Going to Church

It has finally dried out some after several days of lively afternoon thunderstorms and the rock outcropping behind our camp is no longer slippery.  It should be safe to climb, and Michael will take us up to see the sunrise over the Serengeti. Our head guide, Charles, has been friends with Michael for many years and with good humor he calls the experience 'Church of Mike'. So, just after first light I hear hands clapping as camp staff patrol and climb to make sure the area is clear of snakes, buffalo and whatever else. Last night there was a leopard in camp on the rocks above the kitchen area and that was a good reminder that we are not alone here.

At the appointed time we follow Michael single file through the grass and up the smooth rock slope to a spectacular overlook. Rising mist shrouds the acacia trees that dot the plain; canopy bottoms all neatly trimmed at 18 feet by grazing giraffes. The tall grass is green and certainly taller and greener than when we arrived a week ago.  Small hills in the distance,  more rock outcrops closer in. The sun has risen and its red glow is filtered by the morning mists. The sunlight washes the plain. When we reach the top we spread out and all find places to settle in silence to contemplate the coming of the day in silence.  The only sounds are birds calls, distant lions, closer heyenas, and when I strain my ears I hear breakfast being prepared below. For a half hour I am alone with only my thoughts, the feel of the cool damp rock under my butt, and the sights, smells and sounds of the Serengeti. Can't ask for a more spiritual experience.

Many Game Drives

After a week in camp, there is a daily routine morning and afternoon game drives. If they are all melded together it would look something like this:

Leonard is driving and Charles, Thompson's head guide is in the left seat as we follow the two rhinos who passed in front of our camp at dawn. This is amazing - there are only 32 of them in this vast park. They run fast and we parallel them for miles.

That same day Charles stops and announces that he has to check the tires and goes to the back of the vehicle. We soon realize what he is up to and later we all need to check the tires; girls behind the vehicle, boys in front.

Now Sampson is driving and we are hurrying back to camp,  fast - trying to outrun the thunderstorm behind us. We don't, and it is a wild ride.

One day we pass a tree, 50 yards from the road, and Charles says "there is a leopard in that tree". All I see is tree until Charles points the silhouette of two baby zebra legs hanging below the canopy - the leopard's prey. Still can't see the leopard until we set up the 60x spotting scope and we can just make out spots way back in the canopy.

We are driving with Sampson and come up behind another vehicle where Michael has hopped out to see the snake that had crossed in front of them. The short version of what transpires is that he manages to get a good picture with my camera and not get bitten. Green Mamba - deadly poisonous. 

Now we are driving through thousands of wildebeest with Fanuel behind the weel. The road is very muddy- like driving on butter and we sometimes find ourselves driving sideways. He drives well, but sometimes gives a little grin when the vehicle develops a mind of its own. Later we stop and Fanuel assists with a tow for another company's vehicle that wasn't so fortunate. Surely our drivers are the best in all of  Tanzania. 

Worst Road, Best Driver

We are going to the Serengeti and the day actually starts with an easy section of newly completed road, built by the French. We see some young boys, wrapped in red Masai cloth, herding cattle or goats along the edges of the road. Along the way, we also see others of the same age in school uniforms walking to class. Interesting contrast. We turn left from the French road onto the recently completed Japanese road, which seems not as smooth as the French road and already has sections under repair. From there things go downhill quickly as we enter the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and endure mile after mile of the worst bone jarring washboard roads I have ever seen or felt. Our driver is Mohamad - he is intently focused and handles our Land Rover skillfully, as he has done for 16 years. He is an experienced guide with knowledge of all wildlife in addition to his driving skills. His wide, Magic Johnson like face is a good setting for a broad smile. We manage to avoid cattle, goats, zebra, and wildebeest that are taken with the urge to be on the opposite side of the road. Passing vehicles stur up a fine dust that penetrates everything - some of us wear bananas, cowboy outlaw style, for protection and we get into a routine of opening and shutting the sliding windows. Relief only comes when we enter the Serengeti National Park and we find our way onto 'tracks' that are much smoother than the 'roads'. It's no surprise that we are extatic to reach our campsite after nearly ten hours on the road. This is to be our home for five days.
It is now later in the day and I am sitting in my tent in the heart of the Serengeti with a thunderstorm rolling in. During our first camp dinner we could see the lightning flashes growing closer from the north giving plenty of warning. After desert of pineapple tart, I dash to my tent just as the first drops start to fall, hunker down in bed and wait for the show. Doesn't take long for the rain to pour and for thunder to shake the sky. These are the seasonal rains that draw the migrating wildebeest heards south to feed on nutrient rich Serengeti grasses. Thompson Safaris has set up this temporary camp in the Moru Koppies area of the park. It is self sufficient and limited lighting is provided by solar panels, beer is on dry ice, and I haven't seen the kitchen yet to see how food prep is done,  but dinner was wonderful.  Overnight I am awakened several times as heavy rain comes and goes, but without thunder this time. The tent is a sturdy thing and it keeps me dry. It is a comfortable thing too, with a partitioned shower area and separate area for the camp toilet. 

Kilimanjaro Sunrise

I am sitting with coffee, watching the sun come up behind Mt Kilimanjaro. There are calls nearby of a rooster and also the squaking of hadada ibis birds - their call sounds like their name.  It is time for peaceful reflections at the  beginning of the trip. A few others are up and bringing coffee to their rooms  as it is still a half hour to breakfast. There is gentle laughter from the nearby parking area where Michael is giving hula hoop lessons to some of the staff. Other staff give soft 'good morning' greetings as they pass by my room. The morning is slowly coming to life at Momella Lodge. This turns out to be one of the filming locations of Hatari,  one of my guilty pleasures. The property was bought by Hardy Krueger, one of the actors in the 1963 John Wayne film, and opened to the public soon after.  It is a comfortable, but certainly not a fancy place to begin two weeks in Africa. Hot water is intermittent and power is on only in the morning and evening when the generator runs, but the staff makes up for any shortcomings by friendly courtesy.