Made is back to Arusha and internet:) See you all in a couple of days. Day 20 will be the last posting. Diane
Jambo friends and family!
This is Sarah Rathbun again! This is going to be a shorter message due to the fact that we did a lot of driving today for our first day on safari!
We left Ahadi Lodge this morning after breakfast, around 8:30 am in two safari vehicles. We were, and still are, very excited to experience more of God's creation firsthand here in Tanzania before we depart. We began our drive but about 30 minutes in one vehicle had been stopped by the police three times and the other had to make a quick stop to change a flat tire. Soon enough, thanks to our awesome drivers and guides, we were on the road again! We drove a total of 2 hours to Tarangire Park, our first safari experience. It was incredible! After about an hour drive through we stopped at a scenic overlook to eat our box lunches- fried chicken, "chips" (fries), fruit, and a chocolate cover wafer (which we were all super excited about!). The view was breath taking and we all thought it looked like we were walking into a painting as we walked up to the fence. Once we finished eating we soaked in more of the view, took some pictures, and avoided the monkeys that were running around trying to steal food. We piled into our vehicles and continued on through the park for another hour and a half. We saw a lot of animals- elephants, a cheetah, monkeys, giraffes, warthogs, buffalo, impalas & waterbucks (both similar to deer), ostrich, and some zebras.
All too soon it was time to move on to our next activity, visiting a Masai tribe village. It was another hour drive to the village where we were greeted with song and dance- which we of course had to participate in. We were then split into two's and brought into separate huts with a member of the tribe to tell us more of their way of life. Then we were brought out to their market of homemade items that were for sale. We all looked but felt bad because we had not brought money in with us. It was soon time to leave for yet another hour drive to where we are staying for the next two nights. The rooms are nice and comfortable; luckily there were rooms available so we could have a roommate which we prefer since we've all become so close. This news was exciting since we were under the impression we would be alone in a room. We ate a typical supper of rice, pork, and beef where we met another mission team from some of the southern states! We are now all getting ready to head for bed since we have an early day tomorrow- breakfast at 6:00, leaving at 6:30 to hunt with the bush men!
Thank you again for all of your thoughts and prayers as we wind down our trip, we can feel their power even half way across the world! We have been so blessed and it is hard to believe that we only have two and a half days left!
We will see you soon!
Sarah Rathbun
