Wednesday

The destination we reached today was Lake Tanganyika. As the girls changed into their swimsuits, Cristian and I made some sandwiches. I wanted to surprise the girls a little, so I made a traditional Tanzanian sandwich instead of our regular peanut butter and jelly. When the girls came out, Cristian and I persuaded them to eat, because Cristian knew that we would be very hungry out on the lake. When Nicole and Hannah took the first bites, their faces spread into smiles because the food was so good.

The lake was a crystal surrounded by citrine. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. The water was completely clear and the beaches were like gold. The sun shining on the water was blinding, but we got used to it after a while.

When we got into the boat we rented (from two men named Bubujika and Hadithi), we could see straight down to the bottom of the lake. Above that were fish swimming to and fro, back and forth, hither and thither, and whatever else you can think of. They were pretty fish too. Colors like sapphire, emerald, ruby, and all types of gems, swimming in this giant dyamond.

At some point, Nicole got scared and bumped into Hannah, sending them both over the edge. When they came up Cristian and I started cracking up, which I'm not too sure the girls liked very much, seeing as they were wearing frowns and got back into the boat without saying anything. They soon forgot about it though, and when Hannah asked what had scared Nicole so much, Nicole said that she had been bitten by a fish. When she showed us the bite, Hannah said that she was definitely over-reacting. The bite was only about an inch long, and not very deep.
It was getting pretty late we noticed, so we decided to watch the sunset from our little "vessel." When it came, it was amazing! It lit up the whole lake in beautiful colors, and since the lake was so clear, the colors were reflected perfectly. The coolest part though, was the green flash. Right as the sun sank under the horizon, there was a blinding flash of green.

Back at the hotel, all four of us had to pack so that we could get to the Maasai town we were going to tomorrow. It is really far away from our hotel, so we have to get up early in time to get there before dusk. That night, I dreamed about the green flash.