Dave's Visit

New HADZA TRIBE and TIDBITS photos up!!!!!!!!
And that is the last of new shots.  Enjoy.

Christmas Day

It was very special to have Dave here for Theo's 1st Christmas.  Like all good parents (and uncles) we stayed up half the night before wrapping presents and making them look pretty under the tree.  Thank you too all the family who sent gifts, money, yearly updates, and love.  We had a wonderful holiday and it wouldn't be nearly as special without you in our lives.  We love you all very much and miss you even more during the holidays.

 Surprisingly both Kaia and Theo slept in till almost 8!!  I felt like the kid again, so excited and trying to wait patiently for them to wake up.

 After nibbling bits of candy from her stocking Kaia was in rare form.  She loved every moment of Christmas morning but may have been too dazed to remember half of it.  She loves all her new clothes, tutu, necklace, cell phone, and tiara.  Funny how little girls don't get sick of that stuff!!  Santa did in fact bring her the stuffed lizard she was pining for.  I was pretty tired from helping him but she now has a meter long, coolest ever, Kanga lizard.  She has only played with him once or twice.  Go Figure.

Theo was completely unenlightened when it came to Christmas etiquette.  Kaia opened most of his gifts and he didn't care less.  We wrapped a ball for him in one of Grandma Love's gift bags and he didn't even bother to open it before batting it around the room.  The train and the legos have been huge hits with both him and Kaia.  I can't wait to go home and supplement our supply.  Santa brought Theo a squeaky hammer.  I am going to have a word with him about that.

 The men got matching shirts which will look much less geeky when they aren't standing next to one another.

 We were invited to an orphanage for Christmas dinner.  Tammy (with the short brown hair on the right) and her husband adopted 2 children and opened this orphanage within the last few months.  It is such an amazing story and they are so inspirational to me.  They have also opened a 5 star hostel in Arusha to help fund the orphanage.  Here the girls are showing off the songs they have learned in English already. 

Then we went to a friends Christmas-Day-open-house for dessert.  Lots of kids, friends, sweets, and alcohol.  Wonderfully warm way to end the day.  Someone brought this 'fake snow' made from white powder and water.  It was cold and almost snow like.  Theo was NOT impressed!

Maji Moto

Maji - Water  \   Moto - Hot
These hot springs (luke warm anyway) are 30 km off road and you truly can't get there without asking the locals along the way for directions.  The water is crystal clear blue and on a sunny day the rays come through the palms and you can easily see all the way to the bottom.  The locals don't swim so you often have the place to yourself.  Just keep moving so you don't get nibbled by the little fish!  We borrowed a mask and snorkel and I saw a turtle this time!!  Definitely have to remember to bring my mask and flippers back from America. 

Paradise.

 Even Paradise takes some getting used to.

 

  Since it was so beautiful our outing quickly turned into a photo shoot.  Dave has a case of photo-finger even worse than I do and I really appreciate all the great candid shots he took of us while he was here. 

Lake Diluti

There is a little lake near the house that we like to walk around when the weather is nice and we are in need of some fresh air.  Carl had a belly bomb so we left him at home to recoup.  On this walk we are lucky we can see Monitor Lizards, bush babies, owls, squirrels, lots of birds, and not many biting ants. 

 It is a short 5k hike around the lake offering views of both Kili and Meru on a clear day.  Those are weaver bird nests on the water reeds.

 This is Elfis.  You don't need a guide to follow the path around the lake but we always request him.  He loves Kaia she is starting to take a shine to him as well.  But most importantly he always lets us know when there are streams of biting ants and will pick her up and carry her over them when there are loads.  She loves stomping her way through them though! 

 It was Kaia who requested this break, and for good reason because we hadn't eaten a proper lunch AND I didn't bring any snacks.  My plan was to 'quickly' round the lake and then head out to the luxury pool.  What was I thinking?!?  Kaia was a trooper though, made it most of the way on her own.

 The most exciting part of the hike is usually the monitor lizards.  They scamper pretty quickly so seeing them with a 3 year old who loves to point them out isn't terribly common.  When seen they are quite impressive at about 5ft long from head to tail usually sunbathing on the logs at the water shore.

 When Kaia did need a lift is it was Super Dave to the rescue.  And he did it with the classiest of smiles.

Lake Eyasi

Of coarse the trip wouldn't have been complete without some time out in the bush.  This lake front campsite was 40km off the main road but the road was so bad that it took over 2 hours to drive the 40km.  A tube under the hood of the car burst and the car overheated and we broke down on the way.  We were SO lucky it happened near a tourist hub and there was a mechanic who was able to temporarily mend it for a reasonable price.  I hate to think what would have happened if it had burst an hour later.

This off the beaten track campsite was well worth the drive.  A breathtaking lake bed surrounded by highlands that lead into Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti.  Unfortunately most of the lake is dried up, not even filling during the heavy rains for the past decade or so.  Climate change has hit this area hard.  Without water to attract the game animals the local hunting and gathering tribes endure increasingly difficult lives.

 It was a well maintained and quaint site surrounded by palms and frequented by vervet monkeys who liked to detach the water hose to drink the water whilst keeping the children (and Carl) thoroughly entertained.  The only downside was the acacia thorns everywhere!  Thankfully we had brought a thick blanket that we laid down for Theo.  He was awesome at staying on the blanket!  Poor guy!  3 days is a long time to spend on a blanket.

 But Acacia thorns are serious business!

 Lawrence took very good care of us.  He came by each night and morning to check on us and our fire.  He spent many hours sharing stories about his life, his tribe, and the local people.  He took us on a trek around the lake at sunset and to see a local tribe during the day.  But he and Dave especially enjoyed setting the palm branches on fire to get it roaring.  Boys will be boys.

 Although we thoroughly enjoyed pretending we had abandoned civilization for the bush, in actuality a luxary lodge was barely a km away and we spent the last day poolside enjoying fresh brewed coffee, fresh squeezed juice, and cold beer.

 But just because we left for home didn't mean the adventure was over.  Flooding fueled a river to cross our bumpy dirt road.  The picture doesn't begin to capture the volume and speed of the river flowing over the road.  The road crosses from the left to the right in the photo.  We eventually built up the courage to drive straight through but mostly because we had no other options.  The kids slept through the whole ordeal so it wasn't that bad.

 Safari

OK, so I know this has nothing to do with the grandkids but Dave and I had such an awesome safari that I can't help showing off some of my favorite shots.  As you scroll and scroll down the page let me tell you that Dave's photo-finger condition worsened and was at its worst during the safari.  We easily took over 3000 pics in 6 days... 500 per day... 50-100 per hour.  Not so many.

 No matter how tired we were or how late we were up, Dave was up to photograph the sunrise every morning.  Couldn't be a better way to have started each day.

 Hyrax.  These guys hang around the hotels with the baboons hoping for scraps.  This one may have had a few too many.

 Hyena eating a wildebeast leg.  Cyprian, our guide, said hyenas and jackels have it easier than lions because they can follow the wildebeest migration by avoiding each others dens.  Whereas lions are very territorial and have to stay in their own territory, only eating migrating animals as they pass through.

 Vervet monkeys playing.  They played for so long that we eventually chose to move on.

 Leopard.  We saw two.  The first was at nightfall and was eating a hare.  Amazing.  I was still learning to work our new camera though and wasn't able to catch it very well in the dusk lighting.  Since that was the 1st leopard I have ever seen I rather grumpily assumed I had lost my chance.  

 Imagine our amazement when we found another the very next day.  Midday.  Sitting on a limb in an enormous tree high atop piles of boulders.  After gazing to our hearts content he descended into the brush and rocks and most safari cars headed out.  Then he emerged from the bush right next to our car!  He looked Dave in the eye before slowly passing behind our car and heading out to the grasslands.  Walking so slowly.

 Green Mamba!!  One of the most poisonous snakes!!  We thought it was dead when we found it lying upside down in the middle of the road.  They can jump meters.  Spit poisonous venom meters.  And are so poisonous they are nicknamed '5 steps' because if you are bitten that is how many steps you can take before you die.  As I was shooting this photo his neck began to move ever so slightly.  I rolled up the window and Cyprian took off so fast he would have left skid marks if it wasn't a dirt road.  Boy did I get an earful from Kaia about how I should be careful when she found out!

 

So many elephants.  This one was trying to smell us.  Not a good sign :)

We spent an afternoon visiting a (touristy) Maasai village.  The Maasai are a semi-nomadic group in Kenya and Tanzania that farm and raise cattle.  They are famous for wearing red plaid cloth and are often seen herding their cattle over endless grasslands.  They live in tribes and build groups of rounded houses made of branches and dung called bomas.  They love to show off their jumping skills... the men can jump over 3 feet from a standing position!  Dave did pretty well.  Cow blood, milk, and meat are staples in their diet.  The young men get a kick out of telling tourists how they drain a few liters of blood from the neck of a living cow and drink it warm.

The wildebeests were migrating through the Serengeti.  We learned the wildebeests and zebras work together because zebras have excellent noses while wildebeests have excellent eyes.  Millions of wildebeests migrate together.  There were wildebeests as far as we could see in every direction.  The rainbow was extra special.

So many hippos.  Finally one of them moved.

Cheetahs!!!!   Also a first for me.  We found a mother with her two junior cubs.  They were very timid and ran as soon as they realized we were there but we were so lucky to see them so close.

This is me.  So happy to be with my brother on one of our best adventures yet.

Oh Dave.  And his birds.  He loves them and I did get into them too.  There sure are some crazy ones out there.

Jackal.  Also a first for me.  And a little beyond we found her den and saw her babies peek their heads out for an instant.  Then we waited and waited but they never came back out.

Lots of lions.  We were so lucky.  In the last shot there is a lion on the left hunting a herd of antelope on the right.  Unfortunately lions are pretty slow and cant catch an antelope so he is just going to wait until they get to him.  We weren't as patient as him.

Ostriches.  Every time I see them I think it is amazing that they survived evolution.  God must owe them one for something.

Warthog.  Normally I find them very hard to photograph.  Maybe because they look so funny in real life that the photos don't seem like they could possibly be right.  And also they always seem a bit blurry, I think it is all the fuzzy hair they have.  I guess being covered in mud helps with that.

Cyprian had amazing eyes.  There were a few animals that he noticed from a amazing distance.  Way before the other guides noticed.  And so far before Dave and I noticed that we would take a picture of the lump in question, put it on the computer, zoom in as far as we could, and still wonder.  Anyway, Cyprian tracked these rhinos from lumps in the tall grass all the way till they crossed the road.  By the time they crossed there were 30 cars gawking.  Go Cyprian!  Unfortunately rhinos don't like noise so they veered away from us in the end but no matter, the hunt was the most fun.

Lots of buffalo.  Must have been the season.  

See the baby looking at you?

Dave was having a pretty bad hair day.

 Three's a crowd.  For the record it was the the 3rd wheel that did end up winning her heart.  Who could resist such a cuddle munch?

Oh PJ.  And her zebras .  I love them and Dave didn't ever really get into them at all.  There sure are some crazy ones out there.

Hadza Tribe

One of the highlights of our trip was visiting the Hadza Tribe.  They are one of the few true hunting gathering tribes left.  I found their culture so interesting, mostly because it is so far removed from our lives that I don't think I would ever begin to understand it or what drives them to continue it.  They make small transient homes and move on when the berries and gathering foods run low.  They only own a few possessions that can be easily carried on their backs.  They have no comforts or luxuries that I could see.  They do not keep time, don't record birthdays or mark traditional events.  Rather than at birth they name their babies after it shows it will survive.  They sit on rocks and sleep on the ground.  Some have never left the bush, they haven't even traveled the few kilometers to the closest tiny town.  After spending a few hours there we drove 10 or so km back to our campsite and had a cold beer at the lodge, such a simply luxury in our lives that they will probably never experience.  It is so unbelievable that they live so close to us and yet so utterly differently.

There is a beautiful article with extraordinary photos written about them on the National Geographic website if you are interested in reading more.

Men sitting around the fire.  They spend most of their day here whittling arrows and instruments and discussing the day's hunt.  The man with the headdress is the 'chief' although the term is a very loose term as most members of the tribe are transient between multiple tribes and members are quite equal overall.  Status is gained by hunting and honey collecting skills.

The woman sit together, separate but close.  They will discuss where to gather food for the day and make beaded jewelry.  They are surrounded by children and puppies.  The children have beautiful beaded bracelets and anklets. I was surprised to learn how equal the women are, partnerships are quickly cut short because the women are very strong and don't put up with abuse or neglect. 

We were divided along gender lines and the men went for a hunt.  They didn't kill anything.  I stayed with the children and went gathering roots with a few of the other mothers.  We didn't get much done carting around so many kids... that felt just like my own life :)  I wouldn't say they were welcoming, they pretty much went about their own routines.  We couldn't talk except for exchanging a few common words in Swahili.  The children helped break down the barrier and we shared many laughs together as we watched them play.  I was also a respected root collector... I love a challenge!  By the end of our collection I could see they were much more welcoming and friendly with me.  I really enjoyed that.

What was the most amazing though was the children.  Kaia is always quite shy but was definitely timid in this very new situation.  Until she saw the puppies that is.  I have never seen her with puppies before and she all she wanted to do was hold them, pet them, carry them, and chase them.  Eventually she forgot to be shy entirely.  To entertain her the ladies would call 'kiss kiss kiss kiss' and all the puppies would come running.  There must have been at least 15.  Kaia was thrilled!  By the end Kaia was running and playing with the other children who were all collecting puppies for her.  Children really are the same no matter where you go.

 Tidbits

Ok.  I am well aware that this is becoming a compulsion but there are so many other cute shots that I can't help but post a few. 

 Dave took on a lot of the morning responsibilities.  Sometimes Theo wasn't patient enough to wait to be fed so Dave took care of that too.

 By the time he left it was hard to keep Kaia out of his arms.

 Don't know what it was between these two.  They totally seemed to get each other.

 And no misbehaving allowed.  Dave kept time in line by reminding him that they 'see eye to eye'.

 I love the classic 'sharing drinks with straws' photos.  Just be grateful I didn't post all 4 of them.

 With the power so bad we ate out a lot.

 This is the new Family and Friends restaurant that we plan on frequenting.  Swings, bouncy castle, and slide.  Wow! 

 Khan's Chicken.  Dave's favorite.  An auto mechanic shop by day, they whip out the barbecues after closing and serve the best chicken in town.  And lots of it!

 Gotta hit the pool once a week.  Salt pools are big here but this one has turned a bit green.

 Long days of play can easily be extended by a good nap.

Then we can squeeze in a movie night too!  Turns out Dave really likes his kids movies.  And he had already seen Horton saves the Whos!

Dave's Last Day

Flight is delayed 4 hours so we have some extra time together
Leisurely breakfast of fruit because he won't eat any more avocados
Semi-warm shower because power is out
Call airline because they STILL haven't emailed e-ticket
     this is after numerous calls, emails, visits, AND paying $30 extra
Pack bag (not noticing till later he left 3 of his 6 shirts in the closet)
Stop at cash machine... out of order
Stop at another cash machine... out of money
Stop at another cash machine... doesn't take Mastercard
Stop at shipping company... costs $500 to ship $150 of souvenirs home
Stop at airline for e-ticket... extra bag costs $100 1st leg
Stop at other airline... extra bag costs $200 2nd leg
Repack bag... will carry souvenirs 1wk in Zanzibar and 4days in Thailand
               including two 1.5m spears and 1m tall solid wood giraffe carving      
Stop at stationary store to pack statue for flight
Stop for gas... success!
Stop at another cash machine... success!
Stop to buy plant for garden... we want a flowering bush that we can watch grow
     salesman guarantees it will be a m tall bush in 6 months
     when we get home Moses says the plant will not grow any bigger
Stop for lunch... eat fast!
Drop Dave at airport... relief that we made it... Safari Njema Dave!!

But at 11pm his Zanzibar hotel contacts us to say they waited for him at the airport for 4 hours and he never showed up.  He had problems at the airport and somehow missed his flight.  We have no idea how since we SAW him go through customs!!  But we now know he is safely tucked away at the airport hotel awaiting another flight and we are still trying to contact him. 

Poor guy!!  What a terrible way to start off his first trip traveling alone.  Hopefully he has gotten all the bad luck out of his system and the rest of his trip goes smoothly.