The Joys of Observation

I love the children who yell 'good evening' at the mazungus regardless of what time it is and then giggle furiously.

I love the secret sign language the bus drivers use to warn each other about authoritative obstacles that may be approaching. I love riding the dala-dalas when they are packed full. I love that the children give up their seats to the elderly. I love eating with my hands. I love the availability of fresh fruit. I love that there is no concept of a front lawn but instead a front plot. I love that the Tanzanian's sweep the dirt sidewalks and driveways. I love meandering about and getting lost in the the endless maze of the market. I love chai and donuts for breakfast. I love the sunsets at Tunza beach. I love the local beer and local gin. I love the squater toilets. I didn't love our bus breaking down and being stranded in the middle of nowhere for hours on end, but I did love that, in the end, the mechanic jumped the car with 3 wrenches and a motorcyle. I love living within the city limits of Mwanza on a dirt road. I love the dedication that the employees of the school of public health have. I love my mosquito net that is basically a small tent that sits on my bed. I love that my shower doesn't have a curtain or hot water. I love that my sink doesn't work so I have to wash my hands with the shower.I love that my roommates wake me up for dinner every night at 11:00pm. I love how social people are. I love how everyone hangs out outside until afterdark, together. I love that when the power goes out life goes on as normal. I love how people are not quick to judge but willing to help. I love that the Tanzanian's love America. I love that the Tanzanian's love Obama AND Bush. I respect their devotion to religion. I love that the Tanzanians try to teach me kiswahili.

I love walking outside in the early morning chill and smelling the sweet smell of burning leaves, seeing the sweet sight of school children in clothes that don't fit playing with homemade toys, hearing the sweet sound of children yelling 'good evening' and giggling furiously.

Safari and Mnt Kilimanjaro Pictures: my thoughts to come

The human beard. is a rarely seen in today's society however, there are two good ones here. I keep telling craig that his is coming in, but he disagrees.

The giraffes heart is the size of a human chest cavity. It must be strong in order to pump the blood up the long neck to the head. I've also been informed that when mating the back legs are too unstable to fully support the entire weight of the animal, so the male giraffe must finagle his way onto the female by first putting up one foot, then using his neck for strength and balance and finally mounting with the other leg. Can you imagine?

The cheetah is often questioned of being an actual cat because of a few physical and mental characteristics. The claws of the cheetah do not retract and therefore don't climb trees. Also cheetahs do not hunt prey they way other cats do; they prefer to chase the animal with their inordinate speed, instead of the normal stalking and pouncing tactics.  

It's hard to imagine during such a beautiful sunset but an older male baboon was attempting to rape a baby baboon in this picture.

Mount Meru in the background succumbed by clouds behind one of the few surviving glaciers on Kili. Although it is still 100 feet tall, it will be gone soon. 

See of clouds. The sub-montane climate supports a wide variety of flora and fauna, but lots of rain comes with it! At only 9,000 feet a sea of clouds is visible.

Sunrise at 4000 meters above the clouds reminded me of seeing a sunrise on an airplane

A zebra's stripes are analogous to a humans fingerprint, a whales tale. A reasonably smart animal, other species tend to follow the zebra during migrations. The zebra is also equipped with 4 stomachs, enabled rich digestion and the ability to stay plum all year around for the lions. 

Apparently the grand gazelle can jump 10 feet high and a distance of 35 feet when running full speed.

The king of the jungle mates once a year for 7 days straight. The female and male with mate every thirty minutes during this period in order to ensure impregnation. We witnessed this beautiful act of nature. Wild growls and yelps filled the air.

The elephant penis weighs 25kg on average.

The hippo is responsible for the most human deaths in Africa. However, even more interesting is the act of the disposal of waste. There tail is a thick girthy vehicle used, from what I can tell, to spray poop on as many neighboring hippos as possible. During the act, the hippo will stick its butt in the air, the tail will start flapping like a wind shield wiper on full blast during an epic rain storm and violently spray poop everywhere.

The African buffalo is often quoted as the dumbest animal in the Serengeti.

When eating, the warthog must bend down onto its elbows because it physically cannot reach the ground otherwise. When spooked, the species is fast, however, they run with their tail sticking straight up in the air creating entertainment for any observers. Really, one of the most curious of all creatures.

Along with the buffalo, quoted to be very unintelligent. These animals just don't make very much sense.

A beautiful specimen and the national bird of Uganda.