Saturday, June 30, 2007

Safari

After four days of safari we’re back in the real world again. It was a lot, almost too much to soak in. Kind of comparable to a week of fulltime culture in Rome. At this moment we’re driving on the first kilometers of tarmac road, so weird and sweet after all those bumpy dirt roads… Looking forward to a hot shower; I’m gonna try to wash of the dust once we arrive back in the capital city of Landrovers (so many azungus here!). I taste dust when I lick my lips, I smell dust when I scratch my face and my eyes hurt from all the dust that’s in there. Maybe I’m gonna try to brush my hair too…
The roof of the Landrover is down now, so we have to sit back and relax. All the kilometers we traveled in the past days, I was standing on my seat trying to spot wildlife or anything else interesting. Focused all the time, so nothing would be missed. Here’s a list of all the different animals we’ve seen, tiny birds are not included.

- elephants (closest was 15 m. from the car)
- giraffes (one big group of 15 animals, with babies)
- buffalo (we scared one on the road)
- hippos (grazing ones and sleeping ones)
- wildebeests (lots with babies, these are able to run within minutes after birth)
- hartebeests
- impalas
- Thomson gazelles
- grants gazelles
- dikdiks
- warthog families
- topi
- one reedbuck
- jackals
- zebras (many with tiny babies)
- some waterbuck
- mongoose
- big baboon families
- vervet monkeys
- blue monkeys
- spotted hyenas (carrying dead prey around)
- lots of lions
- a serval
- even a spotted leopard (lucky us)
- a crocodile
- two snakes
- agama lizards
- a monitor
- ostriches
- flamingos
- pelicans
- herons
- hamerkop
- storks
- ibis
- marabou
- spoonbills
- secretary birds
- bustards (heaviest flying bird on earth)
- vultures (gathering around leftovers from predators)
- African harrier hawk
- long-crested eagle
- guinea fowls
- crane
- love birds
- kingfishers
- bee-eaters
- barbets
- ground hornbills
- different types of weavers

That’s about it : )

We left Tuesday morning, the three of us, a Russian and an American lady, the driver Michael and our cook; Chief. We had something what looked like trouble the night before; we got picked up by the ‘wrong’ safari company, who somehow got my name and our phone number. Thinking everything was okay we left some of our luggage at an office and got into a taxi, on the way to the bank. Just seconds before we would have left the car park, another guy shows up at our window, knowing my name and everything, saying he is the right guy from the right company… Sow… We arranged the safari in Dar, with a guy named Innocent, so after some phone calls with him we wanted to leave, but some guy was blocking the door, saying we owed him money, talking about hotel reservations, bla bla bla. Anyway, we got out, finally, with itching hands and boiling inside, and only seconds later the taxi driver is blocking the way of the Landrover we hopped in, lying that he drove us all over… After some help from policemen we were finally out of trouble. Pfieu.
But. The safari. After a couple of hours driving through Masai-land we had a fancy lunch at an even fancier campsite, complete with swimming pool. Entered bushy Lake Manyra National Park early afternoon, till around sunset. More colorful Masai and their beautiful cattle herds the next day, also after entering Ngorogoro Conservation Area. As a result we saw Masai herdsmen with their cattle and a group of zebras a bit further on the endless plain. We entered hot and dusty Serengeti National Park (and I was thinking Canadian plains were empty…) in the afternoon, where we camped at a real campsite. Went on a game drive at sunrise on Thursday and after a brunch we headed back towards cold and misty Ngorogoro. Went into the Ngorogoro crater this morning; cold, misty and full of wildlife.

Oh my gosh! (Sorry, spend too much time with an American) I saw a male elephant eating some leaves thirty meters away from our tent. I saw big herds of wildebeest mixed with zebra herds; the tail of the big migration in search for water. I saw a male lion 25 meters away from us, trying to make a move towards the female. They ended up fighting, roaring, grumpy. I saw running giraffes. I saw a leopard sleeping in a tree. I saw a lion enjoying a zebra. I saw the sun set on the Serengeti. I slept in a tent on a non-fenced campsite in a wild park. I saw, I did, I enjoyed…. It was so much I can go on for hours.

Enjoy the pictures! Thanks for previous comments, I love to read them…

Lokte



Last night on Zanzibar

Leshoto; Rain. Mist. Africa??


Remember this one?

Leshoto area

(Weet je dit nog? Ik mis je zusje...) Viewpoint Leshoto

Serengeti, taken while standing straight in the car

Ngorogoro

Serengeti = endless plain in Swahili

Serengeti

Waterbuck


Busy? Why?

Serengeti; serval

Serengeti; leopard


Manyara NP

Manyara NP

Manyara NP

Masai land; village


Ngorogoro; wildebeests

Ngorogoro

Ngorogoro; elephant and wildebeests

Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Friday morning we traveled from Mpemba back to Stonetown, where we enjoyed walking around the confusing streets, while we convinced ourselves we needed some more souvenirs. A last dinner of fresh seafood and we went aboard of the ferry again. Departed at 10, arrived in Dar-es-Salaam around 6 in the morning. No clue why it took SO long; maybe we got lost or something, it was dark anyway; so we might have passed Antarctica along the way, but it was a good way to save some money for accommodation. Breakfast (white bread and margarine0 was enjoyed seated on top of our backpacks, in front of the safari bureau.
Finally left with a bus around 10; hours in the sun, beautiful scenery, lunch = some fruit bought through the window, bus seats crowded with fat mama’s and African life on the television screens all around. Via Mombo on to Leshoto, that last part in a car (of some friends of a friend), with very loud reggae, climbing winding roads. Found a cozy, decent place to sleep, a bit like a mountain hut; some dorm beds with blankets against the cold. Because that’s what it is up here (1500 m.); within 24 hours we changed from bikini, skirt and slippers to long trousers, shoes and a sweater. During Zanzibarian nights just sheets were almost too hot, in Leshoto two blankets were necessary. Went for a hike, with the same friends from the car, in the surrounding area yesterday, after the best breakfast so far (six different types of fresh fruit, followed by fried egg with bread). Reached two viewpoints, saw the sun set at the second one and had lunch with brown bread and some real cheese! (we bought some chedar here last weeks, not one of our best ideas…)
And now? Right now its actually raining and I’m writing this in a car parked beside the road; flat tire. We want to get to Arusha today, via Mombo again, and tomorrow we should leave for a four-day safari to Lake Manyara, Ngorogoro and the Serengeti!!! The big migration of the buffalo and zebras...

Friday, June 22, 2007

Found a new (expensive) hobby!

Last Wednesday we took the bus from Iringa to the Haven of Peace. The bus, size like a big touring car, took of at 7 in the morning and arrived in Dar-es-Salaam around 3 pm. During the, pretty comfortable, trip we were treated on some nice scenery because of the ever changing landscape. We even saw a lot of antelopes and zebras, plus a herd of elephants while passing through a National Park.
In Dar we found a place to sleep at the YWCA, afterwards we walked along the busy, noisy streets, till we found the Indian Ocean. Saw the sun set while searching for sea shells, bare footed.
Thursday we enjoyed good and cheap internet, a grocery with quite some western products (haribo, nutella) and we (were) discovered (by) a cheap safari bureau. I spend the rest of the day, night and following day in bed, feeling sick. But according to the stories of the other girls they didn’t see much more than I did; a real big city, complete with noise, dirt, lots of traffic, some unfriendly people and a lot of construction work going on. It didn’t really seem like an African city to me. At the other hand, still everybody noticed us, being white; a lot of people were hanging around in the streets doing nothing and the temperatures were still high.
On Saturday we took the slow (and because of that, cheap) ferry to Zanzibar. Again, a whole new world, and a new stamp in my passport. The Arabic influences here on Zanzibar are strong; almost a 100% Arabic names and many, many Muslims and musk’s. Walking around Stonetown at night, dark sky with bright stars above, between buildings in Arabic style and palm trees hidden in gardens behind high walls, I felt like Alladin could pop around the corner every second. The narrow streets where you get lost easily, remind me of Venice.
Went on an unforgettable spice tour Sunday and moved to the Northern tip of the island Monday morning early, because of the white sand beaches. The day of our arrival back home keeps coming closer, so we decided to take a four-day-washing-course. Four days of soaking of the dirt of our skins in the Indian Ocean while taking a scuba dive course. After four dives, reading a book and writing an exam, I can call myself an Open Water Diver since yesterday. Sorry to say may camera isn’t able to take picture under water; it was beautiful. We’re back in Stonetown now, just bought tickets for the ferry back to Dar tonight at 10 pm, tomorrow morning it’s up to Arusha, with a stop along the way. Don’t know where precisely. And the rest of the day? I’m gonna enjoy the sun, the air that smells like the sea, maybe go for a last swim and enjoy the good seafood on the market.

Greetings!

A proud Open Water Diver







Monday, June 18, 2007

Zanzibar


Jep. My name, on a boy's head; Babu from Iringa

Lunch offered, bus to Dar-es-Salaam

Dar, and a traditional dow, seen from the ferry to Zanzibar

Stonetown on Zanzibar; lots of Arabic influences and traces of slavery

WHaHaha!!Hilarisch! Spice tour together with other azungus (wearing jewelry, hats and ties from grass made by local kids, wanting some shillings)

Local fishermen

Stonetown

Zanzibar; many, many muslims

Sea food; lots, cheap, GOOD

You see the octopus? And that girl...

The beach...

Thursday, June 14, 2007

Pics. In Dar-es-Salaam now. Thirty degrees at 9 am...


Mmm. Those smells in the minibus; lovely

Malawian kids

Mbeya

Minibus attacked by sellers

Market

Iringa

Snack; dried fish



Lunch... (Fresh Tanzanian pineapple tastes like heaven!)

From now on; Ruaha National Park