Safari!

Mambo! Vipi! (to which you would respond "Poa" or cool).

Well, I ended up going on a Safari (which in Swahili means trip) for four days to the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater. It was pretty last minute... we decided maybe two days before we wanted to go. Luckily, that wasn't a problem at all.

The Land Rovers picked us up from our hostel, where we met our drivers, James and Yona and our cook, Alex. Since there were six of us going, we had to take two cars, which worked out nicely because then we had a good amount of space and everyone had a window. Our drive to the Serengeti took 8 hours. The ride was very dusty (when we finished we were dusted from head to toe in red dirt) and bumpy (think Indiana Jones ride in Disneyland) but the scenery was gorgeous. Serengeti in Swahili means "endless plain" and it definitely was that. When you looked out on the horizon, it was so flat and vast. You could see for miles. We passed many Maasai (a very colorful and beaded indigenous cultural group here that maintains the Maasai traditional way of life. They spend a lot of time grazing their goats and cattle and do not really partake in any modern technology). The most exciting part of our trip was when we saw our first animal - giraffes! They ran across the road in front of us. They are so lanky that you would think their movement would be awkward and gangly, but it was actually very graceful and beautiful. I am really happy we chose to go when we did, number one because it will be the rainy season very soon, but since it isn't yet, every day was beautiful and sunny and number two, because since it is Springtime here there are so many babies! They were all too cute.

Here is a list of the animals that we saw. Since our guides' first language was not English, I am not sure if some of these names are correct:
Jackal, ostrich, giraffe, zebra, Grand Gazelle, Thompson's Gazelle, lion, cheetah, hippo, vulture, babboon, heartbeest (cousin to wildebeest), imapala, topi, warthog, Redbill Oxpecker, Marabu Stork, Golden Blue (bird), Buffalo weaver (bird), Vivid monkey (Spider monkey look alike but smaller), Egyptian Goose (looks like a duck), Sacreded Ibis, Black-backed Vulture, Black-backed heron, Dik dik, Sandy Grouse, Cape Buffalo, Red Buck, Village weaver (bird), Lilac-breasted Roller (bird), Common Waterbuck, Leopard, Wildebeest, Hornbill (Zazu!! from LionKing), mongoose, elephants, Flamingo, Crown Crane

It was so fun! For our trucks, the tops of them either popped up or popped off so we could stand up and feel the rush of the wind on your face as we drove through the park looking for animals. Luckily, both the Serengeti and Ngorongoro have a lot to see, so we would never have to drive far before we could stop and take pictures/observe them. The first time we drove into the park we saw lions!! (lion in swahili is simba!) There was an entire lion pride sitting on a large rock (made me think of Pride Rock). There were four females, three cubs and one male. The cub was too cute. He was trying to watch his dad up by pulling at his mane. There were many times during the Safari when I thought of the Lion King. We even ended up singing songs from it several times. Before I went on my safari, I thought that the big cats (lions, leopards and cheetahs) would be the hardest to see, but we actually saw a lot of them. We saw two lion chases, one time chasing two warthogs, the other was zebra. Both were unsuccessful but amazing to watch. It was something you would see on Discovery Channel, but it was right there, right in front of you. The warthog chase was especially exciting because the lion chased the warthogs right toward our car, so we got "front row seats." I couldn't believe how easy it was too see animals up close. Several times when we saw giraffes, zebra, wildebeest and even lions they would be within an arm's length or two. In the Serengeti, we had Cape Buffalo about 5 feet from our tent, grazing. So we went to sleep with the sound of their munching in our ears. Seeing the animals so close was wonderful for me, since I brought a camera with limited zoom. I was so happy that my camera battery lasted for the entire four days, although barely. It died right as we were driving out of the Ngorongoro crater (our last stop).

So our days on the Safari would consist of chai or breakfast at 7am (bread and the MOST AMAZING peanut butter, eggs, coffee/tea and fresh fruit), then a game drive, chakula cha mchana (lunch) at 12ish and then chakula cha jioni (dinner) around 6pm. Our meals were mostly rice or potatoes or pasta with vegetable medley (vegetables with a red curry sauce). It was good. And then for dessert we would have ndizi! The last night as a special treat, we had ndizi pudding.
The nights here are suprisingly baridi sana (cold). The days haven't gotten super hot yet, although I heard that they will soon. The safari really gave us a taste for what our homestays would be like, as there was no running water and only a choo (hole in the ground) for a toilet. However, unlike our homestays they did not provide us with boiled water to pour over ourselves, so we got pretty dirty. It really wasn't worth changing clothes, so I wore the same outfit for the entire week. Needless to say, the shower that I had when I got back was one of the best in my life.

So now I am back in Arusha, showered and clean and we have two more days left before our program and orientation starts! Almost all of us have arrived now, from Claremont, Stanford, UCLA, Arizona State and the U.K. We have already taken a trip to the market (basically an open-air farmer's market held every day with fruits, vegetables, beans and rice as well as fabrics, clothes and shoes) to purchase fabric to make skirts. Here in town pants are acceptable but they also mark you as foreign. So in the effort to integrate myself into the culture here, I am very excited to get my skirts back from the tailor. We can pick them up tomorrow. The fabric patterns here are so vibrant and always have such a great contrast in colors. Today we are going to the United Nations building where they are holding trials for those who
committed genocide in Rwanda. It is only going on for a few more weeks, so I'm excited we get to catch the tail end of it.

Okay, since there are only six computers in this internet cafe and only two internet cafes in Arusha, I should get going so someone else can use the computer.

Kwa heri rafiki yangu! (goodbye my friend)
Stefanie