Tanzania

We just got back from 10 days in Tanzania, hence the sad lack of blog posting over the past little while! When we heard in the fall that this year my mom would be leading a Pacific Academy high school outreach team to Tanzania, we knew that we couldn't stay in Uganda while she was right next door! So we used that as a great excuse to visit our neighbours over in Arusha.

Arusha Safari Lodge

After a busy couple of months leading up to the opening of the school, we (and by we I mean Paul) needed a break! So we spent our first two nights at Arusha Safari Lodge. Even though it rained the whole time, it was very relaxing. And thanks to the joys of pregnancy (for me), we didn't do much other than eat, sleep, and sit around in front of our luxurious suite's fireplace!

The Team

After a couple nights to ourselves we met up with the PA team and joined them for a week of ministry, which involved kids programs, church services, and visiting an orphanage.

Dashir Lodge

Before coming to Tanzania, my aunt and uncle in Ontario told my parents about some friends of theirs who live in Arusha and are building a safari lodge. We looked into staying there, but they're still under construction. However (small world that it is) we ran into them at the Bible College where the team was working! Paul and I ended up abandoning the team for an afternoon to go hang out with Daryl and Shirley and visit their place, Dashir Lodge.

Ngorongoro

A trip to Tanzania wouldn't be complete without a visit to the famous Ngorongoro Crater for a safari. Luckily, we were able to tag along with the team on their one-day trip! With only a few hours to spend in the park it was amazing what we were able to see - buffalo, wildebeest, zebra, hyenas, warthogs, ostriches, a jackal, elephants, rhinos, hippos...and the highlight: 3 male lions lying right beside the road! Male lions are always our quest when we safari in Uganda, so finding them quickly and seeing them as close as we did was amazing.

Mom!

The highlight of our whole time in Tanzania was being able to visit with my mom. :) She loaded us up with treats from home and maternity clothes to get me through the next 4 months! We were able to spend a couple afternoons alone with her, eating lunch and chatting while the team had other activites going on. And on our last night, as a birthday gift, my mom treated Paul & I to a night at the Serena Hotel (a nice change from the small guesthouse where we had been staying with the team). THANKS MOM!

At a safari lodge for lunch - with a very close-up view of this antelope!

I have the best mom in the world!