And the rest of what happened in Tanzania

Other than the Dutch already mentioned, the additional people on my safari were Angélique from Montreal, Matt from Melbourne and Ahmed from Zanzibar. (The last two joining us only on the second day for the descent into Ngorongoro Crater.) They were all quite pleasant company (and Rudger quite pleasant to look at as well) J

At first I didn't feel significantly different than the other travelers, other than the fact that I had a leopard-printed hand luggage carry-on as my suitcase, and nothing resembling backpacker attire (i.e. large hiking backpack, safari-tan hats, khakis, grungy cargo shorts, t-shirts celebrating brands of Thai and Indian beer.) I soon found out that they were all 24-years-old or less, four of them 22 or less, and it struck me as funny that this was the budget safari I had chosen to afford. (Considering that I sell several thousand dollar luxury safaris almost daily.) Reflects back on my current situation a bit, as well as the fact that I really should be using complimentary and significantly reduced semi-luxurious travel options--touting my travel operator status as reason to deserve familiarization trips. This would of course involve planning, not to mention a bit more notice than a rushed workweek in which i am told I will be traveling to Tanzania for a trade show.

The campsite in which I stayed two nights was pretty sparse. We were fed simple foods, such as orange slices and spaghetti with meatsauce, then rice with meat and watermelon and mango on the second night. The shared bathrooms were more than a bit disgusting--as are most public restrooms in Africa-- the first night especially inducing dry-heaving upon entry. It looked as if someone had died—from one end in particular—in one of the stalls. The other stalls were drop pots, where you literally have to squat over a hole and aim in order to keep your feet clear of errant sprays. Men have it so easy sometimes. 

Here, as in Kampala, men will just pull their car or bike over and go stand on the side of the road and pee onto something. It happens in the middle of the city. I could be walking along a path to the grocery store and have to step several feet out of the way to avoid seeing more than I bargained for and/or getting sprayed.

Still, it all turned out well-enough in the end. The girl I invited on the bus to the campsite near Lake Manyara, Angélique, got the same trip and itinerary for $110 less than me (thanks to my negotiations on her behalf) and because I assumed that adding a person to our vehicle would lower my own cost. The tricky part was negotiating with the Tanzanian tour operators to agree to pay me back. I ended up with a $50 refund and an apology, but at least I learned my lesson and made it clear to the operator that something of a monetary gesture in refund/apology was better than nothing.

Lake Manyara turned out to be pretty disappointing after the appeal of seeing giraffes and zebras in the wild wore off.... you tend to get a bit desensitized quite quickly after driving back the same animals for hours at a time. That was pretty much all we saw, with a few forest elephants near the entrance. Although, it is fair to say giraffes are extremely unusual creatures, and quite comical in appearance when closely analyzed: alien antennaes sticking out above fuzzy hears and a quizzical expression on top of an overly stretched neck, slanted back and different-length gangly legs. When they run it’s even funnier, as they canter horse-like, yet in awkward, uneven and jarring steps. 

The landscape by the lake was impressionable. It’s unusual to see giraffes lounging lakeside, their long necks sticking out in the foreground of the expanse beyond.

The following day at Ngorongoro Crater was a different story--a different world. As soon as the safari vehicle descended below the fog resting on top of the crater, a great African savannah revealed itself below. Wildebeasts charged each other, running in circles, stirring up dust, communicating constantly in a series of humerous grunts.

We had a close encounter with a huge male elephant-- who looked like he was considering standing off with the safari car near us....

It ended with a stare-down, a quick dust bath and dismissive flap of the ears and trunk.

The lions in the crater are so accustomed to safari cars and humans, the literally walk in front in between the cars,  stop in the middle of the road, and, in one case in particular, spoon with tires. 

 

In one case, a female lion walked slowly between the vehicles, about 6 inches below my window, which I stupidly leaned out of to get a great picture--realizing I could have literally pet the thing without even extending my arm... Fortunately for me, the lions there are so habituated, they don't even bat a lion eyelash or raise a lion nostril to your nearby human stench.

I felt pretty lucky to finally get the chance to see a huge variety of game in the wild, and spend some time off work to explore on my own. We drove back to Arusha that evening and I spent the night at the Backpacker's Hostel in town. 

(Where I contemplated my softness, but enjoyed sleeping in a top-bunk like a 12-year old.)

I met up with my friend the next day and we spent the afternoon in town before driving to Moshi for an overnight at her house. It was great to catch up with an old friend in a completely random, foreign setting. Who could have guessed we would have a reunion in East Africa? Complaining about African drivers, men peeing all over the place, the utter inefficiency of most things, and the dangers of walking alone at night...

"But no, I really do love it here."

"Really? It doesn't sound like it...."

(I guess it's just nice to have a familiar face to lament to, sometimes.)

The end (s).