July 11-14 - Tanzania

So, in the Kleissner family, we have a saying that what happens in the wilderness stays in the wilderness...probably for a good reason, but I can't help but share a few of the juicy details of our Tanzanian safari.

Our adventure began on Wednesday the 11th, when we met our driver, Mbisi, and our safari vehicle for the first time. None of us have ever been on safari before (except of course Mbisi who has been working in the field for ten years). Mbisi is Keely-recommended. Indeed, the last time she went on safari with him to Ngorongoro, there were only four white rhinos left in the park and Mbisi found all four! Needless to say, we were in good hands.

However, for a person who loves the outdoors and hiking, getting used to the safari way of life was not easy. You step into the car at 6AM and only step out at designated touristy eating spots that are full of lunch tables, other foreigners, and their boxed lunches.

Although this can, at times, lead to cabin fever (which Charly and Alex loved), any desire to step outside to get some fresh air and exercise is quelled when you see a herd of wildebeest, zebra, and giraffes all grazing just meters from the car. Besides, Charly and I soon discovered the best ways to maximize our fresh air exposure: 1) keep the roof open as much as possible (despite the tendency of one of the supports to buckle and for the entire structure to collapse), 2) stay diligent about checking the buckle-prone support so that the roof doesn't collapse, 3) sit up on the roof when no ranger cars are around, and 4) run three loops around each touristy rest station to get out any heebie-jeebies.

The first day, we drove to Lake Manyara National Park. It is a small park on the way to Ngorongoro and is best known for the climbing-tree lions that perch up high and look for prey. Although we didn't see any lions overhead, we did see a herd of baboons eating fruits in a very prickly tree, and we crossed paths with many elephants and colorful birds. You can follow this link for a look at some of the pictures we took: http://www.alexhasnopants.com/~blog/jalbums/Serengeti-Safari/index.html

The park closes its gates at 6PM, so around five, we headed out. From the park gates, we drove another thirty kilometers to E-Unoto Lodge for the night. The last forty minutes of the drive took us off the main road through desolate Masai land, and we were surprised to arrive at a sizeable lodge in an isolated nook at the edge of the lush Great Rift Valley.

We especially missed Lisa's presence, since E-Unoto is in many ways similar to the Sri Lankan lodge she is helping advise. The architecture mimics traditional Masai homes (except for the pool, but Alex and Charly still really enjoyed a refreshing dip to wash away the safari dust). Except for the vice president who is American, it is Masai-run.

Day two was our longest journey. We had to drive from Lake Manyara State Park, through Ngorongoro, all the way up to the north western part of the Serengeti. Our goal was to follow the wildebeest migration. Every year, thousands of wildebeest travel a circuit, from the southern part of the Serengeti up to the northwestern region, through Kenya, and back through the Serengeti. There are over 1.3 million wildebeest in the park, which comes as no surprise when you hear that during their peak mating season (February and March), up to 8,000 wildebeast are born per day!

Much of the day, we were in transit: pummeling down a wild dirt road and sliding our windows open and shut to avoid the dust storms of passing vehicles. This is the highway from Uganda to Arusha and many cloth-covered lorries bounced past. Most of the trucks are dark green with a black-and-white striped tarp covering the main cabin. Messages are painted across the back that read: "God is good always" or the Swahilie quivallent.

Gazing out the windows, we looked out at miles and miles of open plains interrupted only by the occasional red and black dots. The meandering red figures and black dots are the Masai and their grazing cows. Sometimes you'll see a lone Masai figure crossing the landscape. Where is he going? You look back and see nothing for miles and miles but yellow grass and the occasional acacia tree...then you glance forward and are greeted by an equally desolate landcape.

The rhythmic bouncing of the car soon lulled me to sleep. It wasn't until we reached the gates of Ngorongoro park that I awoke to a lush jungle. Where did the desert go? It was drizzling outside and swells of fog were swirling around our car. Even the vegetation had changed from flat-topped acacia trees to stout, vine-covered jungle trunks. As Mbisi registered our vehicle, I looked out at the baboons who were taking advantage of this tourist stop to grab a bite to eat from boxed lunch leftovers. They weren't in the least intimidated by humans and were even climbing on some of the cars!

When we started out again, the fog was getting thicker by the minute and pretty soon we had slowed to a crawl as we plodded our way around the rim of Ngorongoro. Dark green vines reached out into the fog towards our car and the road was slick with a layer of slushy clay mud that sat loosely on the surface. In several places, our wheels just spun in place as the tail of the car swerved left and right.

We were glad to emerge on the other side of Ngorongoro to a sunny desert and hoped that Ngorongoro would clear up by the time we visit it in two days time.

We arrived at the EMC camp (the nomadic tent camp that follows the wildebeest) around 5PM, dropped off our belongings, and went for an exploratory drive to get to know the area (since we would be there for two nights). When we came back, we enjoyed a relaxing pre-dinner drink in the dimming light. But before long, we heard more than just our hungry bellies growling for food. We also began to hear the ferocous roar of lions not too far away. A camp manager soon came by with a flood light, scanned the surrounding bush, and said we had better come to dinner. Throughout our dinner, we joked with our Spanish neighbors that they would get eaten first since they're in the farthest tent. But upon returning to our tent, we did not joke around. Nobody wanted to be lion dinner, so we went straight inside our tent and enjoyed the false security of our screened tent walls.

Although we were surrounded by screened tent walls, there was little else about the tent that reminded me of camping. I have never experienced such luxurious camping before. Our tent had a partition that sectioned off the bathroom area, which included a shower, flush toilet, sink, and mirror. The bedroom itself contained three nice twin beds, a writing desk, and even some carpets!

Our three beds just barely fit into the length of the tent and were pushed snuggly together. Very soon, Charly was securely tucked under the covers of one of the beds in his usual sleeping attire (nothing). I jumped on top of his bed to wish his a good night when all of a sudden, I was tickle-attacked by my oh-so-loving brother. In my attempts to squirm away, I kicked and wriggled and then gave one final push to get him away when - KABAMM! Alex and I looked down at a perplexed Charly who was sitting askew in the remains of a bed that had collapsed beneath him. Asking Alex for his whiskey bottle, Charly sat there making sure the blanket was still around him as he sipped whiskey and Alex and I fell down laughing. As Charly carefully crawled with his blanket toga into Alex's bed, Alex and I were ordered to fix the bed. Barely able to keep a straight face, we finally put it back together and everyone went to bed with sore abs :)

On the 13th we woke up very early (around 5:30) so that we could get in a morning drive. This is the best time to see animals because it is still cool and animals are out looking for breakfast. After driving around for an hour without finding the lions, the driver of another car told us to head the other direction. We were heading back to camp, when we saw many other cars. We joined them and soon saw the family of lions - a male lion, two females, and several children. It wasn't until a few minutes later that I realized we were just 30 meters from our tents! After a noisy night, the lions looked very sedate. All of them were napping, except the little ones who had some excess energy and were playing around with each other.

By midday, the morning coolness had been replaced by a sweltering heat. All the animals were gone and we followed suit. We went back to camp to get lunch and relax. After trying to read but realizing that even our brains had melted, we took a sweaty nap and didn't wake up until 3PM. Hanging around in the slight breeze outside, Charly and I read a bit until Alex woke up at 3:45. It was time for an afternoon drive. We came back just in time for dinner and once again heard the sounds of lions. This time, we knew exactly how close they were. Though they quieted down as we were going to sleep, they growled loudly enough to wake Charly in the middle of the night. Our guide told us that they kept the majority of the family on our side of the river to make noise while they sent a few females on a stealth mission to hunt on the other side of the river. Indeed, they had success. In the morning, we saw the family feasting on wildebeest carcass.

On the 14th, it was time to drive back to Ngorongoro and go down into the crater. This time it was clear and sunny, but unfortunately we did not spot any rhinos. The crater is a fantastic bowl of about 265 square kilometers (and sides that go down to 600 meters deep). It contains about 20,000 to 30,000 wild animals at any time. Though animals do cross in and out, it is not common since there is good grazing and good hunting (indeed, we noted that all the animals are quite plump).

We spent our last night at the Farmhouse, a large farm with rolling hills, amazingly fresh food, and wonderful showers. After two days in the camp, it was nice to eat fresh salad and a great stirfry. We also enjoyed the beautiful landscape and the fresh earthy smell of the farm dirt and garden vegetables.