June 5
Flight from Amsterdam to Arusha
Visit to Shanga River House Coop

	Had uneventful but long flights from Dulles to Amsterdam to Arusha.  Arrived about 10 pm. Got checked into the Olasiti Lodge. This view is from the pool, across the patio and into the lobby.
The lobby and reception area of the Olasiti Lodge.
	Rooms were motel style on units of four spread though nice landscaped gardens.
Rooms were good with private bath and shower.
	Our first expedition on the trip was made using a small mini bus.
In 2007 Saskia Rechsteiner made some necklaces for a Christmas Fair in Arusha, and now Shanga employs 30 disabled Tanzanian people, has the River House Restaurant and the Shanga Shop ? all located one of Tanzania?s oldest and prettiest coffee estates.
	All income from the Shanga workshop, restaurant and shop sales goes towards employing more disabled people ? the waiting list for jobs is endless. At Shanga they learn together ? how to make unique, fabulous and high quality products from recycled materials in a positive environment that respects people of all kinds. Peggi spent some time in the jewelry shop.
The River House is a fashionable Restaurant featuring traditional African dishes. Henry engages the chef in a discussion of the menu while Mike and Diane study the dishes.
	Meals on the trip were very good at all the places we ate.  Meals in general are rice, beans, and pastas, with a smaller quantity of meat than Americans use.  Also lots of salads.
Shanga is also a coffee plantation so after lunch we had a tour of the coffee fields and factory.
	Woman work the drying beds.  Daily wage is 6,000 Tanzanian shillings which is about $4 but I never got a good sense of the purchasing power of the money.
Just a typical street scene on the way back to the lodge.  Our guide Angelbert, said the unemployment rate was 40%.  Given the number of men standing on street corners and just sitting along the road I can believe that figure.
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