Tanzania, Africa

Let’s Go Tanzania …

Crossing over to Tanzania would be yet another long journey on our bus but of course with us travelling to over seven East and South African countries that can be expected.  Many of the borders that we’ve crossed thus far provide a very different and almost immediate change so even if there were no border you’d likely know you were somewhere else entirely anyway.  Leaving Kenya we left behind nearly any sense of greenery that was replaced with miles and miles of dust and brush.  Both Stijn and I felt like we had been mysteriously transported to Iraq or Afghanistan or somewhere equally desert-like but none the less quite beautiful if even for its stark contrast to many of the places we’ve been previously.

We arrived at a campground called ‘Snake Park’ and despite Stijn telling me repeatedly that it is only called this because there is a snake rehabilitation program and viewing area, I was however less than convinced and certain there must have been quite a number on the loose and far too close for comfort!  Stijn clearly didn’t feel the same way because before I knew it he had some sort of green snake around his neck!  After putting that creature back in its home and passing through the crocodile area which we
literally camped beside it was time for some local food.  The local women prepared what looked to be lovely roasted goat on a barbecue spit for the meat eaters and I enjoyed some amazing vegetables and salad with rice.  It’s been quite nice trying so much of the local food as often as we can even if mine is only three quarters of the usual meal!

The next morning Land Rovers came to the campsite to pick us up and take us out to Serengeti National Park.  The Serengeti was once a vast ocean but now more than a million years later it is a very dry and vast plain.  The park itself is over 27,000 square kilometers and is home to massive herds and packs of wild animals.  Unlike the Masai Mara there is not a lot of vegetation other than wild brush but there is a lot of rock formations that seem like island oasis’ in the middle of the dense plain.  Our crew consisted of two drivers as well as a cook and we all made the trek to the park to see what kind of wildlife we could observe and we weren’t disappointed.  Over the next two days we spent all day game driving where we saw just about everything you can hope to see in the amazing park and more.  Plenty of lions, cheetahs even the illusive leopards which are generally quite hard to find and we saw two… one of which was feeding on a Thompson Gazelle when we spotted it.  The leopards will actually drag their kills up into the trees to avoid having to share with other cats or fight to save their meal but I have to admit, it looks a bit shocking to see the legs of a gazelle hanging off a tree branch!

We saw many other amazing animals as well but the cats were the most amazing as they are harder to spot. The heard animals are literally everywhere in the park and while we were hoping to see a kill we weren’t disappointed by just how amazing and wild everything that we did see was!

Our evenings were spent in a wild camp inside the park without fences and amongst the hyenas, elephants and buffalo… or at least that’s what we saw.  We listened to the sounds of lions and hyenas and other animals but we were never really sure just how close they were.  Apparently lions and other predators pass through the camp quite regularly and our guide regaled us with a stories of freaked out campers and one when one of his groups was sitting around the fire and the lions came within mere feet of the group before carrying on.  One lady apparently wet herself and I think I would have done the same if that had been our experience but luckily we only had a few hyena’s and other animals come into camp to check us out while we were in our tents and relatively safe and even managed to have some amazing sleeps!

After five amazing game drives and two nights within the Serengeti we headed to the top of the Ngorogoro Crater where we would spend the night at another wild campground amongst the animals and one massive elephant in particular who came into the middle of our camp and decided to help himself to water from the water tank.  Our guide was quite good at keeping our group from getting too close as elephants can be extremely dangerous and much faster than one would expect, but other people seemed to think they were in a zoo and got very close eventually scaring the animal away but luckily without incident.  Our guide reminded all of us just how much respect needs to be given to these wild animals as they have had guests trampled to death in the past.

The next morning we were up early and made our way down the steep road into the crater. The Ngorogoro Crater was formed millions of years ago when the volcano imploded on itself and the vast crater floor dropped and a very special ecosystem was created.  The crater itself is 400 square kilometers and while most animals are able to get in very few are able to get back out causing very shallow gene pools and concern for some of the animals long term well- being.  None the less we were able to see more amazing animals up close including our first hippo that was out of the water.  Because of the altitude of the mountain, even the crater is much cooler than the plains of the nearby Serengeti which means the hippos don’t have to hide from the sun as much and are therefore much more active.  It was really neat to be able to see them grazing on land which they normally only do in the early morning or late evening.

After making our way back up the steep crater walls and back to camp for brunch we made the more than four hour drive back to meet up with our tour guide and driver.  We spent the night at Snake Park once again before making our way to Zanzibar for a few days of beach and relaxation.  We were quite taken aback when we reached our hotel- the first thing we saw through the lobby was the amazing turquoise waters of the Indian Ocean.  Our little hotel was right on the beach and we all had private huts with nearly no other guests at the resort.  For the most part we could come and go as we pleased and even make our own drinks at the bar so we quickly settled in and made ourselves at home. 

The next morning Stijn and a couple of the other guys headed out early in search of some game fish for us to cook later that night.  Apparently the local fisherman hadn’t been catching too much in the recent weeks but luckily for us, they came back with a massive Wahoo fish which served as a beautiful meal for the whole group!  While the guys were busy fishing, the girls went to a national marine reserve for some snorkelling.  Sadly the water was a bit rough and the hour or more boat ride made the majority of us feel pretty queasy.    Once in the water it wasn’t much better as the waves were still quite large and we were all getting tossed around pretty badly.  I was only able to snorkel at the first site on account of the sea sickness but after a couple of motion sickness pills I wasn’t feeling too badly but they did make me pretty sleepy and both Stijn and I spent the majority of the rest of the day dozing in and out and until the barbequed fish was served up with a few cocktails… can’t get much more fresh or delicious than that! 

After yet another day of sunshine the following evening we were signed up for a booze cruise on the other side of the island to watch the sunset and of course have a few drinks.  Sadly Stijn was a bit under the weather and wasn’t able to make it this time but he enjoyed a quiet evening and even managed to get a pretty good internet connection so I think he was pretty happy.  Similar to the first cruise that we did on the Nile we had a beautiful boat but unlike the first time around there was no food and the drinks were far too strong or at least they were for a lot of the much younger tour members and before I knew it there was tears, vomit and the usual debauchery that seems to find 19 to early 20 somethings!  It proved to be fairly entertaining none the less and everyone was in bed before 9 p.m. once we arrived back at the resort!

This morning surprisingly everyone was feeling pretty good and after a nice breakfast we all packed up and took the bus into Stone Town, named after Livingston who almost single handedly brought down the slave trade in Zanzibar and in effect most of Africa as this island was the last stop for slaves before they were sold off and shipped to the rest of the world.  There is still a lot of evidence of the torture and disturbing conditions that these people were made to endure in the dungeons and memorials that litter this tiny island city.

Aside from the torture and torrid past Stone Town also offered some interesting markets including one particular meat and fish market where I nearly lost my lunch as I happened to look just as the cows head was getting a wood axe down the centre of it but sadly trying to escape all the smells and sounds that this offered, I ran right into the fish section which didn’t do much to rid my stomach of the urge to vomit.  The surprises weren’t over there as once outside there were a number of animal intestines as well as whole cow skins- I have to say I was much more at home in the spice and vegetable section of the market!

Tomorrow morning we will once again board a ferry back to mainland Tanzania and make our way over the next few days to Malawi.  Unfortunately late last night a ferry carrying over 700 locals to one of the other islands sunk and we were saddened to hear that over 350 are still missing and this morning over 150 people were confirmed dead.  It is yet another reminder of how difficult life can be for the people of Africa and just how different the standards for locals and tourists are.  While we easily sail from island to island on proper high speed ferries with no more than 200 or so people, this particular boat was stuffed to the brim with more than double its capacity and as a result hundreds of people have lost their lives.    This is a constant message in Africa and it is quite difficult to see just how hard life can be for the have-nots of this continent.