Recap of the Kenya and Tanzania Safari Trip

On July 16^th, sixteen weary travelers returned from a fast paced 16 days in Kenya and Tanzania. We logged thousands of air miles and hundreds of miles over diverse terrain. We bumped along paved highways replete with potholes, unpaved roads and dusty safari trails. It is doubtful that you will hear any of us complain about the condition of streets and highways in the US. The streets of major cities were congested and the round-abouts that date back to colonial times of the British were impediments to the smooth flow of traffic. Although lanes were marked, they were ignored by drivers; it was every man for himself. Believe it or not I-4 and I-75 are welcome sights.

A number of us disembarked the plane hoarse and with a hacking coughing from all the dust inhaled during our safari rides in pop-top vehicles. Terri referred to our malady as “safari lung”. However, I doubt that you will find that diagnosis listed in any medical journal

Every safari seemed to offer something new and more awesome than the previous one. We saw a leopard lazing in a tree, lions, lion cubs, cheetahs, hippos, rhinos, hyenas, several species of gazelles, silver backed jackals, wart hogs, two species of giraffes, and herds of wildebeest, elephants, zebra, African buffalo. and a myriad of colorful birds, including flamingoes. One of the many remarkable sights we saw were herds of thousands of zebra and wildebeest walking single file or several abreast on their winter migration from the Serengeti to Masai Mara. Then on our last safari, we happened on a kill. Three lions had killed a wildebeest. As they were enjoying their meal, hyenas started moving in from all directions. Although the lions became anxious, they continued to eat, until several of the more aggressive hyenas started to encroach and menacingly snarl at the lions. Two of the lions moved away from the kill; the third remained, until so outnumbered that it was dangerous not to leave. Once the lions moved on, it was a feeding frenzy for the hyenas. Some of the hyenas were even being bitten by each other in the fracas.

Later that same morning, we observed three lions stalking a mixed herd of zebra and wildebeest. The herd sensed the lions’ presence and removed themselves from the present danger. It was interesting to personally view the behavior of animals that previously you have only seen on Animal Planet or Discovery Channel.

Many of the lodges that where we stay were modeled after the architecture of the Sambura and Masai huts. However, unlike those huts ours were not made of mud and cow dung plastered over branches with thatched roofs and we had the benefits of plumbing and running water. All lodges were nicely appointed. However, most of the lodges had only certain hours that the electricity and hot water were available. Each lodge had something that was uniquely different that made it distinctive from the others. For instance at Serena Mountain Lodge there was a watering hole behind it and you could sit and observe the animals coming in from the bush to drink or forage around its edges. The night staff of the lodge also kept watch on the watering hole at night and would knock on doors to wake lodgers to see the more elusive animals, like the leopard. Ask Marty about the multiple wake up calls that interrupted his sleep. Many of us sitting around the breakfast table were sleep deprived from the wake up calls and animal watching.

It was at this same lodge that the antics of the monkeys kept us entertained. We were watching them walk along the window to try to get in windows. They were successful with their attempt at one window. As two monkeys entered the window, Barbara said, “*#*#%#, that’s our room”, as she and Susanna rushed off to shoo the monkeys from their room. The monkeys did make off with an apple and piece of tin foil. From then on, everyone was careful to keep their doors and windows secured.

The trip was not all about animals. We visited the villages of the Sambura and Masai. Wendy, Debbie, Mary, Sharon and “ the other Judy” adorned themselves with beaded necklaces and joined in the ancestral dancing with the tribal villagers. As we said good bye to the villagers, we felt as if we were running a gauntlet as they attempted to sell their jewelry and crafts. These villagers took aggressive marketing to a whole new level. While most of the women travelers contented them-selves with looking at beaded necklaces and bracelets, not the Sennett brothers; Ross purchased a lions tooth pendant that looked menacing and Cal purchased a club.

There were also gift shops at lodges and stops at craft shops as we made our way through these countries. The queens of shopping were Donna and Susanna. Their purchases were too large to make it home in suitcases and had to be shipped. Most of the others on the trip picked up the usual souvenirs, tee shirts, hats, beaded jewelry, wood crafts, and native fabrics. However Mary and Debbie did save some of their money for Tanzanite jewelry.

A ritual of the trip was for everyone to gather for happy hour to drink the local beers. Tusker and Kilimanjaro were two of the favorites. For those whose tastes were for wines, there were some great South African wines available. As we travelers sipped on our beverage of choice, we shared stories of the day’s adventures and passed around digital cameras to show the “best shots of the day”. Judy P-L took a great video and was encouraged to post it on U-tube. However, as she was busy deleting some photos, she deleted the video too. Her video could have been famous. Sharon who had a great video of the hyena feeding frenzy was determined not to make the same mistake. Oops! She did it too.

This was a wonderful trip with a great group of people who have a wealth of memories to share and even more pictures. Everyone has so many great pictures; the hard part will be to select only a few hundred of the best shots to share with family and friends. Since Cal has limited the number of pictures I can put in the newsletter, you are only going to see a few pics of our African Adventure.