The amount of loud noises that woke me up last night would be comical if I wasn’t so tired today. There’s an outdoor furniture workshop next door and they worked all night (why?), hammering and sawing away. We also had a rooster crowing all night, the world’s longest call to prayer at 5AM, and cars racing by. This Airbnb is rustic and has open air vents on all sides, so it sounded like everything was right next to us. Millie slept fine and was up and full of energy at 7AM, as usual.

We made some coffee and had fruit from our outdoor kitchen. There is something nice about being forced outside first thing in the morning.

We didn’t have much food beyond the fruit so we got ready and ventured out for the day. We’re in coffee-growing country here at the base of Kilimanjaro, so there were plenty of good coffee shops to choose from. We went to one that had breakfast, in search of protein. We all ate lots of eggs and had a good Americano and pour-over from locally grown beans.

The coffee shop offered a lot of Korean specialties. We’ve noticed both Korean and vegan food in many places in Moshi. We got smoothies to go which were made fresh and then canned for us – clever!

We drove an hour to the hot springs. The second 30 minutes were along teeth chattering dirt roads. We had to stop a couple of times to let livestock cross the road.

We listened to two episodes of a new-to-us podcast that we’re all loving: But why. It is perfect for Millie’s age and interesting enough for us to listen to without wanting to cut our ears off.

We arrived the springs and paid the small entry fee to get in. A guy in his early-20s followed us in smelling of booze and trying to show us around. Everything was sign posted so we didn’t exactly need a guide.

We changed and got into the beautiful blue water. It was my ideal water temperature: low 80s.

The only bad part was it was full of those little fish that eat dead skin. If you stayed still for more than about 10 seconds they would start nibbling and tickling you. Nick could tolerate it and I couldn’t stand it. He stayed still to see how long he could take it and they started going at his back and stomach. Free idea for governments looking for benign torture devices: exfoliating fish.

The place was full of people trying to get the perfect shots and videos for Instagram and Tiktok. I could tell that our family was ruining the vibe. I kept yelling “the fish are biting my butt!!!”, Millie kept spinning around in her tube and inadvertently getting too close to people, and Nick was looking at fish underwater using Millie’s sparkly unicorn goggles. I couldn’t stop laughing at the idea of someone getting the perfect shot but with Nick in pink children’s goggles on in the background.

We swam and laughed for a couple of hours and then headed out. As we were getting into the car, our “guide” from earlier approached me and asked for a tip. I told him no but of course left with complicated feelings about it. I hate being hustled and pressured. But at the same time, this kid lives in the middle of nowhere and has zero opportunities. I’d be drunk and trying to get tips from tourists too. A good tip for him would be unnoticeable to us. I thought about it for most of the ride home.

We drove back to Moshi and Millie sat quietly in the back listening to music and drawing. Taylor Swift, if you’re reading this, why so many F-bombs on TTPD? You must know that most of your listeners are girls under the age of 10.

She kept passing her drawing pad to the front to show us her creation, and then starting again.

We arrived at the cafe and ordered a late lunch. We don’t really eat set meals on this trip. If we have a big late breakfast like we did today, we just wait until we get hungry again. Today we ate a big lunch at 3ish and then didn’t really get hungry for dinner. It’s been really nice not to feel like we are on an eating schedule and to just listen to our bodies.

The cafe had a big playground and beautiful grounds. Unfortunately Millie was the only kid there but she made the most of it, and I played a bit with her.

We stopped at a tiny grocery store to get some food to have on hand. Millie saw this statue of Jesus and said “mom, is that a swirling dervish?” I am always wondering what she is learning on this trip and have to laugh that after all our visits to famous and historic churches, she still can’t recognize Jesus. I couldn’t believe she remembered the name whirling dervishes (almost).

We headed back to our Airbnb and attempted to book some upcoming flights and hotels. Keyword attempted because the WiFi is not great and someone who shall not be named was interrupting us a lot. We are in the high season in Tanzania due to the great migration, which means that a lot of things are booked up. This makes it harder to travel as we do: by the seat of our pants.

We watched one episode of Planet Earth to get us to bedtime. It’s a good compromise for watching TV. Millie loves it and I don’t feel guilty watching it since it’s ~educational~. What is it about letting her watch TV that makes me feel guilty? Have parents always felt bad about “screen time” or is that a 21st century phenomenon?

I am hoping for better sleep tonight. Stay tuned.