Enjoying Zanzibar’s east coast

Hibiscus flower, a common site throughout the island of Zanzibar

And now we have reached the final destination of our family holiday, Jambiani, the east coast of Zanzibar Island.  The town of Jambiani is relatively small and simple, as most places are on this east coast.  We rented a wonderful beachfront villa for three days of rest and coastal relaxation after our arduous safari.  ;-)  We found the rental on the web; it is owned by an Italian living in Italy, as are many of the properties along this coast [our taxi driver one time referred to the area north of where we were living as “Milan South”.]

Our rental, Kipepeo Lodge, was a great place and the swimming pool wasn’t too shabby.  It was great to be able to just sit back and relax and have three days of not switching beds.  We were ready for visitors, because the place had enough beds to accommodate about 14 people at once.  In addition, the fact that the place had a full time manager, house cleaners and cook who lived in adjacent houses inside our little compound was also another greatly appreciated amenity.  We were living in style.  You could imagine, we didn’t want to leave…

Mohammed, the house manager at Kipepeo
Lodge, presenting Bill's lobster dinner  

From this wonderful location we left the next morning to explore more of Zanzibar.  Kevin and Patrick headed out to snorkel on the reef off the coast, whereas Nana (aka Bibi), Donna, Roberta and Bill were off to a spice tour -- Zanzibar is world-famous for its spices.  Kevin and Patrick had a traditional dhow pull up to the beach to bring them out to the reef.  Cool.  The others hopped into our taxi and headed west, back into the central part of the island.

Traveling the roads of Zanzibar (or mainland Tanzanian for that matter) is a bit of an exercise is hoping not to get noticed.  Let’s just say that you commonly get pulled over by the local police and commonly the driver is required to answer a series of questions about his vehicle, most of which there is an expectation that one of the answers will provide an opportunity for a traffic violation, no matter how small or insignificant, and this will lead to the levying of a fine, which goes into the pocket of the policeman. Of course, don’t expect to get a receipt.  We knew about the practice, but our taxi driver (he was with us for all the traveling we did after leaving Stone Town) gave us his frank opinion about his perception of the corruption occurring on the highways of Zanzibar.  Sure enough, we were stopped many times on the way to the Spice tour.  It wasn’t until the last stop, only about a mile from the spice farm where we were going, that the policeman pushed his demands the greatest.  I suppose there was a desire to not be too blatant in front of the mzungus (white people), so the policeman took our driver’s license and sent us all on the way, with the full expectation that our driver would let us off for the tour and come back to “pick up his license”.  Yes, as expected, our driver returned with a little less money in his pocket.  [Mind you, we are not really taking about large sums of money, as our driver lost 2000 shillings in the deal, which is about $1.30.]  But, I suppose this adds up for the cop on the street.

A nutmeg seed surrounded by mace, the red filament material.

The Zanzibar Archipelago is also known as the Spice Islands and our Spice tour was fantastic. The photos clearly show the happiness of the moment.  Once we arrived, we were immediately introduced to tumeric, a root that will readily coat you in the typical Halloween yellow-orange color once you break it open and touch the inside of it.  We went on to see cinnamon, vanilla, pepper (white and black), lemon grass, ginger, star fruit, nutmeg, mace, and cloves.  Our guide and his assistant were super; they were full of all sorts of stories and very happy to accommodate our questions and needs.  At one point Nana was struggling a bit and so the assistant went off and brought back a chair for her to sit on in between stops.  Of course, she objected to the pampering, but readily gave in.  While walking from area to area looking at the various plants, the assistant was all the while making things with the materials of the forest farm, hence the attractive accoutrement that we ended up wearing. The tour was informative and eye opening.  We were amazed at how much of the materials are used for cooking and various medicinal purposes.  Although we were dutifully told how one of the plants gave rise to the famous Chanel Number 5 perfume, a check of Wikipedia (for what’s that worth) did not reveal any links, but I should ruin a good story with too much fact checking…

Bibi and her court at the Spice farm on Zanzibar

The Reef tour was somewhat different, but nonetheless enjoyed by Patrick and Kevin.  The dhow and its drivers took them out to the reef, which was a boat ride about a kilometer straight out.  When they got there, the driver just stopped the boat.  Kevin wondered for a minute and then asked him are we here and he replied, perhaps in nearly all the English he knew at the time, “here, ndio”.  [Ndio, a handy word in swahili; it means yes.] They both had a great time swimming in the famous “Sting Ray Channel”, as the reef area is identified in the tour book, and Patrick especially when he took his turn at the helm of the mighty ship.  I’m certain that Patrick was listened to stanza of Klaus Baudelaire’s Pirates of the Caribbean music as he steered his Black Pearl back to port!

Captain Jack Sparrow (aka Patrick) keeping a steady
course with his dhow on the Indian Ocean

Our next day in paradise was spent doing the more pedestrian activities of a beachcomber, including walks, shell collecting, sleeping, sun bathing and, of course, a vigorous game or two of canasta!  Patrick’s collection of shells, after about 30 minutes and 30 yards, was most impressive.  There was a lot to be harvested from the beach.

Only part of the shell harvest from the beach!

Finally, we could not leave our Zanzibar adventure without telling you about lunch at the local cooking school.  It was super, but we went overboard on the desserts.  The school is for locals of Jambiani and surroundings.  Canadians started this nonprofit school that teaches the students about cooking, restaurant and hotel management, accounting and other useful aspects of the tourist industry, but with its central focus on cooking.  The meal was a big hit and so too were the desserts, although they alone were a meal.  We met our match and could not complete the challenge of finishing our desserts; even Patrick found it impossible to eat more than just his.  But these were just some of the challenges that we faced on our great African safari.  

Exotic Stonetown, Zanzibar

Tipu Tip's Residence.  He was the last
slave trader in Stonetown

We left Arusha for Stonetown, Zanzibar, the only real city on the island and the site of the last legal slave trade.  It was a nice and relatively smooth flight, which provided us with a nice, albeit brief, view of the top of Mount Kilimajaro.  We also enjoyed the company of one of one the past presidents of Tanzania on the flight.  We didn’t catch his name, but his presence was duly noted with full acknowledgment (and we were all required to remain seated while he and his entourage departed the plan upon arrival in Dar).

We knew when we were leaving Arusha that we were leaving the comfort of inland Tanzania, where the heat is dry and the nights can be cool.  Getting out on to the tarmac at Stonetown airport was, however, surprisingly comfortable.  That transition was short lived, for Stonetown turned us into noodles with its humidity. 

Roberta admiring a typical Zanzibar door
 to a residence in Stonetown

We stayed at Africa House Hotel in Stone Town, a wonderful and historical building that used to be the British Officer’s Club.  The building is right on the beach-facing road pretty much in the heart of the city.  The street address is Suicide Lane, which was a bit of a worry.  I don’t think we got to a good state of understanding how it got its name (although one rumor is that this was the only way out for the slaves that were sold there).

Knowing that it was the former British Officer’s club was a bit unsettling, but the interior and its decorations has likely changed little since it stopped being a BO club.  This is not to say that the place wasn’t up to quality. On the contrary, the hotel has been kept in great shape, there is lots of detail in the building that made for most interesting viewing and study and the rooms were rich with character.  

Sunset Lounge, Africa House Hotel,
the place to be at sunset in Stonewtown

We each had our own 4-poster bed draped with mosquito netting.  The beds were made from solid heavy wood, almost an ebony wood.  The height to the bed was so high that by the second day we needed to ask for a stool for Mom, just so she could get in and out of bed, otherwise it was a complete jump to the floor for her to get out of bed.  Also, our rooms had these really cool wooden chests that were carved and decorated in traditional Zanzibar style.  Kevin showed me that like his, mine had a secret compartment in one of the drawers.

We had three rooms, which all faced the Indian Ocean, which was only just across this quiet street.  We went upstairs from our bedrooms to the Sunset Bar, perhaps the most famous lounge in all of Zanzibar and every night it proved to be the most popular, at least from about 6 to 9 PM.  The lounge was a rather large sheltered patio region with lots of ceiling fans and it all opened to the Indian Ocean and typical dhow boats anchored in the immediate harbor.  The setting was spectacular, the heat and humidity took some adjustment.

Kevin visiting hooka heaven in the
lounge of the Africa House hotel

Just behind the Sunset Bar was an enormous Hookah Lounge, which had a strong attraction for Kevin.  We had photographic evidence of him enjoying the pillows and hookah-ing away, at least for the camera.  The two lounges and the corridors, the lobby, and stairways were all wonderfully decorated with Zanzibar style and there were plenty of early 20^th century photos all around the hotel.

We decided to have dinner at the Hotel restaurant the first night there, as it was rated highly as one of the better places in town to get dinner.  It lived up to its reputation.  We were eating out on the veranda with only about three or four other tables of guests when a strong wind gust came up and knocked over one of the umbrellas providing shelter for the dinner tables.  Many of us quickly responded to batting down the hatches, but at the same time we turned our attention to the night sky, the full moon on the Indian Ocean and worried if the Black Pearl had come to port.  We prepared ourselves for the onslaught of Captain Barbosa and his motley crew of pirates.  [You just have to watch – Pirates of the Caribbean if you don’t know what I’m talking about.]

Our breakfast dining area, complete with a
view of the Indian Ocean just beyond the veranda

The next day, with our trusty guide of Zanzibar, we went for a self-guided tour of Stone Town.  We enjoyed the outdoor market, although parts of it required a strong nose.  The day’s harvest of swordfish had come in and were being prepared right there in the open area, with some gutting occurring quite close to city drains that head straight to the sea.

We took a tour of the old Slave market area and saw the very gruesome and pathetic conditions of the cells where they kept the slaves before auctioning.  We then went to the open area, which was the city market pits, where the slaves were auctioned off. There is a moving art piece there, a sculpture of five Africans chained by the neck to one another, down in a pit to where their shoulder were at ground level. It is a very sad history of Zanzibar’s slave trade, which lasted to the 1870’s and was only made illegal after David Livingstone made a strong appeal to the British parliament.

Slave Market Memorial in Stonetown, Zanzibar

Later we continued our tour of the old town by stopping in some of the shops, seeing spice merchants, retailers of arts and craft, makers of the famous Zanzibar chests of dark wood, complete with intricate carvings and brass inlays, and other sights.  Mom and Donna checked out one of the churches and found a nun named Winifred.

Later in the day we had lunch, rested and adjusted to the heat of the mid-day.  Kevin and Donna took in the beach and the rest of us relaxed in our air conditioned rooms and later mixed it up with a rousing game of canasta in the Sunset Bar.

To Arusha and beyond!

Yellow Billed Stork

It was our final night in the bush.  We get our first taste of rain.  Charlie reminds us that the wildebeest take full advantage of the rain.  Their migration is following the rain in search of areas where there is water and plenty of fresh new grass upon which to graze.  It will be the area where the wildebeest will give birth.  It was surprising to hear that the mothers will hold back giving birth until the conditions in the environment are just right.

Hartebeest

The wildebeest and other animals are passing close to camp as evening draws upon us.  Patrick is thrilled to follow them off behind our tents.  We have our final night in the camp and refreshing morning sunrise.

The drive back into town continued to bring new surprises.  We pack up and head back to the main road, which will take us almost an hour to reach.  As we head out, Kevin notices swarms of insect in the road.  A quick maneuver to close up the windows was made.  However, these are not bees or other nasty beasts, they appear to be smaller than common houseflies, perhaps little gnats.

Rednecked Spurfowl

Charlie tells us that these flies come out with the rains.  The sight was amazing, there were literally many hundreds of these small funnel clouds of gnats that stood about 10 feet tall and were about 2 feet wide at the top.  We drove along the road for at least a mile passing these spiraling clouds of flies.  It was just another amazing moment of how life just springs alive with the rains.

As we reach the main road we have to retrace our steps back through the Ngorongoro conservation area, the National Park, and out again to get to Arusha.    This means, however, that we go past the Masaai, and we have hopes of seeing the young boys who are in their initiation costume.  Hooray, Mom gets here photo and the world is right!

Bibi advising her Masaai soon-to-be-Warriors

[You'll have to ask Mom about her name "Bibi".]  It is a long road and it takes us over seven hours to get back.  We head straight to the airport east of Arusha, just in time to catch our flight to Zanzibar and our next adventure.

Hunting game on the Serengeti

bat-earred fox

The evening game drive from camp was full of anticipation to fill out the last of the big five, east Africa’s five most sought after game animals: the lion, elephant, rhino, leopard and cape buffalo.  We had yet to see the leopard.  Charlie, our driver, was determined to find us a leopard, but all the while knowing that there were no guarantees. 

The great feast

Close to the shores of Lake Ndutu we saw plenty of Bat-eared foxes, families of them just poking their heads out of burrows where they shelter underground.  The guys earn their names with ears that can only conjure up images of a bat.  The dung along the road had promise of elephants in the area, but not in the last few days. 

Drying in the Sun

Next we spot our first “big kill”.  Not far along the lakeshore road we spot a large group of buzzards, mostly on the ground and a few in the air, the tell-tail sign of kill.  Nubian vultures, African white-backed vultures and Ruppell’s Griffon vultures were all busily competing and eating away at a dead wildebeest.  Clearly, the lions took their share and left a good amount for the big birds to clean up.   We were also amazed by the on-looking gallery of vultures who had already had their fair share, or, more likely, were waiting their turn to dig in.  It was quite a sight to see them all drying their wings in the mid-day sun while waiting patiently for snack time.

Heading south and west of camp we quickly found lots of Cape Buffalo, the lone Hartebeest, and plenty of interesting shore birds, including greater and lesser flamingos.  Shortly thereafter and perhaps less than a mile from camp we found a small pride of lions, complete with its leader, a male, sporting a full mane.  They were trying to sleep off the day’s earlier feast, but the tourists and their safari cars were circled around.

Quite an interesting lecture Bill!

Charlie wanted us to get a good view of the lions and so he pulled the vehicle to within about 10 feet of one of the resting lions.  Windows were opened and quickly closed, with the wonder, or should I say fear, of how fast do we need to close these windows.  We were close enough to inspect the backs of their throats during the frequent yawns, but not close enough to smell their breath.  Roberta wondered aloud to Charlie, “do they come up to the vehicle?”  Then casually Charlie replied “yes, and I’ve seen them come up and peer down into the vehicles from the open canopy”, which immediately changed the tenor of comfort in the car.  I think he enjoyed letting that one sink in.  Of course, Charlie was asked if he had ever lost a client, to which he correctly replied, “not yet”.

  

Sure feels like snack time to me.

The lions were great to watch, but we wanted to see more.  We headed further south along the stream that feeds into Lake Ndutu, where we find more wonderful birds including a majestic immature Martial Eagle (thanks to Cin-Ty Lee for the correct identification).  Coming on to the open plains of the Serengeti we begin to see Gnu or wildebeest.  Is this the migration?  But just then we see a cluster of vehicles making a hemisphere, which means only one thing: another big cat or two.  It is three cheetahs waiting and thinking about a hunt.  They keep us all in suspense, but the big news is we see for certain the spectacular migration of the wildebeest.  Yes, the horizon some distance off is filled with wildebeest.  Sadly, Charlie says that that treat is for tomorrow, and that we need to head back to camp to make it there with daylight in hand.

Martial Eagle hunting for food

Returning to camp after our evening drive gave us plenty of time to think about the closeness of the lions and what kind of sleep we had ahead of us that night.  Patrick was ready to search out the areas around camp.  Most of us were interested in relieving ourselves of some of the road dirt that covered our clothes and skin. 

The next morning we shared stories of what we heard outside our tents during the night.  Kevin and Patrick caught photos of Cape Buffalo walking some 15 to 20 yards away behind our tents in the morning quiet.  After breakfast it was off to do some more game hunting and shooting with or cameras, of course.  

Secretary Bird

The next day, a big treat

Sunset on the Serengeti

Our hopes are high for today’s safari.  We are looking forward to seeing one of the world’s true wonders, the migration of the wildebeest.  It was right where we left it last night and then some.  It is a sight that is hard to describe and even harder to capture with photographs.  There are wildebeest and zebras everywhere.  There may be a million of them, but all you can see in the immediate vicinity is only a thousand or so.  It is simply amazing.

Impala

However before we even got to the plains the morning started with a sighting of cheetahs, a mother and her two cubs.  The cubs were happily sitting together enjoying the morning air and surveying the plains.  The mother, not far off was watching her cubs and also surveying.  All was fine until we see the cubs take note.  Off in the distance there are two tourists with two game wardens taking a walking safari.  They are many hundred yards away, but the cheetahs spot them and immediately become unsettled.  Although the people are many hundreds of yards off, this fact unsettles the cheetahs, while at the same time they are surrounded by three or four vehicles, each with 3-6 people peering out at them.  As the walkers continue not even noticing the cheetahs, the cubs slink off quietly into the nearby bush.  Charlie says that they know and can predict what safari vehicles will do; people on foot are whole other story.

Cheetah cubs alert to the bush walkers

Back on the plains, where the numbers of animals are simply overwhelming, we survey the herd.  As we drive through this vast herd still in awe we find a wildebeest that is galloping with a limp and then we spot this bright red patch on the side back of his body.  He is sporting an 8-10 inch long gash in the side of him between the end of his belly and his leg.  He must have fallen victim to an attack by one of the big cats, but it was not enough to bring him down.  The future doesn’t look bright for this guy, he’ll more than likely be taken out in the coming days.

A victim of the migration with little time left...

There is more to watch on the plains, including watch those who are watching others.  We find a group of three cheetahs that are in this small sunken area with a trickle of a stream winding through.  These cheetahs are positioned in the middle of the migration pathway watching all that is happening.  While we are there, they are surrounded by a large number of curious zebras that seem to be teasing or taunting the cheetahs.  Charlie says that the cheetahs will not attack an adult zebra, they’re just too large an animal for a cheetah to bring down.  The cheetahs will, however, take out a juvenile zebra and will be forever watchful of any opportunity. 

Wildebeest leg anyone?

It has been a successful morning hunt and time to get some relief from the mid-day sun.  Even though clouds are coming in, cloudy skies on the open plains is still a challenge for even the strongest sun block.  Our trip back to camp brings us past many happy hyenas that are taking full advantage of the muddy areas created by tire tracks.  We pass by several groups, one of which was feasting on a muddy, delicious wildebeest leg, hmm good.

Agama Lizard

Our final afternoon hunt followed on the heel’s of an intense lunchtime thunderstorm. Just before the storm the air got strangely hot, so much so that several comments were made.  Then and most surprisingly, the sky unzipped and an amazing and hugely powerful thunderstorm hit covering the area quickly with rain.  And with similar speed to its arrival, it left.

A steady drizzle in the afternoon provided the right conditions for hippo viewing.  We found a crash of hippos (also referred to as a herd, dale, or bloat) soaking in the rain at the lakeshore.  These aquatic beasts were not too active, except if you call yawning an aerobic sport. 

did someone say lunch?

We went out in search of and with high hopes to find leopards and other exciting game.  We were going south along the lake areas in and out of areas where the acacia trees were slanted perfectly for easy climbing access.  These acacias offered plenty of opportunity for spotting leopards that like to position themselves up in trees surveying the area for tasty morsels.  Fourteen eyes were focused at every perch, but to no avail.

Disappointment, but that is part of life in the plains of east Africa, you get what it wants to give and enjoy the feast.

And now to the Serengeti

Our tented camp at Ngorongoro crater

Our second morning on Ngorongoro rim was again a great setting, but this morning was cloudy, offering a wonderfully different perspective on the crater and surroundings.  The elevation and partially overcast skies brought out more of the colors in the brightly clothed Masaai, who populated the road and immediate areas.  As we drove along the road we occasionally were pass by or through herds of goats and cattle. Masaai cattle are gaunt and always on the move, typically with a young herder, a boy of between about 8 and 14.  Be it goats or cattle, if they were close to or on the road or passing meant that we would send the herd scampering, creating a regrouping headache for the young Masaai boy tending.

Flamingos in the crater

Our drive brought us past nice vistas of open grasslands, crater rim views, and rugged volcanic terrain that also had surprises every few miles of small groups of giraffes and the occasional scurrying family unit of warthogs.  We were leaving the Ngorongoro highlands and heading down to the famous Serengeti plains. 

A satisfied zebra

First stop when we came off the highlands was Oldupai Gorge.  Yes, the commonly stated name “Olduvai Gorge”, made famous by Louis and Mary Leakey, is not the real name; it is Oldupai and was named after the common Massai plant oldupai, which has been used as a medicinal plant.  As the guide told us, the place is too famously recognized by the wrong name, such that they’ll only correct you if you come here to visit.  The museum is simple, but effective and very informative.  The 10-minute presentation was really well done and gave us a nice perspective on the history, prehistory and its importance as a place where some of man’s most famous fossils have been found.

The ever common splendid starling 

Next stop, our campsite, which is on Lake Ndutu, north of Oldupai Gorge; it is the source of the water that created the gorge.  The “stream”, however, was nowhere to be found, at least not at this time of the year.  We leave the Oldupai area, head back to the main road between Ngorongoro and Arusha. 

As we head north on this road we watch the highlands get smaller and the road ahead of us expand out ahead of us.  There were many Masaai boumas (encampments with a brush-fence surrounding compound and an inner region where the herd is sheltered) not far off the road.  The Masaai are great businessmen and know that the tourists want to photograph them in their native settings. 

Always read to take the shot, Patrick our cameraman

Along the road we saw some young Masaai boys all dressed in painted faces and initiation garb; the boys are all about 15 or 16 and supposedly into their initiation into manhood (circumcision). The photo opt was nixed by Bill, who foolishly thought that they wouldn’t want their photos taken, because of the Masaai’s traditional reluctance believing that photos take away part of their soul.  (Little did he know that this is a source of revenue for the initates, which is why they are standing on the side of the road).  Nana is deeply disappointed; that is a photo she really wants!

White headed buffalo weaver

As it turned out, finding our campsite was a slight challenge.  Our originally booked itinerary was changed about two weeks before going due to a mix up.  This change had us staying in another camp that was unfamiliar to Charlie, our driver.  But persistence on his part and several stops for recommendations of where to find it saved us in the end.

Lunch and then a brief break in camp before an early evening game drive gave us a chance to recharge.  Roberta and Patrick continued their sorting and culling of photos, much to their mutual pleasure.  We enjoyed watching the two of them work together with the photos, even if the word “ delete” was used frequently.  The end result was always another great review of the previous days photos and much admiration for Patrick’s great eye.

The Great Crater

We reached the halfway point of the safari, and are ready to descend into this special caldera that brims with many great animals.  

Boy that was a great lunch!

Sunrise was perfect, with the sun slowly cresting over the high point of the crater rim and bringing some warmth to our tents.  The sky was nearly cloudless and the morning sun on the area of Lake Eyasi and the surrounding plains was a treat.

Cape Buffalo enjoying the sun. 

It was a cool start, high up on the crater rim.  The ride down into the crater was a nail-bitter for some us, with the steep road offering stunning uninterrupted views straight down, particularly on the tight curves.  Overcoming that minor challenge brought the reward of the crater floor and game viewing and there was plenty to see.

The ever friendly (NOT!) spotted hyena

Almost immediately we found many ostriches, gazelles and hyenas.  Finding lions was not a great challenge; you look for a cluster of vehicles with people using cameras and binoculars looking towards a focal point.  We had a great view of our first lion sighting.  There were some six to eight lions mostly doing what lions do best, lying around sleeping, including their belly-up most relaxed pose.

The magical moment of the day came with the sighting of the rhinos.  By late morning we found a pair of rhinos, but we could not get any closer than about 300 yards. 

White Rhinos in Ngorongoro Crater

Fortunately, after lunch Patrick asked if we could circle back around and find the rhinos again.  The second trip was successful beyond expectations.  We ended up seeing five rhinos, including a mother and young rhino pair.  All the rhino were much closer, being only about 50 yards away and were fairly active.  There were many photos taken and lots of happy viewing time.

Arriving at Ngorongoro

This school near the Nou forest is supported by the Dorobo
safarai company that we have been traveling with since we
first came to TZ in 1989.  Kevin wanted a photo with Roberta
and Bill standing next to the school's sign.

The trip from the Nou forest to our camp at Ngorongoro was our longest drive, lasting seven hours and rattling our bones through and through. We passed over the ancient Tanzanian Craton, enjoying vast stretches of medium-grade schists and quartzites, while later on moving on to the western extent of the recent volcanic lava flows of the Rift Valley. In doing so we drew closer and closer to the Ngorongoro Highlands, which tops out over 2200 meters (6600 feet), and is the great volcanic edifice that encircles the Ngorongoro Crater.

Helmeted Guinea fowl 

The crater, some 14-km (10 miles) across and 600 meters deep, provides approximately 140 square kilometers (100mi2) of roaming area for the National Park animals of Ngorongoro. The crater itself is interpreted as forming from the release of some 90 cubic kilometers of lava escaping a subsurface magma chamber that was perhaps only a few kilometers deep.

Blue bearded wildebeest in Ngorongoro crater

As we reached our campsite destination we pulled into this peaceful setting on a high bluff overlooking Lake Eyasi. Yes, it was another luxury camping site with fabulous views, big beds, and lots of comfortable amenities. This style of camping is always welcome at the end of a long day’s journey. 


We rolled in around 4 p.m., giving us plenty of time to chill, wash up, settle into our new digs and meet back at the meeting area between the mess tent and the library. Immediately we were served up some Chenin Blanc and started sharing family stories,  


The wine supply was only ours for a while and then a group of nine rolled in.  They were a merry group who had all ascended Mt Kilimanjaro two days before. 

Hippo remaining calm during the mid-day sun

The new group were a diverse and fun mixture including Harry, an Irish/Canadian Dad and his two sons, and John, the younger son’s girlfriend, Brie, Scott, the Army officer and his wife, who were celebrating their first wedding anniversary, the 67 year old Oregonian from LaGrange, Debbie from Eugene, OR, and Sarah the lone, self-described, cougar from NJ. After brief introductions we were all asked to re-muster in about 20 minutes to view a Masai goat feast ceremony.

making Masaai broth

Going down to the Masai camp we were treated to a brief ceremony with about 10 young Masai men. The head Masai man gave us a description of the two broths that they made for the goat roast. The first pot was blood red liquid broth made from a tree root. During the description they took out the tree section; it was about five inches long and 3 inches wide with a bright red exterior. The other broth contained the heart, liver and intestines, which had been stewing for a few hours. 

a very happy warthog

We all tasted the first broth and agreed that it tasted like a mild tea; it is used for alleviating stomach pain. The blood red broth was then mixed with the second broth and stirred and mixed with a Masai food processer, a long stick with two orthogonal paddles for stirring and blending. As the combined broth was being prepared some of the colorful Masai warriors took their roasted goat legs and sliced off pieces for everyone to enjoy. All expressed happy eating sounds, while everyone marveled at the sharpness of the large Masai knives that they carried bayoneted around their waists.

Sunset at Ngorongoro

Later, we walked back to the camp and waited for a peformance of the ceremonial Masai dance, which everyone enjoyed from beginning to end. There were about 10 tall warriors, all about 20 years old and an equal number of wonderfully dressed Masai girls ranging in age from about 10-15. The girls all wore 2-teir, wide-brimmed necklaces made from many rows of small white beads. The men sang to the girls and every so often one or two men would step out and dance by jumping straight up for about a minute. The girls would sing back to men in harmony and this brought out more response dances from the men. As the dance evolved the men marched back and forth in two columns in front of the women singing along the way and waving their 6-foot long spears that they had carried from the goat roast. The ceremonial dance lasted for about 10 minutes and was magnificently full of harmony and grand motion. What a superb way to finish a long day

Hiking the equatorial jungle

Kevin jumped out of the safari vehicle in order to be
"photoshopped" into the picture with this giraffe in Tarangire

We left Tarangire for the Nou Forest, knowing that it would be a long ride (6 hours) along a rough road, which was partially under construction, at least to Babeti.  However, Roberta acknowledged that the road was substantially improved over the last time she was on that road.  After Babeti the ride took us through many villages, lots of colorful sights, large open Sunday markets, and a climb to about 2000 meters altitude.  


When we left the main road, which was a well-constructed dirt road wide enough for two vehicles, we followed foot tracks, which, in some areas, were just wide enough for our 8-seater Land-Cruiser to pass.  We were all skeptical about the path that we were following, with Kevin questioning Charlie, our driver, how much longer and if he really was following the right path.  In the end and much to Kevin’s surprise, we arrived exactly at the camp after many curious turns, including a hard right at the black pig.

Chameleon living in the Nou forest

The Nou Forest offered Mom her first real night of camping; we had three 2-man tents (no concrete floors), two outside toilets, outside bush showers, and nothing else around except the forest and us.  Following our experiences at Tarangire, there was much expectation of leopards and hyenas visiting our camp during the night, given the feces identifications we had on our brief early evening hike.  The evening sky of Milky Way viewing was incomparable; the early night sky included Orion at our zenith, the Pleiades’, and a great viewing of the Magellenic clouds.  Enjoying the morning sunrise revealed that everyone had a deep night sleep and no stories of wild animal calls during the night.    

Karoli and Nana, but Karoli sure liked to say Kevin's name!

After breakfast Patrick, Roberta, Kevin and Bill followed Karoli off to the waterfalls, while Nana and Donna went with Charlie and Andreas to see Andreas’ house in the local village, where Andreas is the village chief.  Donna and Nana had a great time seeing Andreas’ house, family (son and granddaughter), farm and their cows and pigs.  Andrea took Nana and Donna over to see his Mom’s grave; she recently passed away after 87 years.    

Bill at Nou Forest Falls,  bat cave off to right

The trip to the waterfalls was a vigorous 6 km hike through the Nou Forest and was quite a challenge for all (except Karoli, who never seemed to break a sweat).  The ~100 foot waterfall was a welcomed sight and a refreshing foot relief.  There were lots of slippery rocks to crawl over, but the last few yards were worth it. 



Karoli beckoned us over to the main part of the falls to show us a cave.  Patrick and Kevin braved the scramble and followed Karoli deep into the cave.  Inside Karoli bounced up and down making pseudo baboon noises as Patrick and Kevin crawled in.  With a full jump up, Karoli stirred up the bats in the cave one hit Patrick on the way out, Kevin starts this big belly roll of a laugh, while outside the cave Roberta wonders, why are bats flying around in the daytime?  

Celebrating the days hike and victorious canasta card game.

An exhausted hiking crew and the village tour team spent the afternoon relaxing and later playing cards in the open-air mess tent.  It was a wonderful way to just enjoy the day and reflect on the travels of the last few days.