Lukula Selous Camp Selous Game Reserve

... did not find this funny. Finally Tim announced, 'Jeremy also has a grandmother, Gramma Chica' and I stood up. The Americans really laughed this time and the Tanzanians did not. I scurried over to Anna to ask her why no one laughed. Was it a big cultural oops or what. She said they did not laugh because the MC translated it literally so they thought we really were Jeremy's sisters and grandmother. Margit leaned over and said 'You've got a good surgeon Gramma Chica ...

... me to tape a small girl dancing next to the choir. Jeremy and Happy exchanged vows, looking joyfully at one another. As they did, more people rushed to the front of the church to take photos, jostling aggressively for position. I felt like paparazzi. Tim caught my eye and smiled. My Minneapolis friend Margit snapped a photo of the scene. They left the church with the brass band in a pick up truck leading their decorated car to the reception.

... Asafini," they cried. It means praise the Lord. The first woman stood to speak. She orated like a southern preacher. Linda translated her advice to Happy. All good stuff about love and care. But 20 some minutes later she was still preaching, her brow damp with beads of perspiration. I saw that she was on her fourth page and began to silently rejoice. Linda and I wondered how long we were going to be here if everyone talked this long ...

... took photos and video and ate. The food was good - goat, chicken and beef, some sort of potato, some vegetable looking thing and coca cola. We all danced until the last guest left and went inside to share some sweet red wine. I was so tired but first I had to get out of my kanga. It took scissors and pulling but it came off and I tumbled into bed, tucked in my mosquito tent after applying repellent and slept deeply. I did not even hear the roosters crowing in the morning.

Up early for our whole day game drive. This time shared with a very nice Dutch family of mum dad and 17 year old daughter who was terrified of animals insects and spiders. Yes you may think a safari holiday may not be the best idea for her. Not only was she terrified of all these things but she seemed to attract them. Her tent was surrounded by monkeys and a whole load of banded mongoose stampeded past. She seemed to spend a lot of time locked in the toilet. We had to stop ...

... greek salad on my lap on my white tropical suit. Arrived two hours late in the dark at the New Dodoma Hotel which suggests the old Dodoma hotel may have been seriously lacking. Had a very nice dinner with the Tanzanian CPA. Some really fiesty women MP's. Pat was asked to say a few words of introduction and refused when I asked her, but was virtually ordered too by one of the women MP's. She did.

... the budget price of $450. We think we got upgraded because we were a group of 8 girls traveling alone and they were not busy. We got to stay in large tents with beds, showers and toilets. They were not nice by any means but more comfy than we had thought. Elizabeth and I lucked out and got the tree house ;) I was so excited until night came and we heard so many scary noises :) No one told us we would hear a large amount of tree action. We had things ...

... group called the Girl Guides. SHe is a selfless woman who is rarely seen doing work in the forefront but busily working behind the scenes. What makes the organization so effective is that she is a master at human resources finding and empowring the most fitting members of the Ilula community to run the center. It also diffuses responsibilty of the orphans through a network guides so that younger orphans always have an older member of ...

... just to be safe. So it looked like we would be backtracking again towards Mikumi and heading north that way. We decided that since we couldn't do our original plan, perhaps it was best to go and see the famous Serengeti National Park and Ngorogoro Crater. It would cost a small fortune, but when would we be back in Tanzania again? The whole evening felt a bit surreal: yesterday we were sitting and chatting with 4 Maasai men at a deserted campsite ...

... lake in the world. Little did we know that this trips would push our boundaries of sanity, patience, and yes even hygiene. We began our trek in Dar. The power had gone out the night before so none of our phones were charged, and I wasn't packed, hoping that the power would come back on in the morning. What a foolish hope. I pack in the dark, trying not to wake Eva as I stumble into everything in our room. I decide against showering ...