11 Lots of driving

Thursday, October 12, 2017

      Deb1 and Deb2 got up early to go on a bird/nature walk around the camp.  This camp is also a training camp for future guides (working now as staff at the camp) so they go along to learn about everything, too.  They saw lots of birds and animal tracks to identify.  The rest of us had time to take a shower and pack.  We all met for breakfast at 7:30.  Chris was there and wanted all our email addresses and pictures with all of us.  Not sure I wanted him to have mine, but went with the flow.  After a delicious breakfast we went to the office to settle our bar bills.  Mine was $0 - Fanta orange soda was included.  We couldn't pay the bill for our stay there because we couldn't use VISA as were informed we could.  We felt guilty saying goodbye to Alex and Trude (the accountant who was also very friendly and nice) when we couldn't pay.  But Deb1 had made some arrangements so we bid farewell to our camp and wonderful hostess.

Trude and Alex

     We had a long drive ahead of us.  We would have much rather stayed another day in this lovely park, but we had places to go and people to meet.  It was an hour drive out of the park with a quick stop to take a shot of the hippo pond and then 2 hours on gravel roads back to Iringa.  Deb1 and Edward stopped at a bank and transferred some funds.  Deb1 said she really was questioned as to why she needed all this money - a single white woman with an African man - was she being kidnapped?  But all worked out fine. We stopped at the Sai Villa (again-we just couldn't get enough of that place) for lunch.  A representative from the park met Deb1 there and our stay at the park was paid for.  The rest of us would have to send her a check once we got home.  (Which I did, by the way, how about the rest of you?)  

The hippo pond on our way out of Ruaha Park.

     After our lunch at Sai Villa, we got back on the road again for 5 more hours to Morogoro.  We had taken advantage of the wifi at Sai Villa and the time we spent waiting for the money transferring to reconnect with our loved ones.  We didn't have the accompaniment of the DC for this part of the trip, so we thought we might have to stop at more check points, but she must have called ahead again and told them not to stop us.  The only place we stopped was a little hotel that Deb1 had stayed in before.  We used the restrooms and bought some ice cream.  A refreshing treat!  Then another hour and half back in the vehicles.  It was so hot today.  Somebody saw it was 98 degrees.  Not a comfortable day.
       We got to the Nestera Hotel in Morogoro about 6:30.  We checked into our air conditioned rooms, took showers, and met for supper.  Morogoro is a town very close to where Edward was raised.  His family stays in some government housing there and came to meet us for supper. His wife's name is Namnyaki and the school was named after her.  He has a daughter, a son, and a niece.  Deb2 had brought some gifts for them from her granddaughter, Aleah.  She presented those gifts and we took pictures of them with their gifts to send back to Aleah.  Those kids were so cute and working very hard on their English.  They loved seeing pictures and videos.  After supper it was back to our rooms to take advantage of the wifi and soft beds.  We still had more driving ahead of us the next day.

Edward, Namnyaki, his wife, and kids