Glogging for Sarah

WHAT'S UP SARAH'S BLOG SPOT... THIS IS A GLOG (Guest-blog) brought to you by Allison Wenino and James Slagle.

You may be asking yourselves, why would Sarah post a glog today? The answer...She is taking a day off for birthday tidings and we have the honors of glogging for her. So, without further adooooo, enjoy the glog!

We left Sumbawanga a week ago in tears and fear of lions because we knew that Al was leaving Sumbawangan soil for good and we were about to encounter the kings of the jungle. To Mikumi National Park we went, bouncing along by way of a bus that unbenownest to us was broken (HEY O). We parked in a small village and some people got to fixin' her "real quick" (aka, not quick at all). 7 hours later we were back on the road...but not for long.

SCREAMING CHILDREN AND ADULTS EVERYWHERE ALONG THE ROAD!!!! "Oh no," thought Sarah as tears welled up in her eyes. "Oh snap," thought James as he saw all the crying onlookers. "Is it a riot?" questioned Allison as we rolled up to the site of a rolled over school bus. "ALL the men get off the bus to help the injured," shouted the bus conductor. James rolled up his sleeves, took off his watch and prepared himself for the worst. Little did he know that this was just a group of overdramatic people and there was not one scratch or bruise in sight. The bus did bring the students to the nearest hospital and we all did appreciate the help that people were instantly ready to give the people involved in the accident.

After a brief jaunt in Mbeya, we made it to Mikumi National Park for a little animal gazing. We left early in the morning with our guide Benson and spent the entire day driving around the park and seeing all that the Tanzanian National Park had to offer. Some of the highlights were; giraffes intermingling with zebras, elephants charging our car, lions attempting to reproduce, and a pride of lions enjoying a impala feast. All in all it was quite the safari and we enjoyed the animals, God's creation, and the time spent together. After the safari we checked in to a new, 5000 shilling a night hotel ($3.20) and attempted to get some sleep in the waterless, ant infested, holey mosquito net room. It really wasn't that bad, but it was bad.

ON TO ZANZIBAR...yes that is a real place and an awfully fun and relaxing island to travel to for a couple of days. We started with a rainy spice tour and ended on the sunny north beaches. There are two parts of our Zanzibar trip that should be noted. First, our time spent in Stone Town, the southern port city of Zanzibar that is home to quite a large amount of Arabic influence, history and spices. We went on a tour of a spice farm jungle, wandered around the windy streets of the town and slept restfully in a brand new hotel with an amiable owner. We scooted up north to the beaches of Kendwa, Zanzibar on the third day. After James negotiated prices at four different hotels (and at the hospital the night before) we picked a bungalow at White Sands Beach Hotel ("it was the cutest thing ever," says Allison). A little rain for the first couple of hours was the only thing over the course of the next 2 days that could keep us away from the white sands and turquoise water of the Indian Ocean. We were incredibly blessed by the weather and spent most of each day sitting at the beach, swimming around, and hammocking (tough life, huh?). It was quite the relaxing adventure and, once again, the time spent together was a major highlight!

Now, we are here...it is us...do you see us? We're back in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania and enjoying Sarah's birthday at the Dar Es Salaam Guest House. We woke up, ate breakfast, spent an hour shopping for touristy gifts, took a nap, ate lunch, went back for a relaxing lounge time, and are preparing for dinner. Oh, what a day! Happy Birthday Sarah, we love you. Mwalela!

Keep it real all of you back home and around the world. We're peacin' out.

Al and James