oct. 23-25, 2012 - serengti, tanzania

Oct. 23-25, 2012

We just spent 3 days on a side trip to Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti.  We left Arusha, Tanzania and drove straight the crater rim.  We stopped for a little photo opportunity and then continued on to the Serengeti for afternoon/evening game drive. On this drive we finally got to see a leopard, two of them! We also saw a serval cat along with all the abundant antelopes, zebra, and elephant.  We got to camp after dark and set up the tent quickly and waited for dinner.  This side trip included all meals prepared by amazing cooks.  Dinner started with soup and moved on to spaghetti with meat and veggie sauce.  The campsite is located in the middle of the serengeti with no fences or barriers.  They told us that hyenas would most likely end up in camp and would be running around.  Sure enough I woke up to hyena sounds and footsteps.  It was already my plan to NOT get out of the tent for any reason, so I just listened and hoped they wouldnt think I smelled like a tasty meal.

The next day was a full day in the Serengeti on game drive.  Pretty much the only thing we did not see was a rhino.  We even got to see a Cheetah with three cubs.  Lots of photos were taken.   That even we drove back to the crater rim to set up camp.  This site was on a beautiful hill over looking the crater AND it had hot showers AWESOME. The cooks made popcorn for the 12 of us ad set it up on a table just near our tents.  When darkness fell word got around that an elephant was wandering around close to camp.  I guess the popcorn was just too good to pass up because shortly after that he wandered over to the table.  It was a bit scary and I got up fast to put a good distance between us.  It was hilarious to watch him enjoy our popcorn though.  He finished it al off, knocked over the table to be sure all the good stuff was gone and then continued on his way back into the bush.  I cant say how amazing it was to be that close to a huge wild animal and just watch it walk through camp.   That night while we were sleeping zebras walked through camp as well!!

The next morning we all loaded up and drove down into the crater.  Our guide told us there were over 20,000 animals in the crater. Again, we saw soooo many animals.  And we saw a pride of lions planning for a kill.  Unfortunately, none of the zebras were willing to be dinner.

The day ended with a long drive back to camp.

Today we drove all day from Arusha to a half way point to Dar es salaam, the ferry point for Zanzibar.  I am excited to not have to up the tent and to sit on the beach for a while and of course...SCUBA diving.

What I have learned:

Of all the places I have visited Africa has some of the poorest living conditions.  But they seem rich on happiness because they always have a great smile and a warm greeting.

oct., 18-19 - maasai mara

Oct. 18-19, 2012 - Maasai Mara

Included in our tour fee was the 80USD entrance fee into the Maasai Mara in Kenya.  The pass was good for 24hours.  The Maasai Mara is the same expanse of land as the Serengeti its just on the Kenya side rather than the Tanzania side.   This is the original land of the Maasai tribe.  The park full to the brim with wild beautiful animals.  Our first game drive was at 2pm on the 18th.  We entered the park and immediately saw a small herd of elephants.  Through the drive we also saw 4 lions, two male and two female...we got to see them making babies.  haha.  We also spotted ostriches, more zebras, antelopes of all kinds, giraffes,wildebeests, warthogs, and more. The next morning we got up super early and left by 6:20.  The Maasai tribesman gaurding the camp had gotten word the cheetahs were hunting near the entrance so we pretty much dropped everything an hopped in the truck and headed towards the gate.  We missed the hunting cheetahs but we did get to see a lionness eating an antelope, two cheetahs resting under a tree, more lions, and hyenas.  We are missing just one animal of the big 5. We have yet to see a leopard.

After the game drive we stopped at a Maasai tribe village for a tour and demostration of some of there culture. We were greeted with a welcome dance from the young men of the tribe.  They dress in red and patterned cloth with lots of beaded jewelry.  Its looks a lot like a short bright colored toga. I have plenty of pics, you will just have to wait until I have a better internet connection. The women they did a welcome dance and song.  They then showed us how they light fires with just two sticks and a cow turd.  We also got a little tour of a village house.  Its a tiny two room house.  One room is for the baby cows to protect them from the predators.  The other room has the parents bed on one side a fire pit for cooking in the middle and a smaller bed on the other side for the small childern.  No doors.  We all had to duck to get through the door way.  All the village houses are inside a fence made of branches. At night the entire herd of cattle stay inside this fence.  The village is also just one family.  They practice polygamy so a man can have many wives and when a son takes a wife they also build a house with in the fence.  They do not marry with in the family but with another family village.  In the past before a man could marry he has to kill a lion to show is strength, bravery, and manhood.  Today however the government has made it illegal to kill the wildlife so the man must give 10 cows to the woman's family.  The Maasai also live off of a diet f purely beef, cow blood, and milk.  The cows are not killed for the blood rather they just take blood from a cow once a month and just rotate cows.  The tour was enlightening to say the least.

We are now back in Nairobi for two days.  On Monday we will add 7 people to our group and will head to Tanzania.  We lost one girl, Ulrika, today.  



What I have learned:
There are 42 different tribes in Kenya.

Oct. 14, 2012 - Lake Nakuru, Kenya

Oct 14, 2012 - Nakuru, Kenya

Yesterday we met the two new girls and they are a great addition to our trip.  One will be with us for a week and the other for 2 weeks. It rained all evening, but it made for good sleep.

We woke with morning at 5am and had a quick breakfast.  Our safari guide picked the 5 of us up at 6am and we drove to Lake Nakuru National Park.  The entry fee was 80 USD and 2,000 Kenya Shillings (approx $24).  We drove through the park for about 7 hours and we saw just about all the animails you could want to see.  We saw gazelle, impalas, black rhinos, white rhinos, monkeys, babboons, hippos, 7 lions, jackels, buffalo, water bucks, giraffes, pelicans, marabu cranes, crowned cranes, flamingos, zebras, hyrax, warthogs, and lots of birds.  It was so amazing seeing all these animasl running around in the wild and worth every penny. Some of the animals would let the vehicle super close.  We also stopped at a scenic outlook up on a cliff that looked over a large section of the park and almost the whole lake.

After the park we stopped and got groceries to make chili (its been a chilly day) and its simmering on the fire and it smells delicious AND its starting to sprinkle again.  Its been a fantastic day!!!!

Miss you family and friends! Hugs!

What I learned:
Lake Naruku has the only 3 horned giraffes.

Oct. 13, 2012

Oct 13, 2012 - Nakuru, Kenya

Last night we slept in a concervancy near lake Nakuru.  Because of all the wild animals includng lions and hyenas out tent was inside of a 10 foot high electric fence. We walked the fence line and also took a short walk outside the fence.  During the night you could here all the animals making noises.  It was both awesome and scary.  So scary in fact that I waited 3 hours to get up to go to the bathroom becuase I thought I might get eaten....even with the electric fence around the campground.  I finally couldnt wait any longer and braved the night and wild animals.

We will stay here the next 2 nights as well.  I will definately be visiting the bathroom right before I go to bed to prevent the bladder issues of last night.

We also move from the land rover to the overland truck today and also gain to additional travelers.  I girl from Britian and one from Sweden.  It will be nice to have some more company.  More people will mean we dont have to cook AND clean each meal.  We will be trading off on these duties.

What I learned:
Kenya produces a very large chunk of the world's cut flowers!

Oct 10, 2012 - Jinga, Uganda

Jinja, Uganda Oct 10, 2012

Yesterday we took a evening boat cruise for $15 along the Nile river and into Lake Victoria, the source of the Nile.  We saw huge monitor lizards, lots of birds, and at the very end an otter.

Today Alene and I volunteered at a school for a few hours.  We painted two classrooms and visited a pre-school and a health clinic run by a group called Soft Power Education.  They picked us up around 9:30, they told us a little about the organization and showed us some of the schools and facilities that they run.  After that we were given paint and paintbrushes and painted 2 classrooms cream.

After painting we talked with some of the teachers and the organization leaders.  We also go to interact with some of the kids.  They LOVED getting to look at the pictures I was taking of them.  After that they served us a traditional African lunch of Chapati (local version of a tortilla) rice and beans.

They brought us back to our campsite just when the rain was starting so all four of us squeezed into the front of the truck.  It was another bouncy bumpy ride home.  It was even funnier because Alene had to ride in my lap and the driver was worried about being able to pass on some of the roads due to water on the dirt road.

I am now sitting on the patio over looking the Nile river and listening to the rain fall on the tin roof.

Oct 6, 2012 - Bwindi National Park, Uganda

Oct 6, 2012 - Bwindi National Park, Uganda

We woke at 5 and left the hostel at 6:30 for a 1.5 hour drive to Bwindi National Park from Kisoro.  Our driver, George, said the road was the free massage road and he was right.  That was the bumpiest hour and a half I have ever had.  Im suprised his car is still in one piece. We arrived at the park and received our permits and a briefing about the trek.

It was another 30 min drive to the start of the hike.  Our trek had 6 guests 1 guide, a security guy with an AK47, and 3 porters that carried some of the guests bags.  During the briefing the guide told us the guy with the gun was in case we came across jungle elephants, who if caught off guard can be very aggressive.

The hike started with a steep incline on a dirt road.  This turned into a grass path, and then finally reached the jungle.  The jungle was a huge relief because the jungle was about 20 degrees cooler than the direct sunlight.  Every day for the gorillas treks they send 2 trackers our early to track the gorillas location.  They start where they left the gorillas the previous day.  When they find the gorillas they radio back to our guide the location and then we hike our way to them.  We followed elephant paths for quite a while and then began bushwacking our way through thick jungle growth.  This meant climbing over, under and through vines and downed trees and even briar bushes (i have a few scratches from those).  After four hours of crazy intense up and down sometimes almost crawling hiking we came to a small family group.  This father, mother, and son group were part of a larger group of 15 in this area of the jungle.  The big silver back male was resting under and vines.  The 8 month old baby was very active and curious as he kept sneaking closer to us.  Mother grabbed him and took him back 2 times while we were there.  We were about 20 feet max from these gorillas and they were so magnificent and huge!  We stayed and just watched for about an hour and then the group got up and left for a new location.  We followed for a little bit but then started our trek back.  The trek back was a lot more bushwacking and wiggling through the jungle.  We finally made it back to some worn paths and some easy hiking. BUT THEN all of a sudden our guide had a paniced look on his face, the jungle trees started thrashing around, there was loud tree crunching, and the guy with the AK47 cocked his gun and ran up to  have a look.  This immediately put a shot of adreniline through my body and sent my heary racing.  Our group had come upon a jungle elephant!!!!!  The porters, guide, and security guard jumped into action.  They instructed us to keep in a tight group and we detoured from our worn path to bushwack WAY around the elephant.  It was a very frighenting 10-15 minutes while we hiked and avoided the elephant.  Just hearing the sound of crunching trees sent me almost running throught the thick vegitation.  I am happy to report though that everything turned out alright and the elephant left us alone.

It was an expensive and exhausting day but worth it to see this awesome creatures close up and in the wild.  So blessed and thankful for this opportunity.
What I learned:
Safari ants have a mean bite.
Jungle elephants are to be avoided at all costs.
There are only 750 wild mountain gorillas left in the entire world and they are all found in the rain forests near where the Congo, Rwanda, and Uganda meet.

Oct 5, 2012 Kisoro, Uganda

Oct 5, 2012 - Kisoro, Uganda

We are being spoiled since there are only 3 of us on this leg of the trip.  Twice now Henry has found a way for us to upgrade from the tent to an actual bed and room! Tonight we cooked steaks for dinner.

The last few days have been very chill.  We gradually moved closer and closer to Bwindi, the Gorilla park/jungle area. This morning we visited an orphanage just down the road from our campsite.  Oh, and yet again, the campsite was set in a beautiful landscape right on lake Byunyonyi.  Our tent went up right next to the water.

The orphanage was a lot of fun.  We got to sit in on the classes where the kids are learning english and math.  The class rooms are very simple buildings, basically wood slats with a roof. No doors.  The chalk board was a piece of plywood that had been painted black.  When the teach asked a question all the kids were eager to be the ones chosen to get up and write the answer on the board. And they LOVED the visitors.  As soon as you walked into the classroom little hands were grabbing your hands and they didnt want to let go.  During there recess the children sang a few songs for us. The children also braided all the women visitors hair. I was looking pretty stylish!

After recess each child was given a plastic mug full of poridge and they all sat in the grass and talked with us for a while.  My watch also seemed to be fascinating to them.   After the orphanage we drove to Kisoro, Uganda.  We did our daily shopping for breakfast and dinner food at the grocery/mini market. We also stopped by the local market for cheap veggies to go with dinner.

After dinner some local kids sang and danced some typical african dances.  That was very entertaining. They looked like they were having so much fun and I smiled a lot.
They got all three of us up to try the dance.

Another thing, people and especially the kids stare at us like they have never seen white person before.  Its kinda funny, but you feel really awkward with so many eyes following you.  Though I will say, everyone has been very very nice.  You are always greeted with a "hello" and a "how are you. The small children will wave at you when you pass by in the car.

We go on the Gorilla trek tomorrow.
Permit fee: $500, this goes towards gaurding the gorillas from poaching and from being trapped and other conservation efforts.
Trekking Fee: $60, this is for the transportation and the guide to find the gorillas.

What I have learned:  The steering wheel is on the wrong side of the car and they drive on the wrong side of the road.  That takes some getting used to.

Oct. 2, 2012

We woke early this morning loaded the truck and hit the road. We crossed the border over into Uganda.

Visa Fee = $50
Exchange Rate is 2400Ugandan = $1

We have arrived at a campsite right on the source of the Nile River.  The site is another pleasant surprise.  With lots of other overlanding travelers.

On the way we saw several baboons on the side of the road. Henry pulled over so we could watch an photograph for a while. 

We will hang around Uganda for a while because our Gorilla permit is for Saturday. Sounds like we will go fishing tomorrow! Cool!

Oct. 1, 2012

Today we are driving 8 hours to the town of Eldoret, Kenya on our way to the Kenya/Uganda border.  Since its just the 3 of us for this leg of the trip we are taking the Land Rover.  This morning we loaded up the car with our bags, cooking and camping equipment. Our first stop was the grocery to pick up food for dinner.  Our guide has been super nice so far, kinda showing us the ropes and helping us with all our questions.

Zebra are along the side of the roads like deer would be back home.  It's awesome to see. 

We drove by the Rift Valley this morning.  It's always fun to see places you hear about on TV all the time.  We also stopped at a picnic area to have lunch by a lake.

Did you know that the Movie Lion King actually teaches you real Swahili?!?!

As I have asked around about how to say several things I have learned that:
Rafiki (the monkeys name in the movie) = friend
Simba (the main character) = lion
Asante sana (some words in the monkeys song) = Thank you very much
Hakuna Mata = no worries/no problem

We also crossed the equater from the south to the north.   We stopped to take a picture of the line!

We arrived at out campsite around 4:30 and did a little exploring.  The site had a lot of vegitation and nice facilities.  AND we set up just one tent for the three of us and without bags we fit perfectly. 

Our driver, Henry, cooked our first meal for us.  Rice, fried chicken, and a veggie stew.  He also cooked pancakes for breakfast, yum!!  The first night in out tent was quite pleasant.  Us 3 seem to get along really well and had good funny conversation well into the night.

Sept. 28, 2012 -Niarobi, Kenya

The first flight was from Dallas to London. A 9 hour flight. One of those big two story airplanes!!! That was a first and they fed me both dinner and breakfast.  I was the last to arrive in London so I did a lap around the A gates in terminal 5 but couldnt find Liz and Alene.  So I sat for a while and then decided to do a lap.  As soon as I got up to walk around I hear my name from across the way and look over to see Alene and Liz! Yay!  Our second flight was delayed for two hours so we had some time to kill in the airport.  We mostly just sat and relaxed considering we hadnt slept and we were on a 6 hour time difference.

Our flight from London was 8.5 hours and again they fed us dinner and a sandwich snack before arriving.  We landed at approx. 10:30pm local time and headed to immigration to get our visa.  The visa was 50USD and we got through without any trouble.

We arranged for a transfer from the airport to the hostel beforehand so there was a guy waiting for us at the airport with a sign!  But instead of Alene Efaw it said Glene Efaw.  That gave us a good laugh at about 1am in the morning. We FINALLY got to the hostel, crawled into bed and crashed.  

 

The next day we chose to have a rather chill day to recoup from the jet lag.  There is a total of 8 hours difference from central time to Kenyan local time, 7hrs difference for all my eastern time zone folks.  We just walked to local bead factory and to a flip flop recycling place where they used old flip flops picked up fromt the beach to make pieces of really awesome art. That night we just played cards and had a local beer called Tuskers.  Also, had a local twist on the shepherds pie for dinner. 

Sunday we woke early to take a cab to see elephant orphanage where we got to pet and watch little tiny baby elephants eat from bottles.  Some elephants werent even as tall as my waist and the youngest was ony 6 weeks old.  These elephants come from all over the country and are orphaned due to poaching or natural deaths of the mothers. Admission = $7.  After the elephant we went over to a Giraffe sanctuary were we hand fed the giraffes! Admission = $13.   We also had the cab driver take us to the grocery store to pick up PB&J supplies and other snacks. 

 
We met our driver for the trip and it turns out that the first couple of weeks we are the only people on the tour.  Instead of the big bus we will take a Land Rover and will get to move around faster which translates to seeing more stuff.  AWESOME!  He said we will be picking up some other travelers in a few weeks.