Adventures in adventures

Adventures in adventures

Nana on safari - day one, Mount Meru, Arusha National Park

They arrived and we are on safari; happiness is written on everyone’s face.  Arriving safely in Dar just before midnight, Patrick, Mom, Kevin and Donna were dog tired but very happy to be here and away from the snow and cold of the north.  A quick trip to the Research Flats, because we will be back in the morning for a 11 AM flight out to Moshi/Kilimanjaro.

Masai Giraffe

Arrival night was lots of fun, with our real Christmas moment finally arriving.  Lots of hugs and stories were shared during the Christmas gift exchange, along with the enjoyment of fresh fruits, left over curry, and of course Roberta’s Christmas cookies. It was difficult to head to bed even though it was 1 AM, but the looming 8 AM taxi departure was calling.

The morning arrival and happiness continued with the first out, just after 6, was Roberta and Patrick hoping to find the ververt troop on campus.  Donna and Kevin followed them in search of quick adventures and a self-tour of the campus, quickly followed them.  Meanwhile, Bill, still finding it difficult to extract himself from the pull of work, found time to polish up his LPSC abstract one last time in the small amount of time before breakfast.  Nana took time to enjoy bed before breakfast. 

Kilimanjaro Colobus Monkey

Our Dar to Kilimanjaro flight was super.  We had great views of Dar, the Indian Ocean coast, Zanzibar, the coastal plains of Kenya and Tanzania.  There was heaps of fun photographing the propeller of our plane while in flight; the lighting and high tech cameras allow Patrick and Kevin the opportunity to stop the propeller in flight!  Upon deplaning we all welcomed the lost of oppressive Dar humidity and smiled when we meet Charlie, our safari guide, who was waiting for our arrival with his fabulous safari vehicle.

Shortly after packing the car and having a Patrick-generated break we head out to Kiboko Lodge and our plunge into the bush.  Our first two nights are at this lodge operated by the Watoto Foundation and run by former Arusha street boys who are housed, trained for working at the Lodge and then schooled in various occupations.  It is a wonderful setting with its own papyrus swamp and its own hippo (or Kiboko in Swahili).  As the sun set on this first night we all had our first sighting of the hippo and plenty of birds (weavers, bubul, bee-eaters, shrikes ibis, starlings) and the many color sight of life in Tanzania and the warm and welcoming people of Tanzania. 

Well we’ll finish the first and highly successful day with a long list of first sightings that brought wonderful smiles of delight.  Most of us enjoyed a brief hike to the crater rim inside Mount Meru, and trip down to the sacred tree and back to the car where Nana was waiting, unhappy knowing that she too could have made the 2-mile trip.  (Ya, gotta love her reality!)