Lake Manze Tented Camp Selous Game Reserve

The reception hall was a newer conference center outside of town. We sat outside at tables on the grassy lawn. The families paraded in as the MC announced them. Happy's side was packed. Jeremy's side had only Jan and Tim. I stood near the entrance talking with a friend from Minnesota, Margit and her friend Eileen. (What a small world!) The Bishop hurried over towards us and told me to go sit with Jan and Tim. He spotted Margit and asked if she and Eileen would sit there ...

... and drum played and followed them into the church. Jeremy and Happy asked me to videotape, so I followed them into the room. Both of them were a little nervous but not to much. Then it started! Jeremy walked out, Tim walked Jeremy's mom and the the procession began. Everyone looked beautiful. After the little flower girl tossing rose petals went up the aisle, I told the piano player to pause. He did. Then started again as Happy and two ...

Today I thought I was going to tour the hospital that some Minnesotans helped to build and climb Simba Hill. But I ended up spending all afternoon in a beauty salon getting kanga'd again. We created quite a stir. Mzungu mfunga kangas - white people wearing kangas. Just when I thought we were done, one lady sat me in a chair and started brushing my hair. "Now what?!" I blurted making Amy laugh. When I felt material on my head. The lady ...

... speaking for the family presented the dowry gifts to Happy's mother and other family members. Hand hoes, money, kangas, blankets, goat and cows. Well not a real goat or cow; they asked if money was acceptable and it was. They spoke in the tribal language, Hey Hey (I'm not sure how to spell it) not Swahili, so even Jeremy had no idea what anyone was saying. Once outside, the party began. The women danced traditional tribal dances, trilling a high pitched trill they do ...

... monkeys and they were in the tent trying her clothes on. They had certainly started sitting in her chair. Later had another boat safari, just the two of us again as Pat enjoyed it so much. She likes it as it involves no walking, no surprises and keeps things with big teeth safely at a distance. In the evening gecko had brought all his mates round for a gecko party. This involved dropping from the porch of the ...

Set off after breakfast in a minibus for the six hour trip to the capital Dodoma. Yes it is the capital so store that away for pub quizzes. Introduced to the perils of African driving again. Our driver was excellent but even he nearly wiped out a motorcyclist who suddenly swerved into our path. Slow progress due to knackered lorries wheezing their way on the gentle climb to Dodoma. The capital ...

... river and constantly white mazungo are coming to take their picture. If I were them, I would've felt like I was in a zoo and I was the main attraction. At one point, we stopped to see an animal and we were all clicking away but there was a group of people bathing right in front of us. BOY, they were mad! They were screaming Swahili to our guide and he was trying to explain that we were taking pictures of the animals. Eventually we just moved on. The ...

... at the pump to get water. Sometimes sex is traded for a better place in line, or for water itself or for money to buy water for there family. This is one aspect that the SMC girls were studying. There is no electricity in Ilula though lines run right thru the property. Tanesco Electricity refuses to put lilnes in due to politics. There are many more hardships of life there and compounding factors of why there the HIV/AIDS rate, tb, and ...

... and considered going back to Iringa tonight and trying the A104 highway to Dodoma tomorrow, and then linking up with the B129 towards Rwanda. It meant backtracking again but there was no way we would make it through this road, unless we intended to do it over a course of several days. And there was of course the worry of not being able to get help if we needed it since we were only a single vehicle (without a winch or a satellite phone). So back ...

... t want people driving at night. There is high risk of accidents and dangerous driving at night. It then occurs to me that we are expected to sleep on the bus on the side of the road. And trust me these seats don't recline! Every seat on the bus was filled. I was able to find everything up until this point humorous but after this point things were no longer funny. I probably slept 3 hours that night. The next morning about 5 ...