From Shell: I have to say the trip to the Serengeti NP and back was one of the best travel experiences I have ever had. It was rough, dirty, tiring, confronting and great fun. I'm still dreaming about it 2 weeks later. Things that stick in my mind are: - how fertile the land was in Western Kenya - answering Marja's call for me to open the window in my campground shower and looking straight in the eyes of a huge bull elephant - the interest and/or excitement from local kids (even the teenages that yelled "piss off" and threw rocks [View Full Entry]

---

---

To go to the Serengeti we had to split up into 4 jeeps and leave the truck behind in Arusha. It was a long enough drive to the Serengeti so we stopped off at the Ngorongoro crater for our lunch and a few photos. Lunch was difficult as there were some black kites in the area that wanted our food just as much as we did. On the way we also had an unexpected break when one of the 4 wheel drives broke down. We found some Masai men to build us a new part for the vehicles suspension out of [View Full Entry]

---

---

The middle of October, 2009 brought the end of my first term of this school year, 2 teacher-in-service days, and Denia! My sister came to visit me for a quick but wonderful 10 days, during my week off from school, and together we terrorized (read: photographed and sang to) the Northern circuit National Parks of Tanzania. Denia arrived on a Thursday evening, and we had a quiet night in together, catching up and letting Kibo get to know another one of her Aunts. After work on Friday, we did a little tour of Dar and that evening we went out for [View Full Entry]

---

---

Here are some pics from the 5 day safari we did around Lake Manyara, the Serengeti and Ngorogoro crater. [View Full Entry]

---

---

The next leg of my adventure started when I met my fellow Overlanding travelers in Nairobi on Sept 26. This started the largest part of my trip. I will be Overlanding with 24 other people driving through Eastern and Southern Africa in a large truck for the next 42 days. Not all will be going to Cape Town. Some will be getting off along the way and others will be joining us. If you can imagine a troop carrier that has been converted to a bus, that is what the truck that I will be traveling in for the next 42 [View Full Entry]

---

---

Preface - Wildebeests, also called gnus, are antelopes. They are not as agile as their cousins the impalas who, according to nationalgeorgraphic.com, can “leap distances of up to 33 feet,” often “soaring some 10 feet in the air.” Nor are they as sleek as their cousins the gazelles. They both run 50 miles per hour, but wildebeests lack the grace of their slimmer relatives. They are not very attractive. Their coloring is drab, they have eyes on the side of their head, and the only thing “cute” about them is their white beard. Why then, the [View Full Entry]

---

---

We had a long journey to get to the Serengeti by the end of the day, so most of the day was spent in the car. It was interesting to pass through the villages, most towns had buildings which were little more than shacks and generally were built with logs and mud and thatched rooves whilst other houses/shelters outside of the towns were made of anything that was available - sticks, logs, canvas bags and corrugated iron. We also noticed: 1. Speedbumps - there are little to no warnings (generally the latter) for each speedbump, so sometimes they could come as [View Full Entry]

---

---

Friday, April 3, 2009 - James had approached me the night before about transportation. I was given the choice of driving in the Land Rover or flying with the others, though there might not be enough seats for all of us. Someone would have to forfeit his place. I said, “I'll see more if I go by car, won't I?” And so it was decided. After our lunch at the Serena, the others departed for the small airport, and Mark, Sheiba, Martin and I started off by road. We drove for a while and saw a semi-trailer truck on its side. [View Full Entry]

---

---

Day 4 - Arusha (Tanzania) - 2/8/09 Arrived at Hotel Boulevard for the departure of the tour, which left Nairobi at 0930. We stopped off for some last minute supplies and made our way to the Tanzania border. The roads were awful, shaking us around like rag dolls, up and down, up and down in the truck. On the tour there’s 23 of us picking up a couple of extra people in Zanzibar. Eventually after much staring out of the window we arrived at the Kenyan border. We all got out, filling in our departure record to be stamped out by [View Full Entry]

---

---

Saturday, April 4, 2009 - When it was light outside I dressed and went to the front desk, asking how contact the physician. Dr. Edmund Nzella was there in a flash. After hearing my symptoms, he determined it was bacterial. He said to do go to the dining area, where I had been heading. He would find me and bring what I needed. I saw my colleagues and told them my predicament. They were very concerned. Although we were to meet with people from SANAPA (Serengeti National Parks) and had a full day planned, including an opportunity to see the animals, [View Full Entry]

---

---