Safari Part I

Elephants and Zebras and Giraffes.... Oh My!

So of course many of you (like us) are excited to hear tales of all the animals we saw. And wow, did we see some amazing animals- up close- sometimes brushing up against our vehicle!

One of the things I didn't anticipate, is how much we would learn about animal behavior.

Our guide/driver Samson has a degree in Natural Sciences and went to the Tanzanian' Wildlife Research Institute, and was simply a wealth of knowledge about animals and vegetation. We learned SO much!


Towards the end- Arun and I were able to spout out different trivia-

• Oh- that's the female reticulated giraffe... notice the tufts of hair on her horn..... she can't be alone- there must be more giraffes nearby.


• There's the Alpha-male Baboon- he's scouting the environment...


• Those male impalas must have recently been driven out- they're practice-fighting to take over a herd


• Based on those stripes... that must be a Plains Zebra... not a Grevy's...

We were able to see animals in three different settings. Lake Manyara was the first- then the famous Ngorongoro Crater- and finally the Serengeti.

Each environment had such uniqueness- for example the Velvet Monkeys could only be found in an environment like Lake Manyara. There are no Giraffes in Ngorongoro because of the lack of Acacia trees. And The Great Migration at this time of year can only be found in the Serengeti. It was fascinating to see the changes in the vegetation and climate as we traversed the different locations.

Also- it NEVER got old- seeing these animals spring by! We would be driving past a stream and all of a sudden see two baboons fighting for superiority! Or we would drive by a Zebra harem and notice a calf and mother.... or watch two male zebra's kicking up their back legs in a fight. We once stopped for a half hour and watched two giraffes fighting with their long necks.

It was fascinating!

But of course we didn't limit our interactions with the animals. While we were driving to Ngorongoro, I asked Samson if we could stop by a local Masai Tribe's village. So we headed to a nearby village and had the most amazing time! Arun jumped in their traditional dance while I joined the women in their circle dance. We then sat with one of the Masai men in his mother's hut as he discussed the Masai lifestyle.

• They are pasturalists. Their cows and goats provide all their sustenance. Their cattle is wealth. And in fact, their wealth determines how many women they can marry. If they have many cattle- they can support more wives!


• They wear blankets, or shukas, that they purchase from large cities like Arusha. They also stretch their earlobes and often carry a stick (for ease of herding!).


• They are semi-nomadic, but they do erect enkaji houses made of sticks, dung and grass.


• There are many traditions- circumcision ceremonies, Shamanistic healing, and sacrifices to calm nearby volcanos etc.

However, the penultimate moment occured as we were just about to leave. Arun had been joking that he would love to play soccer with the Masai. Well- as we were about to get into our vehicle, the Masai asked him if he wanted to play football! I couldn't believe it. "Well, now you HAVE to play!" I said. "You've been talking about it all this time!" And so yeah- here he is- Arun with his new Masai soccer team.... and then playing! Quite the experience!!

When else would you ever get the opportunity to play soccer with the Masai???!