Songea Town & Peramiho

Mambo from Isabelle and Hannah! Yesterday we ventured for a day trip into Songea town- a larger city in Southern Tanzania that is very busy compared to where we have already been.

Our tour started at a pastry shop where we bought fresh donuts, muffins, and sambusas for a midday snack. We then drove a little out of town to Peramiho to tour the hospital, cathedral, and schools all set up by German missionaries.

Br. Kastor Kanyopa, headmaster of St. Laurents Primary School in Hanga, accompanied us the whole day. He is good friends with Ben. Another note - we got to town in a land cruiser. That is all 13 of us (driver included) in the one car :) this is the same way we rode to Mbamba Bay...see pictures from the Mbamba Bay post. For that ride, there were only 12 of us so it was a little more comfortable!

We also saw a butcher shop and farm…very interesting for Hannah especially since she LOVES meat.

Afterwards we headed back to downtown Songea and went to Mtini Pub for lunch. We enjoyed chipsi mayai which is something like a frittata with eggs, veggies, and potatoes. We ate our delicious lunch with our hands! Later on we walked through the crowded streets and main markets to see everything and buy souvenirs. There was everything from dried fish to beautiful fabrics. (Notice the sign - Soko Kuu La Songea Mjini - Main Market of Songea Town)

We walked to the edge of town to settle our cravings for sweets and were extremely satisfied when we found ice cream, so delicious!

Here we are at Songea night club. upstairs in the VIP balcony of course...

After walking through Songea town we went to the all boys secondary school for a tour and visit with Innocent Mosses, a former student of Ben’s.

It was a long, but eventful day and we returned to Hanga tired and ready for dinner! We relaxed and read, went to dinner, and hung around the hostel to end the day.

Today was very relaxing. After waking up early for church that lasted two hours, we enjoyed breakfast and time to ourselves. Some read, others ran, explored, and cooked, but some just napped. This afternoon we are hosting a disco dance party for the students of St. Laurents primary school in Hanga. It lasts three hours and should be a great time! We are also looking forward to the Jubilee on Tuesday which celebrates the fifty years of service from the Bishop in the Songea region of Tanzania. The former president is scheduled to make an appearance which will be amazing. Lots of preparations are being done in Hanga and it is started to look quite beautiful.

We are all excited for the food, party, and celebration.
We miss you all and love hearing from you!

An older pic from our bus...after a long day riding all you can do is smile...

L