First Days in Tanzania

Boston to London to Dar Es Salaam to Kilimanjaro to Arusha, Tanzania 40 hours later and finally we've arrived at our Safari kick-off location! Arusha, perhaps the largest city in the country, is well...a wee bit backwards. The downtown area is comprised of lots of very run down store fronts with tin corrugated roofs, plywood walls, open fronts, with piles of dirt/sand and trash all in front. There are no sidewalks, just dirt lining the barely paved roadway which is shared by people, goats, chickens and lots of workers ferrying fruits etc in large wheelbarrows. These all share space with grain, fruit, veggies etc sold from a blanket on the ground. And people are everywhere!  Throughout the day they hang around street corners, in the streets, on the street, in front of stores..everywhere! It's crazy chaos everywhere.

Our accommodations have been fantastic! Rooms are spacious and the beds are elegantly draped with mosquito netting. Thus far we have stayed at 3 places - 1) Olasiti Lodge in Arusha - modern lodge, nice pool, with most of the food being grown on the property 2) Lake Burunge Permanent tents - these were lakeside, self contained (had showers and bathrooms etc) cabins and were fantastic. A beautiful restaurant overlooking the water, again with all local grown food and 3) tonight we are at the Tolomoa Mountain lodge and this is unbelievable. We are on the edge of the Ngorogoro Crater and this property is filled with amazing flora and fauna. Flowers in full bloom everywhere and of course a garden where they grown all of their fruits and veggies. And lets not forget the pool!
Everywhere we've been the food has been excellent - lots of fruits and veggies at every meal. Thus far all meals have been a buffet consisting of a few platters of different sliced fruit, 5 or so platters of veggies cooked in a different style and then usually 2 types of meats - lamb, chicken, pork or beef. I'm not a fan of beans/lentils etc but I've been devouring their preparation daily!  Many of the dishes have an African flare which generally means it's seasoned with local spices.

As for the animals, unbelievable! The pics we all see in books do not begin to compare to the real thing! We have spent 2 days on game drives in Tarangire National Park and have seen elephants, zebras, giraffes, cape buffalos, antelopes, small monkeys, big baboons, impalas, and tons of birds. Only 2 of the big 5 so far but we're hoping for the rest in the Serengeti.  What is most amazing is that these animals function like our LandCruisers do not exist. They continue on their paths coming withing 10 feet of us!

Our Safari Group, OAT, has done a great job mixing game drives with culture. Today we spent the afternoon at the family compound of a Masaii warrior. This is the dominant tribe in this area who live very primitively. They live in thatched roof huts, without electricity, running water etc. The are farming nomads who move as their crops and water sources require. The men are polygamists and so we met the tribal leader today, his 5 wives and numerous children. He offered 85 cows for a couple of us if we would stay to be wife number 6 and 7! They performed a number of ceremonies for our visit including one which is saved for only their most special occasions.  Rated R info here....they hold a cow perfectly still and tie a noose around it's neck to engorge the jugular vein. The tribal chief then shoots a sharpened metal tipped bow into the jugular and catches the blood in a jug as it spurts. This blood is offered too all present to drink. Yikes!


Onto the Serengeti tomorrow for 4 nights where we will stay in mobile camps. These are fancy tents with bathrooms that move where ever the animals are migrating at that time.  We will be out in the bush and other travelers have said that it is very common to hear elephants etc passing right by your tent at night.

I'm loving Africa so far. It has been eye opening to see how other cultures live with so little. The people are happy and are so welcoming everywhere we go. This includes the men who yell hello from across the street and the kids who chase our safari vehicles. 

Miss you all!