Picture Post Number 2!!!

Welcome to Picture Blog Post Number Two!

I'll start you off with some wildlife. This was taken off my back porch, although the tree he's sitting in has since had some trouble as you will see later!

We went on a walk to see hot springs one weekend while in Mbeya town. This was the walk to the property, complete with a little piece of home!

But turns out this was the hot springs. It was about as warm as a hot bath, not that you could fit in it to take one.

But the view was gorgeous, this is Mbeya region after all!

The land we were on is a stone quarry and these massive blocks lay everywhere. They simply cut them out of the wall as it is all stone!

We were then taken to the Bat Caves, profiled as the second billing but they made up for everything the hot puddle lacked! I don't have good pictures of inside it, just this approach and the following of the hole in the top.

Inside there were holes in the floor that went down for well beyond the light of our flashlights which was quite intimidating but we were with people who knew the landscape well and all survived.

Back at home, this was the morning after a Kumbi Kumbi attack, which is a 4 winged termite (I'm told) that comes out this time of year. They died attacking my front porch light. Chichi was quite content however as she really enjoys these snacks!

Next is our hike to Kaparogwe Falls, just southwest of Tukuyu. It was sold as a nice waterfall....which is a ridiculous understatement. First you walk through farms along a footpath and cross this creek.

Then you walk up a hill and around a corner and it all of a sudden is visible. A massive waterfall that you can walk back underneath. This is the view from in the indention in the rock behind the falls about halfway down it's fall.

Looking out from underneath.

And my favorite the whole falls. Now to give you an idea of just how big it is, if you can zoom in at all, Katie and Linda are sitting behind the falls in the indention, and they aren't very tall (relatively of course :P)

Next Stop: Matema Beach! This relatively quiet resort is on the northern shores of Lake Malawi. It is absolutely gorgeous and a wonderful mix of real Tanzania and resortiness. It was a nice break from school and everything else but it wasn't out of Tanzania at all.

It's pretty cool because from the right vantage point, as far north as Tukuyu and Mt. Rungwe, you can see these mountains and the lake shore on a clear day.

It was a relaxing weekend full of kiti moto, volley ball, and beach campfires, which it's advisable not to step in barefoot as Theo learned.

During my In Service Training in Iringa, Chichi gave birth to six kittens. This is them maybe 2-3 weeks old.

The rainy season caused some of the soil near my house to weaken and problems happened. We got it down without causing too much damage but it could have been much worse!

Recently, we've been doing a better job visiting each other. Granted it helps when Katie's school is having a dance with Theo's school and they provide free (and direct!) transportation!

Finally, this was our trip to Ngozi Crater. Hiking began at the highway through generally open plains until we reached what looked like a little path headed under a small group of trees. It became a legitimate jungle and this was one of the more open spots.

Our path turned much denser when we started to actually climb the mountain.

After about an hour, we finally reached the the rim of the caldera. The picture doesn't do it justice but it was quite a drop on both sides of the narrow path!

This is the clearest picture we got of the lake. It's quite a ways below the overlook but still way above the surrounding countryside.

This is Katie, Tristan, and I at the top. Tulishinda!