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.