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Published: August 25th 2009
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Sunday, April 5, 2009 -
I felt so good after getting a full night's sleep that I opened the sliding doors and walked onto the balcony. I watched two small dik-diks (midget antelope with large eyes) eating the grass below and searched for animals on the plains in the distance.
I showered, dressed and looked forward to having a light breakfast. As I stood in the buffet line, a hornbill swooped down and snatched a piece of bread. One of the waiters was able to grab the bird and carefully tossed it towards the tree. It sat on a branch, waiting for a chance to sneak in again when nobody was looking.
One by one our friends joined us. We would have a leisurely morning, then some of us would ride out to see the animals. Since I missed the previous trip, I would be one of those going.
I had a chance get to know Caroline better. She is very bright and has a high position in the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism. Her wardrobe was superb. While most of us dressed in casual clothes which for me meant jeans while we were traveling or
at the lodge, she had a different color-coordinated outfit each day, with accessories to match. She wanted me to meet some of the other women leaders in Tanzania once we returned to Dar es Salaam. I looked forward to it.
Because we weren't leaving on the excursion for a few hours, the extra time allowed me to catch up on Hudson's life, too. He is one of those great thinkers who actually puts his knowledge to practical use. In addition to being a highly respected senior lecturer at the university, he is a key person with the International Year of Planet Earth, especially in Tanzania, and serves as a hydrology and sedimentation consultant all around the world.
Hudson appreciates the opportunities he's been given in life and wants to repay them by helping others. His dream is to build an educational facility in Kigoma located on Lake Tanganyika in western Tanzania. It will bring in students including those from other countries surrounding the region, and will specialize in languages, science and technology. I'm trying to help him, and Lennard is interested in this worthwhile project, as well.
Only one Land Rover went out. Lennard, Caroline, Geoffrey, James,
Mashaka and I (plus a few others) were among the lucky ones who would spend a few hours on the plains. Almost as soon as we left the lodges, we saw several helmeted guineafowl and a huge elephant. I was curious about large cloth sheets that hung from the trees. They were for tsetse flies. I remembered shooing some large flies off my arms earlier and hoped they were just regular ones on steroids.
A bit further, we went around a small body of water. The smell of sulfur was so strong, that I asked Lennard if it was a hot spring. I almost fell over when this man who is one of the most dignified I've ever met said, “No, it's hippo s--t.” Plain and simple. He said that they swim and live with waste and everything else, though this particular pond was devoid of mammals or anything we could see. It probably had lots of bacteria, and was definitely not a place for human recreation.
We stopped at a building to pick up one of the experts who would be able to tell us where to go and could answer questions concerning the animals. School children
were outside in the parking lot, eager to see what they would find in the park.
The first thing we passed when we started out again was a hippo pool, this time with animals. I saw a large one “undulating” and asked, “Is that hippo doing what I think he's doing?' Everyone burst into laughter and said, “Yes, Ellen, he is.”
We didn't intend to be “Peeping Toms,” but though we couldn't see what was going on under the water, we were fascinated. Mashaka was taking video, and everyone else's still cameras were recording the scene. The two amorous “lovebirds” were oblivious to what was going on around them, even the other hippos who continued to swim by.
We traveled a bit further, and a guide in another ATV told us that a leopard was in a tree not far away. We drove to the area and saw a number of other vehicles parked. It's very rare to see a leopard, not only because there aren't many of them, but because their protective coloring makes them hard to spot. (Pun intended.)
He looked so comfortable up in the tree. Periodically he'd change his position. Leopards are
one of the Big Five, with the others being lions, elephants, buffalo and rhinos. We watched him a bit longer, then went on our way, seeing many animals.
There were giraffes, deer of all kinds, storks who traveled thousands of miles from Europe and another hippo pool. I thought the large white objects hanging from the tree were blossoms. As we got closer, I saw they were birds.
Further down the road, we saw a lone hippo, munching on grass. We were told they come out of the water in the evening to find food. They can be quite dangerous, so we kept our distance while watching him.
We came across others from the Big 5: a huge herd of buffalo. We were told they don't usual travel in groups that large. Somehow the African Buffalo always reminded me of the Wendy's hamburger character. Their horns resembled her flared out pigtails.
The sun began to set. We kept shooting pictures, because each phase was more magnificent than the one before. African sunsets are spectacular. The acacia trees are silhouetted by the red sky as though painted by the Ultimate Artist—which they are.
I originally thought
the Jewish holiday Passover would be starting that night. Each year the story of the Exodus from Egypt is told in Jewish homes throughout the world. We have a special dinner and eat unleavened bread. I had planned to bring several books called Haggadahs for the ritual dinner called a Seder and thought it would be interesting to share the ceremony with our friends. I even had a title for this blog: “Seder in the Serengeti.” But I had the wrong date. It would start April 9th, as I was flying high above the earth. Maybe I'd pass Elijah and his Golden Chariot up there on my way back to Houston.
The meal at the Serena could have been called the “Last Supper,” as it was our final night in the Park. We had bonded during the trip and enjoyed each other's company. After dinner, we gave speeches. When it was my turn, I ended by giving gifts from Texas. Everyone got a Houston pin and other souvenirs.
We knew that once we left the lodge, things would move quickly. In all likelihood we wouldn't have another opportunity to share our feelings in such a relaxed atmosphere. We
went back to our bungalows, packed and got a good night's sleep.
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