Easter in Tanzania is a BIG deal. The official schools (so my school was open) are closed for two weeks over that holiday and pretty much EVERYTHING is closed on Good Friday and Easter Monday. So we were able to do a nice long 4 day safari to the Serengeti and the Ngoragora Crater.
We set out on Friday morning in 3 safari trucks. I was in a truck with just Megan, Melissa and Jonathan, so we had plenty of room. After a quick stop at the supermarket (it was so weird to see a modern grocery store - I think I will be in shock when I get back to the stages and see the incredible variety and abundance) in Arusha, we headed to our campsite. After dropping off all the supplies we went to visit a Masaii village.
What an incredible experience! A masaii village is called a bomba as the one we visited had 14 huts arranged in a circle. We were greeted in song with all the men on one side showing off their jumping skills - seriosly, we're talking like five feet in the air, NBA style - and the women and children to the right dancing in the traditional style which makes their big round beaded collars bounce against their chests. They invited each of us to join in, wear the collar and try it
out. There was one old Masaii lady who was really funny - she was asking what presents a brought her. We didn't know we were supposed to bring presents, but one girl had an extra pair of big cheap plastic sunglasses so we gave those to her and she was THRILLED! Then we got to check out their huts. I can't imagine a whole family living in one! The biggest couldn't possibly be more that 150 sqft! There were two beds that were little more than shelves from tell wall to the center of the room - one for the dad and the boys and one for the mother and
the girls. Then in the middle of the room was the fire for cooking - but the only ventilation was a tiny (4"x3") "window"! It was so smoky. Then in sort of a hallway by the door was where the cattle states at night. Everyone is in very close quarters! I couldnt imagine living like that.
After the hut tour we came out and bought some handmade Masaii jewelery and then I played Ring Around the Rosie with Jon, Melissa and the kids - which was a blast. Even living in those tiny huts made of dung, those kids knew how to laugh and play!
The next day we were off to the Serengeti! To get there we had to go through the Ngoragora Conservation Area and along one particularly rocky road. As luck would have it, a rock flipped up and put a hole in the radiator of one of the trucks! While they were trying to fix it (with some bizarre Tanzanian car fixing trick of an egg and some tea bags) I decided to reinact Highway Hotshots! I know Erin will be proud - if you didn't know, on our road trip from LA to Dallas we had something of a photoshoot on a deserted AZ highway. I think this shot is nearly as good!
Anyway, the patch didn't work, so we had to tow the truck behind our truck. Unfortnately, we didn't have proper towing equipment of course (TAB) so the rope/cable kept breaking and the 1 hour drive took 3.5 hours! By the time we got to our campsite we'd missed our evening game
drive, it was almost dark, it as about to start raining, and we were all tired and hungry. Total chaos. It was a miserable night - our tent was leaky and my mattressand sleeping bag was soaked through. I just about lost it and demanded to be taken to the lodge, but I survived
the night and Sunday was a much brighter day!
We spent the next morning exploring the Serengeti. We saw baboons with their tiny babies, zebra, hippos, giraffes, and buffalo. We witnessed the wildabeest migration which was pretty cool - thousands and thousands of these deer/buffalo/cow/gazelle like animals that make a cyclical journey every year through the Serengeti up to the Masai Mara and back. We saw all the babies that had just been born - so cute! The highlights of the Serengeti were definitely a HUGE lion that was RIGHT by the road - I mean, if I had leaned out of the truck I could have pet him - and getting to see and leopard hunt. Leopards are usually really difficult to spot, but we got super lucky and spotted one that was stalking a gazelle. We watched him for almost an hour, slooowly stalking the gazelle and making his way across the landscape. Then he DARTED out after the gazelle and we were all surprised (including the leopard) that there were actually two gazelles there. So he got confused and didn't catch either of them - it was super cool though.
Here are some of the pictures from both days of safari:
Anyway, after our morning game drive in the Serengeti we packed everything up and headed back to spend the night on the rim of the Ngoragora Crater. Once again we got to the campsite just before dark and it was a rush to get the tents up before dark and before the rain came. Luckily this time we all knew the drill and got things set up in record time - even luckier, Meg and I scored a non-leaky tent! So we had a warm and dry night even though it was POURING rain all night long. We had a spectacular dinner (starting with a carrot soup that I am still trying to get the recipe for because it changed my life - it was so good) and all hung out and had a few "Safari's" (local beers) and eventually turned the dining tent into a dance party - which is always a good time.
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