When I was in Moshi Tanzania I asked our guide to take us to the open air market. He was very hesitant and warned us, that tourist don't go there. He called his boss and told them that that is what we wanted to do. His boss then asked us, if that is what we really wanted. We went, and it was interesting. We got a lot of strange looks, yet the people were incredibly friendly. We ate some of the most incredible fruit grown in the region. We walked for hours, and talked to so many people. And everyone of them were smiling. After that we drove to Arusha. Along the way we stopped a different businesses. We found this family that was making furniture, my wife fell in love with this hand made bed frame. Unfortunately, we didn't have time to figure out how we could ship it back to Wa state. That is the Africa I love. The dirty, gritty, smelly, but most importantly. The happiness that those people have without having. Just good people.
This is why, when I went to Kenya, I insisted we drive everywhere instead of fly.... you can't learn a country from the air. I loved every one of those 1500kms
and your wife reminds me of our very good friend who still lives in Seattle - she's Chinese but grew up in Malaysia. She is our food-enabler and off-menu-orderer in all those Dim-Sum and other restaurants around Seattle...