Safari I - Goodbye and Hello

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'Never get out of the truck; Never get out of the truck!' (A play on Chef's (Frederic Forrest) famous tiger scene in 'Apocalypse Now')



Our final day Arusha was one of those 'hurry up and wait' days. We packed quickly in the morning as we had to be out of our flat by 11:00 but were not due to arrive at the Maasai Camp until 5:00. We moved our packs into a vacant flat and sat around and waited. Faraja had organized a final good-bye ceremony for us. All the kids paraded down from the orphanage and sat outside the entrance to our apartment. Faraja then made a speech in Swahili which one of the older boys translated into English. He was very gracious for all the work we (Monica) had done and presented us both with a traditional Masaai shuka wrap. Monica's blue wrap for a woman is called a kanga. My red wrap is called a kikoi. Everyone started to get emotional and Anna, who Monica and Liz are sponsoring, used the entire afternoon to attempt to get us to promise to come back. Finally, Sheddy drove us down the alley, in front of the orphanage where a hundred or so kids all stood waving and yelling good-byes. We made it to the Maasai camp just as the rains started in earnest. This has been the first rainfall in close to a month.



This was the first day of the Safari that begins and ends in Nairobi. The safari company is named Absolute Africa and our guide and leader, Chris, has been doing these tours for 18 years. The truck/bus had just arrived in Arusha after a ten hour drive. Our first initiation into the safari was learning how to set up and take down our tent. Our tent was #8 and everyone would continue to use their own tent for the next 23 days. Chris, was organizing a meal of beef stew in a huge pot cooked over a charcoal fire. He pointed us towards a building that housed a bar and it was there that we found the rest of our group. The group proved to be a real mixture - six Aussies, six from the U.K., two Danes, two Canucks (us), one Chinese and one Dutch. Seven males and eleven females. Monica and I were by far the oldest. There was an Aussie mother who was accompanying her son and his girlfriend and she was around Monica's age. Everyone else was in their late twenties and thirties. I initiated myself to the group by walking into a sharp edged two-by-four that was hidden beneath the straw on a roof. The gash on the centre of my upper forehead bled pretty profusely for a while, but I survived.



We were surprised the first night by how comfortable the tent was. After a couple of nights, we could put up or take down the tent in a matter of minutes. It was about eight-by-eight inside and the truck carried 4 inch mattresses that we laid on the tent floor. It was very dry and very few bugs entered. There were flaps on the door and back that could be raised to let fresh air in as well. The next morning, after a breakfast of eggs, beans, toast and coffee, we left on a 3 hour drive to the Ngorongoro Crater. It is a large unbroken volcanic caldera - like a gigantic bowl. At 19 km. wide, it is one of the largest craters in the world that is not a lake. The steep, unbroken walls of the crater tend to fence in the wildlife that includes elephant, lion, leopard, buffalo, cheetah, rhino, zebra, wild boar, and more. Upon entering, we stopped on the edge of the crater rim for photos. We were so high that the floor appeared deserted. We then headed down to the floor for what is referred to as a 'game drive'. We split up into three groups and transferred from the truck to 4x4s. The roof pushes up on these jeeps which allows one to stand and get an open and unimpeded view of the terrain. Our guides drove us to a camp site within the crater where, to our surprise, we found our tents already put up for us. There must have been 500 tents or more covering a large, flat field. The highlights, or lowlights, were the wild buffalo that grazed around our tents in the blackness of night. They were so close we could hear them breathing and snorting and belching as they gobbled up the grass. There was also only one washroom facility for the entire camp. (Another was located a good quarter mile away). I arose at 5:30 the next morning, hoping to beat the rush. There was a lineup outside the building already and dozens inside - the locals who work as guides and porters were all together in the washroom getting ready for the day. All four toilets were plugged and overflowing and only one sink had running water. I managed to wash my face and hands after relieving myself in the bush-like savanna behind the structure.



The most important rule we were told was 'never leave the truck'. Although most of the predators tended to lie and rest a good distance from the road, gazelles, antelopes, zebra, boars and a number of large birds, fed beside the dirt roads and crossed in front of us many times. The other rule I will call 'carpa piem'. There are no bathroom facilities on the truck and often we had to drive a good distance before finding a suitable spot where we could disembark and relieve ourselves. Hence, seizing the opportunity whenever it was presented became an important rule to follow.







Our vehicle is divided into two sections - the cab where Dave, our driver, and Chris, our guide, reside. The rest of us sit in a bus like section that could hold around thirty. The roof is solid but the sides are tied down tent flaps with windows made of thick plastic. These flaps can be rolled up resulting in the sides being wide open - great for viewing and photographing. One must climb a small ladder like stair to board. We sit a good eight or ten feet high making the view better and giving one a feeling of safety. (Although looking at the many trees that the elephants had knocked over, this height was probably a false security) The rural roads, inside and outside the parks in Tasmania, are red dirt and deeply pot-holed. The heavy rains have turned many sections into quagmires, but Dave navigated the truck like a true expert.



So what were our first impressions? I have already mentioned that the tents were quite efficient, especially for a couple of Canadian campers. Chris organizes breakfast and dinner for us. We are responsible for our own lunch. We have been divided up into four teams and rotate with different duties such as cooking, cleaning up, unloading chairs, and sweeping out the truck. I am the garbage man since I sit closest to the door. I am responsible for moving the large garbage container in and out of the truck and making sure it is solidly grounded inside the truck. The roads are terrible for the most part - all part of the poor infrastructure this government puts forth. Our daily ride is consistently slow and bumpy but one adapts. I am slightly disappointed that so much time is spent in the truck or jeeps doing 'game drives'. There is little hiking or trekking and will not be until we reach the gorillas. Fortunately, the group, although highly diversified, seems to get along quite well. And the many animals are really a National Geographic documentary in real life. It is truly an inspiring and educational experience rolled into one.

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Comments

[Heather and Norm]

seize the toilet!
Thanks to you both for your great photos and tell-all writing. Enjoying your Safari from afar. Would not be thrilled with your Carpe Piem! Keep on recording your experiences and never leave the truck. (Despite your reluctance, Marty, the orphanage kids must have embraced you as warmly as Monica!)