August 10
Another relaxing day. We returned to the beach we visited yesterday and hung out for several hours at an outpost of a local hotel where we were treated to towels, lounge chairs, palapas, food and drinks. It was like being in Puerto Vallarta again. Before we arrived there, we took a detour to a large coral cave over 3 km in length. The guide who appeared there, a local entrepreneur, informed us that after slavery was abolished later in the 19th century, slave traders went underground, literally, and secretly kept their human merchandise in the cave. Melinda found out after the tour was over that pythons inhabit it. If she’d known beforehand, she perhaps would have skipped this excursion. Upon our return from the beach, we went back to our favorite curio shop and bought a 2 centuries-old (give or take a few decades) African bronze sculpture. Just what the house needs. We had dinner at a very good Italian restaurant and crashed early.
August 11
Sadly, this is our last full day. In keeping with yesterday’s spring vacation theme, we went a little north of the city to a hotel where we could use the pool, spa, and restaurants. After lounging poolside and swimming, we ate a delicious lunch, then headed for the spa. Mel and Spencer had hot oil hair treatments, Mel had a henna pattern applied to her hand, Lily had a full body massage, and Peter underwent a leg/foot massage. As we exited, we felt relaxed and refreshed. After watching a mindless but amusing DVD back at our room, we went to dinner at a new Italian restaurant that required them sending a man to guide us through the alleys, most of which are only wide enough for foot, cycle, and push-cart traffic, twisting and turning to take us there and bring us home. Otherwise, we would never have found it.
August 12
I write this in the morning as the rest of the family sleeps. At 3 a.m. we were awakened by a major disturbance in the streets below our windows. An obviously very angry mob was moving back and forth shouting and arguing and we heard what could have been slaps and punches. The ruckus lasted for at least 45 minutes and was quite unsettling. Then, just a couple of hours later, the mullahs calling the faithful to prayer at the beginning of Ramadan, started to blare from loudspeakers all over Stone Town. The cacophony lasted another 45 minutes. Now, at 7:30, all is peaceful except for the pouring rain, the first of the entire trip. I hope it is not the beginning a typhoon of which I have been unaware. We depart at 6 p.m. for what will be a very long trip back to Bainbridge with 3 separate flights and one long layover. We plan to get in a little last-minute shopping for souvenirs and gifts.
Undoubtedly, this has been the most unusual and active vacation we’ve ever taken. It has left us with many vivid images and memories and we have had experiences unlike any previously. We will miss Africa and hope to return some day. Perhaps on the next trip we can spend more time providing service as there are great needs here. Despite the incredible hardship and poverty most Africans endure, they are mostly friendly, good-natured, optimistic, industrious, and easy going. We can’t recall any unpleasant encounters and some have gone far to help us.
Here are a few observations about East Africa:
There are almost no fat Africans.
Very few Africans smoke.
The pecking order on the roads is cars first, then motorbikes, then bicycles, and lastly pedestrians.
Many Africans refer to the US as “Obamaland” which is proclaimed with a big smile.
Tanzanians actually say “Hakuna matata” (the title of the song from The Lion King) which means, “No worries”, and they mean it.
Swahili sounds beautiful.
Some Africans like to use nicknames taken from the pages of Marvel Comics, like Spiderman.
They are not self-conscious.
The sides of the roads, including the actual pavement (or more likely, the dirt), are where much of life is lived.
School uniforms are ubiquitous and each school or town has its own color scheme.
It is not unusual for children to walk 3 hours each way to and from school.
Flush toilets are rare except where the tourists are to be found. The usual fixture is a hole in the ground.
There are almost no processed or fast foods. Vegetables are all organic and meat is hormone-free and free range, by necessity.
The median age in this part of Africa is 15. That fact is very obvious. There are very few old people.
Africans are communally oriented rather than individualistic.
As I end this blog, It is 8:40. The owner of the hotel informed me that the commotion in the streets last night was a mob confronting, and perhaps meting out justice to, 2 men who broke into a copy shop. Apparently, the police usually don’t show up for this sort of thing.
Our lives have been greatly enriched by this experience. For those of you who have read this blog, thank you. We hope you have enjoyed it.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Monday, August 9, 2010
Zanzibar
August 7
We packed up early in the morning and drove 2 hours to the Arusha airport. Before leaving Tarangire Park, we stopped to view our last elephants and took some group photos. At the airport, we said goodbye to our wonderful guides, Moses and Pascal, and our drivers, Prosper and M’Taki, to whom we had become very attached. They provided us with excellent service and much information about Africa and its animals, and helped us overcome a few problems. We flew to Zanzibar in a plane that contained not one African and the flight crew sounded French over the PA system. We were picked up at the airport and brought to the Zanzibar Palace Hotel, a stately old building with Arab influences, owned and managed by a Dutch couple. It is located in Stone Town, a place that dates to the early 19th century and was controlled by Arab sultans for many years. It was also a hub for the slave and spice trades. After our arrival, we dined at a Middle Eastern restaurant where we sat on the floor, barefoot, while we listened to a 4-piece band that played the local taraab music and covers of Bolero and Pachabel’s Canon. This was a great dining experience that featured spicy foods, unlike the previous tasty, though blander, Ugandan and Tanzanian ones.
August 8
This was a relatively quiet day spent going to the Zanzibar historical Museum, shopping, and exploring the labyrinthine streets (literally) of Stone Town, managing to get lost in the process several times. At the times we were most disoriented, a local would appear and guide us to our destination, for a tip of course. The town itself possesses a certain run-down charm, a combination of historical buildings in disrepair, mosques, shops that sell the most unusual merchandise, piles of garbage, and an assortment of people rivaling the bar scene in Star Wars, bordered by a white beach with azure water. John discovered a store unlike any I have seen before; it consisted of several rooms packed to the ceiling with mostly antique items from the past 3 centuries, many of them African. I have never seen a more cluttered space. Some of the objects being sold were ceremonial jade-handled daggers from Persia, hundreds of African masks and other carvings, antique padlocks that require 4 keys to open, and early 20th century tins, posters, and postcards from the US and Europe. Just when I thought I couldn’t see any more, the owner, a very knowledgeable south-Asian who could provide detailed and colorful histories of every object, took us across the street to a 3-story warehouse with even more stuff. We just barely scratched the surface. I plan to return to purchase at least one treasure to lug back home. That night we ate at a restaurant with the best Indian food we had ever had.
August 9
We set out mid-morning for a spice tour which consisted of a drive north, a guided tour of a demonstration spice plantation where we saw cinnamon, clove, and lychee nut trees, peppercorn and vanilla vines, and turmeric and cardamom plants, among many. Our guide had an assistant who quickly crafted baskets, hats, necklaces, and neckties out of palm fronds and gave them to us as we moved along. Unfortunately we will not be able to bring them home. After we learned all about spices, we were served an assortment of fruits such as Seville oranges, jackfruit, lychee, bananas, and grapefruit, then a lunch of vegetable stew, rice pilaou, and a salty fish as we sat on blankets on the ground. Our guide explained that the plantation is a community project of his village, the income from which pays for social services and to help out the more destitute villagers. Those in need of financial help present their cases to the whole village citizenry who then decide whether to provide the funds. After lunch, our driver took us to a pleasant beach where we swam in the Indian Ocean. We plan to return tomorrow for a longer stay. Once we returned to Stone Town, our friends departed for a different locale while we stayed on at the Zanzibar Palace. Mel and I ate a decadent dinner there after taking Spencer and Lily, a restaurant called Mercury’s, in honor of Freddie Mercury of the 70’s and ‘80’s band Queen, who was born here. The contrast between our more sedate and comfortable stay here and our more challenging travels that preceded it is quite apparent. We will be less apt to take comfort and convenience for granted, at least for a while.
We packed up early in the morning and drove 2 hours to the Arusha airport. Before leaving Tarangire Park, we stopped to view our last elephants and took some group photos. At the airport, we said goodbye to our wonderful guides, Moses and Pascal, and our drivers, Prosper and M’Taki, to whom we had become very attached. They provided us with excellent service and much information about Africa and its animals, and helped us overcome a few problems. We flew to Zanzibar in a plane that contained not one African and the flight crew sounded French over the PA system. We were picked up at the airport and brought to the Zanzibar Palace Hotel, a stately old building with Arab influences, owned and managed by a Dutch couple. It is located in Stone Town, a place that dates to the early 19th century and was controlled by Arab sultans for many years. It was also a hub for the slave and spice trades. After our arrival, we dined at a Middle Eastern restaurant where we sat on the floor, barefoot, while we listened to a 4-piece band that played the local taraab music and covers of Bolero and Pachabel’s Canon. This was a great dining experience that featured spicy foods, unlike the previous tasty, though blander, Ugandan and Tanzanian ones.
August 8
This was a relatively quiet day spent going to the Zanzibar historical Museum, shopping, and exploring the labyrinthine streets (literally) of Stone Town, managing to get lost in the process several times. At the times we were most disoriented, a local would appear and guide us to our destination, for a tip of course. The town itself possesses a certain run-down charm, a combination of historical buildings in disrepair, mosques, shops that sell the most unusual merchandise, piles of garbage, and an assortment of people rivaling the bar scene in Star Wars, bordered by a white beach with azure water. John discovered a store unlike any I have seen before; it consisted of several rooms packed to the ceiling with mostly antique items from the past 3 centuries, many of them African. I have never seen a more cluttered space. Some of the objects being sold were ceremonial jade-handled daggers from Persia, hundreds of African masks and other carvings, antique padlocks that require 4 keys to open, and early 20th century tins, posters, and postcards from the US and Europe. Just when I thought I couldn’t see any more, the owner, a very knowledgeable south-Asian who could provide detailed and colorful histories of every object, took us across the street to a 3-story warehouse with even more stuff. We just barely scratched the surface. I plan to return to purchase at least one treasure to lug back home. That night we ate at a restaurant with the best Indian food we had ever had.
August 9
We set out mid-morning for a spice tour which consisted of a drive north, a guided tour of a demonstration spice plantation where we saw cinnamon, clove, and lychee nut trees, peppercorn and vanilla vines, and turmeric and cardamom plants, among many. Our guide had an assistant who quickly crafted baskets, hats, necklaces, and neckties out of palm fronds and gave them to us as we moved along. Unfortunately we will not be able to bring them home. After we learned all about spices, we were served an assortment of fruits such as Seville oranges, jackfruit, lychee, bananas, and grapefruit, then a lunch of vegetable stew, rice pilaou, and a salty fish as we sat on blankets on the ground. Our guide explained that the plantation is a community project of his village, the income from which pays for social services and to help out the more destitute villagers. Those in need of financial help present their cases to the whole village citizenry who then decide whether to provide the funds. After lunch, our driver took us to a pleasant beach where we swam in the Indian Ocean. We plan to return tomorrow for a longer stay. Once we returned to Stone Town, our friends departed for a different locale while we stayed on at the Zanzibar Palace. Mel and I ate a decadent dinner there after taking Spencer and Lily, a restaurant called Mercury’s, in honor of Freddie Mercury of the 70’s and ‘80’s band Queen, who was born here. The contrast between our more sedate and comfortable stay here and our more challenging travels that preceded it is quite apparent. We will be less apt to take comfort and convenience for granted, at least for a while.
Saturday, August 7, 2010
More safari
We still don't have a good enough connection to the Internet so pictures won't be available until after we return. But here is the latest update.
August 3 & 4
These were 2 very pleasant days at the Country Lodge, a collection of duplex buildings. Our accommodations were quite comfortable and the service was unparalleled, perhaps because we were the only guests for part of the time. On the grounds was an organic garden that provided us with fresh produce at our meals. We became acquainted with the staff, especially Reggie, the owner/manager/chef. His culinary creations were the best we’ve had on the trip. He informed us that he had been to the US only once, 6 weeks in Washington State. On the first day, the Lucases met up with the rest of our party who were camping at Lake Manyara. That park contained lots of baboons and blue monkeys, hippos, storks, and pink flamingos. Unfortunately the flamingos were far from the road because the lake had receded, so we didn’t get a good view of them. On the 4th, we departed for the Tarangire Safari Lodge in the park of the same name, further to the east in Tanzania. It is perched on an escarpment overlooking a river and wide plains. The accommodations are tents with indoor plumbing and electricity, the latter for just part of the day. From our tent we can look down and see a herd of elephants that comes and goes, giraffes, and zebras. Velvet monkeys abound and cruise the lodge grounds. We will be here for 3 nights.
August 5
On this day we went on a safari in the morning and saw elephants going for a drink of water, many beautiful birds, giraffes, 4 lions, including a large male with full mane, and the usual assortment of wildebeest, impala and zebras. The lions were near a herd of wildebeest and one lioness, in particular, was crouched, seemingly to make a dash to take down a wildebeest. We waited for about half an hour for the chase to begin but eventually the lioness lay down to take a nap. As we drove a little further down the road, the reason for her reluctance to strike became apparent. There was a freshly-killed zebra, partly eaten, with vultures nearby awaiting their chance to feed on carrion. But they would have to wait until the lions returned to get the rest of their portions. By the time we returned to the lodge, I, Peter, had come down with a GI condition that sent me to bed for the rest of the day. That’s a pretty common occurrence for tourists in Africa.
August 6
John and Monte returned from an early morning safari and reported that they had seen 4 cheetahs take down a young wildebeest. Most of the rest of us quickly rallied and went to the site. We were pleased that the cheetahs were still on the scene, though they were taking post-prandial naps when we arrived. The corpse of the wildebeest was nearby and being picked apart by 2 jackals as the vultures crowded around waiting for their chance. Several times, the jackals chased them away. There were at least 10 safari vehicles parked near the cheetahs who eventually shook off their torpor and started walking around looking for a way to get past the humans. Then, suddenly, the 3 males took off in a full run and went between a couple of the vehicles that were parked close together. It happened so fast that we were unable to get it on video, a big disappointment. One lone female cheetah was left behind and sauntered off in a different direction. She eventually lay down and began mewing, just like Fluffy the housecat, to call her companions. After several minutes, they responded, and she got up to join them. In the afternoon the kids all went swimming in a very chilly pool but enjoyed themselves despite the shivers and blue lips. Velvet monkeys circled the pool as they splashed. As dusk approached, we did not need to climb into a Land Cruiser to see the animals; they came to us. As Melinda and I sipped cocktails (by that time I had mostly recovered from my brief illness), warthogs chomped on grass and walked across the patio, 2 elephants on the plain caterwauled, then briefly mated, and a very small owl landed at our feet. The lions started roaring in the early morning hours, awakening the whole lodge. At about 6 a.m., Ona looked out of her tent and saw a lioness just a few feet away but rather than being frightened, was delighted. Big cats certainly were the highlights of our 8 days of safari.
August 3 & 4
These were 2 very pleasant days at the Country Lodge, a collection of duplex buildings. Our accommodations were quite comfortable and the service was unparalleled, perhaps because we were the only guests for part of the time. On the grounds was an organic garden that provided us with fresh produce at our meals. We became acquainted with the staff, especially Reggie, the owner/manager/chef. His culinary creations were the best we’ve had on the trip. He informed us that he had been to the US only once, 6 weeks in Washington State. On the first day, the Lucases met up with the rest of our party who were camping at Lake Manyara. That park contained lots of baboons and blue monkeys, hippos, storks, and pink flamingos. Unfortunately the flamingos were far from the road because the lake had receded, so we didn’t get a good view of them. On the 4th, we departed for the Tarangire Safari Lodge in the park of the same name, further to the east in Tanzania. It is perched on an escarpment overlooking a river and wide plains. The accommodations are tents with indoor plumbing and electricity, the latter for just part of the day. From our tent we can look down and see a herd of elephants that comes and goes, giraffes, and zebras. Velvet monkeys abound and cruise the lodge grounds. We will be here for 3 nights.
August 5
On this day we went on a safari in the morning and saw elephants going for a drink of water, many beautiful birds, giraffes, 4 lions, including a large male with full mane, and the usual assortment of wildebeest, impala and zebras. The lions were near a herd of wildebeest and one lioness, in particular, was crouched, seemingly to make a dash to take down a wildebeest. We waited for about half an hour for the chase to begin but eventually the lioness lay down to take a nap. As we drove a little further down the road, the reason for her reluctance to strike became apparent. There was a freshly-killed zebra, partly eaten, with vultures nearby awaiting their chance to feed on carrion. But they would have to wait until the lions returned to get the rest of their portions. By the time we returned to the lodge, I, Peter, had come down with a GI condition that sent me to bed for the rest of the day. That’s a pretty common occurrence for tourists in Africa.
August 6
John and Monte returned from an early morning safari and reported that they had seen 4 cheetahs take down a young wildebeest. Most of the rest of us quickly rallied and went to the site. We were pleased that the cheetahs were still on the scene, though they were taking post-prandial naps when we arrived. The corpse of the wildebeest was nearby and being picked apart by 2 jackals as the vultures crowded around waiting for their chance. Several times, the jackals chased them away. There were at least 10 safari vehicles parked near the cheetahs who eventually shook off their torpor and started walking around looking for a way to get past the humans. Then, suddenly, the 3 males took off in a full run and went between a couple of the vehicles that were parked close together. It happened so fast that we were unable to get it on video, a big disappointment. One lone female cheetah was left behind and sauntered off in a different direction. She eventually lay down and began mewing, just like Fluffy the housecat, to call her companions. After several minutes, they responded, and she got up to join them. In the afternoon the kids all went swimming in a very chilly pool but enjoyed themselves despite the shivers and blue lips. Velvet monkeys circled the pool as they splashed. As dusk approached, we did not need to climb into a Land Cruiser to see the animals; they came to us. As Melinda and I sipped cocktails (by that time I had mostly recovered from my brief illness), warthogs chomped on grass and walked across the patio, 2 elephants on the plain caterwauled, then briefly mated, and a very small owl landed at our feet. The lions started roaring in the early morning hours, awakening the whole lodge. At about 6 a.m., Ona looked out of her tent and saw a lioness just a few feet away but rather than being frightened, was delighted. Big cats certainly were the highlights of our 8 days of safari.
Monday, August 2, 2010
Serengeti
July 29
This morning, John, Andrea and Spencer went on a chimpanzee trek and apparently got quite close to the chimps. The trek was 3 hours in duration and not particularly challenging. We all piled into Big Red at about 1:00 and set off for Kampala, another long adventure in bad roads, and arrived at 8:30 at the Kabira Country Club, an oasis with running water, electricity, and Internet. It was a welcome respite from the more primitive conditions elsewhere.
July 30
We flew from Entebbe across Lake Victoria to Mwanza, Tanzania, a 45-minute flight. In Mwanza, we rendezvoused with Monte, Ona, and Lukas, more friends from Bainbridge, who had just arrived from Amsterdam and were quite jetlagged. We piled into two Land Cruisers with our 4 drivers/guides led by Moses for another long drive to the Serengeti, stopping at a roadside outdoor market that in no way resembled a market in the developed world. It was chaotic and crowded but full of what we wanted to eat: large avocados and other fruits, peanuts, and fish, specifically Nile perch and talapia. When we arrived at the park gate to register, we were met by a troupe of baboons and many smaller monkeys. One of the latter touched Lily’s foot and another sneaked into one of cruisers and stole a banana. The kids were delighted by the simian encounters. On the drive from the western entrance to the central Serengeti we were amazed to view a wide assortment of animals (unfortunately at 50 mph) such as elephants, giraffes, various types of antelope, a hyena, Cape buffalo, zebras and an ostrich. After a few hours and after nightfall we finally arrived at our destination, a campground in the central Serengeti that we shared with about 30 other campers. An advance crew had set up a delightful camp with a large tent for eating that held a long table that was already set for dinner, and four smaller tents for sleeping. That night we were serenaded by a number of animals though we couldn’t identify most of them. We slept well.
July 31
Since we were awakened at an early hour by the noises created by the other campers, we decided to move to a private campground nearby. Before breaking camp, we went on our first safari and did a second after the tents and our belongings had been packed up and driven off. The safaris consisted of driving slowly with the roofs of the Land Cruisers popped off so we could have unobstructed views across the vast plains. The Serengeti is mostly grassland studded with over 100 species of acacia trees. There are many dirt roads crisscrossing the park and lots of tour groups. The cruisers cluster where interesting animals are discovered and the drivers radio their finds to the others. The sheer abundance of animals is staggering and they barely notice us. Therefore, there are many animals in close proximity to the roads. Some of the highlights of today’s excursions include 4 lounging lions, 15-20 feet away. One was lying on her back. The similarity of this pose to that of their dog, Sammy, led to strong desires by the Lucases to go over to stroke her belly. Fortunately, these urges were resisted. Other finds included a leopard stretched out on a log, a cheetah, at least 8 more lions, herds of elephants and zebras, hundreds of Thompson’s gazelles, impalas, topis, Hartebeests, wildebeests, giraffes, hippos, and crocodiles. John and Andrea, who have been on several previous trips to this region, informed us that it was their most fruitful experience with big cats ever. We settled in for cocktails at dusk and once it got dark we were treated to the wide African sky filled with stars. A perfect ending to the day.
August 1
Today’s safari was quite fruitful though relatively lacking in big cats. The highlights were being surrounded by a journey (a herd) of giraffes, including juveniles, and going to a stagnant body of the filthiest water imaginable, made that way by over a hundred hippos who live in and excrete into it. We were treated to the sight of a male and female kissing and necking for a long time but their attempts to consummate the relationship were half-hearted. A few large crocodiles lay motionless nearby on the shore. We all took the afternoon off and hung out at the campsite. Happy hour started early and we enjoyed another delicious dinner.
August 2
We broke camp at about 6:30 a.m. in order to travel to N’Goro N’Goro crater with stops in-between. Just after dawn broke, we came upon a large pride of lions consisting of females and 8 cubs near the road. Some even crossed the road nonchalantly right in front of us. Our guide, Pascal, suggested that they were using the parked vehicles to hide from some nearby gazelles that they planned to eventually make a meal of. We lingered for almost half an hour before moving on. Melinda, Peter, and Lily proceeded for 5 hours over more dusty and bumpy roads, stopping at the crater rim at 7000 feet to look out over the vast expanse of the crater itself, purportedly containing one of the most diverse and dense populations of mega-fauna in Africa. But the Lucases found a wonderful hotel nearby with which Melinda, longing for running water and electricity, was extremely pleased. The staff couldn’t be nicer and the food is excellent. We just hung out for the afternoon and evening enjoying the fruits of civilization. The rest of our party, including Spencer, plan to camp for 2 more days.
This morning, John, Andrea and Spencer went on a chimpanzee trek and apparently got quite close to the chimps. The trek was 3 hours in duration and not particularly challenging. We all piled into Big Red at about 1:00 and set off for Kampala, another long adventure in bad roads, and arrived at 8:30 at the Kabira Country Club, an oasis with running water, electricity, and Internet. It was a welcome respite from the more primitive conditions elsewhere.
July 30
We flew from Entebbe across Lake Victoria to Mwanza, Tanzania, a 45-minute flight. In Mwanza, we rendezvoused with Monte, Ona, and Lukas, more friends from Bainbridge, who had just arrived from Amsterdam and were quite jetlagged. We piled into two Land Cruisers with our 4 drivers/guides led by Moses for another long drive to the Serengeti, stopping at a roadside outdoor market that in no way resembled a market in the developed world. It was chaotic and crowded but full of what we wanted to eat: large avocados and other fruits, peanuts, and fish, specifically Nile perch and talapia. When we arrived at the park gate to register, we were met by a troupe of baboons and many smaller monkeys. One of the latter touched Lily’s foot and another sneaked into one of cruisers and stole a banana. The kids were delighted by the simian encounters. On the drive from the western entrance to the central Serengeti we were amazed to view a wide assortment of animals (unfortunately at 50 mph) such as elephants, giraffes, various types of antelope, a hyena, Cape buffalo, zebras and an ostrich. After a few hours and after nightfall we finally arrived at our destination, a campground in the central Serengeti that we shared with about 30 other campers. An advance crew had set up a delightful camp with a large tent for eating that held a long table that was already set for dinner, and four smaller tents for sleeping. That night we were serenaded by a number of animals though we couldn’t identify most of them. We slept well.
July 31
Since we were awakened at an early hour by the noises created by the other campers, we decided to move to a private campground nearby. Before breaking camp, we went on our first safari and did a second after the tents and our belongings had been packed up and driven off. The safaris consisted of driving slowly with the roofs of the Land Cruisers popped off so we could have unobstructed views across the vast plains. The Serengeti is mostly grassland studded with over 100 species of acacia trees. There are many dirt roads crisscrossing the park and lots of tour groups. The cruisers cluster where interesting animals are discovered and the drivers radio their finds to the others. The sheer abundance of animals is staggering and they barely notice us. Therefore, there are many animals in close proximity to the roads. Some of the highlights of today’s excursions include 4 lounging lions, 15-20 feet away. One was lying on her back. The similarity of this pose to that of their dog, Sammy, led to strong desires by the Lucases to go over to stroke her belly. Fortunately, these urges were resisted. Other finds included a leopard stretched out on a log, a cheetah, at least 8 more lions, herds of elephants and zebras, hundreds of Thompson’s gazelles, impalas, topis, Hartebeests, wildebeests, giraffes, hippos, and crocodiles. John and Andrea, who have been on several previous trips to this region, informed us that it was their most fruitful experience with big cats ever. We settled in for cocktails at dusk and once it got dark we were treated to the wide African sky filled with stars. A perfect ending to the day.
August 1
Today’s safari was quite fruitful though relatively lacking in big cats. The highlights were being surrounded by a journey (a herd) of giraffes, including juveniles, and going to a stagnant body of the filthiest water imaginable, made that way by over a hundred hippos who live in and excrete into it. We were treated to the sight of a male and female kissing and necking for a long time but their attempts to consummate the relationship were half-hearted. A few large crocodiles lay motionless nearby on the shore. We all took the afternoon off and hung out at the campsite. Happy hour started early and we enjoyed another delicious dinner.
August 2
We broke camp at about 6:30 a.m. in order to travel to N’Goro N’Goro crater with stops in-between. Just after dawn broke, we came upon a large pride of lions consisting of females and 8 cubs near the road. Some even crossed the road nonchalantly right in front of us. Our guide, Pascal, suggested that they were using the parked vehicles to hide from some nearby gazelles that they planned to eventually make a meal of. We lingered for almost half an hour before moving on. Melinda, Peter, and Lily proceeded for 5 hours over more dusty and bumpy roads, stopping at the crater rim at 7000 feet to look out over the vast expanse of the crater itself, purportedly containing one of the most diverse and dense populations of mega-fauna in Africa. But the Lucases found a wonderful hotel nearby with which Melinda, longing for running water and electricity, was extremely pleased. The staff couldn’t be nicer and the food is excellent. We just hung out for the afternoon and evening enjoying the fruits of civilization. The rest of our party, including Spencer, plan to camp for 2 more days.
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