Tuesday June 8, 2010
While everyone is packing and preparing to leave, I run down to the CPR office to collect our passports and check email for the last time - no more Internet until we get home. Have to run the gauntlet at the gate - all the street vendors are waiting outside to see the kids one last time and make any last minute deals. Left Peter helping the boys clean out their room - it was a job for a real man..JPG)
After saying goodbyes, we drive off to Arusha. As we get further away from Karatu and the Ngorongoro highland area, we actually start to see some sunshine! By the time we stop at a nice picnic spot, it actually feels like we thought it would be every day in Africa - sunny and hot..JPG)
We spend a bit of time just basking in the unaccustomed sunshine and then drive on a bit to stop at a place in Arusha called Cultural Heritage. It is a craft shop/ tanzanite dealer/ restaurant/ museum. We get a fascinating lecture on the history and quality of Tanzanite - a recently discovered gemstone that is only found in Tanzania. The jeweller lets us hold some raw gems in our hands and take it out into the sunshine, casually mentioning it is valued at about $10,000 US. He then shows us the "cheaper" stuff. Not quite as nice as the "good" stuff we'd admired first, but still pretty. A few people manage to drop a few bucks here - really, the stones are so lovely how can you resist? .JPG)
Move on to a strip mall with an actual grocery store. Interesting to see the different items. Students are overjoyed to find a gelati store and have some very good gelati at a fraction of the cost on Corydon. We find a specialty coffee shop and stock up on African coffee and teas. One last stop at another craft market. The crafts are very good quality and the vendors are a little more forceful - big city instead of small village, and the kids are out of money so tire easily and ready to go.
We arrive at the Impala Hotel and get our really great rooms. We have to say a tearful goodbye to our drivers and some email addresses are exchanged..JPG)
Some kids manage to get a quick swim in the hotel pool while others just relax. Janice and I are on the 7th floor and have a great view of the city and mountains in the distance. .JPG)
We have dinner in the Indian resatuarant with Jean and Japhet, who brings his wife Diana to meet us. We turn in early as we get picked up at 7:30 the next morning for our next adventure.
While everyone is packing and preparing to leave, I run down to the CPR office to collect our passports and check email for the last time - no more Internet until we get home. Have to run the gauntlet at the gate - all the street vendors are waiting outside to see the kids one last time and make any last minute deals. Left Peter helping the boys clean out their room - it was a job for a real man.
After saying goodbyes, we drive off to Arusha. As we get further away from Karatu and the Ngorongoro highland area, we actually start to see some sunshine! By the time we stop at a nice picnic spot, it actually feels like we thought it would be every day in Africa - sunny and hot.
We spend a bit of time just basking in the unaccustomed sunshine and then drive on a bit to stop at a place in Arusha called Cultural Heritage. It is a craft shop/ tanzanite dealer/ restaurant/ museum. We get a fascinating lecture on the history and quality of Tanzanite - a recently discovered gemstone that is only found in Tanzania. The jeweller lets us hold some raw gems in our hands and take it out into the sunshine, casually mentioning it is valued at about $10,000 US. He then shows us the "cheaper" stuff. Not quite as nice as the "good" stuff we'd admired first, but still pretty. A few people manage to drop a few bucks here - really, the stones are so lovely how can you resist? Move on to a strip mall with an actual grocery store. Interesting to see the different items. Students are overjoyed to find a gelati store and have some very good gelati at a fraction of the cost on Corydon. We find a specialty coffee shop and stock up on African coffee and teas. One last stop at another craft market. The crafts are very good quality and the vendors are a little more forceful - big city instead of small village, and the kids are out of money so tire easily and ready to go.
We arrive at the Impala Hotel and get our really great rooms. We have to say a tearful goodbye to our drivers and some email addresses are exchanged.
Some kids manage to get a quick swim in the hotel pool while others just relax. Janice and I are on the 7th floor and have a great view of the city and mountains in the distance. We have dinner in the Indian resatuarant with Jean and Japhet, who brings his wife Diana to meet us. We turn in early as we get picked up at 7:30 the next morning for our next adventure.
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