After soaking up the sights and sounds of the African countryside and of Mt. Meru (the second highest mountain in Africa) from our back porch, we had a great breakfast of fruit (pineapple, watermelon, papaya, tiny bananas that tasted like rotting fruit), coffee, tea, toast, fried eggs, and bacon. On our way back to our cabin we saw two vervet monkeys jumping all around and eating from the trees. Interestingly, the males are identified by a bright blue scrotum (insert any joke you can think of here).
We saw a structure that resembled a fireplace and learned that it is what heats the water for our cabins twice a day. These fires throughout town add to the constant haze in the sky and the smoke-scented air.
We spent the rest of the morning relaxing on the back porch reading our books and doing puzzles while listening to the village life down the hill (kids playing, horns from cars in the distance, construction work, lots of dogs).
After relaxing, we went on a pleasant hike with Peter (one of the guards from the lodge; all hikes must be guided) and his dog Pokey. He showed us a lot of local plants and explained the uses for each. The views of Arusha and Mt. Meru were great. Unfortunately Mt. Kilimanjaro was still in the clouds/haze and could not be seen. At the summit of the forested hill we encountered a few people yelling, chatting, and murmuring while surrounded by trees and brush. It turns out that many Africans believe that God is in this mountain, and they come from all over to worship at the summit.
After our hike, we showered with hot water and sat on the main cabin's deck to enjoy a couple of beers (Tusker and Serengeti) while watching the sunset.
We went downstairs and enjoyed another great meal for dinner (a chicken stew in tomato and coconut milk). Nights can get a little chilly, so we sat next to one of the metal containers burning charcoal to heat the room. As it turns out, we weren't the only ones to have that idea...a cat came and curled up on my lap and took a nap. Ha -- during dinner! No one batted an eye, and while I didn't mind, it was a little strange to have a random cat sleeping in my lap at a restaurant.
We went back to the room and repacked for the safari that was starting the next day. At 3:30 am we were awakened by dogs violently barking. It seemed that every dog from the village below was alerting the other dogs, and a never-ending chain reaction of barking ensued. We had a rough time going back to bed but we got to hear a bush baby cry, which was pretty cool.
