Wow
Before I recount my incredible safari experience, I just want to thank everyone who's been commenting on my blog - it really makes my day to hear from people back home... and I'm always curious to see who actually reads this!
My safari was incredible. On Friday afternoon, our guide, Gasper, met us at CCS and we (myself, Katie, and five other CCS volunteers) drove for about four hours to our lodge, situated on the edge of the Ngorongoro crater. After a fairly action packed drive, during which we saw giraffes, stopped to buy incredibly over-priced western junk food, and got stuck in the mud, we finally arrived around 8 pm. After a four-course dinner at the lodge, we had a fairly quiet evening. African hotels don't seem to have TV, so we just played cards - I am becoming an avid euchre player.
On Saturday morning, we set off bright and early for the crater. The Ngorongoro crater, which is the world's largest crater, was apparently formed when a volcano collapsed. It is now an immense, flat area of land, surrounded by mountains, and inhabited by elephants, lions, rhinos, zebras, hippos, flamingos, and countless other African animals. The first sighting of the day was a herd of zebras, followed by some wildebeasts, gazelles, and buffalo. Later on, we saw hippos and elephants. We were incredibly lucky in that we saw an entire pride of lions, and an elusive black rhino. In the late afternoon, we returned to the lodge, and I was able to watch the sun set over the crater, which was beautiful and very peaceful.
The next morning, we left in a dense fog to head to Lake Manyara. The one disappointment of Ngorongoro was that we didn't see any giraffes, so Gasper promised us that he'd find us some giraffes at Manyara. He didn't let us down. Around Lake Manyara, the trees are very dense, and while driving through, I got the sense that I was driving through a jungle. Almost immediately, we were able to see a family of elephants less than 20 feet from our car. We also saw many different varieties of monkeys, and closer to the lake, we saw the promised giraffes.
Over the course of the weekend, I took nearly 200 pictures - hopefully they'll turn out when I upload them onto my computer back home. Now that I'm back in Tengaru, I'm reminded of the absolute contrasts that exist in Africa - its incredible natural beauty compared to the ugliness of the abject poverty that the majority of its people live in.
With the end of my safari, I feel like my trip is almost complete. Tomorrow, I'm hoping to go to the Rwanda genocide tribunal, which is the main thing that I promised myself that I'd do while in Arusha. After that, I'll definitely be ready to head home. We got a whole bunch of new volunteers in last night, so those of us who arrived two weeks ago are the old timers here. I have a new roommate, who is a concert pianist from Hong Kong - very interesting lady! It feels funny when they come to ask me for advice about being in Africa, but at the same time, I guess I've learned a lot in the last two weeks.
Five more sleeps until I head home! I can almost taste the timbits already... (Mom and Dad, we can stop at Tim's on the way back from the airport, right? lol.)
My safari was incredible. On Friday afternoon, our guide, Gasper, met us at CCS and we (myself, Katie, and five other CCS volunteers) drove for about four hours to our lodge, situated on the edge of the Ngorongoro crater. After a fairly action packed drive, during which we saw giraffes, stopped to buy incredibly over-priced western junk food, and got stuck in the mud, we finally arrived around 8 pm. After a four-course dinner at the lodge, we had a fairly quiet evening. African hotels don't seem to have TV, so we just played cards - I am becoming an avid euchre player.
On Saturday morning, we set off bright and early for the crater. The Ngorongoro crater, which is the world's largest crater, was apparently formed when a volcano collapsed. It is now an immense, flat area of land, surrounded by mountains, and inhabited by elephants, lions, rhinos, zebras, hippos, flamingos, and countless other African animals. The first sighting of the day was a herd of zebras, followed by some wildebeasts, gazelles, and buffalo. Later on, we saw hippos and elephants. We were incredibly lucky in that we saw an entire pride of lions, and an elusive black rhino. In the late afternoon, we returned to the lodge, and I was able to watch the sun set over the crater, which was beautiful and very peaceful.
The next morning, we left in a dense fog to head to Lake Manyara. The one disappointment of Ngorongoro was that we didn't see any giraffes, so Gasper promised us that he'd find us some giraffes at Manyara. He didn't let us down. Around Lake Manyara, the trees are very dense, and while driving through, I got the sense that I was driving through a jungle. Almost immediately, we were able to see a family of elephants less than 20 feet from our car. We also saw many different varieties of monkeys, and closer to the lake, we saw the promised giraffes.
Over the course of the weekend, I took nearly 200 pictures - hopefully they'll turn out when I upload them onto my computer back home. Now that I'm back in Tengaru, I'm reminded of the absolute contrasts that exist in Africa - its incredible natural beauty compared to the ugliness of the abject poverty that the majority of its people live in.
With the end of my safari, I feel like my trip is almost complete. Tomorrow, I'm hoping to go to the Rwanda genocide tribunal, which is the main thing that I promised myself that I'd do while in Arusha. After that, I'll definitely be ready to head home. We got a whole bunch of new volunteers in last night, so those of us who arrived two weeks ago are the old timers here. I have a new roommate, who is a concert pianist from Hong Kong - very interesting lady! It feels funny when they come to ask me for advice about being in Africa, but at the same time, I guess I've learned a lot in the last two weeks.
Five more sleeps until I head home! I can almost taste the timbits already... (Mom and Dad, we can stop at Tim's on the way back from the airport, right? lol.)
posted by jenni | 12:57 AM
5 Comments:
Dude, reply to my email!
Also, I'm so jealous and I want to go on safari in Africa too! Love hearing your stories, and I'll see you when you get back.
-Suz
I can't wait to see your pictures when you get back! All those animals in their natural habitat must have been absolutely amazing. tty when you get back. Have a great flight back.
Hey Jenni,
THe trip sounds interesting!! The safari would have been amazing, but I would have those fears that I would be attacked by lions. I hope you get to the Rwanda site you had hoped to go to.
Good Grief, after almost reading every one of your entries, I just realized that I didn't have to be a member to comment! I am so tecnically impaired! lol. You're trip has been so inspiring. I really want to do a trip to Africa now. I might do a similar one that does AIDS awareness. I'll have to find out more info and compare notes with your organization you went with. I loved reading all your entries, maybe missing 1. Can't wait to see you and your pictures!
Hey Girlie!
Great to hear that you are enjoying your time in Africa! Have been entranced and captivated reading all of your posts! Gotta see your pictures at some point. Take care of yourself, stay safe and don't forget to pick me up a hot pilot on your way back! Hehe
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