Highland Christmas

We went back with Justin and Daniela to the Highlands for Christmas.
Yes we are still only 2 degrees above the equator.
Yes that is a real fire you see behind us.
Yes it was necessary to burn because we were really cold.

We took the "mountain road" up to the highlands this time in order to take advantage of some of the tribal handicrafts sold along the mountain road. The back road can make your stomach queasy, but the views are spectacular.

Here is Anthony's handmade blowgun bought along the mountain road.And here is the blowgun in action. There was a big spider... so why use a shoe when you have a blowgun?



The highlands are known for delicious strawberries, tea, and other produce. This photo is for our friends out there who have ever eaten mangosteen (or the local word here, "mangis"). Mangosteen tastes like fruit punch...it's amazing. The normal sized fruits are the size of an average tomato. So, when we saw these at a stall we had to check them out...
Turns out these are "African Sea Coconuts" NOT ginormous mangosteen like we thought.
"Rugi besar-lah!"
Here are some of the strawberry goodies we ate while there...

And... no tourist destination would be complete without exciting attractions like...
The "Time Tunnel" was basically a long couple of rooms with a bunch of old stuff in them. Some of it was interesting and unlike the US, you could touch just about everything.
This is kinda what the guy looks like that made Anthony's blowgun.
One of the coolest tricycles we've ever seen.
The end of the time tunnel... not sure why there is a random signpost thingy with major cities on it, but we think it added a nice touch to the strawberries grown outside. I mean really, who wouldn't want to know the way to Toronto while they're picking strawberries?
For Christmas Dinner Justin and Daniela made their famous Eggplant Parmesan... it wasn't a "normal" Christmas dinner, but none of us minded a bit... it was SO delicious!
We missed all our family back home in the states and wished we could've been there with everyone. We were blessed though to be with good friends and have a memorable Christmas! We hope yours was a good one too!