Safari

After a couple of days recovering from our climb we set out to safari things up with our not so brilliant guide Richard, a couple from Denmark and two Polish guys. We first went to a place called Lake Manyara which wasn't overly exciting as the lake was quite dry and there weren't a huge amount of animals. We did however brake down just after seeing some elephants so that was a bit of excitement. We camped really high up with beautiful views down across the lake and the sun was rising as we opened our tent in the morning so it was a good start to the day.

We then headed on into the Serengeti. At first it seemed like we'd not see much at all. For as far as you could see the flat and empty looking Serengeti stretched on and on. However, things did change. We came across three lions relaxing in the shade of a tree and some rocks. Then a bit further on we found a group of 17 lions including some cubs who were all lying around a kill, either eating it, or waiting their turn. We parked right next to them to watch as they munched. Being able to look into their eyes was very surreal. It felt kind of like they weren't really wild but we were assured that had we stepped out of our jeep, we wouldn't have ever stepped back in again. A little further on, just before sun set, we spotted a leopard sleeping far away in a tree. Then Richard was told something over his radio and he informed us we would be about to see a cheetah. Sure enough we saw him running through the long grass. He jumped up to rest briefly on a rock and then carried on his way. It wasn't a bad days animal spotting at all!



The next day Naomi and I had to get up at ridiculous o clock as we'd arranged to go in a hot air balloon over the Serengeti. We got to the balloon sight and watched as the balloons (there were three of them) were inflated with huge fans. The baskets were on their sides so along with the other 14 people sharing our balloon we climbed inside in lying/sitting down position. Then hot air was blasted into the balloon and we started to fly. We couldn't see take off though, as from our lying down positions we couldn't see over the basket. Once in the air and the right way up we could stand up and saw the ground getting further and further away and the sun rising in the distance.


Below us the balloon jeeps followed so they could pick us up when we landed. We saw some lions stopping by a river to drink, absolutely loads of hippos in the water, buffalos, a hyena and giraffes. At first we went really high but then came down lower. We had to stop before we reached some hills as there was nowhere to land the other side of them. If we went higher the wind would take us faster but if we went lower we'd go more to the left so our pilot had to get a good balance to go where we wanted to go and to be able to see what we wanted to see.



Our landing was very smooth and the basket stayed upright, but despite this one lady fell back in when she tried to get out and I turned to see her arms and legs sticking up in the air - she was stuck! When we'd all got out we were promptly presented with glasses of champagne. Although it was only 8am we happily took them and by the time we'd been taken to where we were being served breakfast, we were already a little tipsy. I suppose that's the only way to be though after such an event. We had a full English breakfast at poshly layed tables in the middle of the Serengeti, and of course it was served with more champagne so we took our malaria tablets in style.

There were three sided toilets with one side completely open so you could pee or whatever whilst watching what was happening over the plains. When breakfast was done we were taken back to our safari group but not before we'd got a bottle of champagne each firmly in our hands, after all, we had paid for them. The rest of the morning was very funny. We all drank when we saw an animal. We were highly amused by humping hyenas and elephants with five 'legs'. We past hundreds of startled giraffes and zebras all running past us away from something although we never found out what. A massive herd of Zebra were standing in a water hole drinking. Every few minutes one would be scared by something and would turn and run out of the water followed by all the others except one, who not realising would keep drinking. Suddenly he'd look up, see the others had gone and then quickly chase after them. A few minutes later they'd all return and the same thing would happen again, including the one Zebra who would always be slow to realise what was going on. We saw another leopard in a tree, closer this time, and then stopped for lunch. The rest of the afternoon Naomi and I spend napping, being woken by the others when they saw anything of interest.

Our camp for the night was by a crater called Ngorongoro. An elephant lived next to the camp and so caused great excitement when he came up to drink at the water tank. Then as we sat eating dinner, two zebras strolled through the tents. Fortunately no big cats decided to visit the camp site that night.

The following day we drove down into Ngorongoro Crater where we saw what must have been hundreds of zebras and wilderbeast hanging out together by the road. They stood talking to each other or themselves, the wilderbeast nodding their heads and the zebras just looking on. We saw two lions with kills although missed the chase. The zebras and wilderbeast stood staring at one of the lions with it's kill. Richard said it was because they wanted to get past to go to the water but they could easily have gone the long way around and avoided the lion completely. I felt quite sad for them.

We then came across a pair of lions right by the road. Our jeep had an open roof and as I stood looking out the male lion walked past right beneath me. As he past I felt my heart rate go crazily fast, realising that if he turned and reached up he could easily swipe me. It was a very welcome knock into reality that the animals really were wild.

We again had a jeep disaster as Richard backed into another jeep, breaking two of it's windows. There was quite a heated discussion and in the end Richard said he would have to pay. They just put plastic sheeting over the broken windows of the other jeep and that was that.

Our safari group then split with all the others returning to Arusha and Naomi and I heading onwards to Olmoti Crater. We camped with our new safari buddies who were from Italy, next to a village belonging to a Massi Tribe. We went for a walk before tea and met a lovely lady called Mary. She couldn't speak English and we couldn't speak Swahili but we all got along very well. She just talked and then laughed and talked some more.

The next day two of the Massi men guided us up the edge of the crater and then down into it. We reached a little waterfall and then walked through long grass up to our hips trying not to fall over the very uneven ground or slip in hidden cow pats. Cows were being herded across the bottom of the crater in great long lines. They all had bells and so it made a lovely sound. On the way back down we past a group of Massi ladies taking their donkeys up the slope of the crater, laughing at us as we passed. Once back at the camp we ate and then headed back to Arusha.