Kwaheri (good bye) Tanzania.....(part 2)

Our trip to the airport included one last look at the wild side of Tanzania.  We stopped at Lake Manyara National Park for a game ride.  This park stretches along the base of the Rift Valley and covers 127 square miles with the beautiful Lake Manyara within its borders. Earnest Hemingway called it, "the loveliest I had seen in Africa".

 It is truly a microcosm of the Tanzanian experience as we were driven through the lush jungle-like forest filled with baboons and monkeys....

  

......to the grassy floodplain of the alkaline lake (often lined with the flamingos and other exotic birds) where we caught glimpses of giraffes, wildebeests, hippos, and gazelles....

.....and ending in the woodlands where the elephants roam and lions sleep in acacia trees (although we didn't see the lions this time).....

It was the hottest day of the week, probably over 90 degrees, but the coolness of the forest and the heat of the plains just reminded us how varied a land Tanzania can be.

Two more special "events" happened on the way to the airport. First,  being invited guests for dinner in the home of Karashi, our Tanzanian guide and spiritual leader.  They had prepared a wonderful African meal which we thought was the best we had eaten all week!

 ......and last, but certainly not least, a view of the famous Mt. Kilimanjaro as the sun set behind us!

Tanzania has a way of getting to you, which is why three on our team have been there multiple times. Dennis even stayed another week and went into the bush with a couple of pastors.  That's another story! And Lyle and I were able to visit our sponsored child from World Vision at the start of the trip (see the Post Script),  There is a good chance that some of us would likely return.  In fact, Meghan is already planning another trip this summer.  Maybe we will all be saying, "Tutaonana tena" (see you later)!