Just Back From Safari

The adventure continues! This vacation is just unreal. Yesterday we had to stop the Land Cruiser to let some elephants cross the path. Earlier today I was inside a 8,000 kilometer crater watching a pride of lions frolic in a field. On the way out of the crater our 4-wheel drive went out and we had to avoid mud slides. Good thing the brakes still worked, because we needed those to avoid the 40 monkeys that were camped out on the tarmac on our way back home. And now I'm on the Internet. How is this my life?

I'll post pictures when the computer works-they will do more justice then my words! But basically, the 4 of us headed up to Ngorongoro Conservation Area yesterday, and toured around Lake Manyara and then Ngorongoro Crater today. It seriously felt like we were in Jurassic Park. This crater was formed when a volcano collapsed 2,000 years ago. The Massai people live alongside these animals within the crater and it was amazing to observe it all.

Tomorrow we celebrate New Years Eve at the Massai Camp. Ok, that is actually the name of the backpackers lodge where we are staying.. It'll be a wild time none the less! Enjoy New Years Eve wherever you are and have a great New Year! I'll post more details on what has been going on in my village and life once I am back from vacation. Love to all!

Trains, Chinese, and Buffets

No candlelight Christmas Eve service here, but the way the Christmas lights inside the Chinese/Indian Cuisine restaurant glowed, there was a bit of that peaceful feeling. No egg nog, but I cut open a coconut with my pocketknife and drank. No snow, but my clothes are still drying from the downpour of rain. No turkey was carved, but we carved a pineapple for dinner last night. No pine trees, but palm trees are plentiful. No Pikes Peak, but I did get up this morning and watch the sun rise over Mt Kilimanjaro.

So Christmas in Africa-it has been an experience! I took a 48 hour train ride with three Peace Corps friends up to Tanzania. It was beautiful! An awesome (but rather long) way to see most of Zambia and a lot of Tanzania. We got off the train in Dar es Salem. The name of the city means "Haven of Peace" and is on the Indian Ocean. We ate Christmas Eve dinner at the Chinese/Indian Cuisine place, which reminded us all of The Christmas Story movie. The waitress however, did not sing us carols. The food was actually awesome and we ended up at a hotel that served a dessert buffet. Christmas morning we went out for breakfast in our pajamas just to carry on the lifelong tradition of staying in your pajamas until at least 11:30 on Christmas morning. Everyone does that right? The afternoon was spent at the ocean, eating, shopping and just enjoying a great day. I was able to talk with my family back home which was so nice, but bittersweet. That night we went to the nicest hotel (we weren't actually staying there) and had a 5 course Christmas dinner. Then Tuesday we hopped on a bus that dropped us here in Moshi, which is a little town nestled in the foothills of Africa's tallest mountain. We watched the sun rise this morning and will be hiking and playing this afternoon. So far the trip has been really relaxing and fun. I'll send pictures as soon as possible.

I sincerely hope that all of you had a Merry Christmas and that the New Year will be full of adventure. I wish you all were here with me! Blessings!