The Safari 4 installment

It’s safari time.

Friday Susan Emily( the volunteers with me at the orphanage with me) and I head out for Safari. If you have been to the pics site you have seen the still and video pics of the safari. (YES I know they are unedited. Some are blurry… The videos are low quality. But in my defense both cameras cost under $100 each. Plus I never said I was a good photographer. So enjoy them for what they are worth …CRITICS Gezz!!! If you really think you can do better put up chief. LOL!!). We are going to Lake Manyara for a day and a half, the Ngorogoro Crater for one day then back to Arusha to Arusha national park for a walking safari for 1 day.

So Prince/Paradise, our local agent, picks us up with James our driver/guide for the trip. He is from southern Tanzania but lives here in Arusha.

We then meet up with Shireen a pharmacist from Denver. She quite well traveled, grew up traveling with her father a professor at U of Missouri. She is volunteering thru ITN(or something like that) I think it is a related company of Global Crossroads. She is at a different orphanage then we are at. Congrats to her on her impending wedding in Oct. we are also jealous of her Fuji honeymoon.

The next participant in our group in Ian an expiate- Brit leaving South Africa after 22 years for a job in France. So how is he going. OVERLAND !!!! (Damn this man is one us a Thrillseeker) Trains/Buses and cars. He has to get to France by Nov. So he has time. He’s shipped his stuff and is making his way. Now that is a once in a lifetime trip. He’s a trekker so he has done Killi and Mt Meru in addition to many other places. So of course I pump him for info as my Killi climb is concerning to me. So he gives me some good info.

Then we pick up the most important member of the party. Silvano our 4’ 11” cook from Kilimanjaro.

One thing that is really annoying this that no one take credit card in Arusha. Not even the airlines and restaurants. Plus you have to tip all guides/porters and cooks. Anywho we all have to go to the ATM for get T Shillings to finish paying for the safari and tip money. then we take off for Lake Manyara. It’s a two hour ride. Finally a pleasant surprise, we were told to pack for tents (sleeping bags/pads and nets) we pull into the guest house and unload our stuff there. Nice hotel room very comfy and a well stocked hotel bar no sleeping bag needed. Decent bathroom. Life is looking up. This when I found out that Susan and Emily had no hot water at there place at the hospital. So I offer the use of ours when we get back to Nakaranga. But my sleeping bag, in my dump single bed was getting old. So this was nice. We have lunch, all rabbit food but ok… Ian and I washing it down with some Safaris(beer) the last 3 the bar had.

Then off to Lake Manyara, It was awesome. Please look at the pics and video. I can not .. no will not even attempt to describe the sights. I mean 5 mins out of town we have to wait for a clan of Baboons to finish playing in the road. We went in the afternoon which usually is a low activity time. Morning and evening are usually the times of greatest activity. But we got lucky. First we caught a some hippos out of the water. They were in the lake with the flamingos and other birds. Driving in we kept coming across this lone wildebeest. Usually they are with a herd. So we joked that either he was waiting on is girl.” like come on Mabel everyone has gone” Or he was newly divorced and she got to keep the herd. So he was hanging with the impala for a while. Then the highlight of the day… A lion came sauntering around ,then primped for the cameras as it selected it’s tree to sleep under. Then we drive on an saw,, monkeys, birds, various bucks, impala, then elephants and giraffes. It was wonderful. We leave the park at 6pm and head back for dinner.

It was a great day and dinner was good. The power is out but that is par for the course. Everyone goes to bed. Silvano and I venture into town at about 9:30. Hit a local bar for a while Serengeti beer this time. Play some pool. Again people are very interested in US politics and Obama. I played pool with one of the ecologists at Lake Manyara, Daniel. Then went down the road to another spot that have a live band up from Dar. They were great. So far the music in Africa has been excellent. It’s interesting that aside from the language one would have thought this was straight from Cuba. But they perform well. Multiple singers and groups come on and off stage. There are dancers, it’s a nice show. Some of the music has a very salsa and calypso feel. So I’m vibeing with the music. I want to dance but seems folks don’t really dance up here. Everyone just sat there. It was a little weird cause Silvano and his boys are trying to sell me Shesha and women while the local police chief comes over to say hello with his wife. We spoke at length and split a beer or two. Of course my friends moved on briefly. Then the chief and his wife move on. My friends come back. But I’m not buying anything. After the set, it’s back to the hotel by 1am.

We are up are 5:45 for a 6:30 departure for Lake Manyara. We arrive at the park by 8:15am Again words can not describe the scenery… look at the pics. The only down side is that we lived in this truck all day. But we were just in the middle of all the animals. We just could not believe it. We also got to the hot springs at Lake Manyara. It was a great day. There is a lunch area in the lake so you can have a picnic lunch. It was cool to see not only the other tourists but also the school kids there on school trips. We sat outside of the truck(what a relief). Then are 4:30pm out of the park, we stopped at a Curio but did not buy anything, well Ian and I had a Safari. Then back to hotel.

The ladies and I went shopping in the village market. This was an interesting scene as folks just figured that this was just one family. Susan was all over our mothers. Shireen is of East Indian decent. It was funny when someone walked up to me and said your mother is looking for you. I was like oh shit how did she get here!!! But the Tanzanians love to bargain so it is part of the game. Shireen is tough and Susan channel her NY Jew as she said. But they both did very well. Emily looked shocked just as I use to with my dad when he went bargain shopping. But he needs to be here to handle the negotiations. But deals are made and all goes well. That was 2 -3 hrs. It’s now 7pm we head back to hotel. Silvano has dinner ready by 8:30 so we eat . Susan and I have a lively conversation on politics and world view and philosophy. I think we scared the others. But it was all good debate. Bed but 11pm. BTW the power is still out. I sack out immediately it’s been along day.

Up at 5am for the morning bracer ( cold shower) Still no power !!! LOL. It’s Shrinkage !!! By 6;30 we are off to the Ngorogoro Crater reserve. This is the crater that serves as a national wild life sanctuary. Part of the park is where Lucy the oldest human was found. The drive is bananas. You drive up one side of the crater into the clouds. James drives like an NY Cabbie on crack. I love it. Only at real 4x4 can get in and out of here. Doug you and Ronnie need to be here with Tanka or better yet a real hummer. But as wild as going up is……Descending the crater is an adventure in and of itself. James is driving like “ Move Bitch get out the way …get out the way …get out the way” It’s all steep switchbacks in the dirt. But less time descending means more time in the crater. We come out of the clouds and then into the crater. All the trucks follow the marked path. This is even of spectacular then Lake Manyara. Plus James is blessed with Eagle eyes. It was him that spotted a pair of cheetah’s moving in the distance. Too far for pics but we got them in the field glasses. It was cool to see all the animal all together. Herds of Impalas, Wildebeest, water buffalo Hyena, Zebra, Hippos, wild boar, all kinds of bucks. Jackals, Giraffes and birds of all types. We even caught a interspecies conference between a wildebeest and 2 zebra. They were just standing there staring at each other. It was funny. Ngorogoro also has a lunch area by a soda lake. So we can get out of the truck. James forgot to tell us to eat in the truck. I did anyway. But the ladies did not and a bird swooped down and stole part of Shireen's lunch. Luckily Rescue Sean was there with his trusty first aid kit---LOL. It’s all good. We spent 1.5 hrs there. Then back in the truck .. More animals … see how quickly one gets spoiled and blasé about these things. Yeah yeah another lion. Oh how cute an elephant. Whatever –LOL. Anyone driving out of the park is also an adventure. If (no when) I come back I’m driving up and down the crater. Test my skills. Doug/Ro you with me.

We pick up Silvano and our gear and head back to Arusha. We meet Prince/Paradise in town, drop off Ian then head to our next guest house. A really cool Canadian couple Garry Mathew Elvik and his wife Grace. They operate Trans-Can Safaris and Cultural Tours as well as a bed and breakfast. They have relocated to Tanzania permanently. They are great ambassadors for the west about Tanzania. Garry served 20 or 30 years in Canadian army and worked in Kelonia VC airport when Grace also worked as a manager. They have 2 adult kids back in Canada but have pulled up stakes to live in Tanzania. They have a great house and are very warm and welcoming. Check there website at www.transcansafaris.com Garry also climbed Killi 2x. Once in 18hrs he said. Cool I pump him for info. I gives me some sound advice. We have a great dinner and then everyone enjoys a warm shower. Drink and bed. Grace introduces me to Konyagi. A Tanzania gin-type liquor.

Up in the morning. Good breakfast. Then off to Arusha national park for a walking safari. It was nice to be able to actual walk amongst the animals. Please see the pics. It was very cool. You do have to hire a ranger to walk with u. Ours was so short I think his gun was bigger then he was. He is there because Water Buffalo can sometimes get aggressive. Interestly John Wayne made a movie in the 60’s here. The name escapes me now. But the bar that it was centered around is still here. So one can have a drink with the Duke.. Anyway. We walk for 2 or 3 hrs. very nice. No issues. Then back to the truck. We do a little more truck safari. Then back to Nakaranga hospital.

It’s been a hell of a time.


Next installment is coming.

Peace Sean