Serengeti, Tanzania (June 21-25, 2006)

Note: All of the pictures are linked to the same slideshow.

After an intense week of final exams, Lyen and I finished our first semester of our Masters program. A rare three-week vacation -- we flew north for the winter to Kenya and Tanzania. Ten days for a bit of East African wildlife.

We arrived in Nairobi after an 8-hour flight from Cape Town via Jo'burg. Nairobi is a bustling city teeming with black African life. Crowded, congested, dusty, disorganized. Cars packed the streets surrounded by wiggling masses of people dressed in Western, African, and Islamic clothing. Business men in their suits and ties, women wrapped in brilliantly colorful African fabrics or beautifully flowing crepe niqab, abaya, and hijab. Quite the cosmopolitan city with people of every color and creed.

Congested like Delhi but without the pollution, black like Dakar but more modernized, Nairobi kept us overnight in a sketchy boarding house right by the market. After filling our bellies full with Indian food from the restaurant down the block, we fell asleep to the lullaby of honking horns and squawking hawkers selling their wares. Thank goodness for the slotted-board bed and foam mattress or we may have slept too peacefully.

The next morning, we headed for the border. After eight hours on the road and two stamps in our passport book, we arrived in Arusha, Tanzania. Kilimanjaro was behind us and Serengeti was in front. We found a tour the day we arrived, stayed in yet another four-star hotel. Electricity and hot water are turned on at 7pm. Why does everyone stay up late to use the electricity? I forgot, this is Africa. Life begins at midnight.

Lyen walked out of the room early in the morning only to be accosted by some guy trying to sell little trinkets. I guess he wasn't put off by the smell of morning breath since Lyen hadn't even brushed his teeth! Funny, none of the other guests were so harrassed. It guess it helps being Tanzanian. We took off for safari that morning and spent five days and four night camping under the stars with the wild beast that roar!

June 21 -- Lake Manyara

Most of our first day was spent driving out of Nairobi and into the vast plains near the Serengeti. Our first stop was Lake Manyara where we saw elephants, giraffe, zebras, worthogs, Thompson gazelle, Grant gazelle, hartbeast, birds of all sorts. Five lions and cubs sleeping in a tree and a pregnant lioness right by the side of the road were the highlights of the day. My first sighting of large cats! At the time, I had no idea how many more I would be seeing. It was such a treat although I had had only fleeting glimpses. It was amazing to drive along the windy paths surrounded by trees. The roof top was open and the cool wind covered us with a layer of red sand. My mind wondered to the Jungle Book as I looked up at the knotted vines dangling from the trees. I wanna be like you-o- o-, o- o-. I wanna talk like you, walk like you, -oo -oo. Just as we were driving out, a momma and a baby elephant stepped out in front of our car and led us to the gate.



June 22 -- Serengeti 1

After a whole morning's drive out of the more temperate Manyara region, we entered the arid plains of the Serengeti. I hadn't realized how temperate Manyara had been -- lush and green with a cool, temperate breeze. Large forests of trees had hidden the animals from us. As we drove on, the deciduous trees thinned and turned to succulant shrubs. The ground went grey and rocky as dust churned behind our 4x4.

The Serengeti was packed with the same animals as Manyara -- but really PACKED. There were gazelle jumping around, and grazing all over the place. There little tails wiggled here and there. Wag the Dog. The tail wags the dog. The tail wags the gazelle? It doesn't really seem to have a purpose, now does it? Short and stumpy, but flickering away in the breeze. Pointed up, not down -- so it's not wiping away anything. Odd.

I expected to see more zebras and wildebeast, but we were in the wrong place to see the migration -- maybe next time. We finished our evening drive and came back to camp for a hot meal with the other safari-goers.

June 23 -- Serengeti 2

At breakfast the next morning, all anybody could talk about was the pack of hyenas that raided our camp. Our poor neighbor had been scared to death by the shadows of a large cat that crossed his tent to scare off the hyenas. Lyen and I slept a little too soundly and missed all the excitement. We drove around for a couple hours without much success. The hard thing about safari is that you don't really know where the animals are. Much of it is luck. Fortunately, our guide had a CB radio with which he could communicate to the other safari guides. But, all the animals seemed to have gone into hiding.

We ended up at a watering hole surrounded by a herd of 20-30 wildebeast. Now, wildebeast are such strange animals and I could have spent the whole day just watching them. They are not the most attractive animals in the kingdom -- they seem to have been made out of spare parts. A long snout like a donkey, a multi-toned mane like a horse, and little horns like a worthog. But, in addition to being asthetically challenged, these animals make the funniest sound that is like a cow going through puberty -- slightly higher pitched and unsteady. Worst of all, is their eye-sight. Now, I don't know why wildebeast were cursed with having widely spaced eyes. You can tell by watching them, that they just don't see straight. They run and try to gallop like horses but they end up zigzagging with their heads at a strange angle so that at least one eye can see forward. So funny.

Our driver told us there was a lion in the bushes. We scanned and peered and looked. I couldn't see anything at first. But then, I could make out these little round earspoking out of the bush. Then, I turned my head just a little bit and saw another one posed like a sphinx out in the open. The lion was napping, completely ignorning the wildebeast. I was hoping to see a kill, but it didn't look like it was going to happen today. This female clearly wasn't interested. But, we stayed for a while and just watched the wildebeast run to the water's edge and scamper back. The lioness would open her eyes every once in a while to watch all the ruckus. Her body would tense and then, she would crouch down in the bush. She crossed her front paws and closed her eyes, clearly uninterested. Several times she would stand up and turned around with her back to the wildebeast. Her ears twitched now and then to keep away the flies. Sometimes, they would point towards the herd. No tail flicks, strangely enough. Up again she went to look at the herd. We watched her for at least twenty minutes.

Slowly, other safari vehicles came to watch. We were afraid the noise from the vehicles would scare her away. But no, she was oblivious to us, the observers, and to them, the prey. One last time, she was sitting tense with her ears turned towards the herd. She quickly stood and sauntered towards them, crossing right in front of our car. But, no chase. She found refuge by the next bunch of grasses closer to the watering hole. She just wanted a change of scenery and to get away from the safari vehicles.

She sat again in the bushes, we waited for another ten minutes and then, there was a commotion by the watering hole. The entire herd was moving en masse, swerving around the water towards the trees. Where was the lion? I didn't even see her move from her latest position. There she was chasing the herd. She wasn't even that fast or agile, and she was significantly smaller than the wildebeast, bearly coming up to their shoulders. She loped along, on the hoofs of the last wildebeast who had daudled about. She lept and grabbed it by the throat. I had never seen a lion kill before, even on t.v. At first I didn't think she was going to win. The wildebeast was still running with the lion attached to its throat. She was dangling by her mouth. Her claws had not managed to grab hold. But, the prey was slowly suffocating. It's eyes bulged as it fell to the dirt, legs pawed the air. A couple more twitches and the deed was done.

Surivial of the fittest. It truly is. After the wildebeast had died, the lioness dragged it out of sight and deep into the bush. Then, she called to her mate. We couldn't see her anymore as she had hidden her catch very well in the bushes. At this point, our driver turns to us and says, "What do you think? The female hunts the food and the male comes to eat? This is the way it is done in Africa." Was he refering to the human or the lion? Ask any Tswana woman and you'll know it's not just the lions. Ask any Pulaar woman and you know it's not just East Africans.

Safaris are such strange things. By the time the lion had killed to wildebeast, there were at least 15 safari vehicles in this litle area by the watering hole. The lioness didn't care. Even as she was chasing the herd of wildebeast, the herd of cars was chasing her so that we tourists could snap the perfect pictures. Our vehicle lurched forward vying for the lead spot closest to the lion while the wildebeasts lurched forward trying to escape from the lion. It was so odd. Then, the lioness and her kill were surrounded by cars and you could see the old war veteran of a lion come lumbering along. But he did not know how to get around the cars. Zig-zagging his way, he finally reached to kill, only after being shot by flashing Canons and Nikons.

After the morning kill, I understood the draw of gladiator games, it was amazing just watching the hunt in nature. I may be one of the few to take enjoyment from watching a poor animal get killed. I guess it is more of awe than anything else. The lion must kill in order to survive.

Continuing on, we criss-crossed the plains only to find two 4x4s standing next to a tree. There must have been something in the tree. A leopard, said our guide. I looked and looked. I know I have bad eyes, but there was nothing in the tree. No. Under the car. I looked down to the car closest to the tree and there, sleeping in the shade of the 4x4 was the most beautiful cat I've ever seen. Black rosettes covered its fur. This creature was very odd. Normally nocturnal, leopards are difficult to spot during the noon hour. They also shy away from vehicles. Yet, this one was lounging under a car. We found out from the visitors in that particular vehicle that they had been watching the leopard in the tree when it climbed down and decided to nap under their car. After five minutes the road was packed with other 4x4's coming for a look. All the noise must have startled the animal because it soon left its shaded rest area and looked for a place to retreat.

More zebras, elephants, gazelle, baboon, giraffe, ostrich. No big deal after the high of seeing the lion kill the wildebeast and leopard nap under the car. A STINKY hippo pool and two alligators in the evening. Did I say stinky? It was really stinky. I used to think hippos were cute. Not any more. They are D-I-R-T-Y. Just think of Shrek and Fiona making bubbles in their bath (yes, I've regressed to Disney movies). It was like that, but much worse. You could see the feces floating in the bath water. Yuck. You could smell the feces floating in the bath water. And yet, the hippos were submerged in the bath water. Yuck.

June 24 -- Serengeti 3

We got up the next morning just as the sun was rising and went for an early morning ride to a distance corner of the serengeti. In contrast to the day before, no other cars were around. Nothing was out. The serengeti was just waking up. Far off we drove, the cold air keeping us awake. Suddenly, a cheetah crossed the road right in front of us! It was hunting for breakfast in the vast plains, and it wasn't alone. Soon two others crossed our path. The three were hunting together. They were just walking along. A poor little gazelle was dancing about 500 meters in front and the cheetahs crouched down in the grass. The gazelle must have smelled them because it was soon far away and the cheetah started walking towards a big pile of rocks, or kopjes, jutting out of the earth. There were no animals nearby and the cheetahs were walking farther and farther away. No cheetah kill today.

We returned to our watering hole again. It wasn't likely that the lioness would kill again, her belly must have been full. I was expecting it to be quiet. But no, it was actually a mess! There were 10x as many wildebeast as before. Plus, the zebras were there. There were zebras in every direction. It was a mad house! Stripes everywhere. Prancing and pawing, mooing and braying. What a racket! Everyone was trying to get water. There was a nice line of zebras waiting by the banks as one crowd of 20-30 cautiously drank. Then, the herd would startle and move all would bolt. The next group would come and drink cautiously until one got startles. All would move out. Around and around they went, drinking and running. Drinking and running. But where was the lioness? I knew she must be around. It was like a huge supermarket for her -- all these nice pieces of meat, just for her chosing. And then, there she was, hiding in the bushes right in front of us. You could barely see her. Just her ears peeked out. It was the same intensity as the morning before and the same wait. Something was going to happen. It was inevitable with all the wildebeast around.

June 25 -- Ngorongoro Crater

Our last day, we exited the dry region and headed back to the mountains. Passed the Massi villages with their flocks of sheep and goats, we drove. Ngorongoro crater was formed many thousands of years ago. It was a volcanic mountain was supposedly taller than Kilimanjaro. But it collapsed and left all the animals isolated. There are no giraffe inside the Crater. (Random aside: giraffes are in the same family as camels. You can tell when you look at their faces and the way they walk). On our last drive, we finished off our Big Five by spotting a black rhino. We also saw a cheetah kill a little gazelle as well. The little guy would have made it if only he hadn't tripped. It was so sad. Unfortunately, it was so far away, we couldn't get any pictures of it. But, there are plenty of lions. We saw over 30 just in the crater.

We returned to Arusha that evening and headed to the coast the next day. It was a nice and relaxing rest of the way home. Very short and too quick, but well worth it.

Cape Town (photos by Tina Y)

Kruger National Park (May 23 and 26, 2006)