We are so blessed to be in this country we had another amazing day traveling through villages. Last night we went to the Bishops house for dinner which is a huge honor. He told us horrifying stories about the genocide and brought tears to our eyes these people have lost so much and at the same time they have so much to give. When we pass in the car kids run after us screaming “Muzungu” which means white person and “be strong, be strong!” Today Tom and I walked through the town to look at the local bike shops to see how they repair and maintain the bikes. Here are some of the pictures.

So far this trip has been amazing. We started out with a safari and helicopter ride, yesterday we visited villages with some of the most beautiful terrain and people I have ever met. The land is filled with tea plantains, banana farms, lakes and volcanoes. The people are so happy to see a new face they chase the car and the riders yelling be strong with huge smiles and we pass. Some are afraid of the camera most are excited about it. Every time I show them a picture of themselves I am surrounded by many as most have never seen themselves before. I have never felt so welcome before in a new place.

Here are some pictures.

After a wonderful flight we landed safely in Africa and met up with our group. They are incredible people and I am so excited. We took a 2 hour car drive to Akagara Lodge and today we are going out on a safari to search for elephants, giraffes, and lions. I will post more pictures soon

After a long night, and an early morning back to the airport we finally found our bags. We had to talk with US Airways and security for over an hour but as soon as we convinced them to let us back into the baggage claims graveyard we found our bags. It was a glorious moment and Mary cried. We then got on a bus and took a three hour bus ride to another airport. While we were checking in our bags they had the most extreme carry on system. They would not allow me bring my camera equipment because it was to heavy. We had to repack the bag in line shoving our hard drives, and 80-200 lens and camera into my pockets so that my bag would weigh less. Mary had to pay 200.00 dollars to ship her bag because it was to heavy. Once we got on our flight we realized that we were flying to the wrong airport in Brussels. We were not aware that there were two airports in Brussels. We got off the airplane and ran to catch the bus, once we got the bus we had to catch a train. We almost missed our train because it was the last train of the evening and 5 mins before it arrived it changed the gate. We are safely here in the Sheraton at the correct airport in Brussels. I took a shower and for the first time in 3 days I got to change my clothes.

After 24 hours of travel time, a delayed flight, no sleep, and all our luggage has been lost we have finally reached London, the first stop to our destination. We have been on the phone for hours trying to track down our luggage and still no luck. We are leaving tomorrow for Brussels and Africa soon so if they do not find our luggage and ship it by tonight we will not have any clothes. We did have a chance to do a little sight seeing in between trying to find our luggage.

Here are a few pics from the day.