Tanzania, Zimbabwe & Kenya

It seems that wherever we’ve gone in the three Americas, Europe, Asia, Australia and Oceana the omnipresent influence of U.S. pop culture intrudes, displacing at least some of the native ways.  Then we went to Africa, and much of it is really different, and delightfully so.

How we did our first Africa trip (we hope to return someday) was hideously expensive but worth every penny.  Originally, we were going to visit Zimbabwe, primarily for Victoria Falls, Zaire for mountain gorilla trekking, and Tanzania for a photo safari.  The theme was countries with Z in their names.  Unfortunately, the Hootu and Tootsie fighting meant that Zaire (now the Congo), so it no longer qualifies as a “Z” country) was out, and we couldn’t arrange an Ugandan replacement on such short notice.  Now, of course, Uganda is not safe for gorilla trekking.  We fear that the last of the mountain gorillas will not survive very many more years.

Preparing for the trip included helping the pharmaceutical industry remain solvent as we received eight to ten inoculations each.  Don’t let this discourage you.  Africa is more than worth it.  We also bought unscented everything to take along so that we would be less likely to attract biting insects.  The plan worked and we were left largely untasted.  Unscented deodorant and soap is easy to come by, but for unscented shampoo and conditioners you may have to go to one of those mall stores that sells customized scented products and then convince the salesclerk that you are not right in the head since you want the base products without any scent added.  Alternatively, Neutrogena sells unscented shampoo.

Bring FAR more film than you ever think you will need.  If you are using a 35-mm camera don’t foolishly buy 24-exposure film.  Get 36 exposure only.  That way you will be changing film less frequently and thereby miss fewer photographic opportunities.  Not only will you be blown away by the large mammals, but the birds are astounding.  There are so many of them, and in such fascinating varieties that if you didn’t think much about birds before going to Africa it is likely that you will return home as a birder.  Give consideration to bringing more than one camera so that you have a backup in case of failure, and if the cameras have interchangeable lenses and a different lens on each, you can quickly go from one camera to another without wasting time changing lenses.  Bring spare batteries.  You will NOT be able to get any in the bush.  And chances are that the longest lens you own will not be strong enough.  We brought a 28-200 MM zoom on one camera, and a compact 500MM-mirror telephoto lens on a second camera.  Those choices worked well.

We flew from Newark to London, where the tour operator (Abercrombie & Kent) had arranged an airport day room so that we could freshen up before going to town during our daylong layover in London.  That evening we flew on to Zimbabwe in Business class, having received a pleasant surprise of an upgrade that we had not requested.  The flight south was so long that we really appreciated the courtesy.

Our tour began in Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe – don’t those names just roll off the tongue in a delightful manner? We were booked at the Miekles Hotel, which has some of the best service quality and food of anywhere we’ve been on six continents. We stayed there for a day and a half before going south to Victoria Falls, and again when we returned on our way to East Africa.  Their delightful elderly concierge arranged for a bargain rate taxi to take us on a tour of the area.   Among our stops were a stone carving center, the city’s highest point (with much military defense that we were careful not to photograph), and a general tour of many neighborhoods. Afterwards we walked for several blocks in each direction away from the hotel and always felt safe.  We also visited their fine museum and the adjacent park.  It was a pleasure to see a park being well used and not ceded to predators of the human species.

When we returned to the Miekles a few days later (after Victoria Falls) the concierge saw our names and phoned us in our room to ask how our trip to the south went.  That night we were too tired to even go to the dining room for dinner, so we ordered room service.  It arrived in about 12 minutes and was as good as we’d have had in their fine dining room.  Further, they had run out of the wine we ordered and substituted a better, more expensive wine at no extra charge.  Leaving the next morning we brought down our own bags (we always travel light enough to go carry-on).  The staff was quite upset that they did not have the opportunity of helping us (and no, we did not feel that the issue was missed tips).  We sheepishly handed over the bags.

In Victoria Falls we stayed at the Victoria Falls Hotel, which has a distant view of the falls.  Even though our guide had a number of things planned for us the next day he left us to our own devices for the late afternoon.  Naturally, we immediately walked to the falls, noting the signs encouraging us not to be out after dark (there are lions and elephants in the area).  Unlike Niagara, which has a quarter mile wide gorge into which the falls fall, at Victoria Falls the water cascades into a relatively narrow chasm, providing level five white water rafting down the Zambezi, as well as a most impressive plume of mist.  Though not quite as high as Niagara, it is several times wider, even in their September dry season in the midst of a drought.  Wandering along the paths to observe the falls we noted a few intrepid Japanese tourists crossing over the low barriers to be in pictures in front of the falls without any fence in the image.  We cringed.  On a lighter note several clans of striped mongoose live in the shrubbery between the path and the chasm.  They were quite entertaining to watch as they boldly ran about playing and squeaking.

The next day our guide took us for a boat ride on the upper Zambezi where we got to see hippos, elephants, crocs, antelope, cape buffalo, birds, and the biggest iguana one can imagine (it could no doubt get a three-picture deal from one of the Hollywood studios specializing in monster features). After that we visited a crocodile farm where Barbara was able to wrestle a hatchling into submission.  Then we took a flight-seeing tour over the falls, providing us with a spectacular perspective that otherwise would not have been possible.

That evening the hotel put on a lovely show of native dances and songs in a convincing faux native village setting.  We saw some to-die-for masks for sale in this area, but the hotel was unwilling to help us pack and ship any items.  This struck us as a service quality gaff in an otherwise very solicitous environment.

The next morning, we got up early to take a game drive with a local expert.  It was incredibly exciting, and the photos serve to reinforce that feeling.  But far better was to come in Tanzania.  We relaxed that afternoon at the pool, only pausing briefly to watch the troop of monkeys run through, raiding the tables of fresh fruit.  The only downsides that we observed in Zimbabwe were the lingering behaviors of when Zimbabwe had been a British colony  (the older natives generally addressed us as “Boss,”), and the painfully boorish pronouncements of an incredibly racist tourist from South Africa.

The next morning, we flew back to Harare, and the morning after that on to Nairobi, Kenya.  We stayed at the Windsor Country Club, which was lovely and very posh, but seemed obscenely opulent in this very poor country.  We spent enough time in Nairobi to buy a beautiful small mahogany carving of a seated Maasai woman, and to know that Nairobi’s air of discord was not to our liking.  The next morning our Abercrombie guide picked us up to take us on a four-hour overland ride through the savanna, and to the Tanzanian border where we had to change vehicles, driver and guide as well as pass through customs.  While the Abercrombie guide handled the red tape, we visited the shops and even picked up an interesting native necklace.  Then it was off again to the Mt. Maru Lodge at the western edge of Arusha where we would join up with our other safari members.

The lodge had many acres fenced off housing numerous large birds along with herbivorous mammals.  It was also the first place that we got to see the extraordinary crested crane, as well as the incredible courting dance and mating of ostriches. 

Each room at Mt. Maru Lodge was a charming cabin, and meals (pretty good, but no match for what we would soon experience on safari) were taken in the central building.

The next morning, we joined our fellow safari members (an unmarried couple from Washington DC, a delightful gynecologist and his lovely wife from California, a bright mother-daughter team of management consultants from New Jersey and us) and headed for the first game park.

We used Abercrombie & Kent (800 323-7308) to book our trip, selecting their Hemmingway tented safari in Tanzania, and did so for many reasons.  Barbara’s usual impeccable research revealed several important things.  First, the Hemmingway tour covered Tarangiere, Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengetti; all places that appeared to be top choices and are relatively near one another.  And Tanzania was far preferable for us than Kenya since it had ten times the park area and one-tenth the number of tourists.  Second, this tour was limited to a maximum of twelve guests, with a maximum of four guests per vehicle.  Third, the vehicles were custom Land Cruisers (more comfortable, better sitting and standing views, roomier, and more versatile than the ubiquitous two- and four-wheel drive minivans).  Fourth, lodge food in Africa is reputed to range from fairly good, to just barely palatable, and camp food with the premium safari companies is reputedly excellent.  Fifth, this tour prohibits smoking during game drives, which was important to us.  And sixth, the tented camping featured real beds (not cots), solar powered fluorescent lighting, with toilet and shower in each tent-for-two.

Now that we’ve done the safari, had glimpses of what the downside is with other packages, and spoken with people on other safaris, it’s clear that we made the best choice.  Here are some of our reasons.  The food in camp was excellent, belying the fact that it was done under crude circumstances (imagine good French restaurant quality duck a la orange in the bush).  The food at some of the lodges that were associated with the tour (between campsites we’d spend at least one night in a lodge to allow the camp staff to break camp at one site, transport it and set it up at the next site) was also super, and the accommodations were quite nice, too.  We only had eight people on our tour, and were supported by a staff of two drivers, one naturalist/guide and 11 camp staff members.  The staff couldn’t do enough for you, including washing and ironing any clothes that you left on your beds.  The naturalist and drivers were incredibly knowledgeable (our driver could spot and identify out of the corner of his eye a bird on the wing, and then accurately tell us which plate number and page number to find the bird in the Collins bird book in the vehicle).  The Land Cruiser, equipped with extra cushions, bean bags to steady cameras, naturalist books, bottled water, Kleenex, and plenty of space for us all to stand and view/photograph game simultaneously, were perfect for the task.  This is in stark contrast to the minivans that can seat nine, with some people not getting window seats, and only 4 or 5 of them able to stand up at a time for viewing/photos under crowded conditions.  Additionally, the vans provided less opportunity to spot game while driving (they’re lower than the Jeeps, Land Rovers and Land Cruisers), had uncomfortable seats (we tried one for a few hours on highways back to Nairobi), and seemed far more prone to gathering road dust inside.  Our naturalist and drivers always seemed to know where to go to see at least several new animals or behaviors every one of our two dozen or so game drives.  Comparing notes with people on lesser tours with A&K and other firms, visiting the same parks around the same time revealed that they saw far less than we did.

We arrived at the first game park (Tarangieri) well before lunch and were immediately awed by the graceful, beautifully marked impala (animals, not Chevrolets), troops of baboon, and a herd of wildebeest that decided to run across the road only one or two meters in front of our Land Cruiser – and this just on the way to our first campsite.  We arrived at the campsite to find about eight large tents lined up a few meters from a river, all looking very grand between the water and the sprawling acacia trees.  We unpacked and then went for our first of many extremely fine meals.  After lunch we received a lecture on proper behavior when on safari (including that if one was a runner, give it up while in the bush since running is a good way to attract predators), and continued settling in a bit.  Then we went out for our first game drive.

The next few days were such a jumble of fabulous animals and behaviors that we really can’t remember specifically what we saw on the first and second days, but rest assured that we did get close to lions, cape buffaloes (the most dangerous of all African animals, followed by hippos.  The cape buffalo don’t look so dangerous since their horns look like bad wigs of stereotypical Dutch girls), elephant, giraffe, zebra, baboon, blue monkeys, several species of antelope and gazelle, and many exotic birds.

Returning to camp after that first game drive we were on incredible highs from seeing so many animals up close and in their natural habitats.  We washed up, and got ready for dinner.

The next morning while dressing we were amused by the sounds of twigs being thrown onto our tents by monkeys visiting the acacia trees overhead.

The game drives were very long, but not in the least exhausting or boring.  Typically, we’d be woken with a gentle knock at our tent at 6:00, and the delivery of morning beverages and excellent fresh baked goods (baked in camp, as were all the breads).  About a half-hour later we’d have breakfast and then leave on the morning game drive just after dawn.  The morning game drive would last until lunch time, but sometimes we wouldn’t get back for lunch until as late as 2:00, since we were having so much fun viewing the many animals and behaviors.  After lunch we’d read, rest, write postcards, etc. until the afternoon game drive that usually lasted from 4:00 until dusk.  Then we’d arrive back in camp to find our tent attendants ready to fill our showers with hot water.  After showering and changing, we’d go by the campfire for served drinks, hors d’ouvres, talk, and sometimes lectures on the Maasai, Tanzania and animals, and then into the dining tent for dinner.  After dinner we’d usually go back to our tents (really quite huge with a sitting verandah up front, a sleeping chamber, a toilet/vanity chamber, and a shower) to read for just a bit, and then drift off into deep, satisfied sleep.  We chose right by selecting encampments with the bathrooms and showers in our tents, since we heard and/or saw lions or hyena in our camps most nights.  But, as long as we could stay in our tents for all needs, the tent walls and the Coleman lanterns outside were enough to provide perfect security.  We did hear of a tourist in a lesser tour who, having gone to the bathroom tent in the middle of the night, exited the tent to find a lioness staring at him hungrily (probably just curiously, but no less frightening).  He ended up spending the rest of the night in the bathroom tent.

We won’t even go into describing the animals that we saw and photographed in Tarangiere -- well, maybe just one.  Just before exiting the park for our next destination, we were close enough to the pride with several six-month-old lion cubs so that when they finished eating their fill of zebra du jour, and went over to their mothers for grooming, we could hear them mewing and purring.  One cub walked under it’s mother’s chin, rubbing it’s back in the process, showing us that all cats, large, small, wild or domesticated share some behaviors.  After they were done eating and grooming, they all went to sleep, many on their backs with their stuffed stomachs protruding.  Ours were the only two vehicles in the area for 45 minutes, other than a short visit by a sedan that pulled up about 30 meters behind us.  A party of four got out of the car, and instantly all lions (including the cubs) faced the four humans, who suddenly realized their error, clambered back into the car and began driving.  Very quickly.   We doubt if they stopped before arriving at the ocean, several hours drive away.

Fully exhilarated by the lions we settled back to enjoy the memory and the scenery as we went for some distance (and to 3,000-meter altitude) to a lodge called Gibbs Farm.  Gibbs farm is a working coffee plantation as well as a lodge.  The rooms are spacious, attractive and very charming.  The “public” areas are awash in colorful wild and cultivated flowers that attract hordes of small birds with bright plumage, including several attractive species of bee-eaters.  A puppy helped entertain us prior to and after an interesting walk, but we were told that they always take the dogs inside just before dark so that they don’t end up on the menu of any local leopards.  The “interesting walk” took us past glowing coffee beans still on the plants and the top of a dramatic high waterfall, on our way to an elephant slide where the huge creatures climb to a salt lick, and then slide down the clay embankment back to level ground.  Along the way we found some beautiful, long porcupine quills which now reside in a decorative box on our living room coffee table.

The next morning, we hopped back into our Land Cruisers to go down the mountain, retracing our steps past the Mosquito River and into Lake Manyara Game Park.   This park is known as the only place in Africa that you can regularly see lions in trees, their going there to escape insects.  We saw some in trees, but most (and there were dozens, of all ages) were firmly terrestrial. 

After a brief settling into camp, we went on a game drive.  Before long we stopped at a small glen just in front of dense forest. Elias, our guide, had spotted some eight-week-old lion cubs, gamely toddling out of the woods under the protective eye of their mother.  Soon another lioness began wandering down the road in front of our Land Cruiser, just as a giraffe came the opposite way towards our rear bumper.  They passed one another, barely taking notice.  All the while, blue monkeys played in the trees and the young cubs came further into the glen.  It was almost too much to see in just a few minutes, but not atypical of the entire safari.

That afternoon we went in another direction, eventually finding ourselves alongside an immense flock of greater flamingo.  On the way there we got to see some interesting giraffe antics.  One pair of adults were “necking,” which has a different connotation for giraffe than for humans.  Necking is how males fight for mates, slamming their necks into one another.  Others were by a waterhole and had to splay their legs in an ungraceful manner to reach the water with their thick tongues.  With one of those pair was a six-week-old calf so young that the velvet was still plainly visible on its short, knobbed horns.

On another morning game drive we stopped at the edge of a clearing since a couple of huge cow elephants had emerged from the bush.  During the next few minutes about 100 more elephants, including many very small young followed them.  They seemed to be heading in the direction of the river, so we followed at a respectful distance.   One of the huge females must have thought that our distance was not quite respectful enough as she put her ears full forward, lifted her trunk, trumpeted and began moving towards us.  We stopped, allowing a few dozen more meters to open up between us and the end of the herd, which seemed to meet the needs of the rear guard.  Elias said that this was the largest herd he had ever seen at Lake Manyara (his home is nearby), so the efforts to save the elephants are working – at least in Tanzania.

After lunch we proceeded back to a large hippo pool that we had seen on our way into the park.  In the water and around about half of the edge were 50 or 60 of these behemoths, lounging on the shore, climbing the embankments, resting in the water, feeding and in some cases challenging one another with displays of their cavernous mouths.  At that point all we could think of was Barbara’s then current boss. 

Among those on the shore and in the water were some very small young hippos.  Apparently, September is a good time to see the young of many species.

Before dinner that night the young man who served us drinks and snacks around the campfire appeared in a tuxedo.  We made such a fuss over him that he wore the tux during every remaining pre-dinner gathering.

The next day we left Lake Manyara bound for the incredible ecosystem of Ngorngoro crater.  The crater is a huge park covering many square miles in the crater of an extinct volcano.  Two and a half million years ago the volcano – which was probably the tallest peak in Africa -- blew its top.  The resulting crater is 20 KM across and has 600-meter-high steep walls.  It’s big enough to have its own highlands, lowlands, wetlands and plains, and since it has water all year around it is home to many species of game, large and small.  Chances are you’ve seen a Nature special or Discovery Channel program about this site, extolling the diversity and abundance of its animal life.  Years ago, the Tanzanian government permitted camping in the crater but determined more recently that the ecosystem might be too fragile to permit the intrusion.  Consequently, visitors must overnight outside the crater.  We stayed at the Ngorongoro Crater Lodge, high on the rim of the crater with a commanding view of the floor, too far away to spot even large game there.  But there was large game on the property, including a cape buffalo and a small herd of zebra, just outside our window.  The cape buffalo had all of us nervous, but we were assured that as long as we stayed on the paths the buffalo would not bother us.  That held true during our visit, but we still wonder just how safe it was.

That night Elias introduced us to a Masaai friend of his who had written a superb book on his people, illustrated by a fine photographer.  The book was too large for us to buy locally (and have the author inscribe) since we didn’t want to transport it for the rest of the trip, but we did buy a copy at Rizolli when we returned home.  The writer stayed with us through dinner, regaling us with many stories in his grand deep voice, often punctuating his points with his hearty laughter.  He seemed to take quite a liking to Stu (partly due to Stu’s odd sense of humor), often clapping his shoulder during the meal, and embracing him warmly before leaving.

Early the next morning on our way to the road down into the crater we saw school children cross the road and walk along beside our Land Cruisers using them as blinds from the bull elephant walking down the road towards them.  Bulls have been known to strike out at humans for good reasons of their own, but they seldom share the reasons with the targets of their aggression.

Going down into the crater took some doing, winding along switchbacks on the steep slope.  We packed lunches so as to have as much time in this wonderful environment as possible, without having to ascend to the lodge, have lunch, and descend again.

Eventually the steep edge of the crater gives way to a more normal slope that lasts a few hundred meters and then flattens out into the floor of the crater.

This was the first place that we saw lions mating.  The actual act is rather quick, but it is repeated 30, 40, 50, or even 60 times in the few days in which the lioness is in heat.  And since there were plenty of zebra, wildebeest, gazelle and antelope, there were plenty of lions.  At one point we saw a mixed brood of young cubs playing in the early afternoon heat at the base of a tree while the older and wiser lions just napped.  The cubs were very comical with their mock battles, especially when one would climb the tree a bit and then pounce on one of the other cubs.

Our first lunch in the crater was by a lovely soda lake in which flamingoes and other aquatic birds fed and rested.  One flamingo, though, was too rested, and was quickly taken by an agile jackal – quite something to see.  Then the jackal had to defend its meal against other jackals.

Later that day we saw Daughter of Agnes, a huge black rhino (black rhinos are not black.  They are just darker than white rhinos, which are not white) with a pair of horns well over a meter in length.  All we could think of was what a tragedy it would be if an Asian bent on rhino horn as a cure for impotence should get wind of Daughter of Agnes.  Not long afterwards we saw an old elephant with the longest tusks we had ever seen.  In another environment that elephant would not survive poachers for very long.

The next morning we were in for a special treat.  A mother rhino and its three-month-old calf wandered out of the field and directly between our two Land Cruisers.  She stopped a minute later and allowed her calf to nurse.  It’s a good thing that the youngster didn’t have much of a horn.

In our last afternoon at the crater most of us went to a nearby Masaai village where we observed a dance that involves jumping strait up as far as possible and went into some of their simple homes.  We found the people to be very gracious.

The next morning, we left for the Serengeti, making a stop at Oldubai Gorge in the Great Rift Valley.  It was here that Richard Leaky made his most important discoveries of our genetic ancestors.  While there we all bought a few handicrafts from Masaai.  We bought a baby bottle made of gourd, leather and beads, and a tobacco holder made of a hollowed thick stick, leather and beads.  One of the other folks bought a lovely beaded necklace that Elias was surprised and upset to see was being sold.  The necklace had great spiritual meaning to the Masaai, and its sale indicated that its owner had been desperate.  We were disappointed that after Elias mentioned it that the buyer continued to wear the necklace.  We feel that she should have been sensitive enough to pack it away until leaving East Africa.

The Serengeti is no less special than the other parks, only it is even bigger.  It shares a wide border with Kenya and is a continuation of Kenya’s Masaai Mara park.  Fortunately, international boundaries are left open to the animals, but roads that cross the border pass through customs and immigration.  Driving through a Tanzanian entrance and going to our campsite we were wowed by the wildlife, including huge herds of zebra, gazelles and wildebeest.  We can’t imagine what the annual migration of the herds – many times larger herds than we saw – must be like.

While we were at the crater the camp staff went to the Serengeti to set up camp. Unbelievably, this campsite was even more beautifully situated than the others.  In its midst and at its edges were a number of rocky copis similar to what you see cheetah sitting on in many nature specials about Africa.  Taking up residence at the edge of camp were several marabou storks, very large carrion eaters with fascinating plumage.

And then the game drives continued.  In the middle of one morning, we happened upon a National Geographic photographer in his van training a howitzer-like lens into a nearby tree.  Elias figured that he must have found something special in that tree, such as a leopard.   Leopards are masters of stealth and are fairly rare to see – especially up close.  For the time being Elias directed us on to a pool where hippos were wallowing, most with birds (ox peckers and egrets) standing on the relatively small amounts of hippo backs above the surface, as though they we just mostly submerged boulders.  After getting our fill (which took a while) we went back to where the National Geographic photographer had been.  We pulled our Land Cruisers under the same tree and began scanning the branches above.  We didn’t have to look very hard.  Three to five meters above us was a 150-pound male leopard asleep across the crook of two large branches.  The sound of all our camera shutters woke him long enough for him to look around, yawn, and go back to sleep.  We’re not sure if we prefer the full frame photo of him asleep, or the full frame photo of him yawning, showing his impressive set of choppers.  He was the first leopard we had seen on the trip, and as it turned out, only the first of four.

When we made reservations for our safari we arranged for a dawn flight aboard a hot air balloon over the Serengeti.  When the morning of the flight arrived, we were of two minds about going.  Prior to experiencing them we had no idea that the game drives would be so fabulous, and we didn’t want to miss a thing.  But then again, what better place to take our first hot air balloon ride than over the Serengeti?  About 45 minutes before dawn Mgundi, our driver, took us to the balloon launch site where we found the partially filled balloon lying on its side as its gas jets continued getting the balloon ready for liftoff, slowly swelling its bulk with heated air.  We met the pilot, a delightful Australian with a keen sense of humor (now that we think of it, that describes many Australians), and another six passengers: four British and two French.  While waiting for the fill to complete our pilot briefed us on all we had to know to ride the balloon safely and in comfort.  Soon we were able to pile into the wicker gondola, which was partitioned in six spaces large enough for two people each to stand in.  And as the sun was just peeking over the horizon, up we went.

Most of the time the flight was silent, with just the comments of our fellow passengers and our pilot.  But periodically the pilot decided that we needed more altitude, so he opened the valve to let more gas into the burner, adding hot air to the balloon.  That was not silent, its whooshing rather loud just a meter or so above us.

But the view and sensation was wonderful.  For the first time we could see the patterns of the herds and see into the nest of a vulture from above, as one of the parents fed its scrawny looking chicks.

Eventually the fun had to end, and the pilot set us down gently, right next to the road where his support vehicles were lined up and expecting us.  We suppose that the landing could have been dramatic if there were high winds, but under those conditions we doubt that the pilot would have taken us up.

The vehicles disgorged his ground crew to gather up the balloon while we were taken a couple of kilometers away to where our champagne breakfast was set up in a clearing, with fine linens and silver service.  The breakfast crew was presided over by a striking, tall Sikh dressed in white traditional garb with a gold sash.  During breakfast we discovered that the quiet French couple were French and were just unable to communicate with the rest of us.  Barbara chatted them up with her excellent French, making them feel much more comfortable.  Too bad we didn’t realize it sooner.  As breakfast progressed the pilot regaled us with stories of some of his prior flights.  Especially funny were the stories involving Michael Palin and his production crew, and on another flight, Robert Redford.  Even funnier were his stories of inexperienced travelers doing foolish things on safari.

Our safari group picked us up at the breakfast site, and we continued on with the end of the morning game drive.  In that afternoon’s game drive, we saw the only cheetah (our favorite animal) of the trip.  Seeing only one cheetah was our only disappointment during the three weeks we were in Africa.

The next day we had lunch at a very fancy lodge, spectacularly situated atop a large granite monolith.  But the best part was not the fine lunch overlooking the herds on the nearby plains.  What we liked instead were the delightful rock hyraxes – gregarious little fur balls that are said to make excellent pets that love to cuddle with humans on colder nights.  On the same rocks we also saw interesting half-meter long lizards.  They were bright green with red heads, looking as though somebody dipped one end into one bucket of green paint, and the other end into a bucket of red paint.  Also fun at that lunch was an invasion by a small troop of baboons scavenging for food on the terrace.

During our final game drive, on the way to an airstrip to catch a plane back to Arusha, we were lucky enough to see a pair of springbok males running towards one another and butting heads to win the right to sire the next generation.  The sound was amazing, making us wonder why the animals weren’t knocked cold.  One of Stu’s pictures captured them at the moment the heads meet, and their bodies are lifted from the ground.

A few minutes later we spotted a pair of huge owls, an unusual sight during the day.  Then it was off to the Beechcraft B90 for the flight over craters, mountains and plains back to Arusha.

Arusha is charming.  After being driven around a bit so that we could get our bearings Elias loosed us on the town for us to wander on our own, touring and shopping.  The California couple found many interesting things in a shop owned by an Indian entrepreneur.   Among their purchases was a beautiful emerald-cut tanzanite stone, light blue and clear as a fine diamond.  After returning home she had it set in a ring which she is justifiable proud of.

We all met up again and went for a last lunch together in a nice hotel.  A member of Abercrombie management showed up to determine what went well and what didn’t.  Interestingly, we had all become so fond of Elias that we resented his being sent to the other end of the room while Management asked us about him.

After lunch we piled back into the Land Cruisers and headed for the border with Kenya.  Elias accompanied us to the border where we had to go through customs and change vehicles and drivers.  For some unknown reason we were separated from our safari pals and placed in a van with another safari group for our trip back to Nairobi and the Windsor, where we would freshen up and have dinner before catching our flight home.  Unfortunately, a power outage killed the dinner plans, but we were still able to meet up again with our safari pals.  After that was one of the saddest farewells we’d ever bid.   Fortunately, we kept in touch with the Californians, and see them whenever we’re in LA.  They joined us on a tour of China a year later and attended our daughter’s wedding in Santa Barbara.

The mother-daughter team came to dinner at our house, along with the other principal of the company, the husband/father.  The father and mother retired a year or two later and we lost touch with them.  The daughter went back to school to study veterinary medicine.  She loved animals and had a special affection for raptors.

The unmarried couple from Washington stated on the last day of our safari that in their earlier safari (they went to the Masaai Mara just before meeting up with our group) there was this one obnoxious couple and weren’t we lucky that there was no such couple in our group.  All the rest of us nodded and smiled in mock agreement thinking that this couple don’t know that they are that couple.  We ran into them a few years later at an art show in New York.  They knew that they recognized us but couldn’t place from where.

Before going to Africa, we read in guidebooks and A&K literature that we shouldn’t buy things and have them sent back, since if they arrived at all, our heirs would be the only ones who would live to see them.  So when we were in the art museum in Harare, Zimbabwe and fell in love with a piece of Shona verdite sculpture for sale, we regretfully did not buy it.  However, while waiting in the Harare airport for our flight to Nairobi we met a B.F. Goodrich sales rep whose territory was Africa and the Mideast.  He traveled with two passports, using one for Israel and Israel friendly countries, and one for visiting countries hostile to Israel.  He advised us that he often had things shipped home to Ohio.  After returning home we wrote the museum about the sculpture, included a photo of it, and arranged for it to be sent.  The sculpture arrived, about one month after we ordered it, though the package looked as though the DEA must have opened it, inspected it, and sealed it up again.