I wish I could talk with all of you so that you could see the excitement on my face as I told you my stories, or at least hear the intonation in my voice, but I haven't stayed at a place with a phone since my first night in Dar Es Salaam. There are so many interesting things to tell you about! I am back at my hotel in Arusha - the first night I arrived here over a week ago, I stayed at L'Oasis, which had these really cool westernized African style houses...but it was pricey at $65 per night. When I returned from Moshi, I moved into the Arusha Backpackers Hotel, at $5 per night (with breakfast) and it is wonderful, although the rooms are quite small. It has an incredible rooftop restaurant and bar that overlooks the city and has a view of Mt. Meru, and is full of travelers my own age, so I have had people to talk with.
As to my trip to the village, it was all shades of cool! I took two different dalidali, which are basically minivans that cram as many people in and on them as possible. People hang off the side of the doors and on top of each other - and yes, you can fit 35 Africans and one white woman in a minivan for 3-4 hours or more, and everyone, as hot as they are, is pleasant and either laughs or sleeps. I generally sleep although there are those who would say I passed out from heat exhaustion!

After peeling myself off the seat of the dalidali, my guide and I walked, and walked, and walked...and then we walked some more.... through miles of dry, arid land, with a thick coat of powdery dirt as fine dust covering the ground. You can only imagine what my feet looked like. As you know, I have been veiling while here, which is quite practical, as it keeps all that dust from blowing up my nose. I just don't have enough tissue to keep my nose clean!

It was quite an otherworldly experience.
The land is so dry and dusty, and I passed Masai warriors, women carrying firewood on their heads, and young children 3-8 years old tending the cattle. The trails which cut across the area connect the compounds in the village, which in itself is extensive - 108 kilometers for the entire village of 1500! These compounds, called bomas, contain round grass roof structures, covered with a mixture of stones and mud...one for each wife (they are polygamist.) The cows, goats, or sheep which have babies or are milk cows stay in the house with them. One big happy family! The middle of the hut is a communal sitting area, with the pens on one side, and two sleeping areas on the other, one for the wife, and one for her children (she had 10 kids). I am not positive, but I think the bites on my arm are from some kind of bug that was in the goatskin I slept upon...on the dirt floor, mind you!

It was weird at first as I entered the village, I didn't know quite what to do or how to behave. The guide I hired had an uncle in the village, and the children who were related came to him as they passed us on the trails (maybe one every 45 minutes) and bent their heads so that he could touch the top of their head. He explained it showed respect to him as an elder of the village. They prepared me lunch upon my arrival, and all subsequent meals were exactly the same.... maize (like hard hominy) and red kidney-type beans, bitter greens, and potatoes. Nothing to drink - but I brought water with me. I ate my first meal with my guide and although everyone smiled and all, I did feel awkward, like I was watching a show on TV. More like they were watching me as part of a TV show. So surrealistic! Anyway, I won't bore you with all of the details, but you have to hear this part...when they are thirsty, they take blood from the cow and mix it with the cows milk and heat it over a fire to drink...It is kind of lumpy and gross with a hint of sweetness.
So the chief and his first wife sat with me to share this special drink, and I tried to hide my cup behind my pack, but they kept motioning for me to drink it...ghastly! I don't even like milk! I used to spill it on purpose when I was a child because even though I told my mother I didn't like it, she wanted me to drink it for my growing bones. Well, I didn't spill this because the floor is dirt, and if I spilled it, I would have to sleep in the mess, and the flies are bad enough without extending another invitation to them.

The children look just like the images on TV for UNICEF, with open sores on their faces, covered with a layer of dust, and flies sitting on their sores, eyes, and noses. But the sweetest children! Oh my gosh! Everyone was so welcoming, evident through their walking miles to come greet me, their gestures, and their invitations to come into their homes the next day and have...guess what? That's right! More of that special delicacy which they went to so much trouble to fix for me...blood and milk. I don't think I will ever forget that one, not as long as I live!

Anyway, I walked for miles, slept in their homes, held the children, and wanted to take so many pictures, but couldn't, for most of them were certain they would die if I took their photograph. But, I LOVE to take pictures... so I took my own image and showed it to the kids, over and over again - and they were thrilled to look at the pictures, and then I was able to take some of them. By the time I was walking out of the village, other children came up to me, lifting my veil to see my camera, wanting me to take their pictures and show them the images. I must admit, I do love digital! There is so much to relay, but most can be saved for another day. I traveled to their holy tree, the cave where the warriors go when ill, to see the healer, to visit with the village elders, to the market, and my guide translated everything fairly well.

Tomorrow I am headed to Arusha National Park for a one-day safari to check out the wildlife: zebras, giraffes, buffalo, elephants and rhinos. That should be really cool! My daughter, Erin and her beau Pat should be making it close to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro tomorrow, and peak the highest free standing mountain in the world. It is quite an accomplishment for them to undertake the journey, and I hope they are well as they ascend. I have heard from other climbers at my hotel that it is bitter cold, water and sunscreen freeze on the last day, and people puke green stuff. But they are troopers, and will make the most of the trip, whether they summit or not. This will make base camp at Everest seem like child's play!