Arusha, Tanzania
Friday, February 8th, 2008After a brief layover in Nairobi, Kenya, we made it safely to Arusha, Tanzania. We’ll be here for one night before heading into the bush for our 7-day tented safari. Tonight, we are staying at a beautiful private lodge on a coffee plantation where everyone has their own cottage and beds with white mosquito nets—-very ‘Out of Africa’.
While we were in Nairobi, we were pleasantly surprised to talk to locals and hear that the violence had subsided and that things were ‘good’ again, according to all of the airport workers and travellers. Therefore, we are moving forward with our original plan to spend 2 days in Nairobi after our safari en route to India. However, we are viewing it as an opportunity to just power down to rest, get our laundry done, and enjoy the ammenities of the hotel. In case anyone is worried, fear not, as we are staying in one of the nicest hotels in Kenya.
This will be our last opportunity to connect to civilization until we reach Nairobi again on February 15. In the meantime, happy Valentine’s to everyone! Our goal will be to try to keep it just the 2 of us in our tent on the big day, instead of 3….as warthogs and other animals are known to wander through camp periodically. I’ve also instructed Nate that we’re going to merge our two single beds into one double bed so that I have some protection from any intruding animals. I feel confident that Nate’s extensive military training will serve me well during this endeavor.
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After a 10-day stint in France and Italy, Shelly and I arrived in Cairo, Egypt, to start the Africa leg of our trip. It's very hard to describe everything we've experienced, but we'll do ... 
nkurtz