Safari Day

TOP LEFT: A Wedding in Arusha

TOP RIGHT: Why did the monkey fall out of the tree? Because he was dead...

LOWER LEFT: Tom and Sam closing in on Cape Buffalo (big, scary animals). Note: Sam's calves are bigger than the Bull's...

LOWER RIGHT: A giraffe in flight. Gill was named "Gilli, the Giraffe" by the guide in a burst of tanzanian alliteration

Today the 5 of us head off to safari (Tom, Gary, Gill, Bob, and Sam from Denver). We're really looking forward to it. We will drive to Arusha National Park, where an AK-47 armed guard (getting this them yet?) will escort us on the safari. On the way, we come upon numerous weddings. These are basically the New Orleans equivalent of a funeral (I'll leave the wedding:funeral comparison to others...) where everybody gets all dressed up, and they play a marching band while driving around the city. Very cute cultural thing, and Tom vows to do likewise with Zoe.

At the park we drive about over really rugged roads in our land rover (like a freakin' tank, I swear) and see all manner of animals...columbus (sic) monkeys, giraffe's from as near as 10 feet, cape buffalo, wharthogs, and many others. Then we get out, and the guards/guides take us up close and personal to a bunch of the animals. The Cape buffalo were really scary, and when one of them started to move, we all did the "Jessee Owens". They laughed, telling us the the cape buffalo bulls always feign attack 3 times before really attacking. Yup, we want to be the one morons where the bull say 1, 2, attack!!!!

(ED NOTE: I'll add in some more safari pix once I get them from the crew back in the US now)

After the safari, we drive back to our new hotel, a coffee plantation set deep into the shantytown between arusha and moshi. It is a lovely place, with a wide veranda for talking and lounging, a small pool to cool off in, and the best gardens that I've seen anywhere except for hawaii. Just an incredible variety of flowers, plants, and trees, and just acres of them everywhere. Unfortunately, like arusha, you could never leave the compound on foot, as it was dangerous for tourists. So, we spent the day walking 1k circles around the compound, drinking the local beer (rather good!), and lounging at the pool. Tonite the remaining hikers arrive, and next post I'll give you an overview on everyone.

Lumpy out