Happy Family Cottage Hostel Moshi

... and a little rustic. Besides a few bugs, which I could have done without, the rooms were clean, had bug nets over the bed, and had hot water heaters though I never could get it to work, phone, computer lab with internet, and a nice breakfast daily. Considering I was in Africa, the accommodations were perfectly pleasant and I felt really safe here, it also had a friendly and helpful staff.<br>

... br><br>Right from the beginning I was out of breath but you soon get used to it and get in a routine. We walked together and I got along great with Mike. James was much more quiet and reserved and a nice guy but I was pretty glad it wasn't just me and him. The hike this day was harder than the previous day as it was much more hilly. We got to our camp site at 3200 m and I actually ran into a couple from Quebec who worked for Nolitours and were travelling to see what ...

... thirty minutes for a van to pass that wasn&#8217;t crammed full with people. Once aboard the Matatu, we counted twenty-three people in this tiny space at full capacity with the toots at the door shoving people into the car with their shoulders to squeeze every shilling possible out of the vehicle and its driver. It was like watching clowns emerge from a Morris Minor when we arrived at the bus depot in Moshi.<br><br>More of our group arrived the next day and recounted their ordeals ...

... of football between visiting groups and the children, and we learnt afterwards from Mutiso that he's never won there. We were handed a 7-1 thrashing, partly due to some lax observance of the rules (notably the one that governs the number of players allowed!) but mostly due to them being better than us. We departed, tired out, sore footed and horrendously sweaty but rather exhilarated by the whole thing.<br><br>I

... After one hour I was wondering if I will ever survive this trip. We reached the border, short break, stamp out of Kenya, stamp in Tanzania (costing me $100 because of the US passport). Two more hours to Arusha. We pass desert regions, covered with rocks and acacia trees. Small villages with houses made of mud and cow dung. The bus is shaking so much, that I have the feeling that I am getting a chair massage ... Small stretches ...

... she grunts at me...as she begins to thump on his chest like a gorilla...now I am no expert, but I have done a fair share of CPR in my short time in the ER...and this was not any sort of chest compressions...I send her out to find the doctor who had went to go find the pulse oximeter...check for any form of a pulse...nothing absolutely defeated and aghast at the needlessness of the death of this 27 year old man...oh and his name...Adamu Jusef how is that for a kicker.... So I sit there ...

... is coming from. Kenyans have the best eye sight, or as us volunteers have discussed that our white skin glistens in the sun making it easier for them to spot us. I really enjoyed my experience in Oloitokitok where my days consisted of waking up around 5:30 am by an alarm clock called a &#8220;rooster&#8221; then attending class at 8am-5pm then making it home by 6:30pm. It is Peace Corps policy that we could not be out past 6:30, so suddenly we had been time warped back to childhood ...

... Africa. Maybe there is a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Getting there is the hard part. It may sound romantic, reading it in this blog, but it was a very real, humbling experience that I will carry with me for the remainder of my days. It has changed me and for that I am grateful. For those of you who have been following along, I hope you learned something, or at least were entertained in the process of my travels ...

... a fast time - it normally takes 6 hours. Tom, Am and I then sat on a rock eating lunch and overlooking the desert between Kibo peak and Mawenza Peak. We could see all the porters and other climbers walking miles and miles away. We all then went to bed as we were going to be getting up to reach the summit at 11pm. We woke at 5pm for dinner before going back to bed, but this time none of us slept - a school trip from Dar es Salaam was in the same hut, and the kids were making ...

... girls loitering in the living room, grab a shower and then head for another vacation smoke.... Next morning I will get the run down of where and how I get to work and the rules of the roost so-to-speak...looking around I realize this play has to be run by europeans, this is far more posh than I was expecting, having my own fridge, fan and bedroom...sweet deal....tomorrow I meet the sisters of St Joseph...and hit the town of Moshi...