Karibu Tanzania! (Welcome to Tanzania!)

Hi All!

I have been in Tanzania for 3 weeks now and it has been an incredible experience thus far that has had me full of thought and excitement. We landed in Killimanjaro airport and loaded up the safari cars and headed to West Killimanjaro in the dark, on the opposite side of the road. We arrived in Ndarakwai private conservation area, had a wonderful meal and woke up to find ourselves between Mt. Meru and Mt Killimanjaro, and among a herd of elephants. To say the least, it was unreal. It was a week of animal watching, orientation, intro to our wildlife experts, great food and company! We breifly visited a Masaii boma and spent some time in a nearby village playing soccer with kids.

From there we went to Bangata, located on the lower slopes of Mt Meru where we are living in homestays and learning Kiswahili. It is a beautiful village and experiencing living with a family has been wonderful and my time here has already challenged my perceptions of the world and my place in it. I am leaving for Tarangire National Park tomorrow to do some ecology work/studies. I have only a short time on the internet now, but I will elaborate and share more soon.

Be well! Salama!
Much love and mangos,
Maayan