Happy Birthday Maura!!!

Today is Maura's 10th birthday... This is usually on of my favorite days of the year back home and I think we are all kind of missing the excess that is Halloween.. A fire pit, cold weather and the smell of October... But I was able to find box cake mix(pillsbury) for 6 $ a box and we have made a cake, cupcakes and will hit a restaurant of her choice after the swim meet. Tomorrow, we have promised her a trip to a local craft store to pick out something for her gift..

All is well here today, have a swim meet tonight and a soccer tournament tomorrow.
Yesterday was a classic trip to the grocery store... Went to pick up a few things, ended up waiting in line for 30 minutes.. A gentleman in front of me had a grocery bill of 274,000 kwacha. They had to count and recount several times and then, he questioned the receipt.. so they had to go back in a change one of the items.. Which required a manager's approval ... then a recounting of the kwacha..

When I took my groceries out to my car, I was accosted by 5 guys trying to sell me oranges, bananas, baskets, nuts and a Jehovah's Witness...

I also went to have a key made the other day for our truck. We only have one copy so I thought it was essential to get a copy. After getting the copy made, the original wouldn't work in the ignition switch.. I didn't realize this for a day or so because I was using the copy.. When I did realize it, I took the key back , the guy said because it was "old"... He would be happy to make me a new copy, but the power was out.. "Another day huh?" was stated, and i came back the day..

below, some great photos of our beautiful, wonderful middle child, a classic African safari truck where it actually makes sense to have a Range Rover, (this is the only vehicle I've ever seen that has a bumper sticker that says "Hakuna Matata" and isn't referring to "the Lion King"... the line in the grocery store..

Ok, gotta go.. 4th grade coming into the room.. ! Happy Halloween back home.. I miss it.

Added note.. right after I let my 4th graders in my classroom (Maura's in the class) about 5 maintenance workers sprinted past my front door chasing a mongoose.. I'm pretty sure the mongoose went into the library as the guys walked into library. (they made sure they were quiet)... The gardeners killed the mongoose... .. this stuff doesn't happen in fort thomas

taking things for granted.

Michelle came home yesterday obviously shaken up by things that are taking place at the hospital.
Without getting into specifics, people are suffering due to circumstances that we may take for granted.  Be thankful for ambulance service, 911, and having enough minutes on your cell phone to call someone in the event of an emergency.

 A woman who I see quite often with her 1 year old child approached me yesterday and asked if I could assist her in helping to buy supplies or seeds or something to aid her in the process of producing maize.. She stated that she has 4 children, is divorced and only makes the equivalent of 50$ a month, working a full time job..  11$ of that salary goes to paying rent.  This is quite common I'm sure.

I see alot of these people working each day and wonder if they will be able continue this way of life for an extended period of time.. Is it possible to raise 4 kids on 50 $ a month?

Be thankful for good healthcare

Busy afternoon and I'm sweating puddles as I teach.. I miss air conditioning... my 1st graders told me I looked sick.. While my 2nd graders told me I looked "sweaty" and "old".. They are so cute.

peppers, jack o' lanterns

Even though there are many things that are very , very expensive here( coolers).. Fresh produce is not one of them.. You can purchase local peppers, tomatoes , avocados , cucumbers, lettuce, etc at a fraction of the cost of home.. A package of local green peppers cost .25 cents.  6 tomatoes are about .50 cents.  Any street corner you can find water melon, bananas, etc.. It's very nice.. Even at the grocery store in the parking lot are a bunch accosting people as they walk out of the store,  trying to sell  fresh fruit and vegetables.. They like to bargain.  I bought 2 bags of carrots and 2 big bags of tomatoes for 3$ yesterday.. 

This morning, the birds were in full force. I went outside to grab the swimming towels off the line, and tried to record the birds in our yard.. They weren't as good as I hoped they would be for the 30 seconds I recorded, but I can assure you they do a very good job of waking me up , usually around 4 am or so.. 

Michelle went to meet up with some colleagues at Harry's bar last night for a meeting and was pulled stopped by an officer on her way home.. He asked her  " where are you coming from?" Michelle replied "Harry's Bar"... The officer asked.. "What did you bring me to eat?"  I can't see a Cincinnati police officer asking that question, but it happens alot here.. 

We carved our pumpkin the other night, probably to the absolute horror of our housekeeper Rabina.. I can see her shaking her head at the complete waste of it all.  Why in the world are these people cutting up this perfectly good pumpkin and putting candles in it?

They save, use and reuse everything here.. It's very impressive and makes you very aware of what you throw away and use. I was speaking with Cam the other day and he opened the work shed... On the ground was at least a few weeks worth of what we consider trash, that they will use for starting fires, storage , etc.. 

Hump day here and we are in the midst of trying to plan a getaway or two when Jacob, Bob and Rebecca come to visit.. The variety of options here is very nice and I am getting recommendations right and left.. The only difficulty is finding one that is available.. Our Christmas break is a month long and alot of places I've contacted are already booked solid for the whole time.  The question is do we head north or south?

Jude has a pizza party this evening for his soccer team. They finished as the champs of their inter school league.. We head to Debonairs , a chain of pizza places that tastes slightly not like pizza at all. But it works in a pinch. Hope all is well.. Go Royals!?!??!?!?

Ntchisi road

Franny with her friend

Jude and Foxy

Great produce for cheap!.. all of these for .25 cents

Malawian Pumpkin

gule wamkulu

Before I begin my blurb about the gule wamkulu, I wanted to tell you about the bats that reside in our trees at night.. Last evening as I was preparing to start grilling , I notice a giant eagle like silhouette circling a few of our trees. It was dusk and I realized after asking Cosmas that these were in fact giant fruit bats. Cosmas said they are very common and there are lots of them that live across the street near the Catholic Cathedral. He said at night, they normally end up in one of our trees in the front yard and poop on our truck.. totally make sense now as the amount of poo on our car in the morning is sometimes pretty excessive.
I also noticed a guy walking down our street this morning wearing a Highlands High School tshirt.... I did not give it to him either.. small world.

Every road trip we take we always drive past a few guys dressed up in really ornate, frightening outfits.. They are called the Gule Wamkulu and are very common throughout Malawi, especially the central region.. From what I understand this is a very traditional fixture in the culture here and can either be perceived as something as show/ performance, or rooted in traditional medicine/ black magic.. I am taking my information from Malawian students, Cosmas and Joseph, etc.. but I trust them, since they are actually Malawian..

Some people believe in them, are frightened of them and stay away from them as they may curse a spell on you. Their behavior can be erratic, and animal like, as some of them take on animal like qualities..
They dance like animals and have a secret dance that they and other members of their party know.. It is a small knit group, who keeps their identity in the village a secret.

We've seen them running around on the streets with machetes , pointing at cars as they drive by..
We've also seen them dancing with groups of people, in what appeared to be a celebration.. I have yet to get a photograph, because quite honestly , they scare me... and the mostly scare Maura.. go figure.

Each region, each village has different types of gule wamkulus, that have different dance styles..

My students informed me that many villages do not approve of these characters, as they do not promote education.. If a child is brought into they lifestyle of being a glue wamkulu, they do not attend school, etc... The chiefs of each village can nix or accept having gule wamkulus be a part of their village.

Regardless of what they are, what they stand for, etc.. they are a sight to see.  So if you take a road trip through Malawi, you are surely going to see your fare share of gule wamkulus..

My students also said that if I wanted to get a photograph with one of them, they would most definitely do it for some cash... SO they aren't above getting a bribe..

Not much else to report today.. Kids are doing well and at swim practice as I listen to old Genesis , making lesson plans for class and enjoying the beautiful sunshine and blue skies.

Below are some videos.. I hope they work..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxehfECh_-k

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4oAug56gLA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDH9wqpKF94

Ntchisi

Took about a 3 hour drive out to the Ntchisi Forest Reserve and stayed in a wonderful Lodge called the "Ntchisi Forest Lodge". It was an old colonial style lodge that had beautiful grounds perched in the middle of the forest. During the day you could see for miles .. It was a little hazy when we stayed, but on a clear day you can see the lake off in the distance.  At night, we were able to sit on the porch and star gaze. the sky was amazing. Way off in the distance you could see small fires from small villages that are scattered amongst the hills of this region. 

The food was fantastic and our host named Innocent was very accommodating.. We took the kids for a few quick hikes through the woods.. But mostly, we hung out of the porch and read, ate and watched the kids play soccer.. It was a nice day. 

The drive there was a bit of an adventure and made me happy with our purchase of a 4WD vehicle , with purple rims of course... I 'm not sure how you would possibly get to this place without 4Wd.. For about 90 KM, we were on a "tarmac " road, then for the next 30 km was a winding, rough dirt road that took you to the lodge.. Maura has named our truck "Sylvia" ... As we drove through many of the villages, we were chased by local children , either wanting a ride or possibly some "sweeties" ( candy).. which we had none of. 

The place was beautiful and you felt (as with most places here) that you were in the middle of nowhere... away from everything... At around 530pm, we took a hike to sunset rock to take in the end of another day... You could here many of the pockets of villages laughing and playing, and even a group of woman singing somewhere off in the distance. 

We ate dinner by candlelight, played alot of chess and scrabble with the kids and packed it in early.

It was tough to get back to school this morning, but we are back.. We have a very American-esque packed weekend as we have a swim meet on Friday night (Halloween and Maura's Birthday) and Kate has a soccer tournament on Saturday.. 

Village on the way

Hiking in the forest

Lodge lounge area

Add caption

soccer goal

sign posted on the tree to direct you to lodge.

Happy Birthday Jacob!

***** Before I continue, all the videos that I uploaded over the past few days I did not realized could not be viewed.. I have unlocked all of them, so you should be able to view them.. Please check them out if you'd like.. Sorry for the issues with videos... Please let me know if problems continue ..****

I think one of the most difficult things about coming here was leaving our now 19 year old son to his own devices.. It could be worse for all of those who think we are nuts leaving our son to tackle college and living on his own... Here, most people send their kids off to boarding school at the age or 13 or 14..  Many of the ex-pat families here send their children off to Kenya for schooling.

We obviously had our concerns leaving him back home, but I think things are going well.  And as Jacob so eloquently put it when I hugged him goodbye... "dad, it's only 10 months." Which is right.. a blip in time... Thanks to all of our families looking out for him back home.. We look forward to seeing him in December. So far, so good.. and I think he misses us..  Thank God! We miss him too and wish him a great today.. below is a video from school today... it's our happy birthday to him from the 1st grade.. in the back Jude , Franny and Maura sat in .. Kate was in class.. 

Headed away tomorrow .. will be back on Sunday.. I hope everything is going well at home.. Cheers Jacob.. We love you.

videos of the day!

I don't know if I've mentioned this in the past, but Malawi is one of the worst countries in the world for driving.. People here are not the most cautious of drivers and I don't think there are any real laws implemented on the road. I do see police everywhere stopping vehicles to check registration , etc.. And a few speed traps on the highway.. But I don't know if they can really effectively pull people over as their way of telling you to pull over is to wave to you.. I think anyone breaking the law can easily just drive right past them.  Traffic lights work sometimes, and when they do, they are optional. I've learned to follow every else's lead and if the light is red, but I can go.. I usually do. And if you decide to abide by the rules, but the people around you would prefer to go, they just go around you. 

There are no street lights, and it is very difficult to see at night.. There are goats, cow, people on bikes, people walking, etc on the streets, so it always seems like an obstacle course.. And, there is no limit on drinking.. So, anyone who is loaded may get behind the wheel of a car.. When you stop at a gas station, you are probably going to see a group of guys sitting in the parking lot, drinking beers.. It seems like the norm is to go into the shop, buy one beer, drink it, return the bottle for a refund, and then buy another beer. I'm sure there's a designated driver amongst the group.

I can tolerate all of this, and I actually really enjoy driving here.. But the one thing that freaks me out is the pickup trucks and other big vehicles that carry people in the back like cattle.. They look like they will spill out the sides and if they hit a bump in the road or have to make a sudden stop.. many of them will get severely hurt or killed.  Last week, when we headed to the lake, we drove past many, many trucks packed like this.. Most of them filled with people headed to the Mother's day party at the lake.. Most of them were drinking, and many decided it would be fun to moon us as we drove past them..  Kate said "that's the butts I've seen in my life."    Here's are two videos for you ... One is the lakefront where we stayed last week.. A real african beach front.. The other is a large group of young men in the back of a truck.. going about 70 MPH down the highway.. 

Not much else to report.. Michelle and I had a date night last evening and went down the street to "Don Brioni's"... an Italian named restaurant, owned by a Welshman, with a Cuban themed decor, that serves English Fish and Chips, Greek Salad, Hamburgers, Hummus and Pasta Alfredo.. It was actually delicious.. with a great setting,  2 minutes from home and the food was great.  

Here's some reviews and photos if you are bored. 

Don Brioni's

The photo is our porch.. We have several buckets that are filled with water to resort to when we run out of water. It happens periodically, but it mostly happens when you most need it.. Like shower nights..  Last night, hot water was out, cold water was out.. so bucket showers were needed. We have to heat up some water, have a hot bucket and a cold bucket and go at it.. Be thankful for your local water district.. 

That's it for now, have a 2nd grade class banging at my door..  Hope all is well at home..

christmas is here.

Walking through a local store yesterday called "Shoprite" and stopped in my tracks when I noticed they had transformed one of the aisles into a Christmas goods aisle.. I couldn't believe it.. Even in Malawi the Christmas season is upon us. I doubt John Tesh has a program on the local radio stations, but there were plastic trees, ornaments, wrapping paper, even lawn ornaments that had a white santa and Mrs. Claus holding a sign that said "Merry Christmas." It is hard to escape the clutches of the Christmas season.. I do know there will be no Thanksgiving celebrations in our neighborhood.. I don't think there are even turkeys here.. The Malawian equivalent would be a guinea fowl.

When I got home from work yesterday, there was a beautiful head of lettuce that had been prepared, cleaned and ready to eat on my kitchen table.. This happens about twice a week and I just figured out that Rabina picks the lettuce from the wonderful garden her and her husband Cam tend to in our backyard..  I always thought she grabbed it out of our refrigerator and prepped it for us(subtly saying.. You fridge is full and you need to eat your greens) but i realized yesterday we had no lettuce to speak of in the fridge.. I asked Cam about it, and he said... "Free of Charge!" as he prepared to bike home.  Their garden is full of tomatoes, lettuce, spinach, herbs and a variety of other things.. Cam waters each night before he leaves for the day.  

Cam and Rabina and the rest of our house staff do a wonderful job of taking care of everything at home. It's one of the perks of living in Africa and one I will miss when we leave.. Not only because things are taking care of for us around the house, but it offers opportunities to converse and learn from people from this part of the world. They are happy to teach us phrases and words from Chichewa as well as fill us in on local customs, ceremonies.

Joseph and Cosmas take great care of us as well... Recently they have complained that they were getting eaten alive by mosquitoes at night when trying to sleep in the guard room near the entrance to our home.. they also said the ants were biting them as well and requested some DOOM to take care of the problem. Cosmas asked the other day for a 10$ advance on his pay of about 70$ a month because he was planning to visit his girlfriends "Auntie" and wanted to buy her something nice.... I asked what he was wanting to buy, he said "soap and a few other nice things." 

It's hard to know when to help and when not to help around here.. You want to lend a hand, but you also don't want to be taken advantage of. I have grown to trust all of them and I think they feel the same way about us. I may be wrong, but I doubt we are being taken advantage of.. It's hard to say no to someone who wants a 10$ advance to pay respects to a girlfriends' relatives , or who wants an advance to chip in money to buy a tombstone for a relative who has passed away. 

All is well here.... Kids (as mentioned yesterday) are doing well. Kate attend a "Young Life" youth group event that will take place each Tuesday night at a house right down the street from us. This is a great outlet for her and an opportunity for her to socialize with other ex-pat kids and Malawians as well.  The weather is perfect here.. 80's in the afternoons, low 60's each night.. oh, and it is sunny again..  Probably like San Diego. 

This weekend we head to a rain forest area of Malawi.. Check it out.

http://ntchisiforestlodge.com

One of the great things about this country is there seems to be so much to see and everything is less than 10 hours away.. This area of the country is about 2 hours north of us.. Looking forward to it.

Michelle has tennis lessons this evening.. She has taken up tennis here and had her first lesson on Sunday.. Watch out !!

Giant spider on our kitchen wall.. Kids call these "Chop Chops"

Fresh greens from the garden

Fish at the grocery store... right next to the diapers of course.

Christmas is here!!!

Good ol' Haberdashery!

I'll brag on my kids

As we got ready for school this morning, I was scrambling to get my things ready and make a fresh cup of coffee.. I walked through the house and couldn't find any of my kids.. Went out to the truck, no one was in it.. Michelle said as I passed her again through the house.. "they are on the trampoline. " it was about 6:40 in the morning and the kids were jumping up and down in our new purchase. I have to say I am more than impressed with the way they've handled moving 9000 miles away from home. there has been a few tears here and there, but this move has taught me (so far) that my kids are fantastic. I'm a bit partial I know, but this could have been a disaster. Michelle and I have worried about their well being since we started talking about this move, but the kids have coped well and I think are really enjoying their time here.. Maybe it has something to do with us putting on our game faces regardless of how we are coping, or maybe kids are more resilient than we give them credit for.. 

Since I have nothing else to report today, i'll just leave it at that.. Below are a few mindless videos of the kids, but I thought they were kind of nice to show 1) a little of their play area and 2) the swimming pool where they spend alot of their afternoons..  especially Kate.. Headed to take a swim myself as the work day is over.. 

before school

Break time at school

 

chess at the lake

Back to the grind

After a restful 5 days off, we are back at it.. Kids back to school, and I am back to trying to keep little kids busy and happy during art class... We are now counting down the days to Christmas break and a visit from family , including our son Jacob. Time has flown by since everyone arrived and its hard to believe we are almost through October. This weekend we were able to hang out with other American families down the street from our home.. We were able to walk to our friends home (right around the corner). On our way home, the kids pointed out a giant bat that was hanging in the palm trees above our heads.. It looked like a giant turkey vulture. At our friends' home, right at dusk the sky filled with bats around the house eating the bugs that swarmed to the lights surrounding the home.. It was amazing.. It felt like an Indiana Jones movie... But, the kids continued to play in the yard, and paid no attention to the rodents swarming the sky, some flying so low I'm surprised they didn't take out some of the kids..  Little animals are everywhere here.. I think you just get used to seeing things like geckos and giant spiders climbing your walls.. At dinner, everyone shared stories of rodent invasions of their homes... I'm sure we have our issues, just haven't found them yet.. 

 I also found out our friends have the full MASH collection, and were kind enough to lend me the first season.. Looking forward to sitting down with Frank, Hawkeye and Hotlips. 

Sunday was  a big evening as we grilled pizzas and I made a huge purchase.... We bought the kids a trampoline.. It was delivered to us around 530 and we had it set up in an hour.. The kids were on it immediately.. I'm sure the trampoline will get a good workout for the next 9 months.. All for now.. I just poured myself a container of water from the filter water jugs, only to find a swarm of ants must have invaded the taps... My bottle is full of ant infested water... Stuff is everywhere here.. and it is relentless...  They say that since the rains have come, it isn't uncommon to see monitor lizards, Spitting Cobras and other deadly snakes hanging around campus..  Monitor lizards are the big ones... Cant wait. 

Yard critters

Wet Saturday 

view of the drive

RAIN!!!!

Last night we returned from our swim club to the wonderful sound of rain.. We had just hung our towels to dry on the clothesline , and about 20 minutes later we all paused and heard an unfamiliar sound. Kate came out of her room asking if it was actually raining.. We went outside and just kind of stood there, enjoying the moment.  The funny thing was, earlier in the day it began to cloud up.. It smelled like rain was approaching, so I asked the gardener Cam if it was going to rain. He laughed and said "No, it's too early."

Living here is at times a roller coaster.. It can be frustrating, challenging and there are moments you want to turn the car around and drive straight to the airport and head back to the normalcies of home. But there are these great moments of conversation and simple things that make you 1) appreciate where you came from and 2) appreciate where you are. The other night I was picking up some things in preparation for some doctors coming over for dinner and I gave the cashier money for my bill. Now, when you give and/or receive items (whether it be the exchange of money or a cup of tea or whatever), it is considered respectful to place your left hand over your right forearm as you exchange the item with your right hand.. I did this with my Kwacha, and the cashier smiled and laughed . I asked her while she was laughing at me, as I am pretty used to being laughed at around town.. And she said " I am not laughing , I am very happy." I asked her why and she stated because I had "done it the right way".. alluding to my hand on forearm.. Then she asked where I was from, I told her the US, but I thought I said it too fast, and said I was from Obama's country... She laughed and said.. "he is a good man, but he is just a man like you.. You come from the land of God.. you are very blessed"... and handed me my change..  And wished me goodbye in Chichewa "Tiwonana".  You don't get that exchange very often at home.. And I walked away grateful for the reminder. This occurred just after trying 4 ATM machines around town, that were all out of money.. And all of the ATM's had 3 security guards watching them, while playing mancala..

A few other cultural things that I've learned, that seem very consistent with the part of the world

* when you offer something to someone, they will lower their eye level to yours.. meaning, they will almost bow to you, while maintaining eye contact. This is another sign of respect and gratitude. They will receive items, such as tea, with two open cupped hands and say thank  you multiple times..

* It is insulting to not take help from a Malawian.. If they offer to help you with your bags,etc.. They find it somewhat insulting if you decline.

* Malawians aim to please.. If you stop on the road to ask for directions, they may give you wrong directions just to make you happy. They may not know where you are going, but if they feel that their answer satisfies you, then they are ok with that..

* Friends hold hands, regardless of gender.. this may seem strange at first, but is very common and if you befriend a Malawian , you better get used to it.

* Hand shakes can be long and linger.. which I think stems from the hand holding.. You can greet someone and hold hands in a handshake for the whole time you greet.  I have tried to implement this as a sign that I am familiar with the culture, but each time I do it, I am constantly wondering if the person I am greeting thinks I am a little too forward.

*Putting a bunk bed together with two Malawians is an experience... Yesterday, I had the good fortune to put together a hand made bunk bed made of scraps and metal bars that we just purchased for the twins.. It didn't fit through the hallway, so we had to take it apart.. It was worse than IKEA, because every single piece had to go back exactly where it belonged... No cutting corners with Cosmas or Cam... Oh, and we had no tools so I went to a local shop and bought pliers.. They made sure every washer went back to its original spot, each bolt was in its correct spot and everything was discussed, deliberated and assessed.. I couldn't understand a word they were saying, but watching them work and the patience they displayed was a learning experience..

This morning feels fantastic and like a morning at home... Overcast, chilly, wet and breezy.. Michelle and I are sitting on our "Konde" or porch drinking coffee... We have taken up swimming many days a week, but today seems like a good morning to opt out of taking care of ourselves and sipping on more coffee..

Hope things are well back home.

my car insurance agent

bunk bed work

on the road to Salima

Mother's day Freakshow!!

Went to Senga bay on Wednesday for the Mother's day holiday.. We stayed at a small lodge/ backpackers place and slept in what they call a "glam Camp". It was a basic structure built with a mosquito nets to keep out the bugs.. The place was great, had a nice bar and lounge area, and the clientele were laid back and easy going. They served up local fish and cold beer.. The place was very nice.. 

Our timing was probably a bit off.. I did not realize that Mother's day in Malawi = let's go to the lake in droves and get absolutely loaded.. It was like the Malawian version of WEBN fireworks.. except there was a beautiful lake instead of fireworks. The beach was packed with people and my kids were the only non Africans for miles.. It was a sight.. And the locals realized it and flocked to my kids to get a closer glimpse/ ask questions/ etc.. The Malawian teenage boys really took a liking to Kate and her blonde hair.. One of the workers , Sidani(sp??) main job was to man the beach and make sure people did not mess with me and the kids.. I tried to tell him I really didn't mind and the kids were having fun , but he insisted that the woman who runs the lodge would prefer her guests get peace and quiet. Eventually, he broke down and the kids were able to mingle with all the locals.. They ended up playing all afternoon with a group of kids and really had a great time.. My kids were rock stars for the day.. People were taking photos with them, asking them to pose with them.Many of the local men were picking up Jude and putting him on their shoulders for photographs..  the kids had a blast. 

And then.... the evening music from a local disco got louder and louder and louder as the evening progressed.. And it didn't stop until about 4:30 am... it was crazy.. The lodge is situated in the village , near the area where the fisherman take off for the evening and bring in their fresh fish... so we were really in the middle of a real Africa fishing village.. that was doing an excellent job of celebrating their Mothers by drinking until they could drop.. Thursday was supposed to be a school day, but many of the men that work at the lodge said their children stayed home because they were too tired.. They didn't sleep at all... Neither did I.. Needless to say, we chalked up the experience, said it was a great time , but decided to not stay another evening and head back to town.. I'm glad we did because our truck had been cleared and I could pick it up.. So, we now have our vehicles!! Please keep your fingers crossed that nothing goes majorly wrong with this truck and gives us 9 solid months.. 

Earlier in the evening, Michelle spent 3 productive hours on the phone rebooking our flights back home.. We will be returning June 24th.  Here's some photos and video from the day. Hope all is well back home.. 

    

Getting water from a well