Bendera hufuata upepo - "A flag follows the wind" - Swahili proverb
Our guide, Geoffrey, asked us to be ready by 8 a.m. for our first day of animal viewing. We were greeted with "Jambo" (hi) and "Karibu" (welcome) by the staff, two Swahili greetings we would learn well on our travels. I felt much better this morning, gratefully, and we gathered for breakfast, unsure how the day would unfold, but ready for the adventure.
Upepo
We piled into the eight-seat safari vehicle with our baggage stowed in the rear and covered with a red Maasai cloth. The necessity for the cloth soon became apparent; as we drove the dusty roads, the air was filled with the red dust that permeated the African landscape during the dry season. Geoff stopped at a station and shouted something like "upepo" to some men standing nearby, who gestured to the business next door. A small, handmade wooden sign in front had the word "upepo" on it, and an air tank there was used to put air in the tires. A small boy peered out at us behind the legs of two men inside the shop.
We drove nearly three hours (150 km) through wide open plains dotted with Maasai in their bright red wraps, herding cattle, goats and donkeys. Young children tended herds miles from anyone, and I thought how ironic that Americans panic when parents allow their children to walk home from a park on their own. Some kids waved at our car as we passed. We stopped to stock up on bottled water before entering the park. A maasai woman was selling jewelry, and men came to the car windows trying to sell hats and necklaces.
The entrance to Tarangire
We were less than five minutes into the 1100-square-mile Tarangire National Park when we saw our first animals, and got our first look at the magnificient baobab trees. Gazelles are more plentiful than whitetail deer in Michigan, and they bounded gracefully across the prairies. So many animals were being pointed out, that I felt I needed to keep a record. So please indulge me as I share my list of animals from our first day: Maasai giraffe (the male has a bump between his horns), water buck, monitor lizard, wildebeest, zebra, warthog, blackface monkey or vervet monkey, baboon, elephants, and lions carrying off a freshly killed zebra.
Baobab tree
Safari cars ready to enter the park
Gives new meaning to the phrase "pop-top"
Gazelles aplenty, gazelles galore
many, many zebras...
and wildebeests
Ted said they seemed to be contemplating something, nodding their heads and saying "hmmm."
up close with the pachyderms
why did the baboon cross the road?
The list of birds is even more amazing: red and yellow barbet, secretary bird, ostrich, ox picker, buffalo weaver, bataleur eagle, black kite, goliath heron, the huge marabou stork, the colorful lilac-breasted roller, superb starling, cattle egret, grey-headed kingfisher, hammerkop, turaco, and "go-away" birds, or grey louries. (Most bird pics courtesy of the hubs)
Red and Yellow Barbet
The brilliant blue of the Superb Starling is ubiquitous here
White-headed Buffalo Weaver
the Barbets like to hang out on termite mounds
No introduction necessary
Marabou Stork
Grey-headed Kingfisher
Secretary birds can be over four feet tall
We stopped for lunch at a scenic overlook where all the safari tour cars congregated. The routine is well planned, with boxed lunches carried from the previous night's hotel. Our box lunches brimmed with food, including cold chicken, a boiled egg, chipati bread, a piece of fruit, juice, a sandwich, and always a piece of chocolate. We always had more than we could eat, and we were happy to learn our leftovers were collected and given to locals instead of being thrown away. Vervet monkeys loitered in the area and made several attempts at grabbing food from people's tables. We were told the monkeys were afraid of black people because they throw rocks to chase them off; but they liked white people who often, foolishly, gave them food. Interesting that even monkeys discriminate by the color of one's skin.
More animal viewing in the afternoon, including up-close encounters with some elephant families and lots of zebras, including one with barely any black on it. Wonder if this is considered albino? We left Tarangire and headed toward our next hotel. We drove through and area called Mosquito River, or Mto wa Mbu Village, teeming with people, the Rift Valley, and past Lake Mayanara. Some young boys waved, some shouted, and I was a bit concerned when some boys threw things at the car, but nothing happened. Women were washing the bright red maasai wraps in the river. The roadside was littered with empty water bottles, and I saw one little boy playing with a toy made of an empty water bottle on wheels. We got out at a scenic point, and a man lurking in the corner said "hakuna matata." He then proceeded to give Tim Sr. the hard sell for his necklaces, a scenario that would play out several times over the course of the trip. An oxcart carried large tanks along the side of the road, and the oxen seemed to know the way as the boys sprawled out across the tanks, dozing.
Monitor Lizard
Zebra with very little stripes (albino?)
Scenic Outlook over Lake Mayanara - "Hakuna Matata"
(Ted's photos)
We passed the Hillary Clinton shop, actually a tiny cart selling drums, and continued to the town of Karatu and our hotel for the night, Eileen's Tree Lodge. After wiping off the dust of the day, we were given our instructions, including, "Dinner is at 7:30 - it's better to be on time." Our rooms were in little detached buildings (we were in the "Banana" and Strawberry" rooms) with beautiful gardens in front, and four-poster beds with mosquito nets. We arrived early enough to go for a swim, but I've become spoiled with the always-warm water in Thailand, and only went in up to my knees - chilly! Ted was the only one to actually swim. We enjoyed a nice dinner with Geoffrey, including delicious cream of spinach soup and barbequed lamb - two things I've never eaten before. We sat by the outdoor fire for a while, then turned in for the night.
We drove nearly three hours (150 km) through wide open plains dotted with Maasai in their bright red wraps, herding cattle, goats and donkeys. Young children tended herds miles from anyone, and I thought how ironic that Americans panic when parents allow their children to walk home from a park on their own. Some kids waved at our car as we passed. We stopped to stock up on bottled water before entering the park. A maasai woman was selling jewelry, and men came to the car windows trying to sell hats and necklaces.
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