I always look forward to my first breath of Tanzania as I step from the plane; it sets my senses tingling and feels like home, making the long, long journey fade away and whispering "come adventure with me".
We drove through the darkness at midnight with windows down, Jesse (my youngest age 10) spotting fireflies and grinning madly to arrive at Kilivillas for our first night. A wonderful welcome and soft beds; Goodnight x
3am: I'm wide awake so I take a blanket and pillow and slip outside onto the verandah to lie on the daybed and listen to the night.... and sleep.
To wake up to African dawn chorus and fresh fruit
The next two days are a dreamy swirl of meeting old friends, relaxing around fire-pits and a few work visits. A
visit to Shanga, a wonderful project for disabled artisans delighted the boys with an open workshop including
glass blowing and the opportunity to meet some beautiful souls.
As always Arusha delivers the jarring juxtaposition of a lush and fragrant landscape speckled with vibrant
orange flame trees, yellow sparks of blossom, purple ramblings of bougainvillea and enormous architectural
beauties of nature swathed in moss and creepers alongside the raw and ceaseless bustle of African daily life;
haphazard jumble of dust-filled roadside dukas, bicycles overladen with grass bundles, banana fields,
wandering goats and commerce of all descriptions lining the dusty roadside. The melee of basic existence
always against the backdrop of a moody and elusive Mt. Meru teasing us with a swirling cloak of clouds.