and door is 'mulango'.

After some drinking and a lot of excellent relaxing, Hellen called us over to the house, telling us that we were to be offered a gift, and that no matter what we must accept it graciously, whether or not we think we want to eat it. Jeez. With an intro like that, who can refuse?

So we walked into the interior courtyard of the house, and one of Apo's uncles walks in, trailing... a goat! We took pictures with it and pet it like they wanted us to, knowing full well what was to be its fate. And this time, we got to watch it. Karla even helped slaughter it, but after a short time of watching, Alicia hid her face, started to tear up, and seriously considered becoming a vegetarian. We both noted, however, that Apo is an expert goat-slaughterer.

While the goat was still warm (and painstakingly being cut into pieces), Alicia began to take ill, and, thinking she just needed a nap, lay down for a little while. But she started burning up, and Hellen (thankfully!) recognized the symptoms of malaria, and forced her to go to the hospital.

As it turns out, Alicia wasn't sick because of the goat. Luckily, it was malaria. She was very adamant about making sure our hosts knew this so as to not offend them.

In her delirium, Alicia fought going to the Moyo Safi Wa Maria hospital tooth and nail, especially when she realized that she was to be taken on the back of a motorcycle, without a helmet, over intensely bumpy roads, while dizzy. She thought that this was the way she was going to die...but thankfully she made it safely!

Because of the busted car, Karla couldn't get to the hospital right away (there weren't enough motorcycles around!), so she stayed at home with the boys, who tried to fix the radiator in the dark so they could come to the hospital to visit and bring supplies. Unfortunately, the apoxy didn't hold, so they had to abandon the car at the hospital, and walk an hour or more to get home! However, it was worth it, because Alicia was so relieved to see that Karla was alive and well! (Karla thinks its the other way around).

Back at the house we (Karla and the boys) sat solemnly around the kitchen, lit by a sole lantern. It was late and we were tired, but the boys were so so worried that I had to promise over and over that Alicia would be ok.
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Day 50: October 24: Market Day in the Village

Today we awoke to our first morning in the village. As it was rather late (8am) a plate of pork and plantains were thrust in front of us by Hellen, who had transformed herself from city women to village mother in Khan ga garb overnight. Immediately after, we were put to work (sort of), wrapped in a Khanga and given a bucket of water and slop for Alicia to put on her head for the pigs. The short walk in the forest to the pig pens was hilarious.

As we waited for Hellen to bathe, we took a stroll around the plot. If Eric hadn't been with us we would have been utterly lost as everything looked the same. Which was beautiful.

Walking back towards the house Hellen looked worried. We had been gone all of twenty minutes and she thought we were lost in the forest. We (secretly) got in a good laugh.

We got in the car, crossing our fingers that it would make it. We made what would be one of the car's last rides (you'll see) to the market. It was conveniently market day. It was like nothing wed ever seen. So full of life and colors. Hopefully our pictures (if you see them) will help describe the beautiful chaos. First order of business was to buy a goat. We had a choice of an indoor goat and an outdoor goat. Indoor ones are tastier (we couldn't tell) but more expensive because they are fed soda ash and grass. Then we grabbed some carrots, potatoes, water, and a red Khanga for Karla. When we approached the car and looked in the back, we didn't see the goat. Just as Alicia asked where he had gone, there was a blood curdling scream and banging from over our heads. Over the edge of the roof popped out the head of the goat as it struggled against the ropes. So what did we do? We took a picture and carried on our merry way.

When we arrived back at the house, we had some spare time as Hellen busied herself with something useful and the boys (Apo and Eric) wandered off. So, we gathered the many children who had been staring at us from around the village, fascinated with the white Muzungus. We decided to teach them duck duck goose (or moose as some said). It was quite fun and they caught on rather quickly. Before long it was time to peel plantains. While peeling, Hellen yelled at me for throwing a peel at Alicia. It went like this, "Karla! Hellen! Karla! Hellen, what!?" Apparently they stain. I would soon find out first hand as my shirt acquired some mysterious brown spots later. Karma. After we were through, our hands were so filthy and caked with dirt, that they had to be scrubbed and scrubbed (with a corn cob no less). Eric insisted on helping, and so Alicia ended up having her hands thoroughly and meticulously scrubbed. I watched and laughed.

While we were peeling, Apo had slaughtered the goat (right after I'd fed it some grass to make it happy for as long as possible). We walked over and saw the head laying there. He happily pointed out the different parts to us. We had been prepped by the slaughter houses in the markets in Zanzibar, so we were only disappointed we hadn't seen him kill it (we would get more than we bargained for the following day).

Dinner started with goat's blood soup cooked with carrots and intestines. Alicia was brave enough to actually eat the intestines. It was all Karla could do just drink it. We badly needed a Safari beer. But we did it. Yet by the time the second course came along, I, Karla tried to eat the meat, but mostly ugali/polenta was all I could force down. I was happy to give my portion to the boys/men (there were five of them). A grandmother, Patricia and a 102 year old grand father (Baba) lived there as well. Its hard to know who else lived there.

We were tuckered out and we soon settled into our surprisingly cozy bed. As we were on the mountain side, it got rather cold at night and it was nice to have the two of us to keep each other warm.
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