Tanzania Day 2

Today was our first full day in Tanzania. We had no plans to go anywhere, just enjoy the beautiful resort, socialize with family, and rest up before the official start of the tour. 

All of our family had arrived by this point and it was wonderful to sit poolside and catch up. The cousins also enjoyed playing with the large chess set on the patio under the guidance of Uncle Ryan! We also spent quite a bit of time continuing to search for animals along the pathways of the hotel.
Wire-tailed swallow (above)
Dark Blue Pansy Butterfly (above)
Pending Identification (above)
An unexpected highlight was walking to Sanaa, an artisans store and cafe that was located off one of these paths. What made this place so special is that you got to interact with the weavers, glassblowers, and other artists to see how their goods were created. Furthermore, all of the artisans were disabled adults, and it was amazing to see how this community was supported and promoted by the hotel. The hotel buys all of its glassware, placemats, and other items from these artisans. As we were led around to see the artisans work, we were taught a few expressions in Swahili sign language to help us communicate with people who were nonverbal. We learned hello, everything is good, thank you very much, and amazing/great job. Here are a few pictures of Rick trying out weaving, glass blowing, and glass bead making. David was content to watch in complete amazement!

We closed out our day with meeting our tour guide for the trip to learn all about what to expect and meet the other people on our tour. Our family makes up half of the group! We then went up to the rooftop for a leisurely dinner and were off to bed. Tomorrow we will be leaving bright and early for our first game drive in Lake Manyara!

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