Sorry for the delay in updating my blog - internet is sloooow in Africa.
Ok, so I have had quite an exciting week...first the safari:
Ngorogoro Crater
Dad and I met Richard, our safari driver, in Arusha. We had the limo of all jeeps! 4 rows, GIANT 4 wheel drive, let me tell you we needed it, and a pop up roof. Again, I'm blessed with a former Indy car driver, well actually more like a Baja desert racing driver. I swear he could not drive below 50mph, and we were on some serious dirt/boulder/rock/sand/mud/crater roads, made worse by the rains! But it was so fun! What added to my experience is that you could stand up, in the car and pop out the roof, holding on for dear life of course, b/c Richard couldn't find the brake. I felt like a kid on a roller coaster ride! It was exhilarating and scary at the same time, like riding in the back of a pick-up, or being on a motorcycle w/ no helmet! LOL
So our first day we drive to Ngorogoro Crater. The rim is at 7500 feet and we descended 2000 feet to the crater floor. We saw flamingos in the lake, a rino and it's baby, elephants dominating the landscape, it was unreal. At one point we stopped the car to watch a lioness chase down a zebra - I swear I'm on National Geographic!! She wasn't successful, but it was thrilling to watch. She and her family came right by the car and drank out of a puddle we were stopped by. I mean they were so close - I-Could-Hear-Them-Drinking. holy shit.
Dad and I went all out and stayed at the Serena lodges (thank you, dad!) throughout our safari. Our room opened up onto a balcony overlooking the crater. Again I'm pinching myself.
Serengeti
The next day we drove to Serengeti. Hello, I'm in AFRICA, and in the SERENGETI, are you kidding me?! Ok, can you tell I'm completely overwhelmed? We drove through thousands of wildebeasts and zebras migrating south, I mean through, we had to wait for them to clear off the road. We saw every animal there is to see - lions, cheetahs, leopards, a million types of antelope, hyenas, buffalo, giraffes, I mean I could go on and on.
The scenery was amazing, I will definitely get some pictures up when I get to a faster connection.
Lake Manyara
The Serena lodge in Manyara was my favorite, it overlooked the lake, which is like 260km across or something ridiculous like that. Richard took us to the game park where we pissed off an elephant (ok!) and it came charging after us. For the love! Richard threw the jeep in reverse and we were flying out of there - it was a half-assed charge, but you don't mess around with elephants.
After 4 days in the car with Richard behind the wheel, my core muscles are toned and my arms bruised from holding onto the roof. What an incredible experience.
Ok, so I have had quite an exciting week...first the safari:
Ngorogoro Crater
Dad and I met Richard, our safari driver, in Arusha. We had the limo of all jeeps! 4 rows, GIANT 4 wheel drive, let me tell you we needed it, and a pop up roof. Again, I'm blessed with a former Indy car driver, well actually more like a Baja desert racing driver. I swear he could not drive below 50mph, and we were on some serious dirt/boulder/rock/sand/mud/crater roads, made worse by the rains! But it was so fun! What added to my experience is that you could stand up, in the car and pop out the roof, holding on for dear life of course, b/c Richard couldn't find the brake. I felt like a kid on a roller coaster ride! It was exhilarating and scary at the same time, like riding in the back of a pick-up, or being on a motorcycle w/ no helmet! LOL
So our first day we drive to Ngorogoro Crater. The rim is at 7500 feet and we descended 2000 feet to the crater floor. We saw flamingos in the lake, a rino and it's baby, elephants dominating the landscape, it was unreal. At one point we stopped the car to watch a lioness chase down a zebra - I swear I'm on National Geographic!! She wasn't successful, but it was thrilling to watch. She and her family came right by the car and drank out of a puddle we were stopped by. I mean they were so close - I-Could-Hear-Them-Drinking. holy shit.
Dad and I went all out and stayed at the Serena lodges (thank you, dad!) throughout our safari. Our room opened up onto a balcony overlooking the crater. Again I'm pinching myself.
Serengeti
The next day we drove to Serengeti. Hello, I'm in AFRICA, and in the SERENGETI, are you kidding me?! Ok, can you tell I'm completely overwhelmed? We drove through thousands of wildebeasts and zebras migrating south, I mean through, we had to wait for them to clear off the road. We saw every animal there is to see - lions, cheetahs, leopards, a million types of antelope, hyenas, buffalo, giraffes, I mean I could go on and on.
The scenery was amazing, I will definitely get some pictures up when I get to a faster connection.
Lake Manyara
The Serena lodge in Manyara was my favorite, it overlooked the lake, which is like 260km across or something ridiculous like that. Richard took us to the game park where we pissed off an elephant (ok!) and it came charging after us. For the love! Richard threw the jeep in reverse and we were flying out of there - it was a half-assed charge, but you don't mess around with elephants.
After 4 days in the car with Richard behind the wheel, my core muscles are toned and my arms bruised from holding onto the roof. What an incredible experience.
1 comment:
Holy Crap, I wish I was there. This trip sounds so surreal, my goodness. I can't wait to see the pictures.
Take Care
Ro
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