Idyllic ILBORU LODGE

 

This Blogging Challenge is far from over, but we’ve come to the letter I… and I have no choice but to talk about the idyllic resort we were taken to when the safari itself  was over and we had returned to Arusha in preparation for our flight home. The Ilboru Lodge seemed like an absolute oasis after days of safari camping. Beautiful to the eyes, with lush green vegetation everywhere, beautiful flowers at every turn, the rooms were spread out in little huts around the grounds, linked together by pathways that curved around a beautiful swimming pool and ultimately led to the main lodge building itself. There the meals were served, either in the beautiful restaurant with the best of service, or out on the patio with a view of the pool and the beauty of the outdoors. The rooms were beautifully appointed, complete with canopy beds draped in light fabric that was pulled back and tied to the corners of the bedposts, other  luxurious furnishings and a clean and welcoming bathroom whose greatest feature was an abundance of hot water! Warm showers at last! We washed off the safari dust, changed out of our khakis and began to unwind and relax.

I shared a room with Elizabeth, my daughter-in-law’s sister, and despite the difference in our ages, we bonded in that overnight stay in a way I think neither of us expected. With the shared experience of the safari behind us, we talked endlessly about our lives back home… to the point that we would forget about the time and the appointments we’d made to meet the others and were constantly scrambling to get ready on the fly. One of my favorite memories of the trip was seeing the relationship between Alex and this sister of hers, one night when she and Kevin stopped in to chat for a few minutes before we all went to bed. In true sister fashion the two girls got to laughing about something, and soon were howling, bent over till they couldn’t breathe, tears flowing… the whole water works. I was laughing like an idiot, too, even on the outside of the joke, just watching them. Pure joy.

Elizabeth and the girls’ parents left for home the next morning; because of some scheduling problems when we made our flights, Kevin, Alex and I ended up staying at the lodge for two extra days, at the complete expense of the safari company! I did feel a bit like a third wheel, as this safari lodge was the perfect honeymoon spot for the newly married couple… but they never made me feel that way and I tried to give them plenty of space in these last days before we headed home. Our rooms and meals were all covered; we were left with nothing to worry about but enjoying ourselves… and we made the most of it, by lounging around the pool or exploring the city and the sightseeing opportunities in the area. It was simply the perfect end to a perfect trip, like the bow set on top of a beautifully wrapped gift.

 

 “The burning sand shall become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs of water; in the haunt of jackals, where they lie down, the grass shall become reeds and rushes.”

(Isaiah 35:7 ESV)