Sunday in Tanzania. It is my first day waking up in Tanzania. We arrived yesterday after a long day of travel fraught with delays. Once in Amsterdam the plane would not work properly so we were delayed and changed to a functioning plane. After the delay of this the runway was snowed over so that caused another delay. Once in the air we were informed that we could not land in Kilimanjaro and were sent to Dar es Salaam where we encountered another delay when we had to change planes again. 11 hours after our expected arrival time we finally arrived in Kilimanjaro. The plane ride from Dar to Kili was amazing and quite possibly worthy the delay. We left at 6 and caught the sunrise on the right side of the plane- amazing colors. This in the shadow of Mount Kilimanajaro, highest point in Africa. Absolutely awe-inspiring. We then took a 45-min ride to Arusha where we are currently staying at the Impala Hotel. A good cup of coffee and hot shower later, we were on our way to explore Arusha.

The area is a study of contrasts. One moment you are in a lush forest area with beautiful trees and flowers followed by dusty plains where you wonder if you will be able to remember what the color green looks like. Modern hotels giveaway to shacks. I find the Tanzanians to be a cheerful, welcoming people. Everyone said hello or "mambo" as we walked through town. We were met in the street by a man who calls himself Hombre. He buddied-up to us and took us on a tour. This was delightful. We saw the Freedom Statue, halfway point between Cairo and Cape Town, city center, and the farmers' market. Never have I encountered such a supply of fresh fruits, vegetables, and spices. This does not include the tables and tables of dry fish (which, yes, smelled as bad as they sound). Ever wonder where your old shoes go when you donate them? Pretty sure that I may have seen some of them in the market- mountains and mountains of used shoes from the developed world. If you happen to be reading this and grew up with me, it brought me back to the hours spent in a warehouse in WV sorting through donations on a mission trip.

We had coffee in an espresso bar that afternoon then headed back to the hotel. The coffee here is delightful. Why anyone would settle for bad coffee eludes me. "The best part of waking up is Folger's in your cupt". Really?? Of course, I have been living in Seattle so I've not been deprived...

After the nearly 30 hours of travel with intermittent napping, I was exhausted. We had a quiet dinner in the hotel and I was in bed before 8. The hotel is simple but clean and nice. It is filled with westerners here for safari and to conquer Kili. I woke this morning early enough to catch the sunrise which was unfortunately masked by the clouds. I did capture a beautiful picture of Mount Meru. It is another gorgeous day here in Arusha. The weather is beautiful and I am basking in the warm sunlight. We leave at approximately 2p for Haydom.