The Mask

This is the trip that keeps on giving! Every day we talk about something that happened on the trip or something reminds us of the trip or we stand in the doorway wishing we were back on the trip…but yesterday the remember-the-trip-thing went to a whole new level!

Our Tanzanian safari leader, the awesome Brian Hesse, sent us a box we weren’t expecting. “What could it be….did we forget something on safari in May 2015…is my hair brush in there?”

This guy here…he makes magic. If you ever have a chance to go on safari with Brian…DO IT!

As a bit of a refresher, when we went to see the Great Migration with Cowabunga Safaris, Brian’s connections helped Aaron spend an entire day learning to carve with the Makonde tribe. It’s kind of a big deal because the Makonde are some serious carvers!!

Each sculpture is uniquely carved by the hands of a Makonde tribesman.

Here’s Aaron, with his teacher who goes by the nickname Cockroach.

All of us had such an amazing day. On the far left, our interpreter Michael.

To say this was a special experience is such an understatement.

Later that night Aaron gave a talk about it for the rest of our safari-mates. Everyone gathered around our little 7″ tablet to see the highlights of the day. So. Fun. (I’m not as angry as this photo makes me look.)

This was one of our very best experiences of the entire trip and when we’re showing off our souvenirs here at home, we almost always lead with, “This is the sculpture Aaron carved with the Makonde….oh, you don’t know about the world-famous Makonde tribe?, let us tell you….”

Now, back to the Mystery Box from Brian. We open it and immediately Brian has gotten our attention. Something inside is wrapped like this:

The top is a photo I took at the end of the carving lesson back in May 2015 and the bottom is a photo of Aaron’s teacher just this past May. The sign Cockroach is holding in his bandaged hands (no, we don’t know what happened, but we can guess) says hello to both of us using our Swahili names.

Look at Aaron’s face! We already know whatever’s inside it’s gonna be incredible. I grabbed the camera because sometimes you know you’re going to want to share the experience.

AND inside is this!

How awesome is that? Hand carved by none other than Aaron’s teacher, Cockroach.

Brian explains that in his last safari he made a point of stopping in to see the Makonde wood carvers and they instantly remembered him and Aaron. Cockroach insisted that Brian bring us back a gift that he had made with his own hands. We’re a little unclear about the specifics, but Brian said he wanted to send something much bigger and it was a challenge talking him down to something Brian could actually transport!

Minds. Blown! (POW!)

How blown? Roll the video:

Yep, totally unreal! Now our show-and-tell will start with, “Have you seen our latest Makonde carving?”

We’re planning a trip back to Tanzania in a couple of years and brainstorming the perfect gift to bring Cockroach. Perhaps band-aids.

Seriously, though, it’s going to be awfully hard to match his gorgeous, thoughtful piece… Any ideas???