Hanging with the Joneses: Part 1

Back in September I wrote a post about the weird gravitational pull we have to all people named Jones…see “Keeping Up With a the Joneses!”

 

Erin, Nayay, Sambi and Kiaka were the first Jones Family to meet up with us on this trip!  They joined us in Zanzibar following the Christmas holiday! They currently live in Austin, TX but Nayay grew up in Tanzania so we had been talking to them for a long time about the possibility of connecting in Tanzania and exploring the country together. They were excited to take Sambi (age 7) and Kiaka (age 2) to spend time with family and we were psyched to experience the country with friends who knew Tanzania so well. In addition, they brought along a college friend, Marqus, who quickly learned that traveling with seven kids (4 that are age 7 and under) is as exhausting as it sounds 😉

 

We learned a lot about Maasai culture and Tanzanian history traveling with Erin, Nayay, Sambi and Kiaka. We also ventured off to do many things that we probably would not have had the courage to try if it hadn’t been for them…climbing coconut trees, exploring the Bagamoyo Fish Market, negotiating the purchase of shoes made of old tires, etc! We got up close and personal with crazy animals (black cobra!) and had many more fascinating interactions with locals thanks to their ability to open doors for us! All in all, we had an unforgettable trip to Tanzania and our only regret is not staying longer. Thank you, thank you, thank you Erin, Nayay, Sambi, Kiaka and Marqus for adding the magic to our Tanzanzian experience.