Planning on meeting my tour a day late, I travelled to the Arusha Snake Park. I got there at 1pm as my tour was arriving around 3pm. I got an awesome burger for only $1.7. As my tour arrived around 7pm...I had a long wait. Luckily the bar had everything I needed, lots of beer and tourists.
I met some amazing people while waiting at the bar...and they bought me heaps of Safari lager. The beer here is great and dirt cheap...as in $2 a pint! Even Guinness is $2!
After way too much to drink, I went to meet my tour and put up my tent. The gang was made up of 7 other Australians and an Egyptian. They were all so much older than me, had jobs and families. I felt really out of place- but over the week we had all become besties (sorry Dana).
I woke up at 6:30am after a terrible night sleep in a tent, on top of a rock. We packed up and headed to Mto wa Mbu (means river of mosquitoes in Kiswahili)....and yes I got heaps of mozzie bites. On the way to the mosquito infested valley, we stopped off at St Judes School. St Judes is a school for poor and extremely clever children. Set up by an Australian, Gemma started with only 3 students in 1997 and now the school educates over 1500 students. Every year, 4000 students apply, sit an exam, and depending on the result of their exam will be invited for an interview. Because one of the criteria for entry is extreme poverty, the school goes out to the homes and determines if the child really is poor, or if the parents are faking. They even go around the village and ask the locals if the parents have jobs (as the parents have to be unemployed) and if the house they live in is really theirs. As only 250 students are accepted every year- it is tough competition. The reason the school is so strict about the child's socioeconomic status is because St Judes is one of the best schools in Tanzania, it's completely free, and lots of well-to-do families lie about their income.
We then travelled west to Mto wa Mbu, which is close to Lake Manyara. I went on a walking tour of the village- and just as I expected lots of mud huts, people carrying stuff on their head and banana trees. I also tried the local speciality banana beer. It tasted amazing but unfortunately I can't take any home with me. I also stumbled across a shop which sold Tanzanites...sorry Mum they were too expensive!
The next day we packed up our tents, bags and cameras and headed off to the Serengeti. As we were driving, Africa by Toto came on the radio. The entire tour group were ecstatic, making heaps of ironic references of listening to Africa while in the Serengeti- yes I got it the first time.
We stopped for a short lunch break just outside the national park. Our tour guide warned us that baboons run amuck around this area so we all closed our windows. A troop of baboons entertained us during our short stay, by climbing inside an American's car and stealing their food. Unfortunately the dad and children were still in the car, so the mother thought a good way to get the baboon out of the car would be to close the door and bang over the windows and roof. Ah that rabid baboon went nuts! Luckily a person who was not mental-not-normal opened the door and let the baboon out. I guess that's Tanzanian baboon 1: US tourists 0
Driving into the Serengeti was breathtaking- I watched the sun set over the savannahs, filled with animals amongst a bonfire with so many rafikis (friends). We did also go on a game drive...and I saw the big 5 (leopard, lion, elephant, rhino and buffalo...I think). Over the 3 days in the Serengeti I saw 4 leopards, about 20 lions and cubs, a cheetah, heaps of zebras, giraffes, camels, wildebeests, elephants, pumbaas, flamingos, rhinos, buffalo, hyenas, and so many impalas. We also got to see the Tanzanian president! Pumbaa means foolish in Kiswahili- in fact the wild pumbaa is pretty stupid. When it gets chased by a lion...It will run 50 meters, forget why it's running and eat some grass. The lion will then have his lunch!
The Serengeti is filled with animals, and we spent hours on game drives. Surprisingly I managed to get mobile coverage out in the Serengeti on my new phone with Airtel. I couldn't even get coverage in the most built up national park, the Flinders Rangers with Optus. Damn Optus!
On my first night in the Serengeti, I was awoken by a herd of giraffes. One of the tour members got his camera out and chased after them. Little did he know that the kick of this giant feline could kill a lion. All the animals seem to come out at night- I woke up so many times by the sound of an elephant, roar of a lion, or loud American tourists.
We then again packed up our stuff and headed to Ngorongoro crater. On our way we stopped off at a Maasai village. After a good old dance with the locals, we were shown around their village. A fun fact for the day- their diet consists of cows meat, cows milk, and cows blood. No fruit or veges. I guess this is pretty much what my brother eats...so he would fit right in.
When we got to the crater we set up camp again. There was a man with a massive semi- automatic walking around the camp site. Our tour guide told us he was there to protect us against animals. Apparently 2 nights ago, a pride of 10 lions were hunting wildebeests at the campsite. After an amazing pasta dinner that my Nonna would be proud of, I went back to my tent freaked out! Fortunately lions didn't kill anyone tonight, but I did wake up to several elephants outside my tent. Our tour guide told everyone to stay in their tents. I laid awake for hours, hoping the elephants did not step on my head and kill me....but I could hear them walking within centimetres from my head. I guess next time I go on a camping safari I probably shouldn't keep food in my tent.
So if you meet a lion in the wild what would you do? Well apparently 2 important things. Firstly always make eye contact. Secondly you need to stay still and not run. The lion should back off. But if this doesn't work and the lion attacks you...play dead and protect your neck and maybe you will survive. Otherwise you can pull some jpat taekwondo moves out!
The next day we travelled the long journey back to Arusha- and so my safari adventure came to an end. The 9 of us spent the night at the Maasai camp in Arusha, had a few celebratory drinks and played some pool. It was a great way to end such an amazing safari. I was not expecting anything like this at all. I thought it would be like Ace Ventura...as in a rhino gives birth to a human like Jim Carey.
When I got back the Swedish girls commented on my tan I somehow managed to get while on safari. But after a long awaited shower, the brown pigmentation covering my skin turned out to be dirt. I was pleased however to get back into a bed...even if it was built for a short Chinese female.
Justin
PS- I know this is a long blog...but I spent less time writing it than Michael did reading an email from Ally.
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