The Baobab Forest in Himo Tanzania

I haven't posted a blog in some time.  I try to make my blogs more about places, people and the marvels of where we live than anything else; thus, I hope that this blog bides you well.  Today, this Sunday, John and I went to our first "hash" of our trip in Kilimanjaro Region Tanzania.  "Hash" means that lots of your friends, acquaintances, friends of acquaintances, and total newcomers meet at an afternoon hour usually on Sunday and manage to follow the "hare" to find the way to the end of the walk/run.  This "hare" sets the trail with flour.  Sometimes the flour has a cross, and when that happens you have to find the next  flour about 100 meters away.  Then you shout a spirited "on on" and the rest of the group follows with one sort of designated person putting an arrow for the path. Sometimes the path may seem "spot on" but there is a giant "F" after several meters and then you have to turn around and look for the correct path again.  We have ourselves set many of these hashes with tricks and turns (that if I am walking as I used to do  running, personally hate- but love to set). The good news is that there are bites and delicious beer at the end of each of these "hashes."

Today's hash was in a particularly thorny, high and difficult trek.  But, the area was too interesting for me to pass up even though I am still a bit jet lagged and anxious about falling on my new back. This hash was in what we call the "Baobab Forest."  It is an area where there are many baobab trees, but lots of bush and acacias as well and we are told, snakes (never seen one here).

Because of my relatively recent surgery, I determined within 500 meters that I could not safely do this hash.  So, I set about the area and found some interesting things for photos. Even John said that I would have been very unhappy with this hash, a. because of the steep sides and b. because there was no place to place your feet to avoid a slide, and c. because there were times when you had to crawl under thorny acacia bushes to get to the next flour patch.  I hate to admit defeat, but I certainly have no interest in either a fractured hip or a terminal tip over the side of a rock.  So, I tried to photograph a few not very good shots of baobab trees and other things nearby.

The problem about taking good baobab shots is that there is so much scruff around them that you cannot get a clean shot without a "panga" machete to cut everything away.  Some friends actually suggested that the next Hash at this spot should include one person with a panga to cut some of the bush away.  His reasoning was sound as he had many cuts and scrapes when he finished the run.  But, I am pretty sure that would not have helped me.

Our destination was "Simba Hill" in Himo.  "Simba Hill" is of course kiswahili for Lion Hill.  Himo is a tiny town outside the bigger area of Marangu, which hosts the primary climbing gate for Kilimanjaro.  At the top of "Simba Hill" is "Simba Rock" which John describes as 10 feet up, "possible" 10 feet down "impossible".  But the view is supposed to be spectacular from there.  I will never know.

Simba Hill

Meanwhile back at "base camp" Patricia drinks one Serengeti beer, and then wanders around.  The most striking thing about this area other than the trees is that it is a deserted but not official burial ground.  The cultural practices of  Tanzania include burying your dead at the family plot.  Most of the time there are people living in these homes, but at this one, we found only a deserted house with a broken lock.  But there were 3 graves near the house and another  ruin of a house with 2 burial sites. I think these two graves are most interesting.

Burial 1 (died 2016)

                

This burial is significant to me because this person lived from 1995 to 2016 (age 21).  Perfect to have been part of the AIDS epidemic that wiped so many young people out.  In Tanzania medical drugs did not become available for free until 2004; thus many many people died. Perhaps more likely this person died from a motor accident of some kind.  This, too is killing the young people in epidemic proportions.

This grave caused great discussion amongst the "wazees" (the old people particularly who have been in the country for a long while).  I was told in no uncertain terms that  the date of birth was probably inflated in this woman's case.  I disagreed.  But of course, there were no birth records amongst the Chagga people in 1913.  There might have been bibles (which I argued) and there might have been some even that would have made the memory of the family more certain.  But, surely as my friend argued, if I didn't dig the body up and have it evaluated for age, I couldn't be sure that this person lived to be 106.  I argued that the tribe most predominant here, the Chagga's, if they survived young and middle age, tended to live very long, There is no disputing that, but I had to agree, that not knowing anything about this family, I could be wrong. The relative, dying at aged 21, would have been a registered birth.  But this one, no. Anyway, it was a beautiful sight to see.

3 graves

Though there were lots of rocks and Acacia trees around, I chose to try for a good Baobab shot.  I failed but here are some of the trees in the forest.

3 Baobobs (actually 4)

My attempt to be creative

A big Baobab 

As you photographers can see, I need help, but I had no panga to clear all that brush from the bottom of the tree and probably would not have been successful anyway.  Still the old trees are a treasure.

We drove back to Moshi with the sunset just under this sort of abandoned building.  Some day, back to the Baobab Forest.  Just let the record show that we have driven past this forest probably 20 times in the last 14 years, and I have forever tried to get beautiful shots.  But I have never had hours to look, squat, lie down on my stomach, crawled up and down hills, tried different angles and all the rest.  I just think that the bush and the baobabs don't care about me and my shots. Perhaps one day, and perhaps some of my photographer friends can try to help me.  I promise that there are rows and rows of these wonderful old trees, but I am unlikely to be the person that can form the right photograph of them. Sigh. Welcome to Moshi.  A paradise all its own.

Week Four; A Highly Esteemed Visitor, TAWREF, Another Hash (and another sit it out in a chair with a beer), and new swim suit

Trying to stay warm in the pool New "wet suit"  Not very warm!

This week seemed like it might be boring, especially as my knee is still killing me at every turn.  But, it turned was as usual was filled with interesting things!  John had to go to the US for two days!  So, he had four days on the plane, two days in Boston.  I hope the meeting was worth it.  The hotel greeted him with big "Thank Heavens you are here, because fourteen boxes of packages had arrived for him to bring back for many many people, and they were so glad to be able to empty out their closet.  At least, they were nice about the whole thing.  He was very happy to be home.

Manuela and Anne Nelson

Trish and Anne Nelson

It turns out that while John was away, we had a very esteemed visitor to A-5 and the KCMC/Duke project.  She is one of the most famous HIV and Infectious Diseases Pathologists in the world, and here she was staying with us.  She is also exceptionally nice, interested in everything going on here and very dedicated to the young people who are working with a new research project on autopsy.  It is one of the first projects of its kind in East Africa, and thus will be incredible however it turns out.  We had some fun, too.  We went to Pizza Night at Mukesh's Uptown Grocery which is always fascinating for the unusual people who hang out for a secret beer or whiskey before they go home, children who race up for a treat, and young people mostly who come to buy one cigarette.  It even brought a few drops of rain (not enough to call it a rainstorm, however).  We drove through the beautiful coffee fields to Kilimakyaro (KiChagga for Kilimanjaro).  We had a beer and begged the mountain to come out!  Recalcitrant as usual, we sadly had to have a gin and tonic to more strongly encourage the mountain to come out, and she finally did just as the sunset was through and it was nearly dark.  As usual, it was horrible driving in the dark down KCMC road as it is quite narrow and people walk all over the street.  I challenge anyone who has read this far to try seeing Africans in the street when someone else's bright lights are shining on you.  Fortunately we made it home in one piece, and I think Anne felt that her trip was a success.  She had been a part of four autopsies, figured out some things that need to be done, and will come back to visit not too far in the future.

New TAWREF Building

Mission Vision TAWREF Some Studies

Little TAWREF Store

My preachy part of this blog regards Volunteers and Non-Governmental Organizations and their value, and also their burdens.  A group of Tanzanian women founded an organization entitled KIWAKKUKI in 1990 with the help of a beloved Nurse and Devoted women Juliette Howlett.  Juliette was married to the only Neurologist and the first doctor who actually described AIDS in East Africa for the first time.  I worked with this organization for over five years, doing everything from writing and editing reports, editing grants, teaching English, and generally was the best "girl Friday" I could be.  It was all part of a Twinning NIH grant that paired an NGO that did Home Based Care for AIDS patients with our hospital KCMC.  I was the "twin" for KIWAKKUKI.  I came to love the women who worked there and they are still my best friends in Tanzania.  (Think Dadas).  Many of this group separated from KIWAKKUKI in 2010-2011.  They formed a smaller organization loosely dedicated to research, and the KCMC/Duke Collaborative followed them.

When you visit Moshi and the Kilimanjaro region, you will be impressed with the number of NGO's in Moshitown in particular.  There is practically one on every corner...sometimes more than one.  The problem with them is not their intent, the problem with them is that they often duplicate services that others provide and often die out when the donor runs out of money.

TAWREF/KIWAKKUKI was started by the Tanzanian women, for the Tanzanian people, both those with HIV/AIDS (UKIMWI) and those affected by the disease.  These women will be here until they are dead or retire, they go sometimes with no pay until a grant comes through, but they do the jobs that are greatly needed.  And I have seen them open their own pocketbooks to help out desperately poor people who come in crisis to the office.  TAWREF has a collaboration with the Vine Trust Scotland that involves wards choosing the most impoverished and needy families and putting them on a waiting list to receive a nice small safe house.  The experience is a little like Habitat for Humanity, where both the recipient family and the village will assist the builders with the completion of the house, either with pots and pans, some sugar or tea, anything including labor.  My illustration is just that, some very dedicated new volunteers to our area, could seek out existing NGO's started by Tanzanians, suggest their project to them, and offer to help fund it.  Since the entire region of Kilimanjaro knows TAWREF, here you have a perfect way to reach and meet the people who need to be reached, the best investment of money around.  I can say that I believe this to be true because I have been in Moshi since the end of 2004, and have spent countless hours with these women who started out just trying to find a way to stop so many people from dying of this strange disease (UKIMWI), and wound up helping orphans, widows, doing counseling and testing, doing longitudinal studies on their resilience and growth and develop in orphanages and out, providing cognitive related group counseling and support for families and caregivers in need, providing voluntary home based care services to HIV-infected persons who could not get to health care or needed visits between health care appointments, and doing outreach and HIV-education all over the Kilimanjaro region.  So, if you think you have some money and a project....go to an organization like TAWREF to see they feel it will work, or possibly have them help you and use their influence and name to accomplish huge goals.

Mateé at this weekend's hash

Each two weeks Sunday would be incomplete without a hash. (run or walk through the beautiful countryside that is Kilimanjaro).  This Sunday's was at a place that John and I had set two hashes in the past.  Kigomboni Guest House.  Sadly, I couldn't hike up to the fabulous vistas because of my knee but I did have a wonderful time visiting with some creative four year olds who had many things to tell me about fairies and ogres who eat little children at night, as well as their ability to swim with crocodiles who won't eat them because they think that these little girls are toys.

Anna and Mike Mayes farewell

Frequently, there are goodbyes at hashes.  Many people come for two year stretches and then leave.  Anna and Mike and their two adorable children will be leaving in January, and have been not only outstanding members of our project, but have gone down in history for allowing their little girls to experience Moshi mud, climb trees, run barefoot slide into any available pond, fall down (no problem).  I remember one party in which one of the girls said to me, "guess what we got from school!"  I demurred, and she triumphantly said, "Lice in my hair!!!!"  She was quite joyful about it even as her mother looked at me and shook her head, saying..."well it is true, but do you have to shout it out?"   New Zealanders for ever, they took advantage of every single possible thing that they could do with their sometimes reliable car and their camping equipment.  We will really miss them.

 Beautiful yellow flower by the Guest house

Chicken House (nearly nicer than the guest house!)

All kinds of Brush and trees that the runners headed out to see.

Kilimanjaro shining through the trees

So nothing would be complete without the greeter at the house when we returned from the hash.

This bored tabby cat just glanced up at us and let us go on in the house!

PRAYING FOR HILLARY WITH EVERY WAKING BREATH--

Week 5-6

As with all things in travel, there are ups and downs.  We have celebrated many of them, and these series of events, friends visits, and times have been no different. Even as we thought that Julia and Charles had just arrived, so they left. Time it seems, is determined to trick you.  At night, when you cannot sleep, it is interminable, during the day it flies. And thus it goes.

John Julia (Lawi's sculpture "Rasta") Trish

We had three new visitors, though they were not new to Tanzania or Moshi.  These three delightful visitors arrived with the goal of revitalizing the OB/GYN collaboration.  The commitment, energy and delight they showed with KCMC and the surrounding area gives us not only hope but belief that our project will be diversified, and renewed faith that there is dedication to a mission to improve care for all people in the area and that Duke feels this need.  Of course, it is important to point out that KCMC's OB/GYN department is filled with talented people whom we feel great loyalty towards, and for them to be able to exchange their perspectives with our teams, and ours with theirs only enhances the possibilities for improved health all the way around.

Lisa John & Peyton

And, these three folks, Peyton, John and Lisa were terrific.  Even if they are UVA fans, it was ok. A-5 is open to them for ever!  Great to have a set of new friends.

Kilimanjaro has been somewhat quiet lately.  Not much coming out, but when it does.  Wow! You just want to keep looking.  At times, I find that I really need a piece of inspiration.  I miss my Appalachian mountains and the view from our cabin.  So when things seem  impossible--somehow the mountain knows and there might just be these views from Barabara moja in the am and the pm.

The downside can be around the corner and I was hit completely unexpectedly by some toxin from the Nairobi fly.  Somewhere I must have gotten in on my finger (I blame pinching the basil back) but come out it did!  And by Saturday night I had a burning rash that continued until Friday when it started drying up.  Horrifyingly, this pic was taken on Thursday evening 5 sleepless nights into this toxin.  (look it up!) I didn't recognize what it was early enough so when I started to put Colgate toothpaste on it I only burned.  Again thanks to Peyton and Lisa I had some cool antibiotic cream to put on which didn't fix it, but made it more bearable...except at night. Our great Fellow, Dorothy, said that the Nairobi fly had worked out the perfect revenge.  Kill it with your hand or finger and it will get your back in an incredibly horrible way.  It doesn't kill you but you wish you were dead.  Fortunately most Nairobi fly burns aren't as bad as this one.  I had had two before and though one was on my eye in 2007 and one in later 2007, none like this one. And again it is time limited.!

after 5 days of Nairobi Fly toxin (don't think you can see these creatures....they get you later)

In the midst of this we hosted (did not cook or set but only opened the house) for a fabulous hash set by some new "KIWI" friends, Jan and Bob and the hash set by Elizabeth.  Just living here and having someone wander around all the nooks and crannies of our Moshi/Kibosho area reminds me of the beauty and wonder of the whole place.  Top of it all are the fabulous children and families who simply aren't afraid to bring their children to this terrific loving environment.

Marco and his Tigger

hash group

Matt the "he-man?"

One of my featured children is Nikoli.  Nikoli comes from strong stock!  Not only is his mother a Baltimorian, and determined, a great horsewoman and tennis "pro" (Terrie) but her father and his parents are pretty much Tanzanians who have live and work and work through very difficult times and continue to keep at it.  We have loved our relationship with Greg, Terrie and Nikoli, and consider Nikoli as close to a "god-child" as there could be.  Now, I have to say that Nikoli is in the continuous movement group.  When he was younger and I was in charge of his walking at hashes, he would complain to me that he had to stop, we had to take shortcuts, or that he just couldn't continue.  Now, however, he is in front of the pack-and CRAZY! running.  Here he is at ISM during their sports day.  Before and after his own races, he was running up the sidelines, in the middle out side, even while the other competitors were resting waiting for their races.  (He had intense competition and still placed 3rd in his age.!)

Nikoli in "rest" position

But, as always, safari's await you.  And, if you are coming to enjoy, and do just a little, Serengeti is only a few hours away.  Thanks Methley for escorting our friends.

Julia and Charles Lion in Serengeti

Week One in Moshi...Work Fun and all

Our new Rooster, Magic (Johnson!)

Amazingly, the trip from the US to Moshi was good.  Somehow, we lucked out in Amsterdam and were reseated on the big 777.  It is a great plane, with comfortable seats.  Imagine that!  We were actually able to sit for the 9 hours without getting “bed sores” and to survive the full trip in tact.  When we got off the plane, the Tanzanian cool breeze of winter’s end reminded us of why we love to come back to Moshi. 

The customs’ officers gave us a break and we breezed through thanks to our Kenyon son Charles, and our travel to our home was easy.  There is so much new building on the way.  One would think that prosperity is blooming in Kilimanjaro, but sadly, the building belies the reality of the world.  The rich here, too, are getting richer, while the poor are much much poorer.  Prices are high in everything especially food, and with poor rains for the whole year, it is clear that the average person is going to suffer greatly.  Corn, instead of being harvested, just limply hangs in the fields, brown and dried up.  Cows are thin, though goats look delighted because they are eating all the dried up corn.

The days are already busy.  Pauli & Lucy decided to invest in chickens and they are fabulous.  They had also rebuilt our coop, moved it to a different location to make sure that the disease that killed the others won’t affect new ones.  And our new ones are fabulous.  I have been able to name the rooster (Magic after Magic Johnson), for sure my black and white hen will be “Chumvi na pilipili” (Salt & Pepper), Angel for the white one, Blue Heaven for the funny bluish one, Malika for the Black one and I am still thinking about my brown one.  Though silly, I find comfort in giving these chickens names.  They are settling into their new home. John and I think that the activity of chickens around the house may provide snake protection, and for that I would be happy!

The Kuku Girls in their new home

I was fortunate to be able to visit our great Duke Students in Mwika (or as I know now, Mrimbo Uuwo) where we had a nice visit and I congratulated them on the fantastic work that they had done during their nearly 8 weeks on the ground.  Kathleen, Brandon, and Joy not only entered patient records electronically, INCREDIBLE, taught a person how to continue the job and made a manual for how to keep it going, but also did community assessments and held seminars all over the Mwika area to provide feedback and some small prevention advice to the community.  The seminars were well attended, and the communities are begging for more!  I cannot wait to read their report.  Neha as usual is doing incredible work with her young primary and secondary students and clearly has earned tremendous respect in the area.  I wish we could clone her.  Just one sentence grabbed my attention yesterday. “The parents I talk with say that they used to see so many kids around on the roads during the day, drinking and just hanging out, but now there are no kids around, they are all in The Program”.  The program is the mentoring program that she and Katya started last year which has now grown in size, meets 5 days a week, and provides tutoring to both the secondary students and primary, as well as peer mentoring for the primary students 2 days a week.  Now the goal is to make it sustainable.

Brendon Kathleen Neha Me!  In Mwika

Last night John and I went to a wonderful Tanzanian wedding where one of our brightest medical students was married.  It was fabulous, though I think John provided quite a bit of comedy with his dancing. (no way to really describe it.)  The MC thanked the Wazungu Wazee (White old people) for coming to the dance floor. John and Sister Julitha from our clinic were given a lovely cake in honor of the KCMC-Duke project support for Michael.  There was a lot of laughter, probably at our mercy! The evening blended of all walks of people from our gardener to high-ranking officials.  Terrific time. And then Sunday we had one of our fabulous hashes, which as always lived up to our expectations.  It is a nice way to relax after a hard week. Be forewarned though Moshi-ites.  The police have a new speed gun between Moshi and Machame, and they caught us going 64K in a 50K speed zone.  As far as I know, no one has ever driven this slowly on the stretch, and I managed to distract the policeman with our new driver's licenses, thus making his speed gun fail!  (While Charles and I saw the speed, he was unable to get it back as he was so fascinated with the fact that we actually have legal licenses which as all my friendly bloggers know I got the hard way!!!)  Bob, John and I talked about what the trip to Dar or Pangani is going to be like if we have to adhere to this 50K/hour.  It might take days to get there!

Elizabeth and Iris, Cutest mom and baby award here!

Charles talking to new Kenyan friends

Bob and John discussing new speed rules

So now on to new adventures in week two. John and Charles will be in Addis for the MEPI meeting, and I will stay on here.  Hope I get caught up a little on sleep.!

Moshi November 2011

Chrissy Come and Gone!

Returning to Moshi is generally easier than returning to the United States, and this time was no exception. What was different however was that I returned with my daughter (who has lived here for a total of 7 months previously) and two MEPI instructors. Thus, every day became packed! Our first Sunday included St. Margaret’s and a hash in Machame. It was as usual beautiful and confusing but allowed Chrissy a chance to catch up with old friends as well as to run in that beautiful countryside.
Our guests for MEPI Jane and Ed
Machame Hash
We did all “the needful” things like buying and registering sim cards, loading our voda sticks and making sure that the MEPI instructors got to the education building. We shopped for groceries and had the chance to have Chrissy see the good old reliable shop-keepers. We hauled clothes to KIWAKKUKI and the mamas and dadas danced and sang (thank you Sara) and we had the opportunity to walk around town to find needed things. We are now the proud owners of a fabulous ladder (ngazi) with which Pauli hung the new solar lights and cut down two trees that were hanging dangerously over the house and running their roots into the septic system.
Chrissy and Faradhja
The whole family
Nice Njuici in yard!
We had another trip to Arusha National Park, my recommendation for when you need any therapy. Carol rented a fabulous vehicle and all of us, Jane, Ed, Chrissy and I had a terrific day.
Carol Trish Jane Chrissy Ed
Zebra at Arusha
Giraffe
colobus monkeys
One of the most fun things that I did last year was to hunt out summer placements for Duke undergraduates. That hunting and visiting has led to some wonderful relationships with organizations about which I previously knew nothing. The new Visa fee may put a damper on students’ ability to come to Tanzania, but hopefully some students will want to try such groups as SUF in Shimbwe, Pamoja Tunaweza in Rau, Rafiki near Machame, and Mildmay in Moshi.
We definitely have a group coming to Mwika Uuo and their acceptance into the Duke Global Health Summer Projects allowed me to travel with Vera and Carol to Mwika Uuo again to meet with the house “Mama” Nancy, the chair of the board of directors for the dispensary and the school, and the Assistant Medical Officer in charge of Mwika Uuo Dispensary, Dr. Lymo. I definitely want the students to know how excited everyone is about their arrival. I think that they were a bit disappointed that they won’t be coming until June, as the school, mentor clubs and the dispensary staff are all excited about “Duke” students returning. We have an excellent reputation in this part of the countryside, which is actually heartwarming to me.
Mwika Market Day
Loliondo Sarari sign
There are many good stories that this two weeks has brought, but one of them definitely is the Loliondo story. I so wanted a picture of bus stand where cars or buses take people to Loliondo to get the magic cure (a cup of water boiled with the roots of the Maharagia Tree, given with a blessing by the “Baba” or Pastor Bob). Though this trek is less popular than it was before over 600 people had died there, a substantial number of people still make the long safari to Loliondo to be cured of whatever ails them. Carol stopped right in front of the sign and we asked 3 gentlemen to move so I could take the picture (piga picha). This request led to great excitement. One gentleman ran to the side of the car and began to talk very very fast. He explained that though this “Baba” did have a good potion for curing illnesses, that in fact, he also was a “Baba” doctor and he had an even better cure, especially for malaria and AIDS. In addition, he only lived around the corner so we could come right away to get the cure. Apparently he assumed that I (the “mzungu” -crazy white person) was in need of magic potion and planned to take the safari to Loliondo. In addition, we were in the project car, and he had been trying unsuccessfully to gain an audience at KCMC. Perhaps, if I just took his cure, that demonstration would put his potion on the books. I, of course, understood only a small amount of his eager discussion and actually thought that he was saying that either he had been cured of Malaria by the Baba, or that he currently had Malaria or TB and wanted a ride so that he wouldn’t have to wait. Carol, bless his heart, gave this gentleman his number in order that he could call to check on his appointment with the leadership of KCMC. As he walked away, both Carol and Vera burst into laughter and agreed that this was one of the funniest conversations they had ever heard or been a part of. I asked Carol what he intended to do when the new Baba called, and of course ever the gentleman himself, he answered that he would explain that KCMC was not yet involved in herbal medicine for cures and that perhaps he could find another hospital that would appreciate his cure (for everything). I felt quite enriched that just for a picture, we had this conversation.
Thanks to a wonderful member of our choir, I managed to find a carver in Marangu who does exquisite work with fallen wood that he finds in the National Forest. Our guests, Carol, Chrissy and I were completely entranced by Lawi, and spent one afternoon looking in his workshop, talking to his lovely family. We bought some very unique carvings, went to the Marangu Hotel for a snack, and had an amazing afternoon.
Lawi and his family with carvings

John returned to Moshi, and we prepared for Thanksgiving. The bittersweet time of a wonderful Thanksgiving was that our friend and colleague and his beautiful family, John, Jen and the boys, left for New Zealand after 9 years in Moshi and the project. They will be missed at the hospital and all over Moshi for nearly everyone in one way or another felt their presence.
JC walking home by way of the compound
Thanksgiving was amazing with old-fashioned turkey and many side dishes. Rose and Pauli cooked right alongside Chrissy and I and helped with the dinner, serving and clean-up. It was a fabulous night, which was closely followed by the Shira Hash on Saturday.
Freezing cold and wet and we had just started!

(Entrance to Kilimanjaro National Park from West Kilimanjaro)
West Kilimanjaro
Shira Plateau Hash for the Kilimanjaro “Hash House Harriers”, was a great hash, beautiful country side, and crowned with a freezing rain end. For veteran hashers, this is the best way to end a hash. For most of the rest of us, it was incredibly freezing and every 5 minutes the roads became worse and worse.
Greg pointing where we are going
(hashers) (Freezing & wet Chrissy and Jan, while freezing and wet Steven laughs)
John drove Greg and Terrie’s truck as if he had just left Rochester NY. We literally slid all the way down the road to the gate after we were done. Our usual beer and snacks didn’t happen until we re-located to the “Simba Farm”. The day was surreal because of all of the above- mentioned things. Good friends together, beautiful terrain, hard to follow flour spots and lots and lots of checks.
(Chrissy and cows at Simba Farm for bites)
(Children watching the cow train go by)
It also was Chrissy’s next to last day and tonight she leaves. This is hard for me because we have such a good time together, and I don’t see my girls as often as I would like. Africa does also seem to be in her blood; thus, I think it is a hard leaving for her. So, I hope that we will all have more opportunities to be together on this side of the world, but know that I will cherish these two weeks for a very long time to come.
(sad little African chickens all dolled up with no place to go!)