Stillwater Seven Visit Iringa, Tanzania

Wednesday, January 27, 2016

And our journey to Minnesota begins!

Flight 1 - Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania to Amsterdam, Netherlands

Flight 2 - Amsterdam, Netherlands to Minneapolis, Minnesota USA

Our last meal in Tanzania - Sea Cliff Casino Restaurant

Cheers to a wonderful trip!

Dessert!

Ships on the Indian Ocean.

View from our dining table.

Tuesday, January 26, 2016

Tuesday, January 26th - Dar Es Salaam

We enjoyed a leisurely breakfast at the Wista Inn and headed to an outdoor mall named Slipway, where Jan and Jenny spent some time. The rest of the group got on a boat on the Indian Ocean and traveled to an island called Bongoyo.

Website link to: Wista Inn

Website link to: Slipway Outdoor Mall

Website link to: Bongoyo Island

It is hot and sunny, so we rented a Banda(tent) and enjoyed a few hours on the island. Our lunch was fresh lobster caught today with chips (French fries). Not much meat on the tails, but very tasty!

Banda on Bongoyo Island with PJs feet.

Lobster on Bongoyo Island.

Ferry boat to the Bongoyo Island.

Boat coming back to Dar.

Returned to the mainland to do some shopping, had pizza for supper and now we’re back in our rooms playing cards.

Monday, January 25, 2016

Monday, January 25th - Dar Es Salaam

Monday was a very long day on the bus back to Dar Es Salaam, but most of the way there we saw beautiful countryside of lush hills and trees. It was good to be on a paved road again, but Tanzania slows their drivers down by having many, many speed bumps! The closer we got to Dar, the drier the land and countryside became.

We came into Dar at rush hour, so we were able to see lots of the town. We were surprised there were many nurseries selling trees, plants and more. Lots of bus traffic for those heading home from work. It is very hot and humid here, so we changed our day to go out to Bongoyo Island and have more of a leisure day prior to our departure home tomorrow.

We have all had a life-changing experience with our sisters and brothers in Christ at Mgama and will always have them in our hearts and in our prayers. We are looking forward to home and reuniting with our family and friends.

On the way to having lunch, we got to see our final look at elephants, giraffes, warthogs, zebras, impalas and some moose-looking animal we had not previously seen.

We are sad to say good bye to these beautiful animals!

Our view of the countryside from the bus window.

Bodo Bodo - Three wheels better than four?

Our view of the countryside from the bus window.

Lunch at TanSwiss Lodge

Sunday, January 24, 2016

Sunday, January 24th

Today was our last day with our sister parish Mgama. It was an incredible experience for all of us. The people of Mgama have such an appreciation for all that the congregation of St. Paul Lutheran has done for them. Their Sunday School Children were covered in one of the 96 mosquito nets purchased by our Sunday School to share the blessings because of Bega Kwa Bega.

After the worship service, we had sharing time with the women. It was a difficult day for us to say farewell to our friends at Mgama, but we know lasting relationships were formed.

Enjoy our final day through the pictures we’ve sent.