The lion queen

We departed at 12:30 sharp on Friday for safari weekend. A very nice, new Land Rover was our home for the weekend. Michael was our guide and driver, and he was very knowledgeable, as I might be after 5 years of safari school! We set out for Terangire first, which was about 2 hours away. We stopped at a little gift shop on the way to eat our packed box lunches. It was better than some of the others I have had here.

We arrived at the park, and immediately saw a huge herd of elephants. I asked Michael what kind they were, forgetting the options were African or Asian. I figured that one out on my own. Now, I took tons of photos, and they are going to tell the story of the safari much better than I can on this blog. I remember seeing lots of giraffes, zebra, gazelles, and warthogs at the first park. The terrain was more or less like I had imagined. Dry, dusty, quite a few trees, but still lots of open space. If you have never gone on safari, then you can compare it to a Where's Waldo book. You sit and stare out the window, looking at a tree stump and think you're seeing a bear. A lot of the animals are very difficult to spot, but Michael found them in no time.

We stayed in the park until sunset, and then drove to our hotel, which was in the park itself. It was a Sopa lodge (I had no idea what that meant when we booked it but I was expecting a mud hut). We pulled up to a 5-star, modern hotel and 3 people approached as I got out of the car. One took my bag, one gave me a glass of fresh juice, and the third handed me a hot, moist towel. FINALLY! I thought I had died and gone to heaven. The rooms were clean, and large, with spa-like bathrooms. We went to the restaurant for dinner and got a 4-course seated dinner of the best food I've had here yet. We got a couple bottles of wine, and had the kind of night that I didn't want to end.

We woke up at 5:30 the next day for the sunrise safari. Unfortunately, when I woke up on Saturday, I was not feeling well. I had caught the stomach bug that so many of my roommates had. I was just thinking how lovely it was going to be, sitting in the van on bumpy roads for 12 hours, with no restroom. Thank God I brought my Immodium AD. I got out to the van and tried to get comfortable. It had rained the night before, and was colder than normal, which makes the animals sleep later. And there I was, sitting in the back of a 4x4 with, bumping through the African savannah, freezing to death with the windows and roof open, swatting tsetse flies away, drowning in insect repellant, not seeing even one animal, and having diarrhea at 6 AM. It was at that moment, I decided, that I am starring in the Truman show. My life is too entertaining to not be filmed and enjoyed by others.

I don't know how many people are able to fall asleep in those conditions, but those of you who know me understand how I did it. I woke up at 8, arriving back to the hotel for breakfast. The food was incredible again, and I didn't want to leave the comfort of having a nice room, with good food, and a professional staff that speaks English. But, at 9:30, we set out for Lake Manyara.

The nicest thing about safari weekend was that all 3 parks we visited were different from one another. Though Lake Manyara had a savannah area, it was mostly tropical jungle. It was incredible to see the elephants and giraffes navigate through such dense areas. We saw a huge herd of baboons that were extremely entertaining, fighting and swinging across trees. They were adorable. We did spot a couple lion, but they were far from the road, and behind some bushed lying down. They might as well have been rocks. I was disappointed, since I really wanted to see the big cats the most.

We left Manyara and headed to the lodge for the night. We pulled up to a place called Twiga, which means giraffe, and they opened the gate. Taking one glimpse of what was awaiting me, I wanted to die. It was, excuse my language, a hellhole. The rooms held 2 people, had very old and ratty bedding, contact paper for the floor, no windows, a bug problem, and a bathroom I wouldn't shower in an elephant had pooped on my feet. Now, I should mention that I am closer with one woman here now. Her name is Kandice, and she sleeps in the bunk below me. No one else had a problem with where we were staying, which was the worst part because I didn't want to make a fuss, but Kandice took one look and screamed "what the %^#@ is this place? I'm not sleeping here!" It made me feel so much better. I don't mean to be a prima donna, but come on. From a 5-star lodge to this?

We went over to have dinner, which was disgusting in comparison to the night before. I tried to fall asleep as fast as possible to avoid lingering on my surroundings. I was up all night, positively sick. I was getting up every hour, at least, and going to that horrid bathroom. The only thing I could do in there was laugh at the circumstance. Just like the morning, there I was sitting, sick, in the most disgusting place I have ever seen, with no alternative, looking at a rack holding a Spiderman bath towel that was made before I was born. It had no edges, just frays, and was so faded, you could barely make out the logo.

We woke up at 5:30 again, had breakfast (toast), and set out for the crater. As low spirited as I was, I still had high hopes. Ngorongoro crater is on most of the "1000 things to see before you die" lists, and it boasts the best opportunity for seeing animals. The crater was not easy to get into or out of. There was only one road with no guardrail, down the side of a cliff. Once we got down there, though, it was incredible. It is almost completely flat, about 10 miles in diameter, and 20,000 species of wildlife live there among each other.

We saw the same animals for the most part, but there were many more of them here. With few trees and little brush, they were easier to spot, though not in the tall grass if they were lying down. We saw a cheetah from a distance, which was cool. We saw a couple lion, but they were far off and lying down. I was so disappointed. If you are there at the right time, the animals come right to the car and walk past. I was really hoping to see the cats up close.

After 5 hours in the crater, we headed back the way we had come. I was sad to leave, but thanking God that there was a restroom at the gate. We were flying through, and Laura, who was sitting in front of me, yelled for Michael to stop. I jumped up to ask what she had seen, but as soon as I lifted my head to the window, I saw the face of a lion cub poke out from the grass about 15 feet away from the car. JACKPOT! Michael backed up and pulled closer. Two cubs were enjoying naptime with their mother, and we were able to get up close and personal. They were boys, about 4-6 months old, and they reminded me of Ling and Thao back home. They were adorable to watch- if we were closer, I am sure I would have lost a limb trying to pick one up. Best of all, no other vans were around us. When we saw the lions the first time, there were 11 vans with people climbing on the roof to get a view.

I should mention, since I think it is noteable, that I am not a bird watcher. I have never had any interest at all (sorry Mom-Mom) in birds. HOWEVER, this weekend, I have seen some incredible birds, and I really enjoyed them. They are hard to photograph, unfortunately, but I took a couple photos. They looked like they were fake because some of them were so bright, from orange to turquoise and everything in between. The storks, though, were disgusting looking. He told us that they just walk around and eat garbage and droppings. My response to that was, "Well, if you are what you eat, I would have guessed they ate garbage."

As we drove up the mountain, I looked at all the photos I had taken. I got some great shots, but those lion cubs were the icing on the cake. I tried to sleep on the way home, which was a 5 hour drive, but the bumpy roads and inability to get comfortable made it nearly impossible. I was wiped out when we got here last night, but was so glad to be here after the place I stayed the night before. I took a hot shower, ate some dinner, and laid in bed.

I didn’t want to go right to sleep, so I picked up Twilight, which Lauren Smith told me I had to read. I was set on not liking it. 2 hours and 150 pages later, I too, had fallen in love with Edward Cullen, like the rest of American female adolescents. I’m still feeling awful, so I didn’t go to the orphanage this morning. I just read another 100 pages. I can’t put the stupid book down because I don’t want to walk away from the fictional person I am in love with. Am I twisted, or what?

So, I’m going to read more now. I have batik class at 3, which I am very excited about. For dinner tonight, we apparently go into town, and after we eat, a bunch of locals teach us how to dance. Should be interesting. I’ll bring a camera.

I am in the week countdown, and am super excited to come home and share my stories and pictures. I wish I could capture everything here, but it just isn’t possible. I’m doing my best, though.