10th Anniversay Weekend

Last weekend Chris and I managed to sneak away for 2 nights to a lodge outside the Serengeti to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary, which went relatively uncelebrated a few weeks back. While it was not as nice as the places we stayed in the park, the lodge was nothing to complain about. We enjoyed resting, watching movies, playing games, and being a tourist for a few days.

Chris always wins at Mille Bornes. He claims it's because he's a good player, but I can't see how skill comes into a game of chance. He can be pretty obnoxious about it too.



We took a boat trip into Speke Bay to see some birds. It was a beautiful day and we enjoyed just being in nature for a few hours, quite a contrast to our life in Mwanza!


The lake was so calm and quiet.


We saw a lot of cormorant.


No wonder fishermen have such huge arms. These guys take a boat out a few miles into the lake and drop in a huge net. Then they return to shore and spend the rest of the day pulling it back in again. The whole operation can take up to 6-8 hours!


The happy couple. We've changed a bit in 10 years!


The village was relatively quite because it was mid-morning. Most of the fish come in in the morning, so that's when it's really bumping.

Our tour of the lake was conducted by a young woman who volunteers for a community group that gives tours to tourists. This village community was discovering that their local residents were begging from the tourists who were passing through on their way to the Serengeti. They thought that wasn't the most appropriate way to go about things, so they organized this community group to give tours of the lake and the village. The proceeds go toward their new Montessori school, loans to business women living with HIV/AIDS, and to other helpful projects in the area. What a great way to use a resource to their benefit (the resources of both the tourists and the village's beautiful surroundings!).

Tanzania is such a beautiful place. The development in this area is happening so fast and there is so little planning or concept of preserving the environment. I hope that people can see the value of this precious place and that they will include it in their vision as we move forward.