Moshi, Tanzania

After the flight we really couldn't see anything on the hour drive from the airport to Dorothy's house in Moshi.  During the drive we could smell smoke from fires, could make out people walking/riding bikes along the side of the road and could occasional feel speed bumps and rumble strips on the highway, but it was so dark out (no street lights) that it was hard to know exactly what was going on... Sadik, our taxi driver was nice and soft spoken as 

Waking up to the rooster crowing and looking out the window was our first real glimpse of what the area was like. 

I told Owen to come look out the window with me because I had seen a little boy (Ali) walking around the yard.  Owen's first response was, 

"I'm going to get dressed... I'm going to go play with that boy.  He looks like my friend, Mason."

And off he & Kaden went. 

Our children only speak English, while Ali & Abdi (and parents) only speak Swahili but that didn't seem to matter.  They all spoke kid and quickly started playing with sticks and a ball that Dorothy brought out. 

Beginning our 1st official day in Africa with a big, leisurely breakfast on Dorothy's back porch.  

Oddly enough everyone seemed fairly recovered from the (8-hour) time change and were all able to function as if it were a normal day.  

Grace meeting Mama Flora (I sorta like this tradition of your name changing when you have a child; your name becomes mama + the name of your firstborn, therefore I would be Mama Kaden.  After you have a child, people instantly treat you different and mainly want to see your child... why not change your name?)

Grace and Abdi

Dorothy dropped us near the center of Moshi to begin our city tour with her friend, Franzi.  

We met several other (wedding party) couples at the old rail station to begin our walking tour. 

In the background (behind Robin and the Moshi sign)you can barely make out the foothills of Mt. Kilimanjaro.  This is where a lot of coffee is grown.  The large building on the left also still roasts and houses a lot of the coffee beans that come from the area.  Next to tourism, coffee is a huge commodity for Tanzania.

Franzi helped us naviate the street vendors (Swahili language as well as bargaining for fair prices).

Found items for the boys:

$20 bought 2 pairs of sandals (Owen is in business for a bit longer) + 2 Tanzanian soccer jerseys.

At first we had a bit of trouble with the dollar/shilling conversion.  For example, a cup of coffee was ~3000 shilling which translated to about $1.50.  ONE dollar and 50 cents sounds so much better than hearing the word three THOUSAND.  Here I found a pair of sandals for 15,000 shilling... oh wait, seven DOLLARS and 50 cents.  Yes!  I will definitely take them.  

Ben enjoyed passing a primary school where children were playing in the yard and getting water from a central well.

A few posed for a picture.  

Shortly after passing a mosque we heard the afternoon call to prayer.

*Kim, you'll have to fill me in on the religious aspects of the area... I saw mosques, temples and Christian churches. 

Franzi took us to a café where most of us ordered traditional Swahili food.
The boys shared a burger and tried some of our food. 

Loved seeing the thick glass bottles of Coco Cola everywhere.

I had a taste of David's spicy pumpkin soup (wonderful!) and i had a vegetarian green lentil/coconut milk dish served over rice (also great!).  Definite dishes that I want to replicate in Amarillo.  

We also walked through the local *farmers* market with rows and rows of fresh veggies and beans + industrial/housing supplies.

I had a taste of David's spicy pumpkin soup (wonderful!) and i had a vegetarian green lentil/coconut milk dish served over rice (also great!).  Definite dishes that I want to replicate in Amarillo.  

We also walked through the local *farmers* market with rows and rows of fresh veggies and beans + industrial/housing supplies.

I wish I could blame it on our extreme good looks, but Grace and I turned many aheads... 
Fair skin AND long blonde hair put us in the extreme minority.  
Many smiles for Grace and the boys, accompanied by, "Mambo!"

incredible colors; one of my favorite stops

Finished the day at Kilimanjaro Coffee Co.

At that point a lot of people were still traveling, on safari, in Nairobi, Kenya with Juan, or out exploring/hiking, etc.  That evening Dorothy had a gathering on her back porch for everyone who was in Moshi.  

Kaden and Owen sharing their crayons and Minion color pages with Flora and Ali. 

 Owen not being able to get enough Coke!

This was one of our favorite sites: the kids played and played and played and played.
They had a stick with a frisbee attached to the end, an old tire, a deflated ball, and a dirt mound... and they had a blast, playing for HOURS that night...  It didn't matter that they didn't look the same or speak the same language.  They quickly became friends and everyone learned a few new words.
"Karibu!" (Welcome!)
"Mambo" (what's up?)
"Poa!" (cool/all is good)

Kaden (~6), Ali (6), and Owen (3.5)