This Saturday our family went on an overnight trip. We left in a hired car with a Guinean driver. The car was made for four passengers, but all six of us crammed in. The ride was long, hot, and cramped, but it was worth it! We arrived at a hotel next to a river.
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| Our two-room hotel hut |
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| The inside of one of the rooms |
After we had eaten our packed lunch, we put mosqito nets up over the beds. The first one was not too difficult, but the second net was missing the part which allowed it to hook into the ceiling. My parents and I put our heads together to solve this problem. First, I thought of using the cord from my camera that goes around my wrist. My mom tried to thread it under a peice of wood on the ceiling, but it was too thick. Then, my dad pulled a nail out of the wall, but decided we could not hang the net with it unless we bent it, and we did not want to destroy the hotel's property. Finally, my dad noticed that one of the other mosquito nets had an extra peice of hanging wire. My mom cut it off and used it to precariously hang the net.
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| My mom threading the wire onto the ceiling |
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| My mom spreading out the sucessfuly hung net |
Once our rooms were ready, we spent time by the river. My brothers threw rocks and climbed trees while I helped Xavier get accross the river without getting wet, took pictures, and enjoyed the scenery. I got some pictures of interesting flora and fauna I saw there.
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| The river by the hotel |
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| The men of the family on a rock near the river |
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| Malachi in a tree |
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| Xavier playing with a stick |
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| Eli with a praying mantis on his head |
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| A beautiful butterfly I found |
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| A cool red dragonfly |
Later that day, we collected sticks to use for smores later. We whittled them to points. Malachi was especially excited about this, since my dad told him he was old enough to learn how to use a pocket knife. I was happy that I had a chance to use my new leatherman.
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| Malachi whittling a stick |
After a dinner of chicken and fries, my family and I lit a fire. I read my book by the firelight while my brothers played with flaming sticks. When the fire had burned down enough, we roasted marshmallows and ate smores. We loved doing this, since we are not allowed any type of fire, even candles, on the ship.
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| Eli and Malachi poking sticks in the fire |
We stayed the night in our hut, enduring the heat and avoiding the frog that lived in one of the toilets, and woke up the next mornig to pack. We ate omlettes made only with egg and peices of bread for breakfast. There was also coffee and tea, as well as some packet mix for apple cider that my mom had brought. Suprisingly, our driver arrived on time, with an even smaller car than before. We squeezed in, glad that we would soon be in our air-conditioned cabin.
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| Our family |
We had a really good time on our trip, spending time as a family, experiencing the outdoors, and making a fire. I wish we could live near a river and spend time outside all the time, but I am also reminded anew of how thankful I am for air conditioning and showers!
