Tanzania Update from Val

Hi everybody! Tanzania was a country of wildlife and wonderful sites. We tearfully dropped off our travelling partner, Lori Walker at the airport in the capital, Dar es Salam, as she was heading back to the states at that point. 10,000 kilometers along the way, the vehicle seemed so quiet without our jolly friend! It has been wonderful to have her with us, as she added a great comic relief at times, as well as her fun excitement about the animal life. She took the best pictures, with her wide angle and zoom, and shared my love for fresh seafood! Have a good trip back home, Lori, say hi to everybody there!

We passed through Ngorongoro Crater National Park, seeing an amazing assortment of wildlife. Thousands of animals grazing side by side in the circular savanna center, brimmed by lush tropical forest along the 800 foot crater wall. As the sun rose, two huge lions took down a lone male wildebeast, and were in the midst of shredding it between them as we arrived.

From Ngorongoro to the Serengeti, where herds of impala, wildebeast, Thompson Gazelle roam freely on the plane and in the rolling hills. Travelling along one of the trickling riverbeds we were unpleasantly surprised by a cloud of Tsetse Flies! These aggressive, biting flies dove into the vehicle windows and immediately started working on our bare arms and legs. Squealing behind the steering wheel, I tried to shoo them out the window, only to see 10 more dashing through the open space!

Maasai herdsmen were herding their cattle on the perimeter of the crater. We stopped for a break at a small maasai village and talked to some of the women as they brought their sheep and goats in for the night. They have a new church they are opening shortly, so we praise the Lord for His work in that place, The Shepherd of Shepherds!

From the Serengeti, we proceeded to Kenya and the Maasai Mara. Lorelle will cover that part for us. More later! Love, Val