Headed Home via London

On our way home from Tanzania, Brandon and I made a stopover in London to visit a few friends. It was bit jarring to transition right into cosmopolitan Europe, but the city had so many fun things to offer that we certainly got over our reverse culture shock quickly. Above, a typical London city scene and a shot of Westminster Palace/Big Ben.

We got a chance to visit the Tower of London, built in 1078 as a fortress and prison. Above, you can see the Tower standing in stark contrast to the modern buildings across the river. The Tower had many famous prisoners, including Queen Elizabeth I (who I am slightly obsessed with). It also houses the Crown Jewels, including a sceptre with a 530 carat diamond on it (literally tennis ball-sized!). Below, I snuck a picture of the Imperial Crown of India...of course the picture hardly does it justice, it was so sparkly and beautiful!

Below, the Beefeaters (just like the gin...they said they don't know where they got their name from) are entrusted to guard the Tower and actually live on the premises with their families. They also give tours in their hilarious outfits:
After some sightseeing, we had time to hang out with our friends. Below, Holly (my college friend) and me at Les Miserables, and Brandon with his friend Nikeah from Australia:

As our weekend came to a close, we got pretty excited to finally get to the States. Below, a picture taken as we left London proper (indicated by the dragon facing away from us, which lets you know that you're leaving the city), and one of the two of us, all smiles and ready to go home!

The last two weeks

Since returning from Egypt, we've had a fun last two weeks wrapping up our time in Tanzania.
We've said quite a few goodbyes! The first was of course at Gracious School, where we stopped in for a few last songs and pictures with the kids. The lovely teachers (Magdalena and Tumaini, below) cooked us a farewell meal with tasty Tanzanian food and traditional gifts (including the red Masai wrap that Maiken is holding):

Above, my high school friend Megan arrived last week for a visit...she got to spend some time with the kids too!

We also said goodbye to the kids from the Whisperers Orphanage. We got some ice cream in the afternoon, and then they cooked us a great goodbye dinner in the evening.

Maiken and Megan helping with dinner prep: Me and some of the kids after some tasty mango cake!

Later in the week, Megan and I went on a very successful safari (look at how close we got to the lions!):

Above, a beautiful bird in Tarangire.

Below, a baobab tree that the elephants burrowed all the way through with their tusks!

Above, a very pensive baboon (who looks just like Rafiki from The Lion King!) and below, a charming giraffe who was chewing his lunch and batting his fantastic eyelashes:

We pulled up next to these two lions, just lounging around:

Big roars, from the male lion and the hungry, hungry hippo:

Above, a group shot at Ngorongoro Crater: Megan, me, Jackie and Jason (a couple from Pennsylvania), Pesa (our awesome guide/driver), and Ann and Grant (friends from med school who flew in from Uganda).

Later in the week, Megan and I did a 20 km day hike on Mt. Kilimanjaro. It was beautiful, and much more jungle-like than we expected:

Above, an example of the crazy loads that the Kili porters carry all the way up the mountain.

This past weekend, Brandon, Megan, Maiken, and our med school friend Ann ran the Kilimanjaro Half Marathon in Moshi...the first half of the course was up the mountain, and the second half was back down (intense!). Perhaps not surprisingly, several of the Tanzanians and Kenyans who won the race were running in moccasins, aqua socks, soccer cleats, or were even barefoot...basically anything but the fancy running shoes that Westerners use to perform well!

Above, Megan and Brandon at 6am before the race began.

Below, the whole crew waving from the crowded starting line:
As Megan was running kilometer 12 of 21, she ran by some kids on the sidelines who she waved to...who then proceeded to JOIN her for the remainder of the race! They were both under 10 years old and clad in flip-flops, but they kept up with her for the 9 kilometers until the finish line!

Above, Megan and her buddies just about to cross the finish line.

Below, immediately after the race (with the little girl sporting her Kili visor on her face): Above, Brandon finishing strong.

Below, Ann and Maiken at the finish line just as the clouds were parting over Mt. Kilimanjaro (you can see the snow at the peak in the middle of the picture).
The runners after the race, victorious:

One of the last goodbyes was a farewell party thrown for "Professor Brandon" as he wrapped up his semester at Mt. Meru University. In classic African tradition, they killed and roasted a goat for the occasion:

Below, Brandon got to make the ceremonial first cut (into the neck no less!) while his fellow psych professor, Janvier, coached him through it. People gave gifts and made speeches, and overall gave Brandon a very heartfelt Tanzanian farewell!

So...we leave tomorrow, and the one thing I will definitely miss the most about Tanzania are the adorable children who greet us everywhere we go. Below, one of the many kids we've encountered on his way to school, who decided to mimic Brandon squatting to take the picture and couldn't have looked cuter doing so:

I hope to make it back here for a visit soon!