Weeks in the Bullfrog

I cant find apostrophes on this keyboard, but I wanted to give everyone the low-down on all of our safari adventures \I cant find parentheses either, but now that you all know a little more about my ISP in Lushoto, heres some more about our adventures in the savanna and tropical forest.../

In Tarangire, Lake Manyara, and Mozambai we were all camping out, living in a little tent village. Ive been sharing a two person tent, the Bullfrog, with my friend Adrienne. It was great to have a tent buddy in the savanna, where we could hear hyenas and elephants roaming around and maybe black mambas. Our drives around the savanna, counting zebras and baboons, hanging out by the hippo pool at Lake Manyara, were all part of class. We would present our data on the diversity of non-ruminant species in the woodlands or plot the behaviors of baboon troupes before lunch. This study time was always followed up by an afternoon of tourist time. We drove down to the Silalai Swamp, the main water source in the park, and got to take group photos and check out the hundreds upon hundreds of elephants and birds. We even found a couple of lions, draped over tree branches by the road. Pictures eventually, promise.

At Lake Manyara, we stayed at a campsite and went on a walking tour of the village. Our group walked through the rice paddies and banana plantations, sipped some homemade banana beer, and checked out painting and carving shops. After a night out and some more field work, we headed back to Bangata, then spent the following week at Mozambai.

When we got to Mozambai, Adrienne and I pitched the Bullfrog in the grass, right by a flowing stream and manicured gardens, and the whole group went out into the forest to "greet" it. Basically, we had the whole morning without watches or a schedule to explore. I climbed trees, waded through streams, hiked through little farms and bushwacked through undergrowth, getting muddy and scratched and covered in bugs. This morning adventure definitely set the tone for the week. We would hike around the forest every morning as students, counting and measuring trees, laying out plots and estimating canopy cover in various parts of the forest. We had talks about the cultural and ecological history of the Usambara Mountains and the forest reserve and went over the data we collected. In the afternoons, however, we were released. We kept exploring the forest, finding valleys of prehistoric fern trees and getting trapped in their thorns. We would also nap, read, walk through the neighboring villages...this was our post-midterm "spring break."

even more love today then yesterday--I hope everybody is happy and healthy and enjoying the New England fall...carve a pumpkin for me