Its been a week since we left Africa, and I think I may never get back to a normal sleep schedule.Eleven hours is a big time change.
We departed from Dar es Saalam after a last beer in the New Africa Hotel. It was hard saying goodbye to Steve and John after spending so much time together, and we were disappointed that Simon didn't show up. We were already on the airpot shuttle when his smiling face appeared, so we jumped off the bus and had another round of hugs. The airport was a shoppers delight, especially after the let down in Dar. We managed to get rid of alll our Tanzanian shilllings, More necklaces and t-shirts, one just can't have too many. Then overnight to Amsterdam, and Africa was behind us. we will never forget this trip, though, even after the red mud has all come off my boots, and the coffee we brought home has all been drunk. This will be my last posting on the blog, so I will try to sum up a few impressions of Tanzania. First in my mind will always be the beautiful people there. They have so very little, and yet they are warm and friendly and a smile seems to be their natural expression. They work so hard, everything is done manually and in great heat. The enormous fields are cultivated by hand with rough hoes, and the women carry the firewood and water miles a day. They carry themselves with such pride, with a serenity that is enviable. Seeing all the animals was a thrill, but I think that seeing the Masai going about their daily routines, and all the childrens happy faces will be the images I return to.
Our trip could not have been better. Joanne and I are god travelmates, we never had a cross word or an unpleasant moment. Imaginative Traveller, our tour company, knocked themselves out to ensure that everything went smoothly in spite of the last minute changes after the Kenya crisis erupted. Marylyn, our travel agent at BCAA, was so helpful and did all the hard part of the preparation for us.
So thanks your interest if you are still reading this. Joanne is editing the photos now and will be posting a selection of them soon. Stay tuned. Bye now, Muriel
We departed from Dar es Saalam after a last beer in the New Africa Hotel. It was hard saying goodbye to Steve and John after spending so much time together, and we were disappointed that Simon didn't show up. We were already on the airpot shuttle when his smiling face appeared, so we jumped off the bus and had another round of hugs. The airport was a shoppers delight, especially after the let down in Dar. We managed to get rid of alll our Tanzanian shilllings, More necklaces and t-shirts, one just can't have too many. Then overnight to Amsterdam, and Africa was behind us. we will never forget this trip, though, even after the red mud has all come off my boots, and the coffee we brought home has all been drunk. This will be my last posting on the blog, so I will try to sum up a few impressions of Tanzania. First in my mind will always be the beautiful people there. They have so very little, and yet they are warm and friendly and a smile seems to be their natural expression. They work so hard, everything is done manually and in great heat. The enormous fields are cultivated by hand with rough hoes, and the women carry the firewood and water miles a day. They carry themselves with such pride, with a serenity that is enviable. Seeing all the animals was a thrill, but I think that seeing the Masai going about their daily routines, and all the childrens happy faces will be the images I return to.
Our trip could not have been better. Joanne and I are god travelmates, we never had a cross word or an unpleasant moment. Imaginative Traveller, our tour company, knocked themselves out to ensure that everything went smoothly in spite of the last minute changes after the Kenya crisis erupted. Marylyn, our travel agent at BCAA, was so helpful and did all the hard part of the preparation for us.
So thanks your interest if you are still reading this. Joanne is editing the photos now and will be posting a selection of them soon. Stay tuned. Bye now, Muriel
1 comment:
Looking forward to the photos and hope the transition back to normal BC life is going okay!
Christina
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