Stores that carry "FIRE" season clothing

Soooo, it would also help my poor, tired, whitish legs look a tiny bit more tanned?

Is it readily available or do we special order it online by the case?

Inquiring minds, ya know?

Debbie, I don't know about your poor, tired, whitish legs... to be honest. I just tried the sunscreen on my face. I'm not sure what a tinted sunscreen would do as a body sunscreen. Do you think it would end up rubbing off on clothing, kind of like a foundation? Or, do you think it would soak in like a lotion... once dry? Just don't know. I had a teeny, tiny, smidgeon of a tube for a sample, so I can't lather and help you out with information. As far as shopping goes, I got my sample from drugstore.com; which I am finding to be quite a great source for online shopping of toiletries and some nice cosmetic brands.

My DH bit the bullet yesterday and ordered me a camera! After much discussion, back/forth, pro/con, he decided on a Sony WX350. I looked at the camera here locally and think that I'll be pretty happy with it. So, ladies, expect to see some interesting pictures from the upcoming adventure! At least, I hope that I'll remember there's a camera in my purse.

Kim, I know that these trip reports take so much time. I am fascinated by your adventurous self and can just imagine you interacting with the tour guide. So amazing; I hope my lizard joke was taken in the spirit in which it was given. I can truly say that I will only experience Africa through your eyes and I'm so grateful to you for the gift of your African travel. Thank you for sharing.

Ahhh, facial sunscreen. Duh!!! Thanks, Pam. I have a sunscreen/bugspray combo that I'm happy with, but I need something for my face. Appreciate the recommendation.

Ok. Back to our regularly scheduled trip to Tanzania. Hint. Hint! HINT!!!

Yeah. I'll be patient. I. Will. Try. To. Be. Patient. I will. I will. I. Must. Sigh....

Just kidding, Kim. ;-))

Here's the next installment and I'll also add a link for a few photos :)

You guys always have the nicest comments! I really appreciate the time you have taken to read all of this. These 2 trips to Tanzania have just meant the world to us and I am so excited to be able to share with all of you :)

https://picasaweb.google.com/106816041713365180641/TAPhotos?authkey=Gv1sRgCObNhK6n58Os7QE

Friday, July 25—

This is our last day at Ruaha. Tomorrow we leave for Iringa. We got up early again and left camp at 6:20 am. I took some really nice sunrise photos just outside camp. We saw the sunrise through a big Baobab tree. I got a photo of the big orange sun shining right through the branches of the Baobab. The description doesn’t sound as pretty as the photo turned out! The sunrises and sunsets are so beautiful here. There’s so much wide open space and the beautiful stark Baobabs and the colors are so pretty, it makes it easy to come up with some killer photos, even for an amateur.

I should backtrack a little here. Before we left camp, James told us to come with him to see something. You know how I’ve been writing of all the Ellie action at the bandas? Well, it didn’t stop last night. At the small kitchen/dining area at the bandas, James showed us where the Ellie had broken into the kitchen area and gotten food. The windows were smashed and the screens all torn out where the Ellie had broken in! On the ground outside the windows there were plastic bags ripped apart, popcorn and beans among other foods strewn about. Several campers lost a good portion of their food. Our smart guide, James, had Michael keep our non-perishable things in the Land Rover the night before. The Ellie had also broken a window and screen in the small dining area too. During the night the Ranger had fired shots 2 separate times to scare him away. He must like it at the bandas!

Before we got into the vehicle for our game drive, we watched a small Agama Lizard right next to a huge Moth on the cement wall of dining area. We moved a little closer to see them and all of a sudden the Moth moved and the Lizard nailed it. He only got the Moth’s head in his mouth and the Moth was still fluttering its wings. Another cool photo op.

Back to our day now. We took a boxed breakfast with us today. We really enjoy doing that. It’s so nice to stop at some scenic spot and eat. Quite nice really! Right after breakfast as we were driving along, we spotted an Eastern Chanting Goshawk on an open branch eating something. Out came the binoculars and lo and behold he had a mouse and the mouse was still ALIVE. Glad that happened after breakfast! We watched him eat it bit by bit for a long while. I took lots of photos and some even turned out well. It reminded me of a car wreck, kind of awful to watch but we couldn’t take our eyes off the Goshawk.

Still hopeful to find the Wild Dogs. One more day here to try. Crossing fingers, legs, arms, eyes, etc. in the hopes that we see them!

A really lovely site this morning was seeing a flock of Brown Parrots take off from the ground. They had this beautiful blue green rump when they flew. No photos of that but some really nice colorful memories. The birds in Tanzania are just magnificent! So many species, sizes, colors and silhouettes. Kind of spoils birding at home. We saw some other nice birds today too—Gray Kestrel, Cut Throat Finch, African Gray Flycatcher, Rufus Headed Roller, White Crested Helmet Shrike and a Red Headed Weaver.

We found a Lion cub with his parents. Babies of any species are just precious, aren’t they? The eyes of a Lion cub are so sweet looking; too bad they belong to a future killer. This sighting drew quite a crowd, probably 4-5 vehicles.

We went back to the bandas for lunch today and then back out. We watched more Ellies digging for water; it provides endless pleasure to us. So do sleeping Lions. We saw some Eland today and James thought they seemed to have a little straighter horns that the ones in the North. Has anyone else noticed that?

As we were driving along game viewing we spotted a Land Cruiser stopped with its hood up and a family of 4 standing around. Their guide was working under the hood. James asked if we minded if he stopped to see if we could help and we said “of course not!”. We stopped and got out. James, my husband and their guide all looking under the hood now and talking. There was more talking, a tool getting used and more talking. Typical of men working on something, isn’t it? Time went on and the next thing I saw was James and my husband sucking something out of the fuel tank. Then they asked for my nail clippers. I warned them not to lose or break them! My husband used to be a mechanic and James is a very talented mechanic, so they had 2 good guys helping out. Actually, my husband was in his element doing this. He was loving it!

While the men were working I was talking to the stranded family. It was a Mom, Dad, 14 year old son and 11 year old daughter who were from the U.K. and had been in Ruaha for a couple of days. As we talked they asked if we had seen the Dogs. I said no but; it was on my wish list. They had seen the Dogs the day before and THEY DIDN’T EVEN KNOW RUAHA HAD WILD DOGS! What the heck???? They see them and we haven’t? How cruel is that?

After about an hour of unsuccessful work on the Land Cruiser the “rescue” vehicle from their lodge finally came to pick them up. They said they had waited over 2 hours for the other truck to come. The family apologized to us for keeping us from our game drive. We told them it was no problem as if we had been on the other end, we sure would have appreciated it if someone had stopped to help us! It was one of those unplanned unexpected surprises that sometimes happen for a reason. Actually, it was a good memory in the making. Another one to write in the journal.

We stopped at the “Ranger neighborhood” store today. We were the last of the big time spenders---we bought 4 sodas for the grand total of 4000 TSH. Bargain of the day and they were COLD.

After eating dinner tonight in the dining area my husband and I were headed back the short distance to our banda. There were a couple of Rangers at the corner of the dining area talking. I walked in front of my husband as I had the headlamp. My husband said “stop”. I looked back at him and he said “there’s an Ellie about 25 feet in front of us". I shined the light and there he was, eating at the thatch of a banda AGAIN. The Rangers apparently hadn’t seen or heard him either because they were surprised. Of course we all stopped in our tracks. The Rangers had us wait a few minutes; they went to get something they said. A few minutes later we heard an engine and a Ranger was driving a front loader onto the parking area and around the bandas! They were chasing the Ellie with it as the gun shots didn’t seem to scare him away anymore! The Ellie ran like a scared rabbit. We were all just cracking up laughing. What a sight—a Ranger driving a digger around chasing away an Ellie. It looked like a cartoon!

Back in our super luxurious band (remember, it’s the one with beds, electricity and ensuite bathroom!), we repack for our move the next morning. During the night we heard the front loader fire up 2 different times. That Ellie would NOT give up. It was a late night for us, we didn’t go to bed until 10:30 pm. Too much Ellie excitement going on I guess. Do you see why I put Ellies and Excitement in the title of the trip report???? What an eventful day!

Saturday, July 26—

First thing this morning guess who was back? You guessed it, Mr. Ellie. They drove the front loader around after him and off he went. Wonder what they will use after the front loader losses its effectiveness??? After breakfast there was a Giraffe eating from a bush right outside the dining area. It made for some nice photos. We had eaten dinner and breakfast with a Mom and 2 daughters from Belgium. So, we took each other’s photos with the Giraffe very close behind us. Another fun memory.

We were making our way to Iringa today. Drives are always exciting for us, no matter if they are game drives or just driving from one location to another. Always something of interest to see! Maybe we will see some Wild Dogs on our way out of the park??? More crossing of body parts and even some Hail Mary’s said!

More soon to follow.

No Dogs on our way out! Disappointed for sure but, we still have a chance at the Selous later in our trip. Or, as I said to James, we might get a really rare sighting of Dogs in Iringa??????

Ruaha was just a fabulous park! The varied landscapes were worth it alone. The Ellie encounters were worth their weight in gold to us. All of our encounters were just magical whether they involved animals or people or even poop! We didn’t see the number of animals we had seen on our Northern safari but the quality was really special and being alone most of the time without having to jockey for space with other vehicles was soooo worth it. It was also really nice to have so few visitors because we could hear so many different sounds. Sounds of: the birds, animals eating, animals calling to each other, and best of all—the sound of silence! Priceless. We are sad to be leaving Ruaha but we have other adventures awaiting us on this trip!

Bye-bye Ruaha.

A little bit after we left Ruaha heading toward Iringa there was a funny noise coming from the Land Rover. James stopped and looked at it and said that there was a problem with a shock absorber. We drove on a few minutes and stopped at a bridge. James got out and looked and decided that we had lost a bushing in the shock (I think that’s right). The Belgium family that we met at the bandas was travelling right behind us and they stopped too. Both vehicles emptied and the men got under the vehicle and we gals just milled around and chatted. James “MacGyvered” (for those that aren’t familiar with MacGyver, it was an American TV show in the mid 80’s about a guy who could make or fix anything from almost nothing. He was very creative and quite ingenious. Around our house we use the word ‘MacGyver” as a verb! As in “how did you MacGyver that?”) a fix for the shock until we could get it properly fixed.

Along we drove until we came to a small, really small, village. We pulled over and James talked to a guy on a bike. He needed a special tool and asked the bike guy if anyone had one. 10 minutes later the bike guy came back with a similar tool and about 5 guys went under the vehicle. As I mentioned before, all of this intrigued my husband to the max. It was really a spectacle in the village, most everyone was watching either from close quarters or afar. There was lots of talking going on, gesturing, another guy left on a bike for something; while all of this was going on I was trying to make friends with some of the local kids. They were a little shy at first and they stared at the ultra-white mzungu. When I got the little camera out one of the kids ran off but, the other 3 came around and wanted to see it. I gestured to see if I could take their photos and they enthusiastically agreed. I took a couple and showed them and they laughed. One of them touched my blonde hair. It was ever so gentle.

As this friend making was going on, the second guy on the bike came back with a hanger full of rubber bushings. They sized one up and it was what James needed. More guys under the Land Rover and after about an hour total, we were up and running. It was really a lot of fun to be stopped like that and experience all of the MacGyvering going on. These guys can fix anything with almost nothing! My husband was really amazed at what they can do with so little. And, also really thankful for all the luxuries we have here at home at our disposal.

Ok, back on the road to Iringa.

Next we got stopped by the police, one of several stops during the trip. The police always look so intimidating at these stops. They always look us over and usually there’s talking involved, and sometimes James got out of the vehicle to “talk” some more. Sometimes money is given and sometimes not. We started calling these “lunch box” stops during the trip. We always said instead of money the police wanted our lunch boxes. We usually kidded Michael that he should pack a couple of extra ones just in case they were needed!

Back on the road yet again to our next destination for the next 2 nights

—Neema Crafts Guesthouse.

We arrived at Neema and James got us all checked in to our room. It’s really a quaint place. It is run by deaf and disabled people from the area. Everyone is friendly and we see lots of mzungu staying here. The 4 of us have a late lunch at the Neema café. My husband and I both had delicious bacon and avocado Panini’s while James and Michael had a rice dish. Chocolate cake was also had. All the food was really good. Ordering was interesting. Since most of the workers are deaf, you write your entire order on paper and put up a little flag to show you are ready. The service was good.

We were going to have our laundry done while we were staying there, so we got that all sorted out and done. Next on the agenda was shopping for kanga material in town.

James, Michael, my husband and I piled back into the Land Rover and drove down the main street of Iringa looking for a good shop to stop at. I found several so James parked. Michael stayed in the Rover and off went the three stooges shopping. I looked in several shops until I found some material I liked. James did all the translating for me. I asked if I could go behind the counter and unfold some of the material and the shop owner said agreed. I finally found some I liked and asked how much. Didn’t like the first price so I asked again. Settled on that price and bought 2 pieces of material. My husband asked James if he shopped with his wife and if we were similar. James agreed heartily and we all laughed.

After our shopping excursion, we went to see what time Masses were at the Catholic Church for the next day. A wedding happened to be going on in the church so we quietly went in and sat down. So cool!!!! The choir was singing and I videoed. The men were on the right side of the church and the women on the other. All dressed in their best. How many people get to crash a wedding in Tanzania??? We only stayed about 15 minutes or so but what fun that was!

Iringa was an interesting drive up and down the main street. We saw some quite colorful caskets for sale on the street right next to a butcher shop. Coincidence???? People watching was good too. It is always fascinating to see people doing what they do every day. The simple things intrigue us.

Back to Neema Guesthouse. We shopped in their gift shop and I bought some earrings and a necklace made from recycled paper, some small change purses, some cards made of Ellie dung and a journal for our son also made of Ellie dung. All of the products in the shop are handmade by deaf and disabled people. The gifts are all unique and reasonably priced plus the money goes to a good cause. A win-win all around!

My husband and I walked around Iringa for maybe an hour. Not many muzungu out and about so we stood out like sore thumbs. They must have all been at the Neema Guesthouse. When we returned to the guesthouse and went up to our room, we passed all of our laundry hanging out on the walls drying; it was kind of weird seeing it all out in public like that.

We had free Wi-Fi at Neema so we took advantage and sent some emails and snap chatted with a friend.

We had hot water, good shower pressure, a comfy bed, some snacks and we were good to go for the rest of the evening. Another great day on safari!

Oh Kim, what a fascinating read! I'm loving it! I knew what the Ellies were

as that's what my son used to call them when he was a toddler. And we McIver and Jerry Rig around here all the time. Lol:D

And the photos are awesome! Are you sure you're not a professional photographer? And more please! And I'll shut up now and wait! And she sighs..

Oh Kim, what a fascinating read! I'm loving it! I knew what the Ellies were

as that's what my son used to call them when he was a toddler. And we McIver and Jerry Rig around here all the time. Lol:D

And the photos are awesome! Are you sure you're not a professional photographer? And more please! And I'll shut up now and wait! And she sighs..

Oh, Linda, you're so funny. We "Jimmy rig" around here. Probably "Jerry's" brother :D

Glad you are enjoying the report and photos. I kind of dread starting to write but, it's fun to relive the trip through memories!

Here's the next chapter:

Sunday, July 27—

8:00 am was our wake up time today as we were going to the 10 am Mass at the Catholic Church that we visited yesterday. The included breakfast at the Neema Guesthouse was very good—scrambled eggs, fresh fruit, toast and tea, all fresh, hot and tasty. It was interesting to watch the workers at Neema. They were very efficient. It was really nice to see that the deaf and disabled had a useful spot in the workplace there. From what we learned, the deaf and disabled are shunned in Tanzania, families hide them and they don’t get training or education as the families can be ashamed of having a child with disabilities. As I mentioned previously, the gift shop is run and stocked by the deaf and disabled workers. They were quite creative in the crafts that they made and sold. We were impressed!

James and Michael picked us up at 9:30 am and we drove the short distance to the church. There was a Mass going on so we just waited in the parking lot and people watched. There were lots of people waiting to go in to the next mass. The kids were dressed up and so were the adults. The little ones were sliding down a hand rail along the steps while waiting to go into the church. Fun to watch and I even videoed some of that too. 10 am came and went and the earlier Mass was still going on, we thought that was a little strange that Masses were not running on time but, this was a different country than ours. Well, come to find out, we were told the wrong time for Mass, it wasn’t 10:00 but actually 11:00. So, we waited a little more. No problem though, we really didn’t have a busy morning planned and this was a nice way to fill the time-- watching people.

At 11:00 our Mass started. It was a pretty full church, not quite as full as the previous Mass but, ‘busy’, as we would say at home. I mentioned earlier that the men sat on one side and the women sat on the other. Well, our group-- 3 men and 1 woman-- sat on the women’s side. I told the guys that they could sit on the other side with the men but, they politely declined. What gentlemen I was with. We filed into the pew and knelt on the hard board kneelers. Another thing we were thankful for at home—padded kneelers! We were the only mzungu in the church but, felt very comfortable there. At the ‘Sign of Peace’ (other Catholics out there will know what this is) everyone near us shook our hand. The mass lasted about 1 ½ hours, pretty long in our book. It was in Swahili of course, so we didn’t understand a word but, knew what was going on because a Catholic Mass is a Catholic Mass no matter the country or language. A Catholic usually knows what is going on just because of the Priest’s actions.

It was really special that James and Michael went to Mass with us even though neither is Catholic. We are finding that they are two great guys.

After Mass we went to the “Hasty Tasty 2” restaurant for lunch. It was a small place. James and Michael had chicken sandwiches, my husband had a sausage/tomato/cheese Panini and I had a mushroom/cheese Panini. I also had my new favorite drink—a “sparletta”. It’s a soda that tastes like a pina colada—umm, umm, good! After lunch was over we were headed to Isimilia, the Acheulean Stone Age site and museum near Iringa.

It was just a short drive to get to Isimilia and we arrived around 2 pm. Our guide met us in the parking lot and we all went inside to see the small museum first before going out to see the tool area. The museum was simply set up but interesting and informative. I’m not a Geologist but, thought this would be a really interesting site to visit. Simon had emailed a few pages from an old pamphlet and it had some background info and maps in it, so we had a little information going in.

Isimilia is said to have formed from a lake that existed around 60,000 B.C. The lake bed was made of clay and sandstone, dried up and the tools remained covered until the lake bed was eroded many years later. The site was first excavated in 1957 by the University of Chicago. They found many tools made by stone-age man. The lake was probably used as a watering, hunting and camping place where men stayed and made tools for use. Tools found include: hand-axes, cleavers, scrapers and pick-like tools all made from the surrounding rocks. Animal fossils found near the site include: elephants, pigs, antelope, a type of giraffe and hippo like animals.

Our guide led us out to a gulley like area and we stopped at a small structure. It’s kind of a shame but, the Stone-Age tools are just all piled up out in the open and have no covering. There were 2 places there with piles of tools that we could walk through, pick up, and look at. Our guide said the government was promising to supply a covered area to keep the tools safe from the weather but, nothing yet. It felt a bit wrong to pick up and hold these valuable artifacts. I actually felt a little guilty doing that as I know how oils, dirt, etc. from a person’s skin can erode things. It really was fascinating though!

After looking through the tools we walked further out to a cliff like area. Down below were the really cool pillars left by the erosion of the river. They looked other-worldly. They also reminded me of HUGE straw mushrooms. We wandered in this area for probably 2 hours. Our guide was very informative and friendly. It was really neat to see the area and the day was beautiful. The photos look lovely with the odd shape of the tan colored pillars against the brilliant blue sky. We didn’t leave the area until 5:45 pm, much longer than we anticipated but, time well spent!

Back to Neema around 6:30 pm, we weren’t really hungry so we decided to skip dinner and just have a Nutri-Grain bar and some water. We went to the Neema café to check email again as we wouldn’t have it for several days after this. While we were in the café, there was an orange kitty wandering around. He looked just like our cat at home except he was a little grumpy and didn’t much care for petting. Back to the room, repacked our nice clean clothes, showered and off to bed for a good night’s sleep.

Tomorrow we leave for Udzungwa. Simon and his niece, Liz, are going to meet up with us there, should be fun. We are also excited as there are several species of primates there as well as some nice hiking. There’s supposed to be some interesting endemic species in the Udzungwas. I hope to see an Elephant Shrew.

What will we see????

Monday, July 28—

Today was a partial travel day as we were going to Udzungwa. As I’ve said previously, the drives are always interesting to us. We love to see the different landscapes, villages, people, animals, etc. on the way to/from different places.

Our departure from Neema Guesthouse was around 9 am. On the way out of town we stopped back at Hasty Tasty Two for some sandwiches to take along for the trip. We all got the same ones as yesterday. Off we go on another adventure. The time in the vehicle was usually spent talking; imagine that with 2 chin waggers and 2 non-talkers! I must say that by this time in the trip, even Michael and my husband became “talkative” (for them), although, James and I carried the weight most of the time. It was a heavy load but, somebody had to do it! James can talk on so many subjects and he is quite curious about learning from others also. He asked us a lot of questions too. Let’s see, some of the topics covered during the trip included: animals, culture, human nature, geography, archeology, geology, anthropology, TV shows, music, kids/families, education, health, science, food, mechanics, jokes, “lunch box stops”, even some no-no’s as in-- religion, politics, money…. And, if you ever have James as a guide on your safari, ask him to do his impressions, you will howl with laughter! Actually, we laughed a good portion of our time on safari. Sometimes it was over funny animal behaviors, sometimes people, sometimes something one of us did or said, sometimes I think we just laughed because we all got along well and felt comfortable. It sounds like all we did was laugh but, we had a serious side too. James was an excellent animal spotter, educator, driver on bad roads (and good roads), mechanic and chin wager. If you can’t tell already, we loved James!

I digress…back to the drive from Iringa to Udzungwa. James told us that most of the trip there we drove on the Mbeya Road. The roads were really curvy and steep for a portion of the drive. We saw 3 different wrecks that looked a few days old but, were most probably fatal. Most were between cars and semis.

Also, can I talk about buses in Tanzania??? Oh, my, Lord, the buses drive like bats out of hell even on the dangerous, curvy, steep roads! These are big buses that transport people long distances from place to place. We lost count of the number of buses that passed us on curves or with oncoming cars headed toward them, or just because they were in a hurry. James told us that many of the buses have a “driver” who may or may not know the road and/or local area and they also have a “navigator” who stands across from the “driver” on the other side of the bus (or even hangs out the side of the bus) and tells him when to pass, when to speed up or slow down or just what to do. James also told us that sometimes the “navigator” will tell the “driver” to go ‘full blast’, meaning pedal to the metal no matter what is oncoming! So, during our trip that became a catch phrase in the vehicle, “James, full blast”. We told Michael that he was the official “navigator” (not sure that would have been a good choice though as he doesn’t talk that much!) and James was the “driver” of course, and in the back seat we (well, mostly me) were the “vocalists”, saying Hail Mary’s (and/or the occasional mostly acceptable curse word, as in, “holy, $h!t, why did that bus just do that????). Other than that the drive was really beautiful with lots of pretty scenery and good people watching.

Speaking of people, as we drove through a village on the way, we saw an albino boy, one of 2 that we saw during the trip. As we were told and had read, albinos are not very accepted in Tanzanian culture. Bush doctors have a “need” for their body parts. So, the albinos can be killed just to harvest body parts! They are also sometimes thought of as being cursed because of their albinism: all of that in addition to the other problems that may affect albinos--vision problems and low tolerance to the sun and its associated problems. It was interesting to pass by him though as we had never seen an albino in Tanzania.

We stopped at an interesting spot for lunch on our drive. It was a bus stop (or maybe a rest stop as we would call it in the U.S.). When we pulled up, there were probably 3-4 buses stopped there and people milling around, there was a small outdoor market selling fruits, vegetables and a few other things, an outdoor area selling freshly BBQ’d meats, pastries, vegetables, chips, drinks, etc. and an indoor place that had a couple of food buffets, as in steam tables with a variety of foods on offer. The indoor area was filled with tables and people eating. We had our own food but, we asked James if the buffet food was safe to eat. He said probably but, after looking at it I don’t think I would have eaten off of it. We washed our hands there and bought some drinks and ate our lunch. Another good people watching spot.

Back on the road again, as we were driving along we saw lots of Baboons alongside the road. James called them “beggar baboons”. He said they wait alongside the road because drivers will throw food out the car window to them. They reminded us of stray dogs here at home. We arrived at our camp—Udzungwa Forest Camp (also called Hondo Hondo) around 3:30 pm. We were placed in tent #2. It was a nice sized tent with a nice bed and an attached bathroom with a flushing toilet and “star shower”. It was a very nice tent but did have a mildewy smell. We settled in and went out to meet up with Simon and Liz who were already there. We were excited to see them. I had emailed Simon sooo much about our 2 trips with EASTCO that I felt like we were meeting up with old friends. We chatted a while and he showed us some photos of the butterflies that he had already seen. The camp had a nice big yard that guests can sit in and relax and animal watch. We saw some monkeys and baboons in the area as well as some Silvery-cheeked Hornbills passing over. Boy are they loud! After that we went back to our tents to get ready for dinner.

Dinner was really good at Hondo Hondo, it was—pepper steak, rice, carrots, vegetable soup and crème brulee. It was all really good. We thought the carrots that we had several times in Tanzania were especially good and sweet, one of our favorite vegetables.

After dinner there was lots of talking, telling of stories and laughing. Another late night for us—9:45 and then we were off to bed. We sound like really old people, don’t we???? We are going hiking tomorrow in Udzungwa N.P., we’re excited!

Safaris can be so much more than just animal watching. On both of our safaris we have learned not only about animals and their behavior but, also about culture, people, money, shopping, patience, Tanzanian time, mechanics, foods, etc. Some are quite different than at home and some similar but, all interesting and a learning experience!

Kim, I indulged in some daydreaming today and took the time to load up your pictures and take some really good, long looks at them. Wow. That's all I can say. I am amazed at the pictures! You captured such wonderful faces; absolutely totally amazing wonderful faces.

I can't believe how much detail you managed to get in the pictures! The giraffe's eyes are so mesmerizing. And, the nose hairs on the hippo? Truly. Seriously. Cool.

But, my absolute favorite has got to be the giraffe drinking at the edge of the water. OMG. I absolutely love that picture!

I'm sure that you're going to share more pictures, right? You have some pictures of YOU in Africa, right?

Oh! I loved the fabric that the lady was wearing who was working on the blue fabric; I'm not sure what she was making; it looks like she was weaving something maybe? Anyway, her fabric was beautiful.

On another note. I'm having some issues with my wardrobe. Wow. I realize that old habits die hard. I don't know what I'm going to do. I have a few tops that I've thought I would take and now I realize that I was just being lazy. These tops are ones that I've just grabbed and taken before... either because of sentiment (like the Chat-Tee top with New York/Paris that is creme colored and doesn't really, really say FIRE) or because of utility (like the brown jacket that is brown but has a pinkish undertone as part of its nature, but I don't have anything else that will work like I need for the warmth that might be required). Just Wow. All this time I've had to shop and plan... and it boils down to... the time has slipped away from me. So, I am taking items that I know aren't really the best for me. <shoulder shrug>

Hey! I loaded all the Style Statement questions onto my IPAD. I will be thinking of the answers on several long distance flights and maybe a few sea days. Maybe working on the Style Statement will help me to figure out why I'm so drawn to some of the quirky items in my wardrobe.

Kim, I don't know if you'll be finished with your trip description before I have to head out the door. I just want you to know that I'm having such fun reading about your adventure.

.....We interrupt the previous broadcast for this message.....

Coffins....red and purple coffins....:cool: (Well they looked purple to me, maybe they were blue, but I like purple better....)

I have to share! While Kim is regrouping.....

I have an aunt who would have so enjoyed seeing those pictures. She lived in Miami, many miles from me...I lost my favorite aunt this past weekend to cancer and stroke. She was a breast cancer survivor for over 15 years and died from a stroke within a matter of 2 weeks of diagnosis of more cancer in her body. She had known the cancer was back for some time, but wouldn't say anything to us until she was in extreme pain, which was several weeks ago..I'm heartbroken. We knew she could go at anytime..I just wish she'd had a few more weeks, ok, years....It's ok ...I made my peace with her and the "big C" years ago. ....but the pain I feel is still there.....ANYWAY......

She and I had many discussions about health and nutrition over the past 15 years. She was a major factor in my finally breaking down and finding a nutritionist. Aunt D was a fanatic about putting only nutritious, natural, healthy foods in your body..nothng artifical for her! She scolded me many times on some of the things I would eat in front of her, just to get her goat.. I loved messing with her, and she loved it also!...We joked alot with each other!

She was such a fun, loving, adventurous, women and my mom and I will sorely miss her. Mom has one sister left from the family of 10 children and this makes me realize how precious each and every remaining day I have with my 89 year old mother as well as my 92 year old daddy (yep, I still call him "Daddy") is.

I keep digressing...sorry....what I wanted to say is

THANKS KIM!

When I saw those coffins I immediately thought of my Aunt D.. She would have laughed and said something smart when she saw those..like..." I guess that's what your're going to be buried in, 'cause they're red and purple..-colors of your Red Hat Society" to which I would have replied..."No, but I'm gonna make sure you get stuck in one so you can ride into the pearly gates and shock the pants off all our "snooty relatives!" if any of them ended up there." We both would have howled with laughter...so I now have something else fun to remember her by...Red and purple coffins!!!:D:cool::p

Hugs to you Kim!

Linda,

What a lovely thought. I'm sorry to hear about Aunt D. If she had a sense of humor like that, I think I would have liked her a lot!

Yes, the coffins were red and purple. I never gave the Red Hat Society a thought when I saw them. All we could say was how "decorative" they were and they went well with the traditional kanga material that so many women wear :)

Glad this chapter brought you some happy thoughts!

I have to add my $0.02! I'm not sure if I have chimed in lately...

Kim, your photos...I could stare at a few of them for hours. Which leads me to believe that some of them could definitely be made into wall art. Did you take them with a lot of resolution? Have you ever seen how they can print on canvas? They take one of your photos and print in it oil on canvas. You can even add texture so that it looks more like an actual painting instead of a print. There are so many that I would consider having around...

I love the monkey in the tree! He's just totally hanging out! I love him! or her, I suppose...

And not that I would want to stare at the blue chickens all the time...but what is up with those blue chickens? I assume they are chicks because of the rooster...but maybe they aren't? IDK...but the blue is unexpected for me.

Do you recall the plant with the wicked thorns? OMG. Scary.

I'm lovin all the details of your story. I know the time it takes to do this...it is very much appreciated. :)

While Kim is working on our next installment, I thought I'd add my condolences, Linda. I have an aunt that sounds much like yours. Her health is also beginning to fail. She is 10 years older than my dad and the two of them have only one other remaining sister from a family of 9 children. Sounds like we have much in common, don't we? She has asked if I'll be one of her pallbearers when the time comes. Wow, that will stir our family conservative pot one of these days! Boy howdy! How much fun it's going to be! I told her I would be proud, of course. Sad, but proud.

Kim, I've been sharing your story with DH. He asks occasionally if we have another installment. We both agree with everyone here. Your photography is gorgeous! Thanks, again for the time you've spent taking us to Tanzania. It is much appreciated.

Anita, the big thorns are found on Acacia trees. This particular one is called a "whistling thorn acacia". Actually, I did get quite a few "keeper" photos this trip. I am getting better as I go along. I think I told all of you that I took 2200 photos. I would always kid James that I had to take 50 to get 1 "keeper" :D

Debbie, glad you are sharing with DH. I'll bet your DB and SIL would get a kick out of it too ;)

Tuesday, July 29—

Our alarm didn’t go off this morning, so we were a few minutes behind. We met James, Michael and Cosmos (Simon’s driver for the trip to Udzungwa) for breakfast this morning. When we got there the guys weren’t there yet. They came in just a few minutes. We all sat together for breakfast. When the guys sat down the waiter came over and said something to them. James replied and there was a short conversation. We had no idea what was said but, it looked like it was not a “good morning, how are you” type of conversation. James talked to Michael and Cosmos and then to the waiter again. We didn’t ask right then what was going on but, we did a little later. Come to find out, the waiter told the guys they couldn’t eat breakfast with us since they weren’t guests just guides. I believe the waiter said they hadn’t “reserved them for breakfast”. James told him that yes they had. So, the guys ate with us but, we didn’t like what was said to them and how they were treated. Not nice Hondo Hondo!

After breakfast we drove to the Udzungwa TANAPA office to pick up our guide. James went in and took care of whatever and came out with our guide, Yusto. Found out that Yusto and James used to be neighbors in Arusha. Yusto was very friendly and also a chin wagger, he fit right in.

We (James, my husband and I were hiking the trail today) were going to hike the Njokamoni trail as I had read online that it was easy and a good trail for wildlife. After talking with Yusto, he said it was NOT an easy trail and the wildlife chances on it were no better than the Sanje Waterfall trail, which he recommended. He said Njokamoni was a “whiskey trail” and Sanje was a “Coca-Cola trail”. In other words Njokamoni was harder and Sanje was easier. We went for Sanje! Smart people listen to their guides.

It was a gradual uphill hike most of the way. We had hoped to see some primates and maybe an Elephant Shrew but, it wasn’t to be. However, we did see lots of little things. Lots of butterflies, a Buffalo Spider, Safari Ants, a cool looking BIG grasshopper like bug, some interesting plants, fungi, a spider that made a neat looking web in the ground that had a big hole in it (didn’t record what it was called but, have a photo!) and a big tree that bushmen pound on with a stone to “call” others—it echoes really loudly in the forest.

James told me that we had to walk slowly because I liked to see ALL of the little things and know lots of details. Yusto was quite knowledgeable and communicated well.

We decided to hike to the bottom of the Sanje Waterfall instead of all the way to the top. It was a beautiful hike and the views and sounds of the waterfalls were absolutely lovely. Well worth the sweat we lost on the hike! At the bottom of the waterfalls we stopped and ate our lunches. What a peaceful spot. It took us probably 5 hours start-to-finish for the hike and we probably lost 10 pounds in sweat. We were a little disappointed that we didn’t see any of the primates on the hike but, nature is always a crap shoot not a guarantee.

It was really fun that James came along on the hike. We enjoy his company a lot and his knowledge too!

On our way back to drop Yusto off at TANAPA, we were driving along and Yusto said “STOP”. There along the road in some trees was a whole troop of Angola Pied Colobus monkeys. We watched them for a while, they were mostly all eating. They are really pretty! Onward we drove and in a bit Yusto said “STOP” again. Now there was a whole troop of Iringa Red Colobus monkeys in some trees. We watched them for a while and went on. They are endemic to the Udzungwa Mountains.

Funny isn’t it—no monkeys in the national park but, monkeys along the roadside on our drive back! Regardless, we were really happy to see them wherever they were. Primates are so fun to watch.

Back at Hondo Hondo, we met up with Simon and talked about our day. He spent the day photographing the multitude of butterflies. He had quite a few that were new to him and he takes marvelous photos! He also got an interesting photo of a bug that looked like it was a fern. Very cool!

My husband and I sat in the yard and watched some Blue Monkeys, some Yellow Baboons and some far off Angola Pied Monkeys. We also heard some Silvery-cheeked Hornbills again. A nice way to relax after a long sweaty day. We had dinner again with Simon. Dinner was great again tonight! The food at Hondo Hondo is really delicious but, not real fond of the way they treated the guides. We hit the sack early tonight; we have an early call in the morning as we are leaving for Sable Mountain Lodge on the outskirts of the Selous Game Reserve.

We really enjoyed the Udzungwas. We came with the hopes of seeing some primates and we did! It was also nice to be out of the Land Rover for a couple of days and do some hiking. We would highly recommend Udzungwa to those who might want to get off the beaten track a bit.

Wednesday, July 30--

The search for Wild Dogs continues in earnest today as we are leaving for the Selous Game Reserve. We left Hondo Hondo around 8:30 am for the drive to Sable Mountain Lodge, our next accommodation. The drive today would take us through Morogoro town and Mikumi National Park.

During the drive today we saw another albino boy, the second of our trip. Brick making was another thing we saw as we passed some villages. We saw some kids carrying stacks of bricks on their heads—talk about a headache in the making! Something else we’ve never seen in Tanzania was locals mining quartz. There were piles of it along the road; it looked like big piles of diamonds. Gold mining is also something we saw along the way. There were just groups of people alongside the road with big pans and shovels. We just love the drives and seeing whatever happens to come along. So interesting!

As we were chin wagging during the drive, James told us he liked the cartoon “Tom and Jerry”. It was kind of funny to hear this big guy who is a serious safari guide talking and laughing about “Tom and Jerry” cartoons. He also likes the cartoon “Garfield” the cat. Wish we would have known that prior to the safari, we would have brought him something “Garfield” as it’s everywhere around here. Maybe next time, James! Isn’t it funny the things we can learn about each other on a long drive in a vehicle?

Passing through Mikumi NP we saw: Giraffe, Zebras, Impala (Lion McDonald’s), mating baboons, a Hooded Vulture, Bush Buck, Ellies and a lone Buffalo; all of that just driving down the road. Originally we had thought to stay overnight in Mikumi but, we were glad we didn’t, we got a free game drive just passing through. We also passed by the Uluguru mountains along the way, very pretty.

Guess what—we had another “lunch box stop”. These are a pain-in-the-butt. It’s always something different one is stopped for. Usually the same stern look while walking around the vehicle, talking, getting out of the vehicle…sometimes money, sometimes not, usually the same song and dance. This time no payment, just a warning of sorts.

We finally arrived in Morogoro. Michael needed supplies and I “needed” to go out and about and see what I could see. My husband stayed in the vehicle—he wanted to people watch from a seated position. I went out with James and Michael. Michael had told James that he didn’t want me to go along with him to the market as his supply prices would go up if they saw him walking around with a muzungu. I was a little disappointed but, actually saw the humor in it, so I tagged along with James while Michael was in the local market. Before the market though, we all went to the grocery store. It was quite exciting for me as I love to shop and check out prices. Grocery stores are some of our favorite places to buy souvenirs on trips. This grocery was about the size of our “convenient stores” here at home; quite small. It was stocked with a big variety of things though. The funniest part of the whole thing was seeing big guy James pushing this teeny tine grocery cart. It was the size of a kids play cart. I got a fun photo of that! We walked all over town looking for several things that couldn’t be found at the “big” grocery we stopped at. It was fun to walk along and see the different businesses, people and cars; an interesting stop.

Onward we traveled to Sable Mountain. It took us a lot longer than we had originally thought to get to Sable Mountain Lodge—about 10 hours total including our stop at Morogoro. It was the only thing we would have changed during the whole trip. If we would have planned for that long of a drive, we probably would have broken it up somehow. Oh, well, all is good as we arrived at the beautiful Sable Mountain. We were greeted with cold towels and Tamarind juice. It was quite tasty and refreshing! We were taken to our tented bungalow—12 B. it was quite far out and had a lovely view from the balcony. The tented bungalow was really lovely. It had a dreamy 4 poster netted bed, and a bathroom with a flushing toilet and a huge shower with, oh, yea, hot water. By far the nicest accommodation we had on the trip. After dropping off our bags, we went off to dinner. It was served communally at 2 long tables. The food was good: potato soup, chicken curry, rice and vegetables, dessert was a piece of chocolate cake.

Back to 12 B to shower in the super luxurious hot water shower, sit out on the balcony and listen to the African sounds of the night. Bed at 10:30 and oh, what sweet dreams we had in the ultra-comfy bed.

Thursday, July 31—

We awoke to the most beautiful sound of 2 birds calling to each other. The sound was so musical. Don’t know what they were but, it was so nice to hear them. We had a good breakfast this morning. Our tablemates were a couple from the U.K. who looked to be in their early 30’s and he had been to Africa over 15 times and she had been 10 or more! Holy cow. They were quite friendly though and not at all pretentious. Off we go at 7:30 am to head to the Selous and our never ending search for Wild Dogs.

Our game drive started off right away with lots of birds. Lake Manze was our destination today. It was a very picturesque spot and a really big body of water. Several guides had told James that Dogs were seen around the area yesterday. Hope we see them!!!

I had wanted to get a nice photo of a giraffe, something a bit different than the typical pose and shoot photo, I really wanted one with their long dark tongue sticking out. We came upon a group of about 10-12 Giraffe and I thought—oh, that might offer some hope of a tongue photo. Oh, no, of course they all ran off as I stood up. Maybe next time. James also spotted a pride of 5 Lions sleeping—what’s new with that, right? There were 2 females and 3 cubs. One of the sleeping cubs was a “happy boy” and was on his back with all 4 legs all spread out wide. We watched them for a long while. I still don’t get why we like to watch sleeping Lions but, we do.

As we were leaving the park to head to our camp—Hippo camp, on the outskirts of the Selous, we saw a plane landing at the landing strip. It’s fun to see them land and it looks oh, so, “Out of Africa” like.

We are tent camping at Hippo Camp. Our spot is right along the Rufiji river bank. We are spending 2 nights here in the tent and then moving on up to the Hippo Camp’s permanent tents. For dinner tonight Michael made sweet potato soup (James’ favorite) and for dessert an avocado dish that we had previously on our last safari. I had asked Simon for the avocado pudding recipe after our last trip. He told Michael that we liked it so much and Michael agreed to make it. How nice is that? It was all delicious! Michael makes really good soups. The soups are one of our favorite foods in Tanzania. It’s hot outside but, the soup is always so tasty and so many varieties. So far Michal has served: cucumber, leek, peanut, vegetable, onion and sweet potato soups. All marvelous!

A few animals from today’s drive were:

Blue Monkey, Mongoose, Wart Hogs, Zebra, Giraffe, Ellies (with the biggest tusks we have seen on the trip so far), Wildebeests, pride of 5 Lions, and Kudu. Birds included: Sharp Tailed Starling, Ground Hornbill, Green Wood Hoopoe, Long Tailed Fiscal, Open Billed Stork, and Sacred Ibis.

I got some killer sunset shots from our tent tonight. The sunsets and sunrises in Tanzania are just breathtaking! It makes it so easy to get a good “keeper” photo.

Another great day!

Just to add a bit of "flavor" to Kim's excellent story. Kim, are you familiar with Marcus Samuelsson? He has an interesting life-story, being an Ethopian child raised by Swedish adoptive parents. He has written a cookbook, Soul of a New Cuisine, a discovery of the foods and flavors of Africa. I looked to see if he had a peanut soup recipe, and (by golly) he does. I thought I'd share; this soup sounds incredibly delicious to me.

Chicken-Peanut Stew

2 medium white onions, sliced

2 carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces

2 Scotch bonnet chilies, cut in half, seeds and ribs removed (*Note: hot, hot chilies; I would substitute jalapeno, personally)

One 3-inch piece ginger, peeled and sliced

2 bay leaves

6 white peppercorns

4 cups water

4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, each cut into 4 pieces

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, each cut into 4 pieces

2 cups unsalted peanuts

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 baking potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch cubes

4 tomatoes, cut into quarters or 2 cups roughly chopped canned tomatoes

1 teaspoon salt

1 pound spinach, tough stems removed, washed

Combine the onions, carrots, chiles, ginger, bay leaves, peppercorns, and water in a medium pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium, add the chicken thighs, and simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes. Add the chicken breasts and simmer for another 10 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.

While the chicken is simmering, toast the peanuts in a small dry sauté pan over medium heat until golden brown and fragrant. Let cool, then grind 1 cup of the toasted peanuts in a blender to a smooth paste. Set aside.

Using tongs, remove the chicken from the cooking liquid and set aside. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the vegetables to a food processor; discard the bay leaves. Puree the vegetables until smooth. Set the broth aside.

Heat the oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. When it begins to shimmer, add the potatoes and sauté until they are golden brown, about 10 minutes. Add the chicken pieces and brown them on all sides, about 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat.

Stir the vegetable puree into the broth and bring to a boil. Add the peanut pieces and the remaining cup of whole peanuts and whisk until well combined. Add the tomatoes, chicken, and potatoes and simmer until heated through, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and season with the salt. Add the spinach and stir until the spinach is wilted.

Serve with Yellow Rice (which is a recipe for a flavorful rice using turmeric, cumin, chiles, corn, tomato, mango, bell peppers.... omg).

I can absolutely envision how this stew could be made in a kitchen that wasn't equipped with modern tools; except for the use of a food processor (which you could substitute the ease of use with the more laborious food masher tool)... and the use of a blender (I watched a Mexican chef grind corn into masa using a hand-cranked grinder so I know the peanuts could be taken care of without a blender)...

Kim, did you ever get a peek into how they prepared the food?

I've cooked a few dishes from this cookbook (as has Anita) and it was all delicious! Absolutely fabulous. I'm making this stew when I get home! How funny is that?!? I'm off to the land of butter, cream, and eggs... and I'm thinking about African spices and different flavor profiles. This world provides us with such beauty and majesty and wonderful adventures, doesn't it?!? I'm feeling especially grateful today for God's grace.

Pam,

Our soups weren't too complicated, I think. they never had any sort of meat, just kind of cream based and very smooth. I didn't get to see Michael cook at all. Maybe it's for the best though;) regardless, the food was always good and we never got sick at all!

Next installment:

Friday, August 1—

No Dogs yesterday but, today is a new day. Still keeping body parts crossed that we see some! We left Hippo Camp at 6:45 am. Our drive started off with some nice birding. Even my husband who is not a birder at all likes the birds in Africa. He even looked for some on his own and also remembered a few names! His favorite bird has been the African Fish Eagle. It’s one of mine too.

We came upon a small pride of Lion—3 males and a female. The males were young and just getting their manes. Reminds me of teenaged boys—kind of scruffy looking and just beginning to act like big boys. Not long after seeing this pride we saw another small pride of 4 Lions. This time they had just killed a small buffalo and drug it under a fallen tree. It looked like the kill was just a few hours old and the Lions had just finished eating. That was ok with us. We do not want to see a kill! An unsuccessful chase or after the fact of the kill but, not the actual kill. I know all about the circle of life etc., I just don’t want to see it happen. It was interesting to see this fresh kill and the associated animals it drew. There were Vultures hanging out waiting for their turn and off about 200 yards there was a lone Hyena waiting for his chance too. Hyenas are kind of creepy looking—they have that hunched back and they are always slinking around and have that funny “laugh”.

Our lunch stop today was near the shores of Lake Manze under some shady palm trees. Perfect spot for animal watching and eating. While eating we saw: a variety of animals drinking at the lake’s edge, a Monitor Lizard, a Collard Palm Thrush, a Croc that caught and ate a fish while we watched it, and we watched several of another of my favorite birds—White Fronted Bee Eater. I tried forever to get a good photo of the Bee Eaters but only got some that were less blurry than all of the others as my “keeper” photos. Bird photography takes a real knack, a good camera and lots of patience, all of which I am at the lower end of the spectrum.

Remember earlier in this trip report when I erroneously wrote in the Ruaha section about stopping and helping the Brits with their Land Cruiser problem? Well, this is where that ACTUALLY happened in the trip. So, I will cut and paste that here for your reading pleasure, with the correction of they saw Dogs in Selous NOT Ruaha!

As we were driving along game viewing we spotted a Land Cruiser stopped with its hood up and a family of 4 standing around. Their guide was working under the hood. James asked if we minded if he stopped to see if we could help and we said “of course not!” We stopped and got out. James, my husband and their guide all looking under the hood now and talking. There was more talking, a tool getting used and more talking. Typical of men working on something, isn’t it? Time went on and the next thing I saw was James and my husband sucking something out of the fuel tank. Then they asked for my nail clippers. I warned them not to lose or break them! My husband used to be a mechanic and James is a very talented mechanic, so they had 2 good guys helping out. Actually, my husband was in his element doing this. He was loving it!

While the men were working I was talking to the stranded family. It was a Mom, Dad, 14 year old son and 11 year old daughter who were from the U.K. and had been in Selous for a couple of days. As we talked they asked if we had seen the Dogs. I said no but; it was on my wish list. They had seen the Dogs the day before and THEY DIDN’T EVEN KNOW SELOUS HAD WILD DOGS! What the heck???? They see them and we haven’t? How cruel is that?

After about an hour of unsuccessful work on the Land Cruiser the “rescue” vehicle from their lodge finally came to pick them up. They said they had waited over 2 hours for the other truck to come. The family apologized to us for keeping us from our game drive. We told them it was no problem as if we had been on the other end; we sure would have appreciated it if someone had stopped to help us! It was one of those unplanned unexpected surprises that sometimes happen for a reason. Actually, it was a good memory in the making. Another one to write in the journal.

After the repair stop we went on and finished our game drive around 5 pm. One funny thing I want to share—near the end of our drive we saw another vehicle and we both stopped. The guides usually stop and talk with each other in Swahili when they pass. I guess they share information, ask questions, and sometimes I wonder if they don’t say to each other “I have the stupidest clients. How are yours? Can you believe they think we have Tigers in Tanzania? Mine actually asked for me to put the DVD player on for their kids! Etc….” Hopefully not but, sometimes I wondered!

Anyway, back to the story. In the vehicle that stopped and talked to us there was an older man in the back seat who was asleep! He was upright, had his hands folded over his lap and looked like he was dead! How does one fall asleep while riding in a safari vehicle in Selous???? It reminded us of the Movie “National Lampoon’s Vacation” with Chevy Chase. In that movie his mean aunt Edna dies and is tied to the roof for the trip back. The guy in the Land Cruiser looked like he was dead sitting up!

Just another funny people watching this we saw on the trip.

Tomorrow is going to be a busy day; we have an early morning bush walk scheduled, as well as a village visit. The tent is hot at night. The temperatures overall have been warmer than we had planned for. Even after I researched historical weather averages for the regions we would be in. so much for the research.

Back to Hippo Camp where we all had a nice cold soda and chatted about the day. James had dinner with us and we all sat around talking until 8 pm or so.

Right before bed we heard the Bush Babies come out above our tent. We actually saw one this time, a first for us.

Well dang! Quote won't work now!!!What's with this website...took me forever to get on and now can't quote...:(

anyway...KIM...

I had a good chuckle as you talked about the guy who was sleeping in the land cruiser looking like he was dead...well, let me tell you that was my DH!!!! You described him to a T! YEP!!! That's him... He falls asleep at the drop of a hat in the most unusual places...Nope, he doesn't have narcolepsy (SP)..he just gets tired and can sleep anywhere. He learned to do that when in Vietnam and while working long hard hours for the utility company while waiting for parts or help to show up.

Several years ago we were touring in Hawaii...The Road to Hana... This road goes around the entire island, starting out on paved very winding road, passing through desert on one lane very bumpy windy dirt road and ending on paved road again.. Well, DH was a little bored and next thing I knew we were bouncing around on a dirt road with DH's head up against the window of the small bus we were on, sound asleep! Several people asked me if he was ok, as WE were bouncing so much things were popping off our seats and bouncing up under the seats or in the aisle to the front of the bus...DH was just bouncing along in his seat, head bouncing off the window, soundly sleeping. Not a care in the world! I laughed and said Nope, he can sleep anywhere! Gave him a poke and told him he just missed a thong bikini clad sweet young thing along the road..He mumbled ok and went back to snoring...such is my life...:rolleyes: He had a big headache later and couldn't figure out why!:D

I'm soooo enjoying your trip....Thanks for taking us along!!!!:cool:

Hi, Ladies....

Well, this is IT. Tomorrow is packing day! Ship doesn't leave until Monday, but we're headed to Miami for the weekend.

Major decision today. What color for the toes? My wardrobe is going to be our neutrals of chocolate brown and a lighter tan that Chico's calls Sand Wash, along with a tan that Chico's calls New Khaki. AND, to mix things up I have some major purple and blue as my go-to theme. So, the color on the toes is OPI Pompeii Purple. It sounds so different that what it actually is; it's a bright magenta (fuchsia maybe?) color that I think will pair pretty nicely with all the wardrobe choices that I've made.

For the nails, I'm just going to go with a great blue, On The Beach. Even though I don't think there will be many beaches on this vacation! But, I love the color and I love the sentiment. So "On The Beach" it is; at least for the first go around.

I have made some nail mistakes in the past. Nails are just something that I have to have done in order to feel (a) completely dressed... (actually, I think my nail polish is similar to the way Laurie feels about her necklaces)... and (b) happy! So, I am giving up some of my weight to my manicure kit. Are you ready for this funny tidbit of information? Here's my manicure kit list: cuticle pusher tool, cuticle trimmer, cream cuticle remover, emery boards, toe dividers, correct & cleanup pen, cuticle butter, nail glue (you never know!), nail polish remover, base coat, top coat, buffing block, lint free nail wipes, 2 bottles of nail laquer....... ta da!.... 1 lb 7.6 oz in a bag..... :D This makes me laugh! But, it's important to me... I'm taking On The Beach and OPI Purple with a Purpose! Love these colors.

I have to tell you ladies... when you start weighing things... it's pretty eye-opening. I would rather take my own tools and polish and spend the time doing my nails at my leisure... than book appointments in the salon. I've booked appointments in the past and been disappointed in the color selection(s) for the nail polish, as well as the difficulty that I've experienced with wanting to sit in the chair, at the salon, during the hours that they're open... rather than be somewhere else onboard the ship!

Let's see: with all the days of this vacation, I'll probably end up doing my nails about 3 times. We'll see. It'll be interesting (at least to me) to have this experience and see what I really do!

Off to get the manicure done.... closer to being able to have some wine. Manis always go on smoother with a glass of wine. :rolleyes:

Anyone else give up precious luggage space for nail stuff?

Pam, I hope you have an awesome trip! It sounds wonderful. Be sure to take lots of photos for us.

We've had to weigh luggage carefully on at least three of our cruises. It IS very enlightening! For me, it's not nail products, it's the hair. I have to have my hair stuff. :)

Bon voyage!

Have a GREAT time, Pam!

I'm w-a-y too low maintenance, I guess. I just discovered a nail polish during the past couple of weeks that's cheap (Dollar Tree) goes with everything and wears like a dream. The first thing I thought about was how great it would be to take on vacation. It's a gold polish with sparkles or glitter in the polish. This stuff is like concrete. I can't wear this stuff off my toes. It's like I've glued a gold colored emery board to my toenails. I'll polish before I go, take this one bottle of polish, include a few q-tips and put liquid nail polish remover in a contact case. That will be the total nail products traveling with me.

Hair supplies? I normally use whatever is provided where I stay. Blow dry and run a travel flat-iron through it, hair spray and go.

Make-up? Cetaphil cleanser, Cetaphil lotion, primer, mineral base, brush, blush, brush, mascara, lip pencil and lip color. That's it. Total.

On a cruise, each group is packed in a different metallic clutch (pewter, bronze) I use each one for different night's evening bags.

Am I carrying this "natural" style waaay too far? Maybe. Probably. Oh, well. I'm just pretty low maintenance and I'm ok with that. I do love hearing how everyone else is different.

Have a great trip, Pam and USE THAT NEW CAMERA :D Take pictures of the wonderful food you will have and the beautiful sights you will see and the lovely outfits you will be wearing, and the interesting people you come across!

Safe travels!

Thanks, Kim. I am planning to do my best with the camera! I will carry thoughts of all you ladies with me on this fabulous trip, and hopefully I'll have some great stories to tell on my return. I am anxious to read more chapters in the Safari Story and see some more amazing pictures.

All packed and ready to go tomorrow. We are not traveling super light, but not too weighed down. In carry on, we have one 17 lb duffel for me, along with my almost 6 lb purse! DH has a 20 lb duffel. We are checking one suitcase at 39 lbs and the other one at a little over 36 lbs. So we are well within our weight limits for both checked and carry on, even for the intra-European flight that we will be taking. Good job!

It's always interesting to find out whether you've packed appropriately. We are anticipating that we will be in some rain, some colder weather (everywhere is colder weather when you live in AZ), and a possibility for a bit of warmth. We are heading to rain in Miami this weekend, but it will be muggy and humid and in the mid-80s. So, we are all over the place where weather is concerned.

We are equipped to have formal nights on board the ship, some more formal restaurant dining in both Barcelona and Paris, picnic days in both locations, a lot of travel including day trips by train in both locations... and my DH's exercise days! Good grief. Again, good job on the packing!

We'll see. I'll be back to talk with you all about it. :D

Safe travels Pam! Have a marvelous time and bring us back some wonderful "shots" of your fabulous adventures! Can't wait! :D

Saturday, August 2—

Today was a really busy day! We started the day off at 6:45 am by meeting our guide, Di Di for a walk through the forest near the Hippo Camp. There was a honeymoon couple along with us. They were also staying at Hippo Camp. The honeymoon couple had an interesting story—she was Spanish, he was Dutch, they met in Scotland, they married in Holland and they honeymooned in Tanzania! Meanwhile back to the walk.

Our guide, Di Di, was a really terrific guy. He could name all of the plant and animal species we asked about and he also knew their scientific names. He had just a loin cloth like thing on his body; a bag strapped across his chest, had a small stick and a hatchet like thing and was covered in ashes to camouflage himself. He looked like a real bushman to us. We also had an armed guard at the back of our small group of 4.

The walk was oh, so, fascinating! Right after we entered the forest we saw an ELEPHANT SHREW!!! One of the two animals on my super-duper wish list—the Wild Dogs and an Elephant Shrew. We got a really clear view of the Elephant Shrew as it ran in front of us in a nice big clearing about 20 feet away. What an interesting looking critter. The honeymoon couple had no idea what an Elephant Shrew was but, the girl thought she got a good photo of it and said she would send me a copy. Of course I didn’t even have my camera out yet. Funny—I’m dying to see Wild Dogs and an Elephant Shrew and the Brits (earlier in the trip) that saw the Wild Dogs in the Selous didn’t even know Selous had Dogs but, they saw them and now this couple didn’t even know what an Elephant Shrew was!

Next Di Di showed us mahogany seeds, really pretty dark brown with a bright orange/red cap on them. Of course we saw poop—this time it was Porcupine and it looked fresh. Sure wish we would have seen that animal. Not long after this Di Di stopped near some Ellie dung and squatted down and made a small fire out of some brush on the ground. He found some leaves, rolled up some Ellie dung in the leaves and lit the dung “cigar” and smoked it! He said Bushmen smoked Ellie dung to get high and as a memory enhancer. He asked all of us if we wanted some and we all politely declined. Did I mention that Di Di also stopped at another pile of Ellie dung, bent over, stuck his finger in it and then licked his finger! He was checking the temperature of the dung to see how long ago the Ellie had passed. We passed on that opportunity too!

Di Di showed and told us so many things involving local lore and “cures”. Walking on, we saw a huge termite mound and Di Di said Bushmen & poachers prayed over them for forgiveness from over drinking. He also showed us a “crocodile tree” that was used as snake anti-venom and a hangover cure. Praying at a Baobab tree was done to ensure a good hunt and also Baobab branches were burnt for ashes to cover their bodies for camouflage. He really did blend in with the Baobab!

As we were walking along, Di Di stopped again, found some sticks, found a ropey vine, dug a small hole, put a stick in it, and packed the hole tight so the stick wouldn’t move as it was bent back. Next he tied the ropey vine to the stick and made a loop. He did some other “stuff” and ended up with a snare to catch small animals. He had the honeymoon lady set it off. It worked! It was cool to watch him make it and then set it off.

As the 2 hour walk was ending, guess what else we saw—oh, yes, ANOTHER Elephant Shrew. This time it wasn’t as clearly seen as it was running through some brush but, we saw it all the same. We also saw some baboons and Angola Pied Colobus monkeys as well as a few birds.

This walk was really a quick course in “Bushmen 101”! It was so interesting and enlightening as to the ways of the Bushmen and poachers.

When we got back to the camp James was waiting for us. I had told him before our walk this morning that we had heard something during the night right outside our tent. It was eating something and made a laughing noise like a Hyena. He said he and Michael hadn’t heard it by their tent. While we were gone on the walk, James talked to the camp manager who said it WAS a Hyena in the camp last night!

After brunch, we left to drive to a small village very close to Hippo Camp where James had arranged a village tour for us. We met our village guide, Michael, there for the visit. Michael was a young man of 26 and a worker at a local lodge who also had a strong belief in giving back to one’s community. He gave back by coming to this small village 2-3 times per week to teach the young kids in a semi structured school setting. He used no supplies other than paper, pencils and crayons, and lots of love. As we walked around it seemed that everyone knew Michael and liked him and many of the little kids ran up to him to say ‘hi”.

Our first stop was the village market. It had quite a variety of things in the little spaces. Most of it was brought in from Dar es Salaam other than some locally grown vegetables. There were: tomatoes, potatoes, okra, onions, pigeon peas, a lettuce like veggie, dried sardines, live chickens & ducks, whole fish with big teeth!, red Baobab candy, a few other non-food items such as pieces of this stuff that looked like carrots but was actually used by villagers to ease upset stomachs (it looked like chalk carrots to us) and lots of people milling about. Fascinating to see all of this! Michael stopped and showed us many of the items. He bought some from the vendors and cut them for us.

Our next village stop was to a place that was fenced in with boards and had an entry gate. Michael asked us if we wanted to see a local “bar” and we said “sure”. So in we went. Inside there were about 6 people sitting around on plank seats—1 woman and 5 men. Three of the men were drinking beer, 1 was drinking something else in a cup, the woman was just drunk and sitting there and another guy was smoking pot. They were all 3 sheets to the wind! Those that could still talk were friendly enough and hospitable and offered us whatever they were imbibing in. Michael just kind of shook his head, said a few words in Swahili and off we went out the gate. We all had a laugh when we left.

As we walked off the main street through a back road we saw some women sifting rice and weaving some mats. They were a friendly group and we took a few pictures, shook hands and went on.

Michael then headed us down toward the river. There were people loading a dugout canoe with big bags of rice, some people returning in another dugout canoe from the other side of the river, an old lady washing clothes in the river and a few kids just messing around. While we were standing there, I felt something on my toes (I had sandals on) and I looked down thinking it was a bug or something and it was a little boy about 3 years old touching the blue polish on my toes! When I looked down at him he immediately stopped. I got the camera out and motioned for him to touch my toes again as I wanted a photo of that memory. He did and I took the picture. He was so gentle touching my toes; he must have liked the bright polish I had on. It was so sweet!

Walking back toward the main area of the village we passed some houses mostly made of mud and sticks. They had open windows with no glass or screen and big gaps between the mud and sticks BUT they had these huge locks on the doors. Michael commented that he always thought it was so funny to have these open houses that anyone could enter but still have these big padlocks on the door. Just another unique memory to store away.

The village visit was quite an eye opener to see. We got a little glimpse into the daily lives of the locals. What a hard life they lead and how fortunate we are in the western world!

Our day still wasn’t done, we had a river cruise planned for 4 pm on the Rufiji river. It was just my husband and me with our guide, Mbena. We tried to get James and Michael to go with us but, it seems they are both scared of water and had no desire to be out in a boat on the river. This was going to be another great memory of the trip.

Our boat was just a small fishing boat with a canvas canopy on top. Mbena was kind of quiet but talked more as he saw me asking about birds and writing them down. The birding was fantastic. Among the favorites were: White-fronted Bee-eaters going in their holes in the river bank, African Golden Weaver, African Darter, Black-headed Heron, Striated Heron, Wire-tailed Swallow and our very favorites-- the 3 different Kingfishers (Malachite, Pied & Grey-headed). We loved watching them hover and then dive down into the water.

We passed other people on river cruises too. That’s kind of fun to gawk at others as they gawk back at you. We saw some people washing clothes in the river and even 1 woman brushing her teeth and rinsing her mouth out with river water. We also passed a dugout transport canoe that had about 15 people in it and 3 bikes. It was sitting waaaay down in the water, I sure would have been afraid to be on it!

We ended the cruise by stopping at a little island at the far end of the river to watch the sunset. WOW! Is all I can say about the sunset that night! It made it nice and easy to get some really great sunset photos. Right up my alley. Right before the sun set, we spotted 2 African Fish Eagles on a huge branch on the beach area. They were eating something and when I got my binoculars out I saw that they were eating a turtle! One of them even tried to fly away with the turtle in its talons. It was really something to see.

Mbena dropped us back off on the banks of Hippo Camp where James and Michael were waiting for us. They gave us a big wave and grins all around. Quite a welcome back. We all ate dinner together tonight and talked after dinner; we were laughing so hard my cheeks hurt!

Earlier today we moved our things from our little tent to the Hippo Camp’s permanent tented huts. I’m not sure that’s exactly what they are called but, that’s what we called them. After dinner and our laugh-fest, we headed off to the tented hut and a nice hot shower. An armed guard walked us down to our new home for the night. He dropped us off at the door and we said “goodnight”. A few minutes later my ever observant husband said “did you hear that?”. I said, “no”, and we went on doing whatever. A minute later he said “I hear something outside”. We jumped up and opened our door and there was a BIG Ellie about 8 feet from the door to our hut! He was happily eating a bush at our door. Holy crap, I couldn’t get the camera fast enough and we tried to be quiet. Of course, I was fumbling with the camera behind the closed door trying to get it on or at least the video. Of course, it was too dark to get much of anything but I did get these couple of grainy shots off. After a couple of minutes the Ellie just started to turn away and eat his way back to the forest behind us.

What a way to end this most wonderful day!!!! With a heart pounding encounter with an Ellie right at our door step. Naturally, sleep didn’t come easy after all of that excitement but, we did finally drift off. We woke up during the night and, as we had slept with our windows open, I heard the Ellie eating right outside of our hut on the other side this time. We couldn’t see him in the dark but, he was really close. Hard to go back to sleep again but, we did. We couldn’t wait to go tell James about our exciting visitor the next morning!

Do you think he will believe it???

so.........did he believe it?

Continuing to love the adventure Kim!

The first time DS became aware of painted toes...we were visiting Mom and Dad in AZ and Mom and I had mani/pedis done. DS was fascinated...he said, "oooooo...pretty toes!" So cute. I can just imagine that little boy...

Sunday, August 3—

YES, James believed us! He said just the excitement on my face while telling him told him that it was the truth.

Well, it was our last day on safari. James arranged for us to go on a sunrise boat cruise this morning. We went with Mbena again. We got up at 5:45 am and were to meet Mbena at 6:15. He was a little late and didn’t get to Hippo Camp until 6:30 am. My husband and I got into the boat and we motored off to hopefully see a beautiful sunrise. We went to the same little island this morning that we had gone to last night to see the sunset. We spotted some birds along the way; among them were some King Fishers. They are always so fun to watch. It looked like the weather was not going to cooperate for a pretty sunrise. It was cloudy. (Last night’s sunset was spectacular though!!!!). It was still nice to be out on the water and we also got the added bonus of boating by our tent/hut at Hippo Camp and getting photos of it from the waterside.

Back at camp we met James and Michael for breakfast. After eating and laughing more, we headed off to our tent/hut to repack for our trip home. After getting our things together, we took the last 15 minutes or so to sit on our little balcony and watch the river go by. My husband and I looked at each other and said what a wonderful trip we had had and what a great couple of guys we had just spent the last 2 weeks with. How blessed we were to be able to take this trip, enjoy it so much and see and experience all that we had!

There were no Wild Dogs on this trip for us. I can’t deny that we (especially me) were disappointed but, it just wasn’t in the cards for us this trip. On the other hand, what we did see was absolutely magnificent! I think part of the draw of the Dogs was that they are only occasionally seen. The scenery, animals, local life and the comradery that we had with James and Michael more than made up for not seeing any Dogs. But, we DID see an Elephant Shrew (not 1 but 2 of them) and had sooo many Ellie encounters!

We left Hippo Camp around 9:45 am for our trip to Dar es Salaam. The road trip drives were usually filled with interesting things and sights to see. I always had questions about what we were passing by and usually James had answers. It’s really educational to see people going about their day-to-day lives. Never a drive went by that we weren’t thankful for what we have in the western world! I loved to do my “drive by shooting” photos when we were traveling along roads and villages. Some of my most memorable photos were taken that way. They may not have been the best technique-wise but, always an interesting memory.

We managed to drive all the way to Kibiti without a “lunch box stop” so; we stopped there and ate our lunch boxes at a little rooftop restaurant with a view of the street life around it. I asked for a Fanta Orange drink and was told they had none. That was the second time during the trip that I asked for a Fanta Orange and was told that, despite seeing people around us drinking one, the restaurant had none! What’s up with that??? The guys had Sprite and Coke. THEY were never told they were out of any of them!

Driving into Dar es Salaam was an interesting education. It was PACKED with people, cars and “stuff”! As we drove along, I always had our little camera at the ready for any “drive by shots” I wanted to take. James warned me a couple of times to just put it away as in a busy place like Dar, it wasn’t unusual to have someone reach into the window of the vehicle and snatch the camera away. He said they were very clever about doing it. So, I didn’t get any “drive by shots” of Dar. I was disappointed but, maybe it was for the best as I had to put the camera down and just watch things go by. It was unbelievable how busy Dar was. The noise level of the city was such a contrast to what we had experienced the last 2 weeks. And, the traffic—a nightmare!!!! We could easily understand now what people said about a 3 mile trip taking 2 hours to do. Sure glad our Turkish Airlines flights arrived/departed in the middle of the night now! Sure saved us a lot of time sitting in traffic.

Peacock Hotel arrival was about 4:30 pm. We said our good-byes to James and Michael and thanked them for helping to make our trip so wonderful and memorable! People say how important a good guide is to a safari and they are so right. Without James, our trip wouldn’t have been so great and without James, we wouldn’t have laughed so much and so hard. And, let’s not forget Michael, who cooked us good food, kept us from getting sick and added to the laughter department too. As James always told us, “we are a team” and, right he was!

Our flight didn’t leave until 3:35 am but, we had to repack yet again to make sure everything was where it should be. After a nice hot shower we walked out on the hotel balcony and looked out over the city. Cities are especially pretty at night with all the lights and traffic. We slept for about 3 hours and got up and ready for our transport to the airport at midnight. The trip only took a few minutes at that time of night versus the hour or two that it would during the day with traffic. A reasonable trade-off for the 3:30 am flight time we thought. At DAR we spent the last few shillings we had on a little Ellie key chain, 2 Sparlettas and a “Big 5” magnet.

The DAR airport was quite easy to get around. It’s not really that big and kind of an open space in the departure area. There were a few shops, an eatery and a waiting area. That was about it. Also, not many people at that time of night—another bonus to our flight time.

Our flight to Istanbul left on-time.

One more entry to come to finish up our trip report.