Together again

What a week it has been!  So sorry for not blogging sooner~once we met up with our group from church, our days have been very busy and in the evenings we are emotionally and physically exhausted.  We are all doing great and we hope this finds you well.  We miss you all.  I will try to summarize our experiences over the last week as best as I can in the coming days.  I have tried to take good notes, but some things we will not be able to adequately describe here~so much has been personally moving, overwhelming, and just beyond words. 

Nicholas and I reunited with Allan and Christopher on Friday and it was so fun!  We stayed at the Lutheran Centre in Moshi.  After they washed the layers of dirt from their bodies, we headed to Green Bamboo Barbecue where we laughed, heard all about their incredible week, exchanged stories and ate some great food (the closest to American food that we've had for awhile)~which the two climbers especially appreciated. They did great on the climb and it sounded very adventurous!  They shared an incomparable experience.  I have added a few pictures of their climb to the roof of Africa.  We are proud of their accomplishment~Africa’s highest peak and one of the tallest freestanding mountains in the world.  After lunch, we went outside and were treated with a pretty rare sight (believe it or not) ~ a clear view of the mountain!  I didn’t realize this but Mt. Kilimanjaro only shows herself a handful of times each year.  Most of the time it is hidden behind clouds.  I was beginning to wonder if it really existed since we had been there for two and a half weeks and did not see it.  It was so beautiful!  The pictures don’t come close in capturing the size of this mountain.  We looked in awe at such a beautiful sight~a mountain on the equator capped with snow.  It was great to be able to take a picture of the two of them with the mountain in the background.  They literally and figuratively had the mountain behind them.  They were thankful to have reached the summit safely and appreciated the support of their huge team of guides, cooks and porters~but they were also glad to be down off the mountain and we were glad to have them back down as well.

We all slept great and awoke early to hop on the Dar Express to meet up with the other 12 members from Augustana~the ten hours were long as it was hot and crowded with nasty, loud African music videos playing most of the way~all part of the experience ;)  We took a taxi to the Landmark Hotel where our group had arrived about a half hour before.  It was exciting to see them all!  They told us about their travels from Minneapolis to New York City to Dubai to Dar Es Salaam and we shared our adventures so far over dinner.  Our group has a lot of energy and enthusiasm~the dynamics couldn’t be better.  A great group of nine youth and seven adults about to share some unforgettable moments…

I will add more posts as soon as we get back from a two-day safari to Ruaha National Park (a much needed little break as our days have been very full and our minds are being “challenged” as we take everything in that we are seeing and experiencing).  It has been amazing~especially the people we are meeting and witnessing firsthand the difference Augustana Lutheran Church has made in the lives of so many people.  God is definitely at work here!

Until Friday...  Love to you all!

They conquered Kili!

We are happy to report that Christopher and Allan reached the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro this morning around 7AM!  I knew their last trek began around midnight last night and it would be about a 7 hour climb~the most mentally and physically challenging of the seven days.  I forgot to mention on the previous post that I added a link on the top of the page describing their climb schedule and route.  The machame route is considered the most challenging but adding a day gave them a little more time to acclimate.  I woke up around 6AM waiting for their call.  I waited for about four hours before hearing from them (I can honestly say they were the longest 4 hours of my life knowing that people die each year trying to summit).  A lot of prayers were said and we knew that they were in good hands and were being very cautious.  They sounded good but were very exhausted and pretty dehydrated.  I don't have a lot of details (or pictures, obviously) to share at this time as our conversations over the week have been very brief to make sure their battery lasted until day seven.  Nicholas and I are so proud of them and so happy for them.  I'm sure they will have many stories to tell and the memory of their adventure will be something they will share for a lifetime.

Nicholas and I also had a memorable week.  We spent most of our time at ADRA and the baby home.  I won't be able to describe the experience we had, but I can say that we will be leaving a piece of our hearts there.  On one of our last nights there, we went to dinner to a place called Rivertrees with the volunteers from Germany and Denmark and were also joined by some missionaries from the UK that they had met.  We had a lovely dinner in the most beautiful setting with outdoor fireplaces and brick ovens.  We listened to everyone's stories and how they ended up in Africa.  They were absolutely fascinating (both the stories and the people)!  They were truly inspiring.  It was an evening we will never forget.  Saying good-bye at the end of our stay there was very difficult.  I really wasn't prepared for it.  I literally sobbed and it will be awhile before I can talk about the people and our time there without coming to tears.  Nicholas is certain that we will be able to come to stay at ADRA and Cradle of Love for a week each summer.  How I wish...

When we were planning our trip here, Nicholas and I weren't certain what other activities we would pursue when Allan and Christopher were climbing besides spending time at the orphanage.  We decided to wait until we got here to decide.  Many of the people that we talked to here said that the coast is something we should not miss.  We decided to spend our last two days on the Swahili Coast.  The five hour drive here was gorgeous and again, there was always something to look at as we passed through many villages.  The Indian ocean is very pretty and the place we are staying at is very small and quiet.  There are miles of deserted beaches between small villages.  We had to cross the Pangoni river which carries water from Mt. Kilimanjaro and spills into the Indian ocean.  Normally this is done by a ferry but something was wrong with it the day we arrived.  You should have seen the boat we had to use to cross it!   It was a VERY old-looking wooden boat that was packed with people (but thankfully no livestock) and no life jackets.  Since the ferry was broken, our driver could not bring the vehicle and come with us so the manager of the hotel sent someone to pick us up.  It was a little bit of an adventure in itself.  Nicholas and I are staying in a two-story bungalow that is just picture perfect.  The last two days were just what we needed before starting the next part of our journey.  We have spent time reflecting, having great conversations, swimming in the ocean, throwing seaweed balls at each other, playing "monkey in the middle" in the swimming pool with our guide, Bashiri (who has become our very dear friend) and drinking Stoney Tangaweze, our new favorite drink.

We leave early tomorrow morning and should arrive in Moshi around noon~just in time to meet Allan and Christopher as they come down off the mountain.  We are very excited to be together again.  We will spend the night there "catching-up" and the guys will rest up before we head to Dar Es Salaam on Friday morning.  After an eight hour bus ride (we were told that we will see a lot on the way), we will meet up with our group at the Landmark Hotel.  They are making their way there now and are currently in Dubai.  There are seven adults and nine youth in our group.  Saturday we will make the ten hour trip to Iringa.  Our group leader has also started a blog and I will soon post a link to that as well.  Thanks to everyone who has been praying for our group!

Once we arrive in Iringa, I may be able to post every few days when time allows and when we have access to internet cafes.  Love and blessings to everyone!  We miss you!  You are all in our thoughts and prayers.

                         

Serengeti National Park

It has been interesting to see how each of the areas we visited on safari have been different. The word Serengeti comes from the Maasai word meaning "endless plains."  It seems to go on forever.  It is one of the world's most popular wildlife sanctuaries.  Although, during the dry season, the concentrations are comparatively low since many wildebeests have moved north in search of food.  We found the wildlife viewing just as fabulous as the other parks.  One of the first things we spotted was a pride of about six lions resting under a small acacia tree.  They were no more than four feet from our vehicle.  We sat and watched them for at least half an hour as they napped, gave each other a bath, crossed the road in front of our jeep to get a drink of water and took turns being "the look-out."  They had obviously just had eaten breakfast as their bellies looked full and one of them had blood stains on its cheek.  Another highlight was seeing a very large herd of elephants coming towards us on the road.  We stopped and they kept walking in our direction.  At one point, they stopped and some of them started throwing dirt in the air with their trunk.  Bashili told us it was a "warning."  We backed up and they soon walked off the road and slowly moved on.  It's amazing how quiet they are.  We also had a rare sighting of a leopard napping in a tree.  We saw spotted hyenas, large herds of giraffes, jackals, vultures, many zebras, gazelles, eland, impalas, warthogs and secretary birds.  We stopped at a hippo pool with at least fifty hippos and we also saw a crocodile.  One of the last things we saw was a cheetah and her two adorable cubs.  We couldn't get over the vastness of the Serengeti and not only the wildlife, but seeing all of them living together in one place.  Lunch was at the Serengeti Visitor Center where we were given a short presentation about the great migration.  We ate lunch with the hyrox (sp.?) which look like giant rats without tails, mongoose, monkeys, and we enjoyed both people and bird watching.  Our lodge had a nice look-out deck to enjoy the sun setting over the plains and to meet other tourists from all over the world.

Early the next morning, before sunrise, we were picked up at our lodge and taken to the middle of the Serengeti for our hot-air balloon ride.  It was a perfect way to end our safari!  We watched the sun rise as they inflated four balloons.  We floated above the trees, sometimes brushing the tops of them and even so low that we touched the tops of the grasses with our basket.  It gave us a unique vantage point for wildlife viewing as well as a greater appreciation for the vastness of the Serengeti.  We saw a male and two female lions, hippos floating below us, hyenas, elephants (who were angry at how close the balloon was to them), giraffes, wildebeests, gazelles and of course, the three other balloons in the distance.  We floated with our pilot, Frank from Canada, for about an hour before landing (not smoothly~the video is fabulous).  After the flight, we all gathered for a balloon prayer and a champagne toast.  Finally, we enjoyed breakfast in the bush under an umbrella tree complete with linen tablecloths.  It's here where we celebrated our 22nd wedding anniversary a little early.  We all agreed that this would be one of the most memorable experiences of our lives!

Because we slowly worked our way north over the last four days, the drive back to Usa River was quite long~about seven hours.  We again enjoyed the sights on the way back of the landscape and the people who live there.  We enjoyed wonderful conversations with Bashili about Tanzania, their way of life, social justice issues and he asked many questions about America.  We couldn't have asked for a better guide.  He helped make our safari one we will never forget.  He seemed to know everything about every species of animal, the history of the country, the parks and current political issues affecting Tanzanians.  There wasn't a question he couldn't answer.  He was also knowledgeable about the going rates of Tanzanian soccer shirts as we stopped along the way to negotiate souvenirs with local street vendors.

We returned to ADRA around dinner time long enough for Allan and Christopher to grab their packs before Bashili drove them to Moshi.  They stayed at the Uhuru Lutheran Center that night where their guide met them for their pre-climb briefing.  Allan called later that night and said the guides were some of the nicest people he had ever met.  They will be climbing with a guide, an assistant guide, two porters each and a cook~nine of them total.  I was a little worried as Christopher left here not feeling well and not knowing if it was just car sickness or something more serious in which it would not be safe for him to climb.  Allan called the next morning before beginning their ascent saying he was feeling much better.  Whew!  We didn't hear from them last night (after their first day of climbing) but we got a call from them this afternoon saying the first two days were fabulous!  They made it to their second camp at around 2PM and they were doing just great.  They are above the clouds now so they are able to see the top of the mountain~he said it was absolutely gorgeous!  We may not hear from them tomorrow but we have them in our thoughts and prayers.  Climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro is a serious undertaking and only about 60% of the climbers summit, but I know they are in good hands.  My sister-in-law is right, angels can fly that high.   

Nicholas and I have spent the last two days recuperating from safari, getting more supplies (Coke and chocolate!), doing some laundry, catching up on the Olympics (we get an English-speaking channel from Kenya), spending time with the babies, and reading our books.  The sweet volunteers from Germany and Denmark invited us to join them for dinner out tomorrow night so we are looking forward to that.  We are enjoying our time together. 

Today is our 22nd wedding anniversary and our first one apart.  Even though we're not together, we are together in spirit and given our situation, we wouldn't have it any other way.  Our daily devotional for today, August 4th, was very fitting and I thought I would share it...

Hold my hand, and walk joyously with Me through this day.  Together we will savor the pleasures and endure the difficulties it brings.  Be on the lookout for everything I have prepared for you:  stunning scenery, bracing winds of adventure, cozy nooks for resting when you are weary, and much more.  I am your Guide, as well as your constant Companion.  I know every step of the journey ahead of you, all the way to heaven.  You don't have to choose between staying close to Me and staying on course.  Since I am the Way, staying close to Me is staying on course.  As you focus your thoughts on Me I will guide you carefully along today's journey.  Don't worry about what is around the next bend.  Just concentrate on enjoying My Presence and staying in step with Me.
John 14:6; Colossians 4:2 

Love and Blessings everyone!  Thanks for all of your emails, comments and prayers.  They (and you) mean so much to us!  Hugs and kisses all the way from Africa!

     

Ngorongoro Crater

"It is impossible to give a fair description of the size and beauty of the Crater, for there is nothing with which one can compare it.  It is one of the Wonders of the World."

Our next full day on safari was spent in this world-famous location.  The crater is one of Tanzania's most visited destinations and one of Africa's best-known wildlife viewing areas.  It is surrounded by stunning blue-green vistas and our guide had told us unparalleled concentrations of wildlife and close-range viewing opportunities.  And boy, was he ever right!  The crater is about 18-20 miles across and is surrounded by steep, unbroken walls.  The setting is incredible as we watched animals such as lion, zebras, elephants, cheetahs, wildebeests, gazelles and buffaloes make their way around on the crater floor.  The land is shared with the local Maasai people who have grazing rights (unlike in the Serengeti), so three species co-exist here~wildlife, livestock and human beings.  It has vast plains as well as forests and lakes.  The amount of wildlife we saw was unbelievable!  One of the highlights was seeing a lion at very close range as he was trying to find shade in the shadows of the jeeps.  We noticed he had a fresh wound on his back (our guide said most likely from a zebra's kick) as we were driving away.  We also witnessed a cheetah on a hunt.  We had lunch at a small lake with hippos.  We saw elephants that were probably close to 80 years old.  We visited a Maasai village just outside the crater before heading to our lodge.  They welcomed us with a dance, gave us a tour of their huts (made out of cow dung and sticks with a grass roof), and the children sang us a song and recited the abc's in English and Swahili. 

Our lodge was in a great location perched on the southern rim of the crater.  Our rooms had fabulous views overlooking the crater.  The lodge had a large outdoor viewing area off of the lounge where we tried to spot animals with the binoculars.  To give you an idea of the steepness, the wildebeests on the floor of the crater looked like ants.  The food was delicious and again, was a great way to end another perfect day~together with lots of laughs.  At one point during the meal, Christopher looked around and said, "Seriously, no one in this room is having this much fun."  We are blessed and are definitely sharing the best of times.

 

Tarangire National Park

Jambo!  We hope everyone is well!  Our safari to Tarangire National Park, Ngorongoro Crater, and the Serengeti was simply unforgettable. The scenery was stunning and the wildlife was spectacular! It's impossible to describe. 

Our driver/guide, Bashiri, picked us up early from ADRA  on Monday and we headed north.  Nothing could have prepared us for what we saw just on the way there alone.  We saw Maasai people tending their sheep, leading their cattle across the plains, carrying water and firewood on their heads, and waving hello wearing their brightly colored Maasai blankets.  They are fascinating people.  The Maasai are pastoral nomads who have actively resisted change and are one of the few tribes that still follow the same lifestyle that they have for centuries.  Their culture centers around their cattle that provide for most of their needs.  The land, the cattle and all elements related to their cattle are considered sacred.  Our guide shared his knowledge with us about these people and the history of the land that we were covering.  We drove through the Great Rift Valley and past Lake Manyara.  The breathtaking views were dotted with Maasaii huts.

Our first day was spent at Tarangire National Park.  It is the fourth largest park in Tanzania with one of the highest density of elephants of any park in the country.  It is named after the Tarangire River that flows through the center of the park and empties its water into soda lakes including Lake Manyara.  (I know, it's the teacher in me and our guide was absolutely the best!)  During the dry season, which it currently is now, it is the primary source of water in the Tarangire ecosystem.  The park includes wetlands that act like sponges to supply water to the river during dry periods.  Because of this availability of water, the park has a high concentration and variety of wildlife in the dry season.  It is said to be a classic, dry season destination.  The landscape is dotted with rocky outcrops (kopjes~think Pride Rock from the Lion King) with scattered, huge baobab trees.  They call these trees "upside down" trees.  Their massive branches resemble roots and grow to be very old.  There are also acacia trees which the elephants love to eat.

One of the first things we spotted was two lions sunning themselves on a rock.  We saw large herds of zebras, thompson gazelles, wildebeests, warthog, olive baboon, waterbuck, bushbuck, hartebeest, impala, eland, some of the most beautiful birds we have ever seen and of course, hundreds of elephants.  It was awesome to just sit in the vehicle in absolute silence and soak in the sights and sounds of this amazing place.  The kids couldn't seem to take enough pictures and video and Christopher can't wait to start putting together a video of our safari.  Our guide would always find a great location for lunch.  Our box lunches always included pretty much the same each day of safari which must be standard~a piece of chicken, a hard-boiled egg, a cheese and/or marmalade sandwich, some type of cookie/biscuit, a banana, mango juice and a water.

   

After our game drives, we were dropped off at Bougainvillea Lodge.  The setting was just beautiful with several two room bungalows with fireplaces.  After settling in, we headed to the lounge for drinks and to talk about all that we saw before heading to dinner.  This became routine after each safari and was also a highlight of our day.  The boys were on cloud nine and always had us in stiches.  We savored every minute of this amazing day.

 

Arusha National Park

Our first Safari to Arusha National Park on Saturday was incredible!  Our guide, Abel, was fabulous.  He was very knowledgeable about the park and about the variety of animals we saw.  This park is one of Tanzania's smallest but our guide book tells us it is one of the most beautiful and topographically varied.  It is very lush and because of the variety of altitudes, it supports a variety of vegetation and thus many different species of animals.  We saw families of giraffes, herds of zebras, many baboons, blue monkeys, bush bucks, cape buffalo, an albino baboon on its mother's back, colobus monkeys (which we didn't even know existed~Christopher called them skunkies as you can see why) and warthogs.  The park was absolutely gorgeous with lakes to the east and to the west is Mt. Meru.  We ate our picnic lunch overlooking Ngurdoto Crater.  It was a dream-like day. 

Today we spent time at the baby home after breakfast.  We can't get over how precious these children are, how heartbreaking their stories are and how amazing the people are who volunteer here.  There are three shifts of eight nannies (Tanzanian women) that work there, a full-time nurse, and a social worker. 

This week there was a new arrival, an albino baby boy from south of here.  His mother had to bring him here because albino babies are at risk of being killed where she is from.  People actually tried to kill her son. Albinos are safe in this part of Tanzania.  One of ADRA's projects is to help change this (This is the agency where we are staying and the baby home is located on this property.)  The mom has been here every day this week.  We also met the director today and her adopted girls, Stacy and Mariah.  They are so sweet and today they were busy picking macadamia nuts from the tree behind our cottage.  I asked how they removed the nuts from the shell and they said that the African way is to use a rock but the American way is to use a hammer. 

After lunch at our favorite restaurant, Tanz-Hands, we are now just packing some of our things for tomorrow.  After breakfast we leave on our three day Safari beginning with Tarangire, then Ngorongoro Crater, and ending with the Serengeti.  We are leaving most of our luggage here since we will be returning here on Thursday.  I am pretty certain that most of the lodges we will be staying in do not have internet access.  I know they have limited hours of electricity so I am not sure if I will be able to post anything for a few days.  We are safe, healthy and enjoying each other as we experience this adventure together.  We really miss our family and friends (and girlfriends)!  Love to you all!