It’s not everyday you get to watch the sunrise over an African game park! Had a decent night sleep besides the snoring and stifling heat. We drove about 90 minutes over the bumpiest roads I’ve ever experienced. Our guide took us to some hot springs in the middle of nowhere. It was the most translucent water I’ve ever seen. The only thing that compares is some of the Caribbean waters I’ve seen. I’m guessing the water was about 115 degrees. It’s heated by volcanic activity. One of our team members actually fainted from the heat. Fortunately, another teammate caught his head before he fell into the water! After he fainted several of us realized we were about to lose it. Pretty crazy. It was hotter than any hottub I’ve ever been in. And there wasn’t a sign saying that “Anyone with a medical condition should consult a doctor” or “Do not exceed fifteen minutes” in the hot springs. I’ve never felt so faint.

Then we went to visit a tribal village. It was right out of the pages of National Geographic. There were lots of naked children and half-naked women. What’s funny is that the only English word they seemed to know was “quarter.” The little kids were absolutely entralled by the “white legs” of one of the girls on our team. Pretty funny. We were marveling at them and they were marveling at us! This particular tribe, the Afar, are nomads that travel with their animals so they are always moving their villages. It’s amazing to see people like this who are living just like they have for countless generations. Unfortunately it got a little out of hand with bartering for how much we’d pay for pictures so we didn’t get any photos or video.