These certificates will always testify to more than just climbing a mountain. They will remind us of a time when father and son shut out the rest of the world, focused on accomplishing something wonderful, and learning about ourselves and each other. For Nicolai, that limitations of the body can be overcome with a courageous heart and determination of steel. That his bravery could be translated into an act of charity that will forever positively change the lives of thousands of people less fortunate than he. For Carl, an opportunity for the second time in his life to watch a son taking the first steps into manhood. 

The party moves inside as we enjoy sharing stories and video of our adventure with our friends. 

When we land at Logan, we are surprised that my parents have come from New York to greet us. When we arrive at home, we are surprised that half the neighborhood is waiting in front of our house to celebrate with us.

The city is filled with unique architecture and appeals to Nico, who is starting to feel he may wish to be an architect one day. Alas, time is short, and we need to head back to the airport for another 8 hours in the air before we arrive in Boston.

One of five original windmills in the city.

The tour bus turns out to be a nice way to see the city within a short period of time.

Nicolai insists on scattering the pigeons as we walk from the train station to the departure location for a tour bus we have signed up for.

We both slept on the 9 hour flight from Tanzania to Amsterdam. Given our 8 hour layover, we decide to hop a train for the city center and spend 6 hours seeing the sights.

Here is a birds-eye photo on approach to Dar es Sallam airport.

At about 5pm we begin what will amount to 32 hours of continuous travel as we return to the US. Here we fly over a reef with the smallest beach island I have ever seen.

We finish our excursion with a tour of this boat building yard. It never ceases to amaze me what you can fashion from wood with only the simplest of tools.

We cross the street and discover the textile markets.

The market bussles with activity and is almost exclusively used by the locals. Most tourist remain by the port and the overpriced souvenier shops.

The array of colors and textures is intoxicating and I could have easily spent hours seeking out photographic subjects.

The butcher shops left me seriously considering conversion to a vegetarian diet.

Having grown weary wandering the maze of streets yesterday, we hire a taxi to take us to various destinations. Here we visit the city market.

Crime can be a problem in Stonetown and the police make their presence felt everywhere.

We start the morning with a very nice breakfast on the roof top.

Nico and I walked for hours in search of a shop that sold ice cream, something we had both developed a hankering for. We returned empty handed only to find it on sale in the atrium of our hotel which features an open air pool right in the center.

Although other forms of commerce now dominate, the heritage of a dependance on the sea remains in evidence.

We spend the afternoon strolling through the streets and along the shoreline.

The hotel features a 4th floor roof top restaurant with great views of the city.

We depart Matembwe for Stonetown where we will spend our last night at the Dhow Palace. All our accommodations on Zanzibar have featured mosquito netting over the beds. Malaria rates are very high on the island.

Nico spots this unusually colored lizard and sneeks up for a photo. It appears to be in the process of changing its coloring to blend in with the background.

I am not quite sure what these children are hunting for but every morning they can be seen wading through the shallow waters in search of something.

Our last sunrise at Matembwe. Although it is beautiful here, Nico and I are starting to feel ready to begin the journey home.

Once they figure out he’s got game, it is as if he is just another member of the community and play continues. Talk about the power of sports to bring people together. Several older boys and adults eventually come to watch as news of the one-legged white boy playing soccer spreads through the village. Nico has as much fun playing soccer with these kids as he has had doing anything else on our vacation.

Later in the afternoon, Nico and I leave the resort and walk into the nearby village. A group of about 30 boys are playing soccer and Nico decides he would like to join them. As he approaches the group they literally surround him staring at his missing leg and unusual crutches. Undaunted, he manages to communicate his desire to join them in the soccer game (more of a 5v5 tournament actually) and despite the fact that none of them speak English, he is out on the field in a matter of minutes.

Today is the first day we truly relax. After we each enjoy an hour long massage in the morning, Nico lounges by the pool while I sequester myself in the loft and spend the day reading Three Cups of Tea, the story of a failed K2 summit attempt which led to a life long mission to bring schools to the children of Pakistan and Afghanistan. Jeanine thought it would be a good read given our Kili adventure. I can highly recommend it.

Despite the day’s snorkeling activity, Nico and I were totally relaxed by the end of the day and enjoyed the waning light from our beach chairs.

Our bungalows were adjacent to an area on the beach were several wooden boats were undergoing repair using traditional methods.