I am still traveling and loving it. We have done so much since I last updated as I have been in Africa for over a month now. I am still getting use to the African toilets (toilet bowls in the ground with foot steps and no toilet paper!) and converting prices to American prices (maybe if I did not switch countries and conversion rates every two weeks or so, it would be easier!). I am totally comfortable in the truck and it is such a great way to travel thru Africa. We get to leave everything on the truck and all our valuables are in a very safe place. I am going to miss having a place for everything when we head to southeast Asia.
Here is where I have been the past few weeks. On October 18th, we headed to Maasai Mara National Reserve. The road was horrible getting into the park and the truck was super loud. I put in ear plugs it was so loud. The wildlife and park was amazing. We got to see lions that were making babies, a baby elephant running to his mother (the cutest thing ever), wart hogs running with their tails up just like in the Lion King, a lion eating her lunch, zebras, gazelles, buffalo, the wildebeest that were migrating, giraffe, two cheetahs and so much more. The rain clouds were coming in and made for some awesome pictures. I was amazed at how close we were to all these animals. My heart was beating fast as we were only 5' from two lions and our driver was like don't hang out the windows! On the way back from the second day in the park, we went to a Maasai Village to see how the local tribes live. It was very interesting! The performed two dances for us, we got to see them start their fires and a tour of one of their homes. The homes entrance includes a pin for the baby cows, a cooking area in between two beds (one for the parents and one for the kids under 10) and the home is made from cow dung. The cows are their money and it cost 10 cows for a young man to marry a lady in another village. (Gavin - Better start saving/buying cows!!) The kids move out when they are 10 to live in the children's home. I told you very interesting and a different life!
We stayed two nights in Nairobi, Kenya and our group grew to 12 people (1 German, 7 British, 1 Australian, and us 3 Americans). In Nairobi, we went to a mall and got to go to the market and shop. I got a painting but don't know how it will look by the time I get it home. We just relaxed and washed clothes as we had been on the road for a while. I missed my cousin, Frank's, wedding but was able to see photos and talk to my family on skype. And now I have a new girl cousin!
On October 22, we headed to Arusha, Tanzania. The Americans had to pay $100 to get in while everyone else was only charged $50. Got to love that! We stayed in Arusha for a night before going on a tour of the Serengeti National Park and Ngorongoro Crater in a 6 person land cruiser. The tour was not cheep but included transportation, food and campsites for the two nights. It was a lot of driving but we crossed the Serengeti plains and around the crater to start an afternoon night game drive. I spotted a leopard climbing out of a tree and got an amazing picture of him in the tree. I was also super pumped about spotting him! We also got to see a second one in a nearby tree so we were pretty lucky. Now, I have seen the big five in Africa (lion, leopard, elephant, Buffalo, elephant and rhino!!). We also got to see the serval cat along with many other animals. We slept in the bush and Jordan said the hyenas were very close to the campsite. I slept right thru their laughing! The next morning, we continued to game drive. We found a mother cheetah with her three cubs. It was so great! We packed up camp and headed back to the crater. Our campsite at the crater was right on the edge of the crater. And an elephant decided she would walk right in front of our campsites and even stop to eat our popcorn snack. She enjoyed the popcorn and the table was flipped over when she was finished. Again, how close we were and she was to our tents was out of the world. I am pretty sure I was holding Jordan's hand and ready to run at any minute!! We spent the next day on a game drive thru the crater. It was beautiful to be inside of a volcanic crater with so many wild animals. I thought I was going to see my first animal kill but the lion was just trying to get the zebras to move (at least I think). It was still a site to see and I got it on video but don't think it will make the next animal planet! The tour was awesome although very dusty and made for some long days.
We headed back to Arusha for a night before headed south in Tanzania to Dar es Salaam on the Indian Ocean. My friend and I got to see the tanzanite at the Heritage Museum. Anne - I would have gotten you a stone but I would have had to end the trip as the bank account would be empty and I would be in debt! We drove by Mountain Kilimanjaro and could even make out the top when the clouds finally parted. The famous shirts here say those who can not climb Kilimanjaro, drink it (the Kilimanjaro beer)!! We stayed one night along the way at a little campsite and then woke up to continue into Dar es Salaam. We had been warned that it was a dangerous city and we were not to leave the campsite. I got to skype with my mom, dad and Bella and Gavin so it was nice as I was starting to miss home a little. We did get to see the sunset and rise over the Indian Ocean. I never thought I liked sunrises as they are so early and I don't really love mornings. But this sun rise was wonderful!
On October 27, we headed on a 2.5 hour ferry ride over to Zanzibar Island. First we took a tuk tuk (three wheel motor bike) over to the ferry entrance. It was a very fun ride. When we arrived, we had a guide who took us to a local restaurant and on a spice tour on a private farm. I learned so much about spices and got to try many fruits that I have never even heard of. Cinnamon is a tree and iodine comes out of the bark of a tree...at least that is what I was told! We then headed to the north side of the island where we would stay for the next three nights. We shared a room with Sarah, our German friend, so it came to $15 a night including breakfast. I was most excited about sleeping in a bed and not a mat of the ground. The shower was salt water but it was easy to get use to. I ruined my only raiser that I packed and thought would last me three months. I had to jump in the ocean as soon as I could so we headed down to the ocean as soon as we were checked in. The water was warm, clear and the sunset was beautiful. The first day we just hung out on the beach. We bought coconuts and a bottle of rum just to enjoy the beach a little more. We also played a game of beach volleyball...yes, my team won!! Nothing to crazy as that afternoon, Jordan and I took a dive refresher course around 4 PM. I had an amazing tuna dinner that evening and it was a very nice change to the camping dinners we had been having.
Jordan and I went on two dives next to a local island. The first dive went great and we got to see two sea turtles, lion fish, ghost pipe fish (very rare...maybe) and the beautiful purplish coral. Our dive was about 50 minutes long. The second dive was good also with lots of the same things but 4 more sea turtles. The sea turtles are my favorite! My BCD vest keep filling with air/water and I was having to release air the entire time and I could not stop floating up. I finally told the dive master and he had to disconnect my air to the vest. I was a little nervous but everything was fine and it was a great dive. Our dive boat was very much like a pirate boat so Jordan and I made pirate jokes the entire time. My name was peg leg and Jordan's was captain hook! I think the other divers were thankful that you cannot talk underwater. We spent the next day on the beach. In the mornings, the tide was super low so we could walk out to see all the sea urchins and tons of starfish. I have never seen so many starfish in one place and with so much color. The tide came in later and the water was amazing. At lunch time, I even found a whole silver dollar. I was super excited and hope it makes it the next 5 months without breaking. One the way back to the ferry, we stopped in Stone Town for some shopping and lunch. It reminded me of a European town with its old architecture. It was hot walking around but nice to see the city. We headed back to Dar es Salaam and the truck. We had changed campsites due to the riots next to our first campsite. We also found out today (Nov. 4th) that the next group will not be going to Zanzibar because of the riots on the island. Glad we are always moving!
We have been on the road the past two days and I have already read so many books that I am going to run out of books on my kindle. We have been crossing Tanzania and today will cross the border into Malawi. Bob and I cooked dinner last night. Bob and his wife are retired and from England. We get cooking groups, we shop, cook and some nights have to do the dishes. I don't really like cooking so it was pretty funny. And cooking by candle light and my head lamp was an adventure. Luckily, everyone was so hungry they ate the rice, veggies and kinda a fried chicken (did not turn out like I had planned)! Finally, the generator came on and we had lights for dinner. We also had a few locals walk in the see what we were doing. Henry, our guide, told us that they think white people cannot cook and have cooks that do it for them. Very interesting!
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