Happy Easter!

Well, it wasn't very traditional (I don't know if you can even get a "real" ham here!) but we had a wonderful break exploring a whole new part of Tanzania. The Easter ostrich (we haven't seen any bunnies here) delivered a small bit of good old American Sweetarts and Tootsie Rolls (thanks, Karen!) as well as some Tanzanian trinkets that the kids have eyeballed at the craft markets. We spent 3 days at Peponi's, "resort" between Tanga and Pangani on the coast. "Resort" seems to be too fancy a word, but I guess that's what it was. The guests tend to be ex-pats and backpackers so it's off the beaten path as far as tourists go. They have bandas (individuals rooms made entirely of woven palms), very low-key atmosphere, and good food (everything outdoors, soft sand so barefoot everywhere). Oh yeah, lots of sand...everywhere...and humidity...and mosquitos! But that's life and we loved it. None of us has ever been to a tropical beach before, so we were amazed by the water temperature which, in the afternoon, was hotter than a bath! I wouldn't say the beach was remote or unspoiled, but there were more cool shells to find every day than the kids could possibly collect (although they tried)! There was also plenty of low tide time to explore and dig and build...what is it with boys and digging?
So this is what the kids dragged home off the beach the first day! Yes, it's a sea turtle shell and yes, we had every intention of lugging it home with us. But that was before we actually smelled it and found out how long it was going to take to purge that smell. Those of you who know me will understand truly how bad the smell was to keep me from hauling it home--even the kids agreed that it was best to bring home the picture!
This is the fruits of the last day on the beach. The boys tried to stave off the inevitable waves and rising tide with the sand and coconut shell fortress. They had just as much fun watching it wash away as they did building it!