Day two ~ afternoon ~ Serengeti

***** for some unknown reason the first part of this blog ~ day two morning ~ is posted under 2013 December so you should read that first if you haven't already found it. *****





After leaving the Maasai village we continued our journey to the great Serengeti.

The Serengeti National Park is where "one of East Africa's greatest natural dramas plays out" ~ the great migration. Thousands and thousands of wildebeest travel in search of grasslands each year. "In this most superlative of East African parks, time seems to have stood still."

We continued to find interesting animals and birds ~

Kori Bustard ~ spend most of their time on the ground, with up to 70% of their time being on foot


the jackal ~




as we continued, the skies darkened




well, it is the "light rain season" and Lynn thought it could be interesting to experience rain on the savannah . . . we'll see


Kori Bustard ~ the male Kori Bustard may be the heaviest living animal capable of flight







ostrich ~ these ancient birds escape predictors by running away at 50 mph or lying flat on the ground to resemble a pile of dirt



The roads we traveled were rough and rutted always being altered by the weather, and they allowed us to . . .





pass right through the middle of the animals!





Jackpot! A whole pride of lions ~ right next to the jeep!



They looked so soft and cuddly ~

















. . . and the vulture ~ waiting



There's dad, taking a nap ~ only one male allowed



Ooh, that sun feels so good~



We drove along and found another male who had selected a female and separated from the group to start his own pride.

He was taking his afternoon bath.









I tried to include the rail on the jeep so you can see how very close we were.







Oooh boy ~ King of the savannah





When he stands, you see his power and strength, however it is the females that do most of the hunting because they are lighter and therefore faster.




We drove along and David spotted the cheetah ~ bonus ~ they are not often found and so close to the road.








Beautiful!







We circled back around to check on the lions and decided to stop here and have lunch among the lions! (Can this be real?)

Another good box lunch ~








I have to include all of these pictures because these animals are so beautiful up close and this whole experience is unreal.




As we drove along we noticed some rocks, but they were moving! They were not rocks but the "dung beetle". These beetles roll dung into round balls, which are used as a food source or brooding chamber.





We continued driving and the skis decided to open up ~ Lynn got her wish.
It was not good. It poured. The roads instantly turned to mud, the windshield fogged up and the roads disappeared. We don't know how David managed to keep going but remember, this is only the light rain season so it gets much worse by the end of March and he is a pro. It got quite exciting at times ~ just think of some of our snow and ice storms. We were doing donuts and sashaying across the savannah.

The road?


The windows ~ defrosters couldn't work fast enough so Dana kept wiping the windshield.












Hum ~ which way to go? We weren't lost but the question was ~ where is there enough traction to drive.
Some drivers have actually been known to get lost out in this area. Another driver followed David out and he kept checking to make sure he was still following.












And then that crack of blue in the sky ~ and it was over but we couldn't find the rainbow :(
It was a VERY eventful afternoon and now that we are out of it safely we can say it was interesting and exciting to experience.








These jeeps really take a beating


The rain actually washed off a lot of the mud. The black thing on the side is the engine air intake. Notice how high it is ~ so that when the jeep (engine)
Is under water it can still get air.




We continued our drive on our way to the lodge for the night.
















We spotted our first hippo ~ soaking in the water




Finally we made it to the lodge ~


again we were greeted with warm wash cloths and fresh juice. Come to find out ~ this is the safari custom. After your long dusty day on the savannah, you are greeted to wash away the dust from your face and your throat.
These lodges are very different than Dana's safari in a tent so we didn't really know that to expect ~ we were pleasantly surprised. But even on her tent safari she was greeted with a warm wash cloth and juice.


Our lodge ~ we were in one of the lower units



Our room ~













Walkway to the bar and restaurant


Bar area ~ guess I never did get a picture of the restaurant but you get the idea. The food was delicious. Two nights were buffet that was great and one night a five course menu.


After dinner was music and entertainment in the bar area.



As you can see we have had long, fully packed days so it was off to bed.

Finally ~ we made it

Monday, January 6, 2014


After our twelve hour layover in Dubai, which wasn't as bad as it sounds, we boarded our flight for Addis Abba, Ethiopia where we connected with Dana as planned. We were happy and relieved to see her arrive.







A few hours later the three of us stepped off our plane in Killimanjaro.














What a feeling that was, Africa! After hearing Dana describe this place she has grown to love we were finally here to experience it with her.

After clearing customs and obtaining our Tanzanian Visa we were met by Dennis, one of the drivers for the African Experience Safaris Company. He drove us to the Impala Arusha Hotel.






It was about a 45 minute drive with an abundance of interesting sights including, people, animals, homes, businesses and vehicles of various sorts. Driving on the opposite side of the road made it even more interesting. The highlight for Lynn was seeing a Masai herding his cattle along the road.


At the hotel we were greeted by David, Dana's friend and owner of the safari company.





On Dana's first trip to Africa in 2006 David was the cook on her safari. They developed a friendship that has continued and now includes Edith, his wife and twin boys, Doto and Kirwa.
David arranged our first eight days in Africa which included a two night stay in Arusha, a walking tour of the town and he will be our driver and guide on our six day safari beginning tomorrow, Wednesday.



Our room was nice, nothing fancy but looks very elegant in this picture. (Remember don't believe every thing you see in pictures)



The gardens and pool were very pretty and relaxing.








We ended our day with a great meal at the Indian Restaurant at the hotel.



And Dana introduced John to a local favorite, Killimonjaro beer.



It was an early night for all after our long tiring trip.



Tuesday, January 7th



Happy Birthday Lynn!

We enjoyed a leisurely breakfast on the open terrace of the hotel and then ...






met David for a walking tour of the city of Arusha.


Arusha is the third largest city in Tanzania with a population of over 600,000. It is one of Tanzania's most developed and fastest growing towns. It sprawls to the foot of Mt. Meru (the second highest mountain in Tanzania) and it's location is convenient for all of the northern safari routes so it has become the safari capital of Tanzania and a major tourism center.

Since it is not polite to photograph individuals, I was limited in my picture taking and while I understood, I was disappointed because there were soooo many interesting people and things to see that I would have photographed. I certainly managed.

The city was bustling, even at mid day with hoards of people and vehicles every where.


There were vendors, selling everything: cell phones, shoes, used shoes, clothing, maps, calendars, food, nuts, fried bananas, women balancing baskets on their heads dressed in beautifully colored clothing, and men with push carts transporting any assortment of things.


Vehicles were everywhere: cars, Dalla-dalla ( vans used as local bus system ~ crammed with people, some hanging out of the windows) motor bikes and motor cycles used as taxis ~ just an amazing bee hive of activity that is difficult to describe in words.


One of the highlights was the public market. Rochester's public market is nothing like this. There were several square blocks of people selling delicious looking produce, not so delicious looking and smelling dried fish, grains, beans, fruits and nuts.
One booth of particular interest was a very creative entrepreneur who had created a board that looked like an old switchboard but was actually 50 or more cell phone charging cords. He had figure out that all of the merchants working here would have to charge their cell phones at some point during the day and he was prepared to provide this service for a fee! Genius.


Later we walked passed the bus terminal where buses will take you to other cities.


Most interesting for us were the buses that carry luggage (and tires) strapped to the roof of the vehicle.



We walked past the football stadium (soccer) in the city and






the Uhuru Monument or freedom monument which was erected when the nation of Tanzania was formed.





We finished our tour with lunch at City Park.








There was a small playground for children and an open air restaurant where we enjoyed a cold drink and John experienced his first taste of ugali (it somewhat resembles Italian polenta). As David explained, ugali is the Tanzanian national dish. Each tribe has their own individual dishes unique to their own tribe, but ugali is universal to all tribes.
It is customary to eat this with your fingers so John complied. First he cleaned his hands at one of the designated wash stands and then dug in.






It wasn't pretty but it sure was good and he managed to finish the generous portion provided.


There are over 120 different tribal groups in Tanzania and when you meet people they will talk about what tribe they come from. Dennis explained that in some countries the tribes do not get along which causes fighting but in Tanzania there is a cohesive relationship among tribes. David is from the Pare tribe while his wife is Chagga and Dennis is from the Meru tribe.
One of the amazing things to us is that young children first learn their tribal language (sometimes two different ones) and then they learn Swahili and then English! Hello, our kids can barley handle English.
David speaks, Pare, Swahili,English, Spanish and French and Dennis speaks the Meru tribal language, Swahili, English and Spanish.


After we returned to the hotel, we relaxed by the pool enjoying the shade and the gentle breeze.




Getting ready to start the safari, we repacked and enjoyed an Italian meal at another one of the restaurants in the hotel.

On our way

Well, family here in Fairport sent us on our way . . . with dinner at Chilis and an impromptu birthday celebration


and after our Happy New Year's Eve dinner . . .


we headed to DC to meet up with Dana.

There is rarely a day at the Forti's without an event of some kind so on Thursday, we went to the GW University women's basketball game where Caitlin was the "ball girl". Friday we returned for the GW men's game where Caitlin and Zachary both preformed the duties of "ball kids" ~wiping the floor during time outs. It was exciting being so close to the action.










Before we headed to the airport on Saturday, we were up early to watch Zach's indoor soccer game


followed by his basketball practice with coach Carl at the helm.





Carl even managed to recruit help from Dana and Brendan to complete his coaching staff.

Next was Caitlin's basketball practice with coach Carl but alas ~ it was cancelled so we headed home for last minute packing and another surprise birthday celebration for Lynn.

Then it was off to Dulles Airport to begin the first leg of our journey to Africa ~ a 13 hour flight to Dubai.
The Dubai airport was beautiful (thank goodness because we spent 12 hours there) and we were surprised to see all of the Christmas decorations.



So close but yet so far ~ still another 6 - 7 hours of flying!