I fell in love with Africa...

To celebrate the conclusion of our Kiswahili lessons, Mike took myself, Peter, and Fairchild to a campsite located in the mountains outside of Arusha, Maa'sai country. The place belongs to Daniel, an aquaintance of Mike's, and has no running water, a squatter version of a toilet (insert mental image here), no lights - you get the picture. Nothing I'm not used to from home but Fairchild had never stayed in a tent before, let alone a campsite without running water. I think she was serious when she asked about showers. After bouncing around on an over-inflated air mattress, I rolled out of bed and watched the sunrise from the edge of our site. It was amazing with Mount Meru in the background and the expanse of the Rift Valley illuminated before me.

After a quick breakfast, we headed out on a two hour hike with two Maa'sai guides. We traipsed down the side of the mountain and up and over the next before coming to an opening with a view over a larger part of the valley. It's the end of the dry season here, so everything is dry, dusty and brown. Even so, it was breathtaking! We even managed to catch our first glimpses of African wildlife - a giraffe and some baboons. We didn't realize how far we'd come until the guides pointed in the general direction of the camp. Two hours turned into two and a half before we made it back, exhausted but thrilled with the views we had seen.