Take Me To Post Comment Form This may be the last post for a few days as we are headed East to the coast. We are leaving today (Saturday) and driving all day to the Capitol, Dar es Salaam. We are scheduled to visit historic sites, some schools and even meet with the Minister of Education. Several of us took our beautiful Kangas (African cloth used as a wrap)we bought at the market to a local seamstress that made custom dresses for us. So, we should be quite presentable as we meet th Minister. After that, we head to Zanzibar where all sorts of adventure await. I can't wait to share what we encounter. We are planning to visit a kelp farm, a spice farm, a women's co-op where they weave shawls,and the rain forest where the red monkeys are found.

Well, I think Mama Gaudy is giving up on teaching us Kiswahili. The three 'youngsters' in our group have caught on MUCH faster than the rest of us. We are supposed to be practing as we drive places, in the evenings, etc. I guess Mama Gaudy surrendered when she overheard Tina politely asking the grill chef for 'watato' in her omlette (meaning she would like children in her omlette).

I do have to share a humorous story-the safari days were exhilirating yet tiring. Our safari guide, Omari, was very tolerant and patient with the 6 women he was assigned to taking on safari (we had Mama Moshi in our car-every body wants to keep Mama Moshi happy). On the way out of the Serengeti (and I mean literally at the very end) there sat a huge lion on a rock right by the road. We all considered it an omen and our 'good bye' gift. Omari drove up so very close to him-there was just complete silence as we studied him-I couldn't help but think of Aslan in C.S. Lewis' The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. All of a sudden, Tina started singing softly aloud, "You are so beautiful to me..." then we all joined in and sang with gusto. I kid you not, that beautiful lion turned his head towards us and closed his eyes while we all sang our tribute to him.

Have a wonderful weekend, thank you for reading our blog and we so appreciate the messages we have received. Salama.