Ann's Adventures in Africa
 

Overseas Adventure Travel (OAT) �The Best of Kenya and Tanzania�: Sweetwaters � Amboseli � Tarangire � Ngorongoro Crater � Serengeti � Lake Manyara 19 days (16 plus travel). http://www.oattravel.com/gcc/general...spx?oid=149668

A little bit about me: I�m a woman in my 40s from Long Island, NY. This was my first trip to Africa. I have to throw in a �Thank you� to Jenn�I�m sure I enjoyed my whole trip more because of her, indirectly. I was so intent on trying to NOT be like Arielle, that I established a personal �no whining� policy, which made it more fun for me, not to mention everyone else. I�m timid, especially about new experiences, so it was pretty unexpected to find myself in Africa, and loving it.

Rather than starting with a classic narrative, I thought I�d start with a list of what did and did not work for me, since that�s most likely to be helpful to other safari beginners.

WHAT WORKED FOR ME (your mileage may vary, of course)
 Dove disposable face cloths. I don�t use them at home, but it was great after a game drive.
 Buff kerchief. These are overpriced, but worth it. They are stretchy tubular kerchiefs that you can wear like a scarf, or a hat, or a kerchief. They are great to keep the dust off your hair.
 Binoculars. I�ve always had trouble using them in the past, but I finally found a kind that worked for me. One problem is that I wear glasses, and I learned that �long eye relief� helps accommodate to the glasses. I used Bushnell Hemisphere binoculars. Obviously there are better (and more expensive) binoculars around, but I was looking for something that was compact, easy to focus, and under $100.
 Silk long johns. Usually I slept in a long T shirt, but the nights at the sweetwaters tented camp were chilly. Most people would probably have been fine without the long johns, but I appreciated having them.
 Sawyer controlled release bug repellent. Supposedly the formulation gives better results with a lower concentration, and less skin absorption. It seemed to work pretty well.
 Room-mate. I was a little nervous about being matched up with a stranger, but my roommate was terrific.
 Fanny Pack. I know these look really dorky, but it was so helpful to have key things handy.
 Bio Freeze. This is a lotion recommended by my chiropractor. It was very helpful when I was achy after some of the bumpy roads.
 Swahili. I make it a practice to try to learn 10 words in the local language whenever I travel. It�s not intimidating like trying to actually learn the language itself, but it�s amazing how far you can get with 10 words! I used the �in flight swahili� CD, and really enjoyed being able to exchange a few little courtesies with the local people.
 Animal Book: Wildlife of East Africa by martin Withers and David Hosking. This was great � it is relatively compact, and was handy and useful. While the guide had a huge bird book with more birds, my book was smaller, lighter and easier to use. It is half birds, half animals, and has just a couple of pages of trees too.
 Tea2go. I hate water. I know it sounds stupid, but I really hate drinking water. So I just poured a little iced tea or lemonade mix into my water bottles, and did better at remembering to drink some.
 OAT itinerary. We spent 2 nights in each camp, which worked fine.
 Inflatable cushion. Sometimes I sat on it, sometimes I leaned on it to cushion my back, and on the way home I used it to wrap my bottle of amarulo.
 Extra ziplock bags in various sizes.
 Eucalyptus bath gel. I wanted to avoid florals so as to not attract insects, but I love a nice scent, so I compromised on eucalyptus.
 Oil of Olay moisturizer with spf 30. I don�t normally use anything on my face, not even moisturizer, so I really hate sunscreen. I put the moisturizer on every morning, and then didn�t bother re-applying any sunscreen. It worked great, and didn�t feel greasy.

WHAT DIDN�T WORK:
 Daypack. Sometimes I never had the right size bag with me. Too big. Too small.
 Safari Companion book. It was simply too big and too heavy and too complicated to take on a game drive. Maybe it will be interesting to see now that I�m home.
 Socks and underwear. Mine didn�t dry overnight, so I still need to find better travel options.
 Camera Bag. I used a bigger bag than I�m used to, to allow room for the zoom with the UV filter adaptor, along with extra batteries, etc, but it was more cumbersome than I�d like.
 Snacks. I packed too many, yet didn�t have them available on the occasions when I wanted them.
 Books. I have to admit, I packed too many. Even on a normal ay at home, I never go out with fewer than 2 books (what if I finished one and didn�t have another handy?). But I overdid it. I forgot that some of the time I would norally read was spent writing in my journal or organizing my photos.

What an interesting and helpful beginning of your trip report. We will be hearing more, won't we?! So glad that you had a trip that you loved. Im addition to all the things you saw and experienced, I'm looking forward to hearing all about that terrific room-mate. Thank goodness you didn't have a Jenn situation. I'm also interested in learning how you liked what OAT provided. I know that some of the more experienced travelers here on the boards prefer to design their own itineraries, feeling that groups such as OAT can't offer the more intimate Africa experiences, but while I do a lot of independent travel, I did have 2Afrika put together our Kenya/Tanzania trip a year and a half ago, and it was marvelous. There was the possiblity that this might have amounted to a group since they guarantee no more than six people to a vehicle. We were fortunate, though. We had our own driver/guide in Tanzania (amounted to a private safari), and we were with only two others in Kenya--great gals from Arizona. Getting back to OAT, though, I've had some really good trips with them--Peru, Vietnam and Cambodia, and Eastern Europe with their sister, Grand Circle--and this next September we've booked OAT's Ultimate Africa trip (Botswana, Zimbabwe, and Namibia). Once again, I know that there are those who have reservations about signing on with a group, even though the group is under 16 people, and maybe we'll regret it down the line.... That's why I'll be interested to hear about your OAT Africa experience. Most especially, though, I'm looking forward to hearing about all those Africa things which just blew you away. There were many, I'm sure. Thanks for posting, and looking forward to more.

Ann,

I'm excited to read your trip report! I've been wondering how your trip went, glad to see you had a good time.


Jenn

About OAT -- I've travelled with them 3 times before, and obviously I've been happy with them. [I'm not affiliated with them, and am simply answering the post's questions, so please don't 'flame' me for tyring to answer].

I think that a lot of the travelers on this board are quite experienced, and have very specific preferences, and thus choose to put together their own trips. For people with less experience, or with less time to plan, the package tour solution can work very well.
We had 13 guests and one trip leader. We had two vehicles, each with a driver/guide. Let me say up front that on this one trip our trip leader was not as stellar as those I've had in the past. Some of the people in our group had actually travelled with OAT 9 times, and all unanimously felt that he wasn't as good as our other leaders, but we had enough accumulated experience among us to feel rather confident that we got a particular individual who didn't really measure up, (rather than being an indication of a systemic flaw with the firm).

That being said, all the local arrangements in Africa worked flawlessly. I probably wouldn't even have appreciated this as much if I hadn't read other people's trip reports! Out of 17 days actually in Africa, every vehicle was ready on time, every reservation was ready for us, and everything seemed to work together seamlessly, as if by magic.

When we arrived in Nairobi, the leader and vans were waiting. When we crossed the boarder into Tanzania, the new vans and drivers were waiting. When we took our charter flight back to Arusha, the plane showed up on time. The entire trip, we had one occasion when people came back late from a shopping expedition and we were delayed 1/2 hour, and we had a time when one of the vans was 5 minutes late. So in terms of the tour arrangements, the biggest delay was 5 minutes!!! I suspect that is an Africa record.

We complained about little details, such as not liking a particular room selection, but the actual arrangements were rock solid.

By the way, a couple of people on our trip had already done the OAT ultimate Africa trip, and all had extraordinary glowing tales to tell about it. They said it was even better than the Kenya/Tanzania trip I was on.

Thank you, Ann, for taking so much time in answering my OAT question. And now for the details of your trip...looking forward to your next post.

Nice change from the "classic narrative" start to your trip report, Ann. Bo2642 will be pleased to hear the positive feedback from your group about the OAT Ultimate Africa Trip.
I'm looking forward to the rest of your report....keep it coming.

Thanks Ann,

You're absolutely right about us newbies. The list of what did and did not work for you is like gold for me. Especially the Bio freeze. Reminded me to out some Bengay or equivalent on my packing list for those sore days. Keep it coming.

Geatly appreciated,
Juliet

Looking forward to more!

Such helpful and insightful tips. Bio Freeze is something I never heard of but can see its value. Along those lines, when I first read your recomendation for Buff Kerchief, I took the pair of f's for 2 t's, quickly did a double take, and laughed outloud at myself. Never heard of the buff kerchief either but with recent requests about Magellan special seat cushions for bumpy rides, I thought you were on to something.

How do you do those big and little squares? They are nice formatting.

I think Arielle may become the standard that we all endeavor to avoid.

Welcome home!

Great, thanks. A tip re. undies that didn't dry. LOSE the cotton and get the wicking kind. Polyester, thin but warm, and and they dry in a couple of hours. The camps we stayed at do laundry but many will not do underwear. But tell the ones that do, to avoid ironing.

I am looking forward to hearing about an OAT trip. I thought of sending my parents on this one years ago.

By the way, the 'sleep by the door of the tent so the lion can eat you first' story just popped into my head and I laughed otu loud!

I bought a pair of quick dry underwear from Tilley's, the hat people, and they dry overnight, unlike my regular underwear.

Hi Ann...Gary (my partner) and I are going on the OAT trip on Nov. 29th-Dec. 12th. (Not doing the pre or post trips). It is great to be reading your posts and all of the other folks' responses. I think we've been in touch in other "threads"...We're both so excited and at the same time, so happy for all of the travel hints. We did order sawyer's permethrin to spray out clothes with, and have deet. I still need to find a good pair of walking shoes,since I don't love sneakers...and I'll be ordering that buff scarf and probably the inflatable cushion. Not sure we want to invest in two of them...they list at about $50 each. Will look forward to any more of your reports...Elaine

Hi Elaine,
I'm sure I didn't pay $50 for my cushion. I can't remember for sure, but I think it was around 25. I'm not sure what exact version it was (and I'm so disorganized right now I think I lost it!) but it might be one of the thermarest trail seat models.
In general, I shopped most at Camp-mor and sierra trading post, and only used full-priced stores like Magellan's if I couldn't find my stuff elsewhere.

p.s. I'll try to start my real trip report soon -- I'm still trying to upload all my pictures.

A note about my photos. I'm loading all my pictures up to winkflash.
http://www.winkflash.com/photo/publi...?u=ajennerjahn
Unfortunately it is not quite as easy to use as some of the other online sites, but it is worth trying because the quality of the prints is very good, the price is low, and it lets you do high resolution downloads.
For those who just want to see the highlights rather than wade through all the shots, you might prefer to look at the following highlights folders:
„X Africa best Highlights (Top 43 pictures) or
„X African Highlights -- some of everything (225 shots).
Except for my mother, most of you will probably not be interested in looking at every single picture from the full set, but if you have a particular thing you are curious about looking up, the full set of pictures is organized by location: Nairobi, Sweetwaters, etc.

FLIGHT, NAIROBI, KIZURI BEAD FACTORY, KAREN BLIXEN HOUSE (skip this entry if you’re only interested in the game drives!)

Photos in ‘Nairobi’ folder at: http://www.winkflash.com/photo/publi...?u=ajennerjahn

Day 1 NY en route to Amsterdam – Oct 10.
They just turned off the seat belt sign, so now I really feel underway, even though the flight attendants are speaking Dutch, not Swahili. The flight was moved up 10 minutes without explanation, and they started boarding an hour ahead (which I’m not used to), but then we sat at the gate waiting for 2 no-show passengers whose baggage had to be offloaded, by which time we had lost our turn for take-off and hate to wait – an hour late after all. For some reason, they serve dinner late, and breakfast early, so there is less than 3 hours to try to sleep in between. The coach seats are a little better than I expected, and my inflatable ‘first class sleeper’ cushion does seem to help – marginally. I manage around 2 hours of sleep.
I’m so glad I checked out seatguru online. I’m in seat 23F – it turns out that most of the aisle seats on a lot of KLM flights have restricted leg room due to the video equipment, so ‘F’ is the only good aisle seat. But I’m already wishing that my chiropractor were here. I’m a little worried about how I’ll manage a second flight, and then the bumpy roads.

Day 2 Amsterdam to Nairobi. Oct 11
I took advantage of the layover in Amsterdam to walk through the airport. I went from end to end, and up and down each terminal wing, for about 3-4 miles. It felt good to stretch my legs.
On the second flight, I find myself sitting in the same row as Faye, another OAT traveler. I recognized her luggage tag and introduced myself. But just then a large gentleman sat in the middle seat between us. He was so large that he sort of spilled over into my seat. I kept cringing away, but that put me in a really uncomfortable scrunched-up position. At one point I had to wake him up and ask him to sit up, because I felt as if I were sitting under a tree that was falling…falling…falling.
At the end of the flight, I met up with Faye and her sister Maxine, and we made our way through getting visas, baggage and customs, all very easy and smooth. Even before my luggage showed up, I saw our guide outside, holding the OAT sign. I felt like a little kid who was reassured they were going to be picked up after all! And right next to him was someone holding a World Vision sign. That interested me because I’ve been a World vision donor for years, and one always likes actual confirmation that there is more going on than a glossy brochure with pictures of starving children. As it turns out, I saw World Vision all over the place, so at least now I’m confident that they are really on the scene. This isn’t as off-topic as it may sound. My interest in visiting Africa had been casual, of the ‘some day I’d like to go’ sort, until I sponsored a child in Uganda. Suddenly I developed a passion to learn about Africa, and to understand what was going on. I found myself thinking, ‘I NEED to go to Africa’. And so here I am.

We are driven to the New Stanley Hotel – a grand hotel complete with mini-bar in the bedroom, and a phone in the bathroom. I have a sneaking suspicion that will not be typical on this trip. At first the security guards are a bit disconcerting (not just in the lobby, but also on every floor), but they are friendly and charming and professional. Each time we get off the elevator they show us to our room, making it seem like an extra amenity that they recognize us and know where we belong, rather than letting on that its actually a security measure.

Oct 12 Nairobi
I wake up and realize that I’m here! I’m not sure what to expect, but I’m ready for new experiences. After a lovely breakfast at the Stanley (omelettes and fruit), we went for a walk. Along with Hoti, our leader, we also had Francis, his friend from the Hotel, resplendent in a red uniform. They explain to us that we shouldn’t take any pictures of police in uniform, or of official buildings, but we can freely take shots of anything else. I’m sighting along Kenyatta Ave, at the beautiful purple Jacaranda trees, when suddenly my arm is shoved down, and 2 guys in uniforms tell me to stop. I say ok, and they move on. My guide is appalled – apparently no one in his care has ever been treated like this before. I think he is more upset than I am. He says that they should not have done that, since I was not actually doing anything wrong. I explain that it is better to not argue with men with guns. I never found out what it was about. It wasn’t really a big deal, but it did make me a bit scared about taking pictures after that.
We then visited the memorial to the victims of the U.S. embassy blast in 1998. The memorial is in a lovely small park, with a peaceful atmosphere. There are pictures of the carnage of the day, and that hit really close to home, since it brought back memories of 9/11. (I was in midtown at the time, and not in personal danger, but the sight of thousands of people escaping on the sidewalk, and the images from TV, and the continuing smoky smell for weeks are indelible).
On the way back to the hotel we stopped at a grocery store to pick up water. Suddenly it seemed a complex purchase. We’re still trying to figure out the exchange rate. I buy an extra bottle, figuring that I’ll need it for teeth-brushing. I don’t realize at that point that all the lodges provide bottled water in the rooms daily.
At lunch we meet the rest of our group. They took a pre-trip extension to the Masi Mara, and join us now for the main part of the trip.

After lunch we get on the bus. After we leave the city proper we drive past the Kibera slums. This is heartbreaking and inconceivable. 700,000 people living in shacks side by side, with almost no electricity or plumbing. We’re told that many of the people are refugees from Sudan. I can’t help thinking of something I heard a World Vision representative say. When a community has no functional infrastructure, sometimes it takes outside resources to provide enough hope for the village to then help itself. The shacks lining the street are actually shops, selling clothes, bananas, soccer balls, corn, hardware, eggs, shoes. Raw sewage seeps in a ditch by the road. Interspersed with the shops are medical clinics, a Montessori nursery school, and numerous hair salons. We see ads selling everything under the sun, and a bravely hopeful school motto: “hard work pays”.
After the slums we enter the district of Karen (named after Karen Blixen), an expensive area just 5 minutes from the slums, but an entire world away. Suddenly everything is named Karen. Karen plumbing. Karen electrician. Karen Country club.

We arrive at the Kizuri Bead factory. Kizuri means small and beautiful. The factory was started to provide work for single mothers. We see women forming the clay, glazing it, and placing it in kilns. Then (of course!) they are for sale. It’s not really a style I normally wear, but I buy one just to support the factory. As the clerk is processing my order, another woman behind the counter asks her something in Swahili. ‘Mojo tu’ she replies. I think I can figure out what she said – ‘only one’. Oh well.

Then on to the Giraffe Center, where we feed the giraffes. Just for my friend April, I feed one from my mouth to get a picture of me ‘kissing’ the giraffe. The ranger keeps insisting that the saliva is ‘very antiseptic’, but I’m glad that ‘my’ giraffe is so delicate I don’t even feel him take the pellet. Some of the guys get totally slimed, with elastic saliva shooting out with eager abandon.

Finally we reach the Karen Blixen house. Ironically, the house was considered to small and dark for the film ‘Out of Africa’, so the exteriors were filmed here, but the interiors were filmed a ways down the road. The combination of art and life is kind of peculiar. As the guide shows us around, half the time he explains what it was really like in Karen’s day, and the other half of the time he is pointing out a garment that Robert Redford wore in the movie. You can see the ngong hills out the window, familiar from the first line of the book: “I had a farm in Africa at the foot of the ngong hills”. Ngong is from the Maasai word for knuckles, because the hills look as if god punched them with his knuckles.

For dinner, we feasted at Carnivore restaurant. I wasn’t expecting to enjoy it all that much, since it’s such a tourist spot, but it was actually a lot of fun, and the food was much better than I expected. Chicken, chicken liver, ostrich meatballs, roast ostrich, crocodile, camel, lamb roast, lamb chops, roast port, spare ribs, turkey. Surprisingly enough, even the camel, and ostrich and crocodile were relatively tender, and nothing was excessively gamy tasting.

Keep it coming, Ann! Do you know who the OAT ground operator is in Kenya?

When I was in Nairobi last year, I saw a sign for the World Vision headquarters and thought I'd drop by for a visit. It was much more complicated than I had thought. As with most places in Nairobi, it was fenced with a guard at the gate. Because I didn't have anyone's name to visit, it took a while, but they were kind enough to see me. I had sponsored a girl in Kenya, but the sponsorship of that area had ended and I wanted to chat with them about that.

Great report Ann. Regarding the undies question, has anyone tried using disposable undies? They are made out of paper/cotton and are surprisingly comfortable. I'm thinking of taking them for our trip to Africa, but I'm wondering about disposal. Do most camps/lodges have good disposal systems? I just want to be ecological and not add to garbage problems, if there are any.

Sorry, strange question I know.

The ground operator in Kenya was Pullmans. The ground operator in Tanzania was Ranger.

I believe "purple" used the disposable panties. Search on her name, where I believe she posted a link for this item.

NAIROBI TO SWEETWATERS TENTED CAMP, CULTURAL VILLAGE, NIGHT GAME DRIVE, CHIMPANZEE SANCTUARY, SPINNING & WEAVING FACTORY

Photos in ‘Sweetwaters’ folder at: http://www.winkflash.com/photo/publi...?u=ajennerjahn

Day 4 Nairobi to Sweetwaters– Oct 13.
After breakfast we check out of the Stanley Hotel. Our vehicles this morning are the minibuses we will use for the rest of our stay in Kenya. For some reason we need to change vehicles at the Tanzania border. We each have a window seat, and the hatch goes up for better viewing during the game drives.

After we pass the suburbs we get into farmland. We pass the Del Monte pineapple farm – the 3rd largest in the world. And we also pass small farms with people working in the fields, bending from the waist. Backbreaking work. We have our first sight of what will be common: people riding bicycles by the side of the road, often carrying huge loads. It is hilly enough that they have to dismount and push on the ascents. Sometimes the loads are so big they can’t ride at all. I find myself wondering why they don’t get a cart instead – they’d still have to pull it, but at least they wouldn’t have to hold it up.

We also pass papyrus, greenhouses filled with roses; coffee plantations, bananas, charcoal, papaya, and tea. Even though we haven’t seen any game yet, I’m continually reminded that I’m not at home.
On the highway we are stopped frequently by roadblocks – heavy duty spikes on the road. Sometimes we are just waved on, and sometimes they examine all the paperwork of the vehicle and the driver. It’s all pretty low keyed and quick, nevertheless.

In addition to the people with bikes, we also see people carrying odd loads – sometimes bulky bundles, and once we see two guys actually carrying what looks like the hood of a big truck. I don’t think I could even lift it, and I wonder where they are taking it, and why the truck can’t carry its own hood. On a totally undistinguished road we cross the equator. I was dozing, and the guide points it out, and I’m not sure where to look – I think I was expecting a big stripe on the ground, LOL.

On the road in to the Sweetwaters Tented Camp, we see our first game. I was so excited to see a zebra – I didn’t know or care that they are seen all over the place, I was thrilled. We also saw defassa waterbuck, grants gazelles, olive baboons, and reticulated giraffe. We arrive at Sweetwaters, and are greeted with warm damp towels and fresh juice – I had one called tree tomato. It was kind of odd but not unpleasant – tart, thick, and mildly sweet.
Porters carry our duffels to our tent. Esther carries my room-mates and mine – 2 duffels at once. I feel bad because I’m not used to women carrying loads like that. I feel stupid walking behind her while she carries the bags. Finally I say to her “you must be very strong”. She stopped to face me, and was proud to answer: “African women are VERY STRONG!” Her nose was beaded with sweat, and she was breathing heavily, but she was confident and proud and strong! Can you imagine the sob story you would likely get from an American women in that situation? When I saw the women working in the fields I was glad I was not an African woman, and when I saw Esther carrying the bags I was really glad (and there were other occasions later on that made me gladder still!). But I could really learn from her positive attitude.

Our tent was raised up from the ground, sort of like a second floor. That would have been fine, but there was no view, which was disappointing, since the water hole is such a wonderful feature of this camp. Hoti said he’d switch us tomorrow.

The tent [see picture] is tall enough to stand up in, and has 2 twin beds and a bathroom alcove, complete with sink, shower, and a semi-flushing toilet. I’m not sure if it was actually broken or if we just hadn’t learned the African pump technique yet. My roommate has a great idea – she suggests that we choose ‘sides’ for the rooms, instead of having to discuss each detail at each camp. So for now on, I get the bed on the right, and the towels on the right. This is simple and works beautifully. We automatically dump our day bags on our own bed at each new camp, and I know which towel is mine. Of course, we end up with a running joke, because I have told her the stories about Arielle. So whoever’s bed is near the entrance, we say “I guess the lion is going to eat you first tonight”. I threaten her that if she is not a good room-mate I’ll post stories about her, and she makes me promise that I’ll teach her how so she can have equal time if I’m a problem. As a result we are both on our best behavior, and fortunately (or unfortunately!) there are no juicy stories to relate.

Lunch was nice – a buffet with an amazing view across the savannah. While eating we watch zebras, warthogs, and some impala. We also see a ‘superb warbler’ – iridescent blue with shades of green or purple depending on the light. I’m fascinated by the beautiful bird, and don’t realize that it is very common – we will see it again and again wherever we go. On the way to and from our tents we see marabou stork, rock hyrax, and guinea fowl.

After lunch we go to a ‘cultural village’ [pictures] where 3 tribes live together: Turcana, Samburu, Pocat. (I’m not sure how you spell them). One of the men acted as our guide and interpreter. He had been educated by a missionary school, and spoke English quite well. There are 3 kinds of huts, different for each tribe. They are pastoral – they have to pick up and move when the drought is too bad. First we see the children sitting in the dirt. A woman is there with her baby and is asking the medicine man for a consultation. Apparently he decides the baby is ok. I can’t figure out if the ‘appointment’ is staged for our benefit or not. We also saw a warrior, who had 3 scars on his shoulder indicating that he had killed a hippo. If he had killed lion it would be 4 lines of scars. The men have both decorative scars and also medicinal scars, inflicted by the witchdoctor.

Each tribe also danced for us, different dances for the different tribes. The men of the second tribe are playing a game together, but are not joined by the other tribes. The children, however, play all together. This strikes me as a sad worldwide principle – children start out accepting each other, but then segregate themselves when they become grownups. In this case, there is clearly respect and cooperation between the tribes, but the fact that they don’t play together still struck me. It also struck me that we do not see any games that women play.

We visited inside each type of hut. The huts are dark, lit only by a tiny hole serving as a window. There is no furniture, and almost no belongings. For the second two tribes, the husband and wife don’t share a bed, but have separate sleeping platforms. I didn’t quite understand the explanation, it had something to do with the warrior not wanting the smell of children on him, which could attract wild animals – or something like that. In the third hut we are invited to note how smooth the mud on the walls is. The wife works hard on this, to keep her husband interested, otherwise he might move on to another of his wives. Meanwhile, the elaborate beaded necklaces on the wall are a sign that the wife is in residence. It sounds sort of like the flag flying over Buckingham palace to indicate that the Queen is there. If the wife returns to her parents, they will know the difference between a visit and a domestic upheaval by whether she brings all her necklaces with her.

On the way to the village we saw game all around: buffalo, giraffes, impala, grant gazelles, zebra, warthogs, and waterbuck. At one point, the giraffe necks undulating in front of the trees look like something out of Jurassic park – but giraffes are exotic enough, I don’t need dinosaurs!

The night game drive [pictures, but they are not too good, since it is dark, of course!] starts slowly at first, just some African hares and some zebra. It picks up a little interest with some cape buffalo – truly ominous looking in the dark. And suddenly a lion! No, it is two lions, no, it is three. What are they looking at? I’m transfixed – my first lions! They are standing, they are walking. No! They are stalking a white rhino. The lions separate and approach from different directions. The rhino is unaware at first. Just as he senses them, we realize there are a 4th and 5th lion approaching from behind. The circle tightens and we barely breathe. The rhino slowly backs up – we’re afraid he will actually back into one of the lions behind him, which he doesn’t seem to have noticed yet. The circle draws tighter and he backs some more. Suddenly the table is turned -- the rhino has had enough and trots forward at one of the lions, who turns tail and bounds away. The intricate dance continues back and forth, but we are not sure who is choreographing it, the lions or the rhino. Eventually we realize that the rhino is less worried than we are, as he lowers his head and starts to eat, not even deigning to pay attention any more. Meanwhile, the lions appear oblivious to easier prey – a Grants gazelle less than 50 yards away, on the other side of a small hill.

We return to camp still thrilled with the dance of the lions and the rhino. My bed is peculiarly hard, but I don’t care, I’m just happy to be here. And even happier when I notice a wonderful surprise: someone has put a hot water bottle in my bed! I’m very chilly after the night game drive, and I’m happy both for my silk long johns and the hot water bottle.

Day 5. Sweetwaters
Today we visit the chimpanzee sanctuary [plictures], with game drives on the way there and back. They have 41 chimps there right now.. Most are orphans because their parents were killed for bush meat. These chimps were not taught by their parents, so they need supplemental feeding. We also learn that chimps are also susceptible to all human diseases except malaria.
The sanctuary has room for 100, and is protected by an electric fence. One of the chimps runs back and forth in front of us, whacking the fence hard with a stick. Apparently, they’ve learned not to touch the electric wires, and instead they use the stick since it does not conduct electricity. That’s way more knowledge of physics than I expected a chimp to have!

Suddenly we hear a great commotion – screeching and chattering. The ranger urgently shooed us back to the van – ‘hurry! Hurry!’ What is going on? The chimp Paco is loose. The rangers run into the bush calling his name. Meanwhile our own little drama was unfolding at the van, as Stephen, our driver, couldn’t find his keys. Good to know we’re not the only ones who get flustered, LOL. Faye left her pocketbook in the van last night, and lost her camera the night before. She explained that she didn’t mind buying a new camera, but she was really distressed to have lost the picture of herself kissing a giraffe! Anyway, Stephen finally found the keys (they were in his pocket after all), so we continued on a short game drive, where we see olive baboons, reticulated giraffe, defassa waterbuck, impala, sacred Ibis, saddle billed stork, grey heron, grants gazelle, Thompson gazelle, impala, and a distant hartebeest. We ask Stephen why the one impala is chasing the other and he tries to be delicate: “I think she has a headache.”. We’re disappointed that Mt Kenya is still shrouded in the clouds. I’m going to have to settle for a picture of a giraffe by the shoulder of the mountain instead of the classic pose.

We visit a Spinning and Weaving factory [pictures], founded by the USA Presbyterian church. 107 women now work there. It supports them and their children. Primary school is free in Kenya, but secondary school you have to pay for. We watch them sinning and weaving by hand, and many in our group buy rugs. They are relatively small, but I still can’t figure out how they will fit them into their duffles. The woman who shows us around the factory is an excellent guide. Her accent is funny, but she is a great presenter. For some reason, she has trouble with the letter ‘W’, so it takes us a while to catch on to what ‘ool is. She keeps stressing that the ‘ool is washed in Ivory Soap, until it is pure white. White, it turns out, is a relative term.

Back at camp, we find that our tent was indeed changed. This one is perfect, with a great view of the water hole! Lunch was another buffet. I kept jumping up from my seat to take pictures of the giraffes at the water hole [pictures]. We also see an oryx. After lunch I have a shower. It was waaaaaaaay too cold to take one this morning (although my brave roommate did). And now I’m sitting on the patio in front of the tent watching the giraffes. One has especially dark and defined markings. Beautiful!

We visit a rescued black rhino [pictures]. They are even bigger close up. He is semi-tame, so we are told we can take pictures with him (while the sign warns we do it at our own risk). We are told to promptly move out of the way if he starts to move! On the way back to camp we see some black-backed jackals and hartebeest, but still no elephants (which are a favorite of my roommate, so we are on the lookout). We also see some oryx, with those peculiarly straight horns. Then dinner and bed. Hurrah for the hot water bottle!

My overall reactions to the Sweetwaters tented camp: The tents are not as luxurious as mbuzi mawe, but have everything you need. The water is hot in the afternoon, but not the morning. The tents in the front row have a terrific view, but those in the back don’t have much view at all. But I would definitely go back there in a flash, because watching the animals at the water hole is an incredible treat. In addition to the view from the tents and the restaurant, there are benches where you can comfortably sit and watch the wonderful progression of animals unfold, like a never-ending movie. For safety’s sake there is a fence, but it is lowered in a ditch, so you don’t notice it when viewing the animals.

Great report and photos. Wonderful attention to detail. Your enthusiasm is infectious, and we're traveling right along with you. Keep it coming. Glad for you and your room-mate that all went well for the two of you. Wow! You got to see the women at the rug place "sinning and weaving by hand"! Now that's truly a rare sight. LOL.

I like your use of Fodors as a threat between roommates. A sort of cyber threat cold war. Glad you two got along.

Those were some helpful observations about Sweetwaters. Lately it seems that questions about that place have cropped up a lot. Did you see the chimp on the loose? One poster stated that they felt the chimp sanctuary was very zoo-like and a disappointment. The other Jane Goodall chimp sanctuary that I've seen would not fit that description in my opinion. Can you elaborate on the chimp enclosure at Sweetwaters? I did see a couple of good chimp shots.

You have some other striking photos. Lots of good sweeping landscapes and sky. I especially liked the rhino closeups, the ele eye, hyena in the den, and a variety of zebras. The pair of cheetahs is a great find.

Before you are done, please tell me how to make the square dots that you placed between the parks in your 1st sentence. Also the square that serve as bullets.

Are we going to Amboseli next?

Glad you like it. I know some people will get bored with the detail, but I figure they can just skip the boring parts.

Bo2642: OOOPS, I didn't realize I was accusing the women of 'sinning and weaving'. I bet everyone really wants to check out those photos now.

atravelynn: I really loved Sweetwaters, because I loved not having to go out on an excursion to see the animals, however the accomodations themselves were not as plush as some of the other camps.

As far as the chimp sanctuary was concerned, it is true that the view of the chimps is sort of like being in a zoo, because the fence is very prominent. Most of the chimps hide in the woods, and you only get to see the ones that choose to come near the fence. The exhibit with all the chimp pictures and stories was quite interesting and touching, however. We didn't actually see the chimp on the loose -- they were definitely treating it as an emergency, yet I gather it is not that uncommon. We found it surprising because the fence is really high. Frankly, it looked sort of like a prison fence to me! Reading the stories of the chimps, it was clear that they had indeed been rescued, and that the place was doing a lot of good, but it is certainly not the same as seeing them in the wild.

Yes, Amboseli is coming next -- hopefully tonight.

Oops, I forgot to answer the question about the formatting and the little boxes. I'm not actually doing anything clever, in fact I'm just being lazy!
I typed stuff in Word, and pasted it into the Fodor's window, and that's how it came out all by itself.

KAJAIDO SCHOOL, ARRIVING AT AMBOSELI

Photos in ‘Amboseli’ folder at: http://www.winkflash.com/photo/publi...?u=ajennerjahn

Day 6 – Oct 15
On the way to Amboseli, we visit the A.I.C. Kajaido Boarding School [pictures]. The African Inland church started the school in 1959 with 20 girls. In 1964, after Kenya independence, the school was turned over to the government. It tries to address cultural problems. The biggest issue is that at around the age of 13, girls are subject to genital mutilation. The school is trying to help and educate girls who have run away to escape forced child marriages and genital mutilation, or who have faced other situations such as being raped, or being orphaned due to AIDS, or having physical disbilities. 90% of the girls are Maasai.

The school philosophy is that if they educate the girls, they educate a nation. They also function as a rescue center, so girls who know their families have plans to ‘circumcise’ them, can have a place to run to. They have an award winning music program, and a drama program to encourage them to communicate.

They teach English, Kiswahili, Science, Mathematics, and social studies. Some of the girls go on to high school and college. They need sponsors to pay for the higher education. “God always opens a door for us” the teacher says gratefully. The first grade could have children ranging from 6-16, depending on when they started their schooling. Some children need to walk 10k to get to school, so they need to be old enough to walk that far.

Ellen asked who takes care of the children after school. The answer was that a matron and dispensary are available for medical care. Clearly they weren’t thinking of the kind of childcare we are used to.

A sixth grade class sings for us. “I’m happy today so happy, in Jesus’ name I’m happy, because he has taken away my sins.” A couple of girls recite poems. They are eloquent, with intense voices and dramatic hand gestures. They are in the ‘speak-out’ drama club. The school motto is “determination and dedication to excellence.”

Although it is Sunday, they show us to a schoolroom to talk to some of the children. I chat with Tabitha, who asks how old I am, and when I ask her to guess politely suggests ’20?’ We have been warned not to ask the girls specifics about their background, since so many are victims of abuse of one sort or another, so I try to ask something more neutral. “How long have you been coming to school?” “A LOOONG TIME” she replies, “20 weeks”. She is 12. Her favorite subjects are science and match.

Then we are shown the dormitory – a long room with a row of bunks on each side. Each pair of bunks are abutted next to each other, and 2 girls share each bed, so in every 7’ by 6’ slot 8 girls are expected to sleep. It is abundantly clear why they need a new dormitory! If this were a prison, the inmates would sue for more space. Grand Circle (the parent company of OAT) is collecting money to build a dormitory. Many of us are glad to chip in.

As we leave we hear sounds of singing from a building holding a church service. The spillover crowd in front plays, jumps rope, sings and claps. Off to the side Ray and Arlene start to dance and immediately the crowd runs eagerly to see this novelty. I think the children are so used to performing for visitors that they are delighted to see this role reversal.

The children are all in uniforms, which seems standard practice in Kenya. Most of the children are Christian, but they have a handful of Muslims. As we leave the school, we pass a mosque, which Hoti explains is for the Somalian refugees in the neighborhood. He said that while the Maaasai who interact with the outer world often become Christian, they rarely become Muslim. In his words, they do not join ‘Islamology’.

Now back into the vans for the trip to Amboseli. My backside now understands why the inflatable seat cushions were recommended, although it is probably good that I don’t realize it will get worse later! After a long day’s drive, I’m wondering why we bother to keep switching camps, but as we approach Amboseli, it is immediately apparent that we will see different varieties of animals. I guess that was supposed to be obvious, but as a safari novice, I didn’t really grasp it until now. We pass a gerenuk hidden in the bush, as well as an elephant, spotted hyena, ostrich, yellow baboon, zebra, Thompson’s gazelle, and wildebeest. Due to the drought, the lake is dry, and we are able to drive straight across. The rutted path across the lake is actually smoother than the road was, but it surely is dusty. I finally realize that this is what those buff kerchiefs are for. This is a great solution. I pull one over my head, then slide it back over my hair, and tuck the back ends in at the nape of my neck. I don’t care if it looks silly, it saves my hair from that amazing phenomenon where dust and wind together create instant dreadlocks.

I had made the mistake of saving one of those little bananas from our boxed lunch. It was in the pocket of my cargo pants, and when I stood up in the van to spy the gerenuk, I didn’t realize I was mashing the banana until the pulp seeped thru the pocket, creating a wet slime. I asked Hoti what to do with the crushed banana, and his only idea was to hold it in my hand for the next 22k. That did not sound like a plan to me, so I emptied out some toiletries from a baggie in my carry-on, and used that as a garbage bag.

We’re tired and dirty when we arrive at the Amboseli Serena. They greet us with welcome wet towels and passion fruit juice. I’m so tired and achy I leave my day pack on the ledge, but an attentive staff member hands it to me before I’m more than a couple of yards away. I need to stop making fun of people who forget things.

We can tell we are in mosquito country – even just in the lobby we are being attacked. No one has any repellent on, since it wasn’t a problem before. I wish we could just move on to our rooms, but the registration process is taking some time. I’ve got my carryon, my daybag, my camera and binoculars, and I’m trying to slather on bug repellent, and just don’t’ have enough hands, but once I’m sticky with the repellent I don’t’ want to mess up my camera by even trying to put it away. Finally we’re given our keys and our room steward carries our duffles and leads us to our room. It is attractive and luxurious, only slightly marred by the black millipedes sprinkled all over the floor. Idelle steps on one and it crunches underfoot and breaks in half. The front half keeps slithering onward. The beds are shrouded in mosquito netting, which is white so it looks romantic rather than utilitarian. There are so many light switches we can’t figure them out. It is appealing to be back in the land of full-fledged electricity, after the 11 watt bulbs at Sweetwater’s.

I don’t want to inadvertently research what kind of bugs are attracted by banana pulp, so I pull off my pants as soon as I’m in my room, so I can send them to the laundry. My roommate puts me on banana restriction. From now on when we get a boxed lunch and I’m tempted to save the banana she just gives me a look. Thanks to her watchful eye, I don’t end up with any more laundry emergencies. It is working so well rooming together. I think it actually helps that we don’t know each other, because we don’t have any ‘hot buttons’ to push. Since I’m not her daughter, I feel free to recognize it when she gives me good advice, and vice versa.

Dinner at the Amboseli Serena was the best meal in Africa so far. I had a light cream of pea soup and a small steak. Dennis tells a funny story about the school. He asked a girl to read something for him, and she reads from the Bible, Romans 8:8. Then he asked her if she understood and she said not really, so he ended up having to try to explain it. While he doesn’t claim to be a believer, it sounds like his explanation was pretty good. He said that if another girl took something from her and she hurt her instead of forgiving her, it would not please God.

The lodge employs Maasai as monkey chasers. They stand with sticks, and watch, and chase off the monkeys when they try to climb on the outside tables, or run into the dining room.
[More about Amboseli in the next segment]

Thanks for including the details about the school, a real refuge for those girls.

I've had similar banana problems.

The Sweetwaters watering hole sounds wonderful.

Usually the formatting in Word just disappears when transferred into Fodors. I guess that is not always the case.

What happened to the woman who lost her camera? Was she able to replace it?

Did you know you are a hot topic on the Fodor's home page.

Man I wish I had gone to that school on the way to Amboseli instead of the Masai Village.

Actually the village was OK, but the school sounds GREAT!

Wayne, you'll have to make a return trip so you can visit the school.

Great report, Ann. I'm really enjoying your writing style, and, of course, your enthusisasm for East Africa. I've viewed your "best of" galleries. Looks like an excellent trip.

This brings back great memories! Our very first African wildlife sighting was also a zebra at Sweetwaters and I remember us both literally screaming "ZEEEEEBRA!!!" :D

Did they take you to the other chimp viewing section? There's a short walk and you come to a river front area. The chimps live on the other side of the river and there's no visible fence. It has a less zoo like feel, but you're viewing the chimps from a farther distance here.

It looks like they've done some refurbishment to the tent interiors since our stay last year. It was even less plush before.

I really enjoyed the waterhole viewing too (we had a tent in the front row) and we had very good luck on our night game drive there.

Looking forward to more!

AMBOSELI

Photos in ‘Amboseli’ folder at: http://www.winkflash.com/photo/publi...?u=ajennerjahn

Day 7 – Oct 16
In the shower this morning, I realize that I need to do a bit of attitude adjustment about those millipedes, or I’m at risk of turning into a whiner. After all, they aren’t hurting anything. I decide to channel my energy into writing a rhyme a la Dr Seuss.

BLACK MILLIPEDE:
I do not want you on the floor.
I do not want you by the door.
I do not want you by my bed,
Especially not by my head!
I do not want you on the ceiling
(It gives a creepy crawling feeling)
I do not want you on the wall,
I do not want you here at all!

I share it with my group, and we all have a good laugh.

I was fortunate that my roommate didn’t mind rising early, so I got to sleep ‘late’ until 5:45 – no wonder I was hallucinating about millipedes in the shower! The early start was so we could go on a morning game drive [pictures]. Within the first few minutes we see wildebeest, common waterbuck, zebras and warthogs. We enjoy learning the difference between the common and defassa waterbuck. I’m amazed at the variety of animals that are in view at one time: 4 lions, a herd of zebra and wildebeest, a few elephants, an ostrich in the distance, and a crowned plover.

With that scene as a backdrop, we notice off on the side a lone Thompson gazelle, oblivious to a solitary lion nearby. The lion approaches. We are silently urging the gazelle away, but he actually moves nearer to the lion. “Go away!” we want to shout, although no one speaks out loud. We are aware that we are only observers, and are not intended to be participants in this drama. Suddenly the gazelle notices the lion, and bounds away. The lion gives chase. They arc back around, and we expect a kill. The lion gains on the gazelle--the handwriting is on the wall. Some of us are excited and expectant, and others are resigned. Suddenly the gazelle goes into hyperdrive and escapes effortlessly, outdistancing the lion within seconds. It reminds me of something from Star Wars. The show is over. We don’t understand what we’ve just seen. Stephen explains that the lion was slow, and seemed to be limping a little (not that I noticed), which enabled the gazelle to outdistance it. But even if the lion was slow, I don’t understand how the gazelle put on that sudden burst of speed.

Then we watch a herd of elephants as they amble across the road. 5 adults and 3 children. It’s fun watching animals so large, because the relative ages are so apparent. A one year old is much smaller than a 5 year old. We also notice a tawny eagle, a vulture, and Maasai giraffe – at Sweetwaters we were seeing reticulated giraffe instead. I can’t tell them apart– I know the markings are different, but I just don’t ‘see’ it yet. Also warthogs, Thompson’s gazelles, guinea hens, Eland, black backed jackal, a pregnant wildebeest, and an olive baboon.

We also visit a Maasai village [pictures]. We are greeted by Wilson, the chief’s son. Our group tries to greet him with Jambo, until he explains that we should say Sopa/epa in Maasai. We are surprised to see him wearing a blue and red plaid, instead of red.

Then they do a traditional welcome dance, the men on one side, the women on the other. They invite us to dance with them, and I see where pogo dancing comes from. I bet that adolescent Americans think they invented it, but the Maasai are much better at it. The men jump higher and higher to show off their strength. Then they include us in a traditional prayer. We are asked to crouch, bow our heads, and respond ‘nai’ during the prayer. I’m wishing I knew what we were assenting to, but all is revealed shortly. “That was a traditional Maasai prayer”, Wilson explains. “We are Catholic. We asked a blessing for your journey.” I know these visits are somewhat staged, but I was still touched.

Then we see hunks of goat roasting on a tripod of branches over a fire, and a pot of blood. One in our group asks about the different colors we see them wearing – lots of blue or black rather than purely red. He explains that they are wearing the true Maasai color, and that the people we see elsewhere wearing red are probably Kikuyu who are dressing up to look like Maasai, and don’t know how to do it properly. Ironically, the Masi Mara Maasai (who wear red), feel that these Maasai have sold out to civilization, and are not authentic.

They offer us some of the roasted goat, and most of us try it, but not me. I’ve been eating the food at the lodges (except for the lettuce and fresh greens), but some of the meat looks not cooked well, and I’m not sure about the cleanliness of the guy’s hands who is cutting it, or the knife for that matter (even though we saw them rinse from some dubious containers of water). After all, at home I don’t even use the same spatula for cooked and raw hamburgers. The others try it, and seem to enjoy it. And I don’t hear about anyone getting sick afterwards, so I guess it was ok after all. Maybe next time I’ll try it. [Note to self – did you notice how casually I said ‘next time’, as if I’m already thinking of going again?]

The village has 4 families, with 252 people. So far we’ve actually been outside of the village proper. Now we enter the village and see another welcome dance. The guys pogo – the higher they jump the more appealing they are to the women. The chief’s son says he has been married 3 days. He shows us his wife. She is beautiful, but does not look as happy as he does. We find out later that this village still practices genital mutilation, so we can’t help but wonder if this is part of her unhappiness.

Wilson speaks excellent English. We ask where he learned it, and it turns out that he went to college in Tanzania. But he made it clear that his place is here, home with his tribe. Wilson explains some traditional medicines, including the one for men with many wives. As he speaks, I try photographing the tall man. For some reason I’m having trouble focusing – I’m not sure if it is just too backlit or what. The man is very patient and waits for me, posing until I get it. Finally a Maasai teen politely taps me on the elbow and suggests “lens cap”. Was I humiliated!

Then they show us how they start fire, first spinning a stick, then adding dried grass when it smokes, then twigs. I’ve seen laborious Boy Scout attempts, but this is amazing. We can’t believe how fast the whole process was. The fire is made every morning, and then shared house to house. Wilson is curious at what I am writing in my journal, and asks to see my notebook, and reads aloud: “They show us how they start fire.”

After the fire, we watch them playing mancala. Today they are gambling for goats. I notice again that it is just the men who play. The observers are very aware that we want to watch, and duck or fade away so we have a good view, but the players are quite serious. They don’t want to risk their goats! The women on the other hand are responsible for building the huts – they are framed with acacia wood and cisle, and smeared with cow dung, which ends up waterproof, and is also termite proof.

After the tour of the village, we ‘shop’ at their open air market, with their wares spread on clothes on the ground. It is uncomfortable how they do it – we get separate escorts who take us from cloth to cloth – slowly – as the merchants reach out and wave items at us, trying to catch our attention. Then they split us up and take us out back to pay. I’m so uncomfortable I pay the asking price instead of bargaining. I think it’s probably about 3 times what the actual value should have been. At first I’m pleased to simply consider it a donation to support the village, but when I find later that they are still practicing the genital mutilation I wish I had bought at the Maasai school instead, even though I didn’t like their necklaces as much.

Back at the lodge again, we see more vervet monkeys, of course. I had worried that we would be pestered by mosquitoes here, given our rude buggy welcome, but they aren’t a big deal. Yesterday, we must have arrived just at the worst time, at dusk, and they disappear during the day. We have a good lunch (in a curiously dark dining room), and then have an afternoon game drive.

The afternoon game drive is our least interesting so far. We see the top half of a hippo, looking like a beached whale, and lots of birds. That was part of the problem – once ‘E’ started observing birds, we actually sat in one spot for 45 minutes while she tried to identify each one. For some reason, the guide didn’t have binoculars that day, so each bird had to be discussed at great length. The rest of us got bored. In any event, we saw African fish eagle, blacksmith plovers, Egyptian geese, white pelicans, white necked cormorant, African jacana, sacred ibis, glossy ibis, cattle egret, spur winged plover, little egret, crowned crane, kori bustard. The Kori bustard engendered one of the running jokes of the trip. For some reason, in an African accent it sounds like bastard. Although we didn’t see a lot of animals, we got a special treat at the end of the drive, when we saw a rainbow.

Tonight they served us a 7 course bush dinner. It was fun eating outside, but with full amenities such a cloth tablecloths. After dinner we were treated to a Maasai dance. One of the Maasai came over beforehand, clapped his hand on my shoulder, and announced that he wanted to marry me, and this was a wedding or courtship dance. I replied by asking him how many cows he would give, and he said 10. I said it wasn’t enough.

We knew from our morning Maasai visit that the pogo dancing was intended to impress. This time it was actually thrilling, because they each jumped in front of me in turn, higher and higher, then ran forward lunging at me and yelling. As the youngest female in our group, I was clearly being courted. It was rather startling, but all in good fun.

As I lie in bed writing this, I can hear the frogs chirping. They sound like persistent birds.

In the morning we again have those strange black millipedes in the room, on the walls, ceiling and the floor. I chant my Dr Seuss rhyme as I get dressed. They don’t seem to be harmful, but it is weird. The other rooms don’t appear to have as many as we do. Some people didn’t even know what we were talking about, so maybe it’s not the norm.

My overall impressions of Amboseli Serena lodge: Very good to excellent food and service and amenities, but no view from the rooms. The main wildlife visible directly from the lodge are the vervet monkeys. We saw a good variety of game on our game drives.

Your rhyme a la Dr. Seuss is wonderful. Very fun. It spoke right to the grandma in me. For all your worrying about being a whiner, it sounds like you're a very laid back traveler and a low maintenance room-mate. So many of your experiences brought back great memories of my own trip a year and a half ago. Can't wait for more.

Great great post Ann, you actually made me long for Amboseli and that is saying something ;)

<font color="GREEN">I’m so uncomfortable I pay the asking price instead of bargaining.</font>
Aaaaaarrgggghhhh! OK, that makes me scream. I hope it was only 3 times as much as you should have paid.

<font color="GREEN">One of the Maasai came over ...announced that he wanted to marry me, ..I replied by asking him how many cows he would give, and he said 10. I said it wasn’t enough. </font>

NICE RESPONSE! ((U))

The millipede ryhme was great. Of course now you obligate yourself to produce more of these.

Yeah, it really angers me that the genital mutilation continues. The Masai have adjusted their tradition as needed for Western audience. I wish more pressure was put on them to end it once and for all.

Hi Bo,
You're too kind. I have to admit that the whining picked up a little later in the trip. Keep reading for all the gory details! But I really was tremendously fortunate to have a wonderfully accomodating roommate, and a very professionally executed trip, so there wasn't really a lot of reason to whine!

I'm glad you liked my rhyme -- we all had fun with it.

I can't wait 'til we get to your whining! :D

And, yes, next time you'll have to eat the undercooked goat.

The rhyme was great. I'm glad Amboseli produced good game for you in addition to a poem.

I can never hear Kori Bustard without thinking bastard. If I ever can banish that thought then I will have become a true birder. That's like the saying the mark of sophistication is hearing the William Tell Overture and not thinking of the Lone Ranger.

I picked up on that &quot;next time.&quot; By the end of your report I hope you can enlighten us on what the next time will encompass.

I would have done the same thing with the goat offering. Why risk your good health that is so key to the enjoyment of the trip for a bite of authentic cuisine? That statement probably proves I am not a foodie, nor am I sophisticated based on my above definition.

The lion and gazelle episode was quite exciting. As you described, it is hard to know which animal to wish the better outcome. Looking forward to more Amboseli.

Ann, Wow - your pics cover such a variety - people, places, so much wildlife, what a way to meet Africa. Question, just how many cheetahs did you see in a day? I lost count - there were cats galore! Your comment about being an observer, not a participant in the drama of the lion and the gazelle - what a lovely respect. Of course, the ending was my speed, the chase, am OK, the kill, not so much. Am looking forward to more.

I'm actually not sure how many cheetahs we saw, although most of the good cheetah pictures were actually from our day at ngorogoro, where we saw two cheetah brothers very close up, so I took lots of pictures of the same 2. All our other cheetah sightings were either obscured or at a distance.

TARANGIRE

Photos in ‘Tarangire’ folder at: http://www.winkflash.com/photo/publi...?u=ajennerjahn

Day 8 – Oct 17
We leave Amboseli and drive to the border between Kenya and Tanzania. In the immigration office I see a funny sign on the wall: “No man can serve two masters at ago”. I think it was intended to be a Bible verse that was quoted in British English and then written down phonetically.

We say goodbye to our drivers, and switch vehicles. As usual, everything works like clockwork. The new drivers and vehicles are waiting for us, and the luggage is transferred without our having to lift a finger (except for our carry-ons). Finally the road is blacktop, but that is almost worse, since we go a lot faster and thus the bumps are spine-cracking. By the time we disembark near Arusha I’m nearly crippled (which is a little embarrassing, considering that I’m almost the youngest on the trip). Meanwhile, our oldest traveler who is 89 shows off the fact that she can touch her toes. When my travel mates see what bad shape I’m in, they graciously switch places so I’m no longer in the back, which has the worst jolts. Other than that, the new vehicles are impressive. Instead of the minivans we had in Kenya, these are stretch land rovers with a pop top. The vehicles feel sturdy and reliable, and there is a decent amount of room, since it is arranged that we each have a window seat.

We spend some time in Arusha so as to delay our arrival in Tarangire until the tse tse flies die down. We are a little intimidated to hear that they can bite through cloth, and aren’t really repelled by DEET. I now find the solution to how people will pack those rugs they bought. We drop all excess luggage off at the office of the ground operator, and we’ll pick it up on our last day.

We finally arrive at Tarangire. The hotel lounge is open to the outside, with a beautiful vista. We’re eager to see our tents, complete with sink, shower, and toilet. Dinner is good, but not nearly as good as the Amboseli Serena. This camp is not fenced, so we get an escort from dinner back to our tent. The tents have electric light until 11pm, but are very dim even with the light on. We go to sleep early, and I sleep like a log.

Day 9, Tarangire, Oct 18.
Morning comes at 5:13 when I hear a cacophony of birds. I doze for a while, but get up to watch the sunrise. There doesn’t seem to be any hot water yet, so I’m not going to take a shower. In spite of the fact that I’m loving my Africa trip, a cold shower is a little too close to roughing it for me to enjoy it. ;) At 6:15 I get my gentle wake-up call – a visit from a room steward carrying a pot of hot chocolate. Heaven! I sit in front of the tent sipping hot chocolate, listening to the birds, and taking occasional pictures of the sunrise. [pictures].

Breakfast is our least inspired meal so far, but the view from the lounge and front patio is marvelous, overlooking the Tarangire river, and with animals roaming within sight. During our stay here, we see both dik diks and elephants within a stone’s throw of the tent. At night we hear birds and jackals, but are a little disappointed to not hear anything larger.

The morning game drive [pictures] starts at 8. We are told that the animals here are active a bit later. Who knows? We’ve heard so much buildup about the tse tse flies, but are blessed with a cloudy day, and literally only see one fly, which ‘H’ kills to show us. People were so afraid they were blasting the whole land cruiser with bug spray – not the kind you use on your body, but the kind you blast a room with and then leave the area. I’m afraid we will be poisoned so I stand up so my head sticks out the hatch and I get some fresh air.

On the drive we see some dwarf mongoose, white backed vulture, ostrich, red billed weavers, yellow necked spurfowl, red billed quelea nests, yellow collared lovebirds, dik dik, white headed buffalo weaver, hamerkop nests, spotted hyena, lilac breasted roller (a beautiful bird even to those of us who are not particularly bird watchers), impala, zebra, vervet monkies, elephants, crested francolin, warthog, magpie shrike, hadada ibis, Maasai giraffe, cape buffalo, waterbuck, white bellied bustard, ground hornbill, tawny eagles, and of course baobab trees (I know they are not game, but for a newcomer they are an indelible part of seeing Africa).

I thought breakfast was our least inspired meal, but lunch surpasses it in mediocrity. But it is edible.

The best animal viewing from the lodge is actually in the early afternoon, when the wildebeest form a parade, crossing the Tarangire river and pacing north to better grazing land. The parade stretches on and on as far as the eye can see, with only small gaps, sometimes interspersed with zebras.

The afternoon game drive is a little disappointing – we see lots of the common animals, but nothing new, and spend an inordinate amount of time in one place just looking at birds. I wouldn’t be so antsy, except I really want to see some cats. We see osprey, violet wood hoopoe, waterbuck, wildebeest, zebra, elephants, white browed coucal (or something like that!), rufous tailed weavers.

If I thought lunch was disappointing, dinner was worse. Maybe it wasn’t really that bad, but it was truly cold. I wasn’t too happy about the safety of food that had been sitting on a buffet so long it was totally cold, so I just picked at mine. I would have been happier with a hot plate of ugali and goat stew.

After dinner I ask where the ladies room is. I didn’t realize that I need to specifically say ‘toilet’ , and so they don’t understand me. I finally attempt to ask in Swahili and comprehension dawns. You see, my plan of learning 10 words works! This is my theory about learning languages when traveling. It is too intimidating to think of actually learning the language, so most people don’t bother to learn anything. But I set myself a goal to learn 10 words (and usually end up learning a bit more once I get interested). It’s amazing how much you can communicate with Hello, Goodby, Please, Thank You, Yes, No, Where is…, and maybe a few other chosen phrases.

We hang around the bar waiting for our escorts to our tents, but no one appears. We finally ask at the reception desk and they seem bewildered. Finally the woman at the desk picks up a flashlight and says “come”. We feel a bit stupid – we’re both taller than she is, and she clearly does not have a weapon, so we feel as if a little girl is bravely leading us through the dark.

I skip a shower again, since the water never seems to get hot (although some people in the other tents say theirs was warm). I’m glad I brought some damp wipes, which will have to do, for now. We leave the tent flaps open for the full experience, and hear some more animals in the night – probably jackals.

The next morning I rise early enough to watch the sunrise, sitting on the front porch of the tent drinking my hot chocolate. Some of my traveling companions never got their wake-up call, or got it at the wrong time, but mine is just right, and the hot chocolate is a treat. I take a few pictures but don’t think they will capture the look.

Leaving Tarangire we see a yellow collared love bird, elephants, wildebeest, guineafowl, warthogs, white bellied go away bird, zebras, and an amarula tree, which gives rise to a conversation about the liqueur, which we enjoy later in the trip!

Overall impression of Tarangire: We have mixed feelings, and we’re not that sorry to leave. The view and park were wonderful, but the food and service were not as good as the other lodges. This time I wrote just a short jingle:

The food was cold, the showers too,
But boy oh boy, look at the view.

Ann

I am so disappointed in your experiences at Tarangire. I will just come out and say it straight:
Shame on OAT, shame on Ranger Safaris (I think they were the operator) and Tarangire Safari Lodge (who should've learned a lesson with the tragic leopard incident). Especially when considering the costs of these group tours.

The way I read it your guide made little effort to show you the park at its best. I think your guide was either lazy or inexperienced with Tarangire. And he conveniently cut down on the game drive time.

&quot;Let's delay your arrival until fewer tsetses&quot;, &quot;animals are more active later in the day&quot;, etc. All nonsense.

If you go at 8am and then return to the lodge for lunch, you cannot get even close to the best places for lion, leopard and other wildlife.

I was there in mid-September and had the exact opposite experience!

Anyway, I don't know why I even posted this - I know I will regret it afterwards.

Do try to return to Tarangire in the future with a better guide, outfitter and accommodation and you will be most happy! It is a GREAT park especially in the dry season.