After our descent from the wonderful Kilimanjaro it was time for our safari!! I had never had never really heard much about safaris until meeting South Africans in Korea and meeting this older very well traveled British woman in Fiji. She mentioned that in all of her travels, her favorite experience was waking up in the Serengetti.. I did some googling when we got home from Fiji and had always wanted to visit since then.
Our jeep for the week
Our friend Jorge joined us for the rest of the trip. It was great fun to have him along. We were doing a budget safari and really had no idea what it would be like. Because we arrived to our safari pick up directly from Moshi town, we didn't have our briefing. We got in the car and there was a guy sitting up front listening to his own music and the driver. We drove around Arusha to pick up the next group. 3 girls who all met while working in Australia. One of them from Melbs/ Sydney, the other one from Norway, and the other Irish but raised in Canary Islands, Spain. I was really relieved to see the girls and get chatting with them because I had no idea who else might be with us.
After a quick stop in a grocery store and for petrol in Arusha we were off! With a huge line up on the road of other jeeps. The area was very flat and had a few brush bushes, lots of sand, and very few trees without leaves. It seemed hopeless that we would be spotting any wild life. Then we enter Tagagangarie National Park. Literally one minute after we pass through the gates we spot some beautiful birds. Not much later, impalas, and not long later our first giraffe. It was crazy to me how we could go from 10 km earlier not seeing any wildlife at all to seeing tons right next to the jeep.
We had our packed lunches inside the park. There were tons of birds and not long after we finished eating our lunches, some monkeys snuck up and stole the lunches of the group sitting next to us! Literally grabbed the entire box! Our guide was very quiet, he answered questions if we had them and told us the names of the animals but usually didn't offer up a lot more than that. We were so excited about each and every animal we saw. Edward would stop the jeep and we would take tons of pictures, though sometimes I think everyone was finished but no one wanted to ask if everyone was ready to go so we sat there... waiting for the jeep to go again. The highlight of day 1 was spotting a cheetah lounging under a tree. They are very rare and usually hard to be seen during the day. We also saw the usual suspects, giraffes, elephants, zebras, and tons more.
Our first nights accommodation we called "glamping" because we were expecting to sleep in tents every night. These were permanent canvas set up structures with a bed, toilet, and shower with hot water. Each group had their own. At our glamping accomm we met Armani, who later we would find out would accompany us the entire trip as our chef. After dinner some of the local villagers came out to put on a show for us. They did some dancing and gymnastics for us and sang us some songs. After that we all joined in and danced.
The bar at our glamping accommodation
Cliche safari pic :P
The whole trip I felt like we had no idea what was happening. Just one thing at a time. We were told a time to be at breakfast. After breakfast we thought there would be another jeep coming because there were tons of camping supplies, all of our belongings, and we would be bringing Armani with us... Turns out we would pack a huge pile of things on top of the jeep, and Armani would sit on the cooler and ride in between Joel and I in the back seat! :o Surprise!
We stopped on our way out of the glamping village to stock up on food. While the jeep was parked several people came over to sell us things. One guy continued to ask Joel if there was something he didn't want. I suggested Joel offer to trade him his shirt. He was wearing a shirt given to him from a running race. Of course Joel had some story about how Ronaldo might have the same shirt! Anyways after some negotiations (Joel is a seriously super negotiator), Joel traded his free running race shirt and 4 Euros for a Tanzania Jersey. After the trade the guy continued to ask for other things and then came over to me. He wanted anything, my shoes, my cheap pink target watch, my sunglasses. Then the kids come over and ask for money. We had some fruit to give them but once you started giving the kiddos didn't stop coming and it was really sad to run out and not have enough for everyone.
We were passing through Ngongoro Crater and stopped to enjoy the view at the top, and then onto Seregetti! We had another pack lunch when we arrived at Serengetti while Edward (driver/guide) completed all of the paperwork to enter the park. There were always things delaying us like the printer not working, or something at each of our stops. I think it was around 330pm when we finally got to pass inside of the gates and maybe 30 minutes of driving later we spotted some lions. There was a male lion with his mane so majestically blowing in the wind. Then a few moments later, a lioness came walking right next to my window in the jeep, just casually as if she does it everyday, and continued on wards. It was so magical but at the same time I was almost pooping myself because it seemed so scary, but the lioness was so nonchalant.
We made our way to the camp after stopping several more times along the way for animal sightings. It was just before sunset and we helped Edward and Armani unload everything and then set up our tents. The tents were huge and really nice quality. I am glad we had our own sleeping bags because it seemed like the ones from the company hadn't been washed in a long time! There were also bathrooms and showers in the Serengetti! They had huge water tanks and the next day we saw that the water would be delivered there daily with water trucks. :O
Zebras debating if they should go get a drink of water, who is the brave one?
Little do the brave ones know, two crocs are waiting just on the right
Hippo Pool
National Geographic sh## right there! Happy 30th Birthday to me
Beautiful Impalas
There were two cages at the campsite! One for the cooks and the other for us to eat in. We had a delicious but small dinner cooked by Armani. I don't think they quite got enough food to last for 7 people and the days that we were camping!
The next day was my big 30th birthday and honestly I don't think there is anywhere else in the world I would have rather spent it! To start off the morning, we saw a lioness, but Joel noted that it seemed that this one was pregnant. Well a few minutes later she brings out two of her little cubs from inside the bushes and moves them to a new location! The little cubs made the funniest noises! I can't even describe it but it was nothing like a roar! :P Edward thought they had to be only one week old or so. He said it was an extremely rare thing to see. And not only did we see them, but again they just came walking right next to the window of the jeep. It was AMAZING. This part of the safari could never be topped. I loved watching the wart hogs, they are just such silly creatures! When they are lazy they get down on their knees and dig around for the roots that they eat for food. Some of them have mullets and they are just the funniest thing when they run. We also saw some giraffes running! It was one of the coolest things I have ever seen. I also was sooo in love with their little antennae things! We visited the hippo pool where we were allowed to get out of the jeep and they are so lazy just in the water, swinging their tails and water. We were watching closely to see their poop shows but never saw one. They turn pink as a natural sunscreen and make the funniest noises.
Wildebeests
We had lunch back at camp, and an afternoon nap. Then it was back to the roads for our evening game drive. That evening at dinner, my group was singing Happy Birthday to Me over cookies and popcorn pre dinner snack when the whole room of campers joined in. After our song and Australian style 3 cheers ( I MISS THAT! haha) then the a group next to us was very prepared and had brought some champagne that they shared only with me, in my little mug! :P
After a day in Serengetti it was time to head out and back to camp above Ngorogongo crater. There are some Massai people living outside the crater and some animals that can be spotted on the sides of the roads. When we stopped a few times to take pictures, suddenly children and their mothers were standing next to the jeep posing then asking for money after. I love that instead of giving something Joel gave fist pumps out. They may not have liked it as much as we did.
Massai Boy near Ngorogoro Crater
Camping with Zebras
The elephants showed up too!
When we arrived at the campsite there were zebras just cruising around eating the grass just like 20 meters from where we would set up our tents. The view in front and to the bottom of the crater with a HUGE tree in the middle of the campsite was incredible. Once again, I had to pinch myself and take in the beauty of the African sunsets.
Zebra Crossing
There were again more cages for us to eat in. Our guide finally opened up and chatted to us more. He told us about a few weeks ago inside the crater, some lions were trying to hunt one of the baby rhinos. So a group of guides had to get together to scare away the lions and were kind of driving in patterns to try and scare them off. He had a passenger take a video and it was pretty crazy to watch. Anyways shortly after Joel and I got to bed, we heard again some strange noises. Joel thought there were bulls outside, but we were just glad to have ran from the cage into our tents! We heard the girls screaming later as they ran to their tents. They weren't sure what creature was there during the night. The chefs sleep inside the cages, and the next morning we heard them talking about a simba. Apparently some lions had come for a visit in the night! The next day, we packed up camp and spent the day in the crater. The lake inside the crater was so picturesque. We spotted a rhino, though it was very far away. We couldn't snap any pics but through our 10 euro binoculars we could see it. Edward said there are only 2 rhinos in this area left and 15 of the species left. They supposedly have their own security guards for each one, 24/7.
The rest of the group would be leaving after the game drive in the crater, and Jorge, Joel, and I had one more day in Lake Mayanara. The girls had told us they heard from friends that this park was like a dead land and dreary and not to visit. So we were confused because they said we weren't visiting, then we figured out they had booked one less night than us. They felt terribly sorry for saying that not knowing we had an extra night. Though it was a bit true. There were some animals, but mostly it was more of the same things we had seen. We had some fun watching these blue bottom monkeys hopping around, one peeing on itself, and a few elephants. Otherwise there were some birds.
Sales ladies swarming to sell their bananas.
Throughout the safari, we were driving usually with the jeep top open so all of us could easily see the animals and take amazing pictures, and have a breeze. Though for 3 full days driving around on dirt roads with no recent rain, we were so full of dust. Joel and I would use wet wipes on our face and they were covered in dirt!
Yellow and Red Bananas
On the way back, we tried a red banana, which tasted a little sweeter than a yellow banana to me. Then when we arrived back in Arusha, they took us to their office and insisted that before we leave we write a review of the company on tripadvisor... The guys did it but I said I was sorry I promise to do it later, but I am not doing it now! She wans't happy at all about that! We checked into our rooms at the Rich Hotel and then set off to explore Arusha.
While I adored almost every minute of the safari, there were a few moments where we said, wait a minute, this isn't right. One time we were next to a huge pride or maybe two prides of lions. If I remember correctly, there were around 20 of them in varying ages, sizes, and genders. However, we think that every single jeep in that part of the Serengeti was also along to check it out. There were maybe 40 jeeps? It was low season, so can you imagine during high season? Not to mention, the noise and disruption of the lions natural hunting environment when loud, diesel jeeps not always in the best condition are starting and stopping, following the lions every minute. How could they possibly go for a buffalo when there was this huge commotion? Also the fact that they are so tranquil and so used to being around the jeeps was a bit saddening. One German lady camping at the campground mentioned that they must be so accustomed to it so what is the difference? Joel and I disagreed. Even if they are accustomed to it, it doesn't make it right. But who were we to say, we had just partaken and been apart of the problem as well.
Arusha was hmmm what to say... a very very uninteresting city for a tourist. Our hotel was near this huge never ending market, selling everything from fruits and veggies, ripped DVDs, stationary, fabrics, etc. You name it. We were looking everywhere for a restaurant. There were a few we saw on google and tried to find but had no success. In the end, we were guided to what seemed to be the only tourist restaurant in the city. Khan's Grill. It was Indian food and all the others eating there were foreigners. It was good food but I hate the feeling of being roped into a place like that, but we made a valiant effort but couldn't find anything else!
The next morning we just slept in as we felt like we had already explored everything there was to see, and got our taxi to the airport. The road to the airport was like 1 km on a dirt road and the cutest little airport. We checked in and had arrived way too early. The airport was open air and Joel loved checking out the tiny planes. Men were the luggage carriers, carrying each piece by hand the their respective planes!
In the blink of an eye, it's already July. Again, it is such a strange feeling because it feels like Christmas should be any day now with the backwards seasons, days are super short, the cold, snow in the higher areas of Victoria. No better way to confuse the girl who hasn't been home for Holidays in ages and been skipping out on winters for a few years now. For a sun worshipping, desert dwelling lover, the Melbourne winter has been less than desirable. It's no Korean winter, however the rain, the cold, the wind, and super early darkness have me missing anything about warmth and summer. Which is why I am literally counting down the days until I leave for Hawaii.. 16 more days! My family is blessed to have the opportunity to celebrate Cody's graduation from law school from the University of Arizona in May. He has already landed a full time job and will take the bar exam after our trip in Hawaii. Meeting the family in Hawaii will work out perfectly as it's as half...
Ok onto the fun stuff! The travels of the year! My mom came to visit for 5 weeks from the end of March until May. It was really nice to have her here to keep us company, do some gardening work, and we went on a little trip as well during her time here. In Portugal we went to Coimbra together for the day, Soito to enjoy the Senora da Granja festival, and Obidos. My mom also visited Lisbon on her own. In between her visits in Portugal we headed to Toulouse where we visited our great friends who are French but raised their girls, similar in age to myself in the Phoenix! One of their daughters lives in NY and Melissa was currently staying with her parents but kind of floating around working in sustainable fashion design. She was working on a project while we were there creating a dress from plastic bottles! I loved seeing some of her photos of her work! Anyways, They moved back to France after Melissa graduated High School in AZ early. It was so much fun to catch ...
The rest of my time in Costa Rica was awesome and a little dried than before, thank goodness! And to update you... I didn't have any problems with my ATM cards, turns out it was all of the three machines in Monteverde which apparently don't accept mastercard even though the banks say they do! Crisis averted :) I spent my birthday on a bus and a boat gtting to Montezuma. Montezuma was soo cute, and small. The atomsphere was fabulous. I headed to the beach as soon as I arrived and met some French Canadians who were throwing a frisbee. We went out to dinner and they treated me to my bday dinner. After, I hung out with an Aussie I met in my hostel and the bar made sure to play their cheesy "feliz cumpleanos" song and some free shots of Casique.. the Costa Rican sugar cane rum.. Which is quite rough, kind of like rubbing alcohol. The days after that I enjoyed a waterfall hike with Adam, the Aussie, days on the beach, and a snorkeling tour. After Montezuma, I headed...
After a quick stop in a grocery store and for petrol in Arusha we were off! With a huge line up on the road of other jeeps. The area was very flat and had a few brush bushes, lots of sand, and very few trees without leaves. It seemed hopeless that we would be spotting any wild life. Then we enter Tagagangarie National Park. Literally one minute after we pass through the gates we spot some beautiful birds. Not much later, impalas, and not long later our first giraffe. It was crazy to me how we could go from 10 km earlier not seeing any wildlife at all to seeing tons right next to the jeep.
The next day was my big 30th birthday and honestly I don't think there is anywhere else in the world I would have rather spent it! To start off the morning, we saw a lioness, but Joel noted that it seemed that this one was pregnant. Well a few minutes later she brings out two of her little cubs from inside the bushes and moves them to a new location! The little cubs made the funniest noises! I can't even describe it but it was nothing like a roar! :P Edward thought they had to be only one week old or so. He said it was an extremely rare thing to see. And not only did we see them, but again they just came walking right next to the window of the jeep. It was AMAZING. This part of the safari could never be topped. I loved watching the wart hogs, they are just such silly creatures! When they are lazy they get down on their knees and dig around for the roots that they eat for food. Some of them have mullets and they are just the funniest thing when they run. We also saw some giraffes running! It was one of the coolest things I have ever seen. I also was sooo in love with their little antennae things! We visited the hippo pool where we were allowed to get out of the jeep and they are so lazy just in the water, swinging their tails and water. We were watching closely to see their poop shows but never saw one. They turn pink as a natural sunscreen and make the funniest noises.
After a day in Serengetti it was time to head out and back to camp above Ngorogongo crater. There are some Massai people living outside the crater and some animals that can be spotted on the sides of the roads. When we stopped a few times to take pictures, suddenly children and their mothers were standing next to the jeep posing then asking for money after. I love that instead of giving something Joel gave fist pumps out. They may not have liked it as much as we did.
The next day was my big 30th birthday and honestly I don't think there is anywhere else in the world I would have rather spent it! To start off the morning, we saw a lioness, but Joel noted that it seemed that this one was pregnant. Well a few minutes later she brings out two of her little cubs from inside the bushes and moves them to a new location! The little cubs made the funniest noises! I can't even describe it but it was nothing like a roar! :P Edward thought they had to be only one week old or so. He said it was an extremely rare thing to see. And not only did we see them, but again they just came walking right next to the window of the jeep. It was AMAZING. This part of the safari could never be topped. I loved watching the wart hogs, they are just such silly creatures! When they are lazy they get down on their knees and dig around for the roots that they eat for food. Some of them have mullets and they are just the funniest thing when they run. We also saw some giraffes running! It was one of the coolest things I have ever seen. I also was sooo in love with their little antennae things! We visited the hippo pool where we were allowed to get out of the jeep and they are so lazy just in the water, swinging their tails and water. We were watching closely to see their poop shows but never saw one. They turn pink as a natural sunscreen and make the funniest noises.
Comments
Post a Comment