The Birth of an Idea
I am posting this one in honor of Father’s Day… one of the defining trips of my lifetime – a Safari in Tanzania with my Dad!
After learning of my father’s diagnosis of prostate cancer in 2007, I was overcome with a sense of urgency to travel with him and spend time with him. I wanted to take him to the places we had dreamed about to see the animals he had taught me about as a child. My dad does not really enjoy traveling, but he always wanted to see the Serengeti. I knew if I asked, he would say no… so, I didn’t ask! I went ahead and booked the trip! Then, I put together a package with a safari hat, a stuffed lion, and trip details and planned to take it to him personally. My plans were foiled when I obtained an intestinal parasite, Ansisakis simplex, from eating undercooked salmon. Dad came to me! I presented him with the package in my hospital room at Madigan Army Medical Center in Tacoma, Washington, and he could not refuse me because I was sick! HAHA!
Vuong bought me a Nikon D40X DSLR camera for the journey, and I rented a long lens online. While the new smartphone cameras are awesome, they just won’t capture wildlife the way a good DLSR camera will. This is very similar to the lens I rented. https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/photography/hands-review/field-tamrons-ultimate-all-one-18-400mm-lens
The Journey
We met up in New York City and visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art. This was a treat with my dad, as he is an artist himself and was able to provide insight and information on the history, the artists, their styles, and the specific pieces. His favorite part was seeing the Landscapes of the Hudson School, particularly Church’s Heart of the Andes.
We flew overnight to London Heathrow Airport, then took the tube to Paddington Station, where we boarded a Big Red Bus. Our time was limited and we wanted to see something on our layover… It was hot and there was a ton of traffic, but we did see Big Ben and Buckingham Palace.
Another overnight flight took us to Nairobi, Kenya, where we were the only white-skinned people in sight! Guards wearing camo and armed with machine guns provided security- this was a little unnerving. There, we boarded a puddle jumper to Arusha, Tanzania. This flight was spectacular and we were both awed by our first glimpse of Mount Kilimanjaro.
Our trip was designed and implemented by Naipenda Safaris. They took care of us and held our hands from the moment we set foot in Africa. http://www.naipendasafaris.com/index1.html
Our guide, Shadrach, was amazing and will forever be a part of our dreams of Africa.
The drive from the airport was, as it always is, eye-opening. Long, lanky Maasai people wore their colorful blue and red robes as they rode bikes or walked with giant bundles of sticks or gourds balanced on their heads. We sped down the dusty roads moving far too fast for comfort, swerving to avoid skinny, humped cattle, and veering into oncoming traffic to pass slow-pokes.
Our first night’s lodging was at Moivaro Coffee Plantation. https://www.moivaro.com/?page_id=85
The restaurant area was open-air, there was a lovely pool area with a fire pit and about 30 individual huts. Ours was #2 and had two beds outfitted in crisp white linens, surrounded by mosquito netting, and decorated by red bromeliads. We had a magical nap upon arrival, then took a walk around the grounds. We marveled at the sheer size of the plants and their leaves, and the spectrum of colors that surrounded us. We skipped dinner and went to bed by 8:30.
Tarangire National Park
The next morning, Shadrach picked us up for the long drive to Tarangire National Park. Shadrach’s father was Maasai and his mother was a member of the Chagga tribe. He wore a stylish, modern outfit of a t-shirt and shorts and spoke Kichagga, Swahili, and eloquent English (with an accent that sounded somewhat British, thanks to colonialization…). Everywhere, the juxtaposition of traditional and modern culture was apparent. Maasai drove rickety trucks, talked on cell phones, and wore shoes made of old tires. Soon, the city gave way to wild nature. We began to see umbrella acacia trees and huge, majestic baobab trees.
We soon entered the park and, within 5 minutes, we saw zebras and wildebeest! These symbiotic partners are super interesting- the wildebeest are really good at finding water (and thus vegetation for food and shelter), and the zebra are very skittish. So the wildebeest helps the zebra find sustenance, and the zebra keeps the wildebeest abreast of danger.
The first time I saw an ostrich in the wild, I laughed! These flightless birds Are. So. Big. They make emus look like chickens! They dwarfed the Thompson’s gazelles that were so plentiful.
There were herds of old, wrinkled gray elephants which reminded me of the ancient Baobab trees. Rumor has it, amongst the Maasai, that the Baobab trees angered God by walking around the savanna at night, so He flipped them upside down with their roots sticking up in the air to keep them in one place! When they are not in bloom, the trees really do look like their branches are roots!
The Maasai traditionally believe that God lives in the Baobab. You go to the tree, tell it all your problems, then walk away and leave them there. The bigger a Baobab tree, the more problems it has taken in. But don’t look back, or your problems will follow you!
Problems are not the only thing the Baobab harbors. There are holes in them called “poacher hides,” where poachers… hide. Also, wild animals often take up residence inside. Bees love to call their branches home, and the Maasai will climb up to collect their honey.
Elephants are possibly the coolest animals in the wild. You can tell their “handedness” by which the tusk is shorter. They cause destruction by trampling vegetation and by scratching themselves on trees like giant house cats. We drove past a large bull elephant and stopped to gawk at it. As we started to pass him, we noticed another, larger bull elephant on the other side of the road… Talk about being in the wrong place at the wrong time! The one on the right began to flap his ears angrily and suddenly charged the US! Shadrach threw the Land Rover into reverse and sped backward down the road until he stopped coming at us. The elephant stopped as if to say, “Yeah, that’s what I thought!” TERRIFYING!
These pachyderms are intelligent, emotional creatures. When one of their number dies, they will have a sort of funeral and bury the body. In the instances where they have inadvertently killed humans, they express remorse. Their dung has many uses, including mosquito repellent, an emergency water source, and the smoke from burning it can be inhaled as a painkiller (due to the herbs and plants the animal consumes).
The baboons were pretty interesting creatures as well, with a twinkle of mischief in their eyes and their shiny monkey butts. A large troop of baboons sauntered alongside us for a while, allowing us to watch mommies with their babies and even a little… mating behavior! I had a very scary interaction with a couple of them during a trip to Botswana, which I will tell you about in a later post.
Giraffes were one of my favorites! Long and lanky, yet strangely powerful and graceful. They seemed to intentionally arrange themselves in artistic configurations, crossing their necks and bending their knees for my camera. They are absolutely huge! They took their time, grazing the parts of the trees only they could reach, chewing their cud.
We stayed at Tarangire Permanent Tented Camp in a luxurious tent on a hardwood platform with a deck overlooking the dry river bed. I just loved the beds on safari- the crisp white linens and surrounding dreamy mosquito netting.
Most of the safari drives were done in the morning and the evening, with time to rest, nap, or use the pool during the heat of the day. The animals were less active during this time, so we used it to recharge and journal. Whenever we would go out after dark, we had to be accompanied by a Maasai warrior with a spear, as lions and other wild animals would often wander onto the grounds. We heard them roaring at night!
The darkness was so complete, and there was no electricity at night. I could not see my hand in front of my face! One night, we could hear something BIG brushing against the tent. We could hear grunting and breathing, and figured out that it was elephants! I heard something on our porch, and my imagination was running wild with thoughts of a lion bursting in or a black mamba slithering under the canvas wall.
Lake Manyara Biosphere Reserve and National Park
We watched the landscape become more and more lush as we drove to our next destination, Lake Manyara National Park, home of the TREE-CLIMBING LIONS! AND, home of the MONKEYS! There were blue Sykes Monkeys, Vervet Monkeys, and of course Baboons. I didn’t think we would see much else until we hit the HIPPO POOLS! These huge, fat, stinky creatures were so cute, yet so dangerous. They look sweet and jolly, but are instead grumpy and aggressive. They kill over 500 humans each year and, as such, are the deadliest land animals on earth (unless you count the mosquito)! They lay there, snorting, grunting, farting, and spraying their poop around with their tails. They bathed in it, and it kept them cool. Baby hippos frolicked, and birds of many feathers hung around- storks, geese, cranes, and egrets.
Lake Manyara is a huge soda lake populated by a flamboyance (yep, that’s what you call a group of them) of thousands of pink flamingos. They get their pink color from their diet of shrimp. At long last, we found the elusive tree-climbing lions! We sat and watched them lounge, snapping pix and looking on in amazement.
Our lodging was at Bougainvillea Safari Lodge, and it was very lovely. Although our first cabin was already occupied… BY BEES (African killer bees??)! Again, we had an individual hut with beds outfitted in crisp white linens and surrounded by gauzy mosquito netting. We had a delicious dinner and a great night’s sleep.
http://bougainvilleasafarilodge.com/?page_id=589
Ngorongoro Crater
UP and up a pothole-ridden road through the rainforest, our journey continued. We stopped at a little guard hut at the apex of the drive, where we used a putrid pit latrine wallpapered with spider webs, where I just knew a cobra was about to pop up and put an end to me! Honestly, I would have preferred to pee out in the open but that was frowned upon…ah, modesty and decency!
As we descended into the crater, the mist lifted and we were awestruck! This huge volcanic caldera’s base was a sprawling savanna, and its perimeter was defined by a volcanic rainforest nourished by igneous soil. We were welcomed to the crater by an ancient, lone male cape buffalo (the most dangerous kind) and some warthogs (aweemah weh, aweemah weh…). Within the caldera were shallow soda lakes, hippo pools, and streams. Many lions lounged about, and we observed them, waiting for the perfect shot. One of the treats we experienced today was “The Brothers.” Two male sibling cheetahs hanging out on an old felled tree doing kitty yoga (Thanks Ashley!). They slinked about, the potential rippling in the muscles of their lithe, lean bodies. These superb creatures inspired Dad’s painting, “Crater Sentinels.”
We tried to time our trip to witness the great migration, but the spectacle came later this year because there was less rain than usual. However, we were treated to a “mini-migration” here in the Ngorongoro Crater. We found ourselves in a river of wildebeest making their way to a lake filled with pink flamingos. This herd of patchwork creatures spanned as far as the eye could see- walking, running, kicking up dust…Wildebeest are strange-looking ungulates that look like pieced together aggregates of a bunch of other animals like God constructed them out of leftovers! Hundreds of them moved one way, and one marched in the opposite direction! He was like a traffic cop, directing the herd and keeping them in line. They awkwardly lumbered along, mooing and snorting, bumping into each other. Each year, many are eaten by lions and crocodiles, but the birth rate outpaces the death rate, and the populations continue to grow.
We watched a male lion attempt to mate with a female, and she turned back as if to say “Not now, dear, I have a headache.” We even saw an elusive black rhino, from a distance.
The ride back was harrowing, as we drove the rim road and looked down on the rainforest canopy. Wild Africa, laid out before us. I imagined the millions of creatures hiding in that forest, the mystery and beauty of the land overwhelming me at times.
The Birds of Africa…from the huge, vicious secretary birds, to the awkward crowned cranes, majestic fish eagles, and plentiful guinea fowl, the birds of Africa are stunning. My favorites were the brilliantly colored lilac-breasted rollers, the jewel-toned superb starling, and the small green and yellow parrots known as “love birds.”
We headed back to Bougainvillea for a last luxurious meal and comfortable night before it was time to rough it on the final leg of our journey, into the Serengeti! One last excursion before we left- we took a walk to a coffee plantation. We walked past huts with women working outside and children playing. Most of the men in this area were employed at the coffee plantation. Here, the red, ripe beans are handpicked and sent to a factory, where machines peel away the shells, leaving the beans to be roasted.
Serengeti National Park
On our drive through the Serengeti ecosystem to Serengeti National Park, we stopped at a Maasai village in the Rift Valley. We took a walk through the harsh landscape to the Olduvai Gorge, the place where man was born. Until this point, we had not been allowed to walk too far, so it was a bit unnerving. Knowing that there were snakes, scorpions, LIONS, so many things that could kill you!
We paid $50 for the privilege of a short guided nature walk with two Maasai warriors. One was a fresh, young warrior of 18. The other was an old man with shining, dark chocolate skin and a bald head. Though his skin was smooth, it bore deeply etched lines of a hard life. His forehead, nose, and cheeks were decorated with red paint, signifying his status as a warrior. His sclerae were muddy white, his eyes dark and intelligent. His earlobes and cartilage were open with large, empty piercings and he was nearly edentulous. He wore draped layers of garments in bright shades of red, blue, and orange, and carried himself with dignity and pride. His shoes were fashioned from old tires, and his feet were gray with dust.
He carried a walking stick (which he soon gave my father), a spear, and a very large, sharp knife which he had crafted himself. He told stories of how the Maasai used to kill lions- 15-16 men would gather around the lion and charge, with the one who delivered the killing blow keeping the tail and putting it on the end of his spear.
We returned to the village, where I was taken into a group of women and greeted with a tribal welcome dance. The rhythmic hopping and chanting felt jubilant, but some ancient part of me felt fear. I could not understand what they were saying and had seen tribal rituals on TV… I was hoping this did not end with me on a spit roast!
I survived the welcome dance, then we toured the village. We saw their tiny huts made of sticks, mud, and dung, with open yet winding entryways and hard beds made of cowhide. Fires burned within the huts, fueled by elephant dung whose smoke kept away the malaria-carrying mosquitoes. We visited a school, where the precious little children sang us a song and we made a small donation. I always carry a little cash in case we want to buy wares or make donations.
We continued driving and, as the sun set, the mood changed. The gazelle seemed to become paranoid, and we began hearing hyenas cackle. Shadrach suddenly veered off the road into what seemed like vast, endless fields of grass! We finally popped back out onto a smoother road and continued winding for what seemed like hours. Now and then, the headlights would shine on pairs of eyes, rarely revealing their owners. The excitement was palpable.
Our lodging for that night was “Ndutu Lodge,” named after the genet cat who is called Ndutu in Swahili. We had dinner with Shadrach. The food on safari has been pretty bland and uninteresting, to cater to the western palate. I would have preferred more authentic African food, but it was of good quality. This dinner was unique, as we were watched from the rafters by two Ndutu!
https://www.ndutu.com/gallery/
We left for an early morning game drive the next day. Before the sun showed its face, our lights came to rest upon a HUGE male lion and we watched him for a while. We followed him after the sun rose, through a desolate graveyard peppered with skulls and skeletons, a ribcage here, a scapula there, along the bank of a lake. This was a land where lions ruled and everyone else visited at their own peril. Menace was in the air.
Just then, the male lion reached his destination. Above him, perched on a ridge, was a female, peering at us through the trees. We drove around and found the lions’ den, where there was a harem of female lions and six cubs. The females regarded us with mild disinterest, but the cubs were curious. They frolicked and played, and we could hear them mewing, meowing, growling, and snarling. They pawed and nipped at each other, tumbling around and sharpening their claws on the trees. Harmless little kittens training to be killers. We watched them play and interact for a while until the male came back and rounded up his troops to move on.
We drove for an hour or so to the entrance of the Serengeti National Park. The culmination of our journey, we had finally arrived. The scene was just like something out of “The Wild Kingdom.” Yellow-tan plains of grass, stretching as far as he eye could see, in every direction, dotted by umbrella trees and giraffes. Mt. Kilimanjaro (Kili, as the cool kids call it) loomed in the distance. We saw Thompson’s gazelles (Tommies), warthogs, a bat-eared fox, and guinea fowl. So many animals. We eventually arrived at our mobile tented camp, the most rustic of our accommodations so far. The tents were sturdy with two comfy cots, a table, and a shelf for our bags. The bathroom…oh, the bathroom… there was a wobbly toilet on a wobbly wooden platform, that you “flushed” by pouring in a bucket of water. When you were ready for a shower, you let someone know. Then you stripped down, got in the little enclosure, and yelled for him that you were ready. From the outside, he would dump a bucket of water and you had about two minutes to clean yourself!
We had dinner in a separate tent with a few other travelers, then sat by a fire out in the open and headed back to our tent as it began to rain. We fell asleep to the sound of rain and were awakened periodically by the yips and howls of hyenas.
The next day, we sat and looked out over the Serengeti. Huge, man-sized termite mounds pepper the landscape, with umbrella acacia and fig trees scattered around. Some areas have kopjes, large piles of boulders with plants growing on them that harbor hyrax, lizards, and even the rare leopard. Much of the Serengeti was black and burnt, and smells of smoke, burning grass, and rain all wafted in. At night, we could see the glow of controlled burns in the distance. Because man has taken over so much of the world, he must interfere with the course of nature with controlled burns, so wildfires do not take his home. Even the Great Serengeti is touched by the hand of man, the most powerful and fearsome predator.
It was time to begin our journey homeward. We were driven to the “airport” for our flight back to Arusha. The airport was a little hut, and there was a warthog on the dirt runway. There was no real “flight schedule,” but they said our plane should be there soon…it was. This plane would have had trouble jumping puddles. The pilot looked as though he could be my son! We boarded and sat on the front row. About midway through the flight, the pilot turned around and offered us snacks… luckily, this was a short flight!
It was amazing to spend this time with my father, getting to know him as an adult and experiencing Africa with him. He gifted me with a love of nature, and I am so grateful that we were able to share this experience. This incredible adventure showed me the importance of travel and how our tourism dollars not only help the people but give those people further incentive to care for the animals and the environment. There are downsides, as our mere presence affects the environment and impacts the animals we are there to observe. The infrastructure of tourism and the support it requires does change things. It is essential that we travel responsibly and ethically to minimize our impact.
Check out more photos from our trip to Tanzania on my Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.124535486916930&type=3
If you want to read more about this amazing man, he has written several books. Here are a couple of my favorites.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35024763-screams-and-whispers?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=A3oHQDOCI4&rank=5
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8886899-waist-deep-in-broom-sedge?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=A3oHQDOCI4&rank=7
In preparation for this trip, I read this huge book… it was very informative if you can get through it!
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/666879.The_Safari_Companion?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=Ju6DXtzOTl&rank=1
Who knew elephant dung could provide so many services! I laughed out loud at the shower situation!