Is This Heaven?

If it isn't, it's got to be close! After bumping along 6 miles of rough roads and looking for "a big grove of trees, you'll know it when you see it, there's a guy standing there you gotta pay" we found this little tropical water hole! OK, swimming in fresh water is not advised but on the recommendation of others, we went for it. And it was absolutely heavenly!

The water was crystal clear in this pool and about 12-15 feet deep. Plenty of room for leaping out of trees, as Cameron demonstrated a LOT. Plenty of room for running off the edge like a crazy man, as Noah demonstrated a LOT. Plenty of room for paddling around in circles, as Ava did a LOT.

It looks like it was some kind of underground spring but there was a current that dragged the kids around if they jumped in at one end. A mushy end under the trees (away from the swimming area) was an excellent place to spot several terrapins and the monkeys arrived at the end of the day to hoot suspiciously at the fun we were all having.

One of the best parts, believe it or not, was having to pay. That meant that all the people who happened to pass by on bikes or on foot were not allowed to enter the area near the pool and so were prevented from watching us as if we were curious zoo exhibits. It happens often enough and it's something we have never really gotten used to, especially when we are trying to just have a bit of family time together.

It was funny to think about all the swimming we've done here in Tanzania and this was the first time we have been in fresh water to swim! There are a lot of nasty bugs you can catch from swimming in fresh water and it's generally discouraged, but this place was recommended by people who had been here several times with no ill effects. The whole day was fun, peaceful, stress-free, uneventful, and all about family fun! In other words, heavenly!