Meeeoow

We had an "Anything But Clothes" party. From right, Jodi is wearing a blue sheet decorated with fake aquatic creatures, Manuel is wearing his drapes, Beth cut up these "luggage bags" that most Tanzanians travel with, Steph is wearing a grain sack with some design on it, and I don't know what the heck I'm wearing but it has a big cat on it.

What IS that black blur...?

Also present on the beach- a fully grown fella taking a bath. He had soap, shampoo, and no clothes on. And he bathed for at least 2 hours...it was an impressive feat. It was kind of like dinner theatre.

Saaaand Fight!

The beach, part two. The hardest part of most of the pictures of the two of us is that we had to take them ourselves. Nice place though huh?

Steph and Me, we used to be, together....

Here we are at one of Lake Victoria's very ocean-like beaches (minus the smell). You can see I did all I could to make this a great picture, just like our family photos. I am a chump.

Steph and some foodstuffs

This big pavilion is full of gravity-defying piles of various grains, beans, and flours. Its really awesome that my marketplace is actually sorted according to item type (fruits/vegetables, meat and spices, fish, beans/flours). I suppose the only one that doesn't make that much sense is why the meat men are next to the spice sellers... No one will ever know.

Meat Poser

This is where you buy beef in the marketplace. Perhaps now you understand why I tend to stick to vegetables? The best part of this picture is the guy in the background, who struck the weirdest pose I might've ever seen. Look at him...Steph and I had to leave we were laughing so hard.

Goooo Swahili

Steph succeeds in cracking up some random guys at the market. Those are onions in the foreground. Each stall has stuff which is a little bit different, and I usually don't know why this place has ginger but that one has eggplant. Anyway, knowing Swahili makes it a lot easier for the both of us to get by in marketplace situations, from getting a good price to cracking people up. Gooooooo Swahili!!

Spices, Steph, and some punk

This is the "spices" section of the marketplace. That guy just kind of grabbed Steph and demanded I take a picture of them (with my own camera. It doesn't make sense, does the guy think I'm going to print him a dozen wallpaper-sized images or something? Well, I'm not). He's lucky I wasn't in "scrappy-mode", the mode which comes on once per 7 years.

My vegetable seller

"Wow! Vegetables!"

No, no, the camera is over there...

I don't know this woman. She just demanded we take her picture and then didn't even look at the camera. This is the most standard pose that Tanzanians get when you take their pictures- very dour, aloof. Its strange.

Fruits and Metals

This is my papaya seller. The little lanes between booths here are sheltered by that corrugated metal you see looming all over the place. I have to walk very slowly and very carefully so that I don't slip and cut my throat on the stuff (its all too low for me to walk under). Hmph.

Banana-rama

Market-square, the place to buy bananas. Those bananas cost about one cent apiece, and are not eaten ripe. Instead, they are peeled with a knife, cut into thirds, and boiled with beans. The dish is called "matoke" and tastes like mashed potatoes with a hint of banana sweetness. I love it.

Got any gum?

This is the closest thing we've got to a witch doctor. That shop specializes in "tribal" medicines, or what we call "homeopathic" in the states. Each of those jars behind me is filled with some random, weird-smelling powder or liquid. Hmmm...

Steph the Teletubby

This store is in town. No one knows why its adorned by teletubbies, but Steph did a pretty good job looking like one, yeah? We got a LOT of stares while taking this picture.

That is one cute little guy

I think this little rascal's name is Josephi, but I'm not sure. He really liked my hat. It looks way better on him, I'll admit it.

Nothing strange here...

This picture is pretty nice, those two kids in the middle look like a young 50 cent and Will Smith, and OH MY GOD!! What is that crazy man in the background doing!?

Hula Hoopin' Joeli

This is a Tanzanian hula hoop. He was able to keep it up for maybe two loops maximum, but that didn't phase him. (This kid's name is Joeli).

Charlie Chaplin dance

These kids made me take about 20 pictures of them doing a dance called "the mwanaume" ("the male"). Its pretty funny, I'll give you all a sample when I get back. I imagine its the way Charlie Chaplin would've danced.

Steph, some guy, Quraish

Just the three of us...we can make it if we try...

"Quraish, look sexier!"

This kid was lying there looking up and Steph and I. I told him to try to look sexier, and so he put his leg up like that. He completely succeeded.

Look at the zebra!

I am a very harsh referee. Don't even try to double-team on my watch.

Beer Pong in Bukoba 4

A winner is us!

Beer Pong in Bukoba 3

Halfway through the night we decided to do battle of the sexes. This is the INEVITABLE result of that battle.

Beer Pong in Bukoba 2

Steph launches a rocket, as Manuel the jovial Peruvian just giggles.

Beer Pong in Bukoba 1

I explain my rules regarding one of the world's great games.

A little vanity in the afternoon

The flag hangs in my window. At night, when my light is on, it is illuminated for all passers-by outside. And when there is a breeze, it ripples majestically. And yes, that is a fancy hat and suspenders.