Saving Soles on the Beach
It is Sunday in Dar es Salaam. As part of the Seconded conference, we have praise and worship every morning from 8:45-9. Our youth learned the Navigator's
ABC Bible study method and seemed very interested in learning it. Feedback from the parents is that the students are loving the Bible study instruction and practice we are giving them. We started with 8 students, but one of the students (12-year-old) preferred to work in the nursery. Her home church is here to care for the children, and she wants to spend time with them.
After finishing the teaching day early we had the opportunity to take a boat ride to the tropical island of Mbudya (Lat 6.66 o South, Long 39.24o East). It is a 2.3-mile boat ride in a motor-powered dhow with about 20 other people in what was today pretty rough seas. We had sporadic rain, winds with gusts to 25 MPH, and 1-2 foot waves. I think we had more bow spray than rain. Mbudya is a National Marine Sanctuary per se (Mbudya is pronounced em-bood-ya in case you were interested.) The trip normally takes about 30-45 minutes.
Lynne and I are here on a mission trip so I went right to work saving soles on the beach. Here is a picture of the first sole I saved. I can honestly say there were not an angel choir singing praises over the lost sole being saved. I took a walk along the beach and saw crabs, a purple dress, two pairs of women's underdrawers, and a lot of plastic bags. Pretty trashy for a Marine Preserve. Our youth faired a lot better on the wildlife front. They found an octopus, sea urchin, and an African Sea Star.
Our hotel packed a box lunch for each member of the group. Our $10 box lunch included two boiled eggs, a roll, two slices of bread and a banana. They are not cheap just opportunistic. That is the Tanzanian way of business. Once we were all loaded in the boats to make the ride to Mbudya, the boatman announced that the price for the boat ride and entrance to the marine sanctuary was actually 10 times what we had been told. He gave us the option of getting out of the boat. So the boat ride was $20 per person and entrance to the marine sanctuary was $5 person (depending on the exchange rate between the US $ and the Tanzanian Shilling).
The boiled eggs were a nice snack, but our sponsor gave us the option of ordering fish & chips once we reached the island. Always up for gastronomic adventures, I ordered fish & chips. It was fresh fish grilled over an open fire with the head attached. It was smoky and delicious. Chips were a bit soggy but filling. This beautiful waitress brought my plate. What more can you ask than service with a smile?
While we were lounging on the beach and praying it didn't rain, the
fishing dhows were putting to sea for the day. They are basically dugout boats with sails. They seem bottom-heavy to support the sail. Some of the dhows are bigger and used to transport people and equipment.
I walked the beach for a while and collected some shells. It is illegal to remove shells from the marine sanctuary, but apparently, it is not illegal to throw trash everywhere.
Lynne and I saw Baobabs in Zambia in 2013. We saw one bigger than the tree on Mbudya that was estimated to be over 1000 years old (coffee plantation owner put the estimate more around 1500 years based on his experience. So this one is probably around 800-1000 years old. You can't make out the three guys sitting at the base. There were several on the island, but the trails on the island are severely overgrown, and not safe for one person on foot.
If you are interested in seeing all of my photos from our island adventure, you can stroll through them at this link (click here). Please realize this is where I am storing ALL of the photos from my camera. They are unedited, you will see repeats, and some that will eventually be trashed.
Some folks have expressed interest in currency value and customs. The currency in Tanzania is the Shilling. If you were to exchange $1 it would get you about 2200 Shillings. What will that by you? Outside of our resort, 500 Shillings will get you a tall glass bottle of Coca-Cola. At Landmark Resort that same bottle of Coca-Cola will cost you 2200 Shillings. A front-end alignment (one of the missionaries is getting his car worked on) will run about 240,000 Shillings or approximately $109. Before we leave Dar es Salaam Lynne and I will be buying SIMM cards and a data plan for our phones. The SIMM card will be around 2200 Shillings, and 6 gigabyte of data a week is 11,000 Shillings ($5 is correct).
The Tanzanians are not dishonest, they are opportunistic. They will offer a service and complete it, and then raise the price. Or, they might promise a certain amount of food for a meal, and then demand more money to provide all of the food promised. Our boat ride to Mbudya is an example of their opportunism. As Josh Chance, our host says, "they always have a method behind their thinking and decisions but it may not always make sense to us. But they have a basis for their thinking.
We are starting Inductive Bible Study with our youth VBS group on Monday. Covet your prayers.
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| Lynne with Kara and Ella. |
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| Our transportation. |
After finishing the teaching day early we had the opportunity to take a boat ride to the tropical island of Mbudya (Lat 6.66 o South, Long 39.24o East). It is a 2.3-mile boat ride in a motor-powered dhow with about 20 other people in what was today pretty rough seas. We had sporadic rain, winds with gusts to 25 MPH, and 1-2 foot waves. I think we had more bow spray than rain. Mbudya is a National Marine Sanctuary per se (Mbudya is pronounced em-bood-ya in case you were interested.) The trip normally takes about 30-45 minutes.
Customs and Culture are an interesting topic that I learn more about every day. They follow the Islamic rules of not offering your left hand, and not showing anyone the bottom of your foot. Left hand and both feet are impure. They are long on promise and short on follow through. Lynne and I had the front desk make copies for us. It cost of 8,000 Shillings (~$4). We gave the girl a 10,000 Shilling bill. They promised to give us our 2,000 Shillings in change yesterday morning. Now they are saying they will give it to us when we check out. I know it is only $1, but they owe it to us.
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| Saving soles on the beach. |
Lynne and I are here on a mission trip so I went right to work saving soles on the beach. Here is a picture of the first sole I saved. I can honestly say there were not an angel choir singing praises over the lost sole being saved. I took a walk along the beach and saw crabs, a purple dress, two pairs of women's underdrawers, and a lot of plastic bags. Pretty trashy for a Marine Preserve. Our youth faired a lot better on the wildlife front. They found an octopus, sea urchin, and an African Sea Star.
Our hotel packed a box lunch for each member of the group. Our $10 box lunch included two boiled eggs, a roll, two slices of bread and a banana. They are not cheap just opportunistic. That is the Tanzanian way of business. Once we were all loaded in the boats to make the ride to Mbudya, the boatman announced that the price for the boat ride and entrance to the marine sanctuary was actually 10 times what we had been told. He gave us the option of getting out of the boat. So the boat ride was $20 per person and entrance to the marine sanctuary was $5 person (depending on the exchange rate between the US $ and the Tanzanian Shilling).
The boiled eggs were a nice snack, but our sponsor gave us the option of ordering fish & chips once we reached the island. Always up for gastronomic adventures, I ordered fish & chips. It was fresh fish grilled over an open fire with the head attached. It was smoky and delicious. Chips were a bit soggy but filling. This beautiful waitress brought my plate. What more can you ask than service with a smile?
While we were lounging on the beach and praying it didn't rain, the
fishing dhows were putting to sea for the day. They are basically dugout boats with sails. They seem bottom-heavy to support the sail. Some of the dhows are bigger and used to transport people and equipment.
I walked the beach for a while and collected some shells. It is illegal to remove shells from the marine sanctuary, but apparently, it is not illegal to throw trash everywhere.
One of my favorite trees is the Baobab tree. The Baobab is also known as the Cream of Tartar tree. The pulp of the pods is sour and slightly acidic (as is the pulp of tamarind pods); sour enough that it can be used to curdle milk or act as a substitute for Cream of Tartar.
Lynne and I saw Baobabs in Zambia in 2013. We saw one bigger than the tree on Mbudya that was estimated to be over 1000 years old (coffee plantation owner put the estimate more around 1500 years based on his experience. So this one is probably around 800-1000 years old. You can't make out the three guys sitting at the base. There were several on the island, but the trails on the island are severely overgrown, and not safe for one person on foot.
If you are interested in seeing all of my photos from our island adventure, you can stroll through them at this link (click here). Please realize this is where I am storing ALL of the photos from my camera. They are unedited, you will see repeats, and some that will eventually be trashed.
Some folks have expressed interest in currency value and customs. The currency in Tanzania is the Shilling. If you were to exchange $1 it would get you about 2200 Shillings. What will that by you? Outside of our resort, 500 Shillings will get you a tall glass bottle of Coca-Cola. At Landmark Resort that same bottle of Coca-Cola will cost you 2200 Shillings. A front-end alignment (one of the missionaries is getting his car worked on) will run about 240,000 Shillings or approximately $109. Before we leave Dar es Salaam Lynne and I will be buying SIMM cards and a data plan for our phones. The SIMM card will be around 2200 Shillings, and 6 gigabyte of data a week is 11,000 Shillings ($5 is correct).
The Tanzanians are not dishonest, they are opportunistic. They will offer a service and complete it, and then raise the price. Or, they might promise a certain amount of food for a meal, and then demand more money to provide all of the food promised. Our boat ride to Mbudya is an example of their opportunism. As Josh Chance, our host says, "they always have a method behind their thinking and decisions but it may not always make sense to us. But they have a basis for their thinking.
We are starting Inductive Bible Study with our youth VBS group on Monday. Covet your prayers.
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