MASAI MORNING

We were driving from Ngorongoro today to the Serengeti National Park. After a beautiful morning drive we stopped at a typical Masai Village. This village gets a stipend for allowing visitors to come and see their traditional ways of living. It really is very cool and not hokey or too contrived. Of course they knew we were coming so they greeted us with traditional songs of welcome. One young man gave a brief history of the Masai who used to live in the Serengeti, before they were relocated to other areas. They still live in their tradition pastorial way of cow and goat herding. We have seen many many small villages every day, and they are all basically the same, with mud and dung domed huts surrounded by either tall fence poles or thorn bushes to keep out lions. Each couple was taken by one young man into his home, where they explained even more of daily life. They mostly eat meat, blood, and milk.No Fruits,   vegetables, or breads. Only the men herd and most are pologimists and each wife has her own mud hut. We saw their small school, and then had a chance to buy some of their beaded handy work which greatly helps with purchasing water cans and other basic survival gear. I really, really enjoyed the whole experience.

EXPLORING THE CRATER

We had a 5:00 am wake up call, got some quick coffee and headed out in the jeeps to do sunrise in the Crater. The rain had made everything so fresh and crisp. It was beautiful sight as we headed down the long steep side of the crater, we got to the bottom just as the sun was peeking over the rim. The animals were out in full force. We have seen many African animals, but in a different environment, they take on a new look.  Our two traveling companions are both doctors, and one majored in Zoology, andthe other  in Biology,so along with our driver and guide (both locals) we had everything covered. We counted,and ended up seeing about 35 species of animals and birds that we could definetly identify, including jackels and hyenas that we had never seen before.

We stopped at a Hippo pond to eat a "bush breakfast". The Pond was full of Hippoes and so many different birds around the water.mWe even had hot coffee, which tasted so good.  There are 5 lion prides in the crater and we ended up spotting 4 of them. We had a great time, and laughed as we tried to teach our guide some English colloquials, like "raining cats and dog" "sucking hind tit" and a few others. He and the driver would speak in Swahili, and I wonder what they were saying with big grins on their faces.

After 6 hours we headed back, and thank goodness there was a one way road back up the crater wall. It was plenty steep with hairpin curves.

Our lodge is actually nestled into,the side of,the crater and made out of river rocks( well, they look like it, anyway). Inside and out. All the rooms have spectacular views of the whole crater, with indivdual private decks. There is a nice bar and we are headed there for a Masai dancing show...oh oh...I am going to hang back! Haha! This is still Masai country and they are allowed to bring their herds into the crater for water. There is a big Masai village outside the lodge property and we are going to visit it tomorrow on our way to Oldavai Gorge. 

Flamingoes in the ponds..thousands of them!

Some people took a 2 hr walking tour today with a guide. Since the animals can and do climb the crater walls, we could not go "walk about" by ourselves. We actually stayed in and enjoyed a few hours of quiet and rest.

ON TO NGORONGORO CRATER

We left Arusha this am and headed into Masai territory.  The landscape opened up with less vegetation, and we started seeing the familiar Masai houses and young men herding their cattle and goats.  It's been photographed endlessly, but it is still so pictureseque and beautiful.  We thought it would be fun to do something non touristy ,so our guide told us that every week, the local Masai gather to buy and sell cattle and goats nearby. We stopped at the brick herding pens  and took a look. Only men in this brick enclosures, and lots  of socializing and bargaining.  They didn't seem to mind that we were hanging on the fence and watching.

We stopped at a local,art gallery and then headed for the rim of the Ngorongoro Crater. It Is such a magnificant World Heritage site. We climbed the Crater Wall to go to a resturant perched high on the rim. It was a warm afternoon and we tried the local beer...Killamanjaro, and had a lunch of fresh Nile Perch and salad bar.

We were headed to Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge for a few nights, but wanted to see the crater from the highest point first. There were huge dark clouds gathering, and we barely stood out on the crater rim view point when all hell broke loose and it stared pouring. Torrential downpour. We got wet just going a few steps to the jeep. George is our driver and he is good. He had to drive in this heavy downpour on a steep,rutted red dirt road, while all the windows fogged up and dodging 4 wheelers coming UP the steep climb. I didnt think it was all that much fun and was very relieved when we drove into our accomodations. We freshed up, hit the bar, watched a crazy great "African aerobatic show" put on by some of the young men of the staff...had a nice dinner and fell into bed!

View of the Crater out side on our room deck.

LAZY START

After a very lazy morning, we  met with our guide to talk about the general plan for the next two weeks.  Our guide is a native of Arusha and named Maolidi... We call him "Chairman Mao". And he is as easy going and enjoyable as one can get. We met our driver, George, who is also native to this area and will be with us everyday.  He proved his patience this late afternoon as we slowly slogged through what is Arusha going home traffic. One never worries about dangerous animals, malaria, or anything else after a few hours on the road in Africa.

We took off after lunch and headed to Arusha National Park, which is very close (1 hr) away and filled with all kinds of birds and game. We were hoping to see a leopard, but  that did not happen. Many of the bird species and animals we saw , we have already seen In Uganda, which shares a boarder with Tanzania. We couldnt get too excited over them, but did see two species of monkey that we have never seen, the Collabus and Blue monkies. There were only 4 of us in our jeep. Two pediatricians, and us. Did I mention we have 4 doctors and one nurse on board? Guess we have the medical stuff  covered. Last night at thenTulip,,which has been an exceptional restful place.

AFRICA ONCE MORE

African  names have lodged in my imagination since I was a small girl. My mother would read me stories of the "dark continent" ; Kilamanjaro, Entebbe, Mombassa, Timbucktu, Dar es Salam, and these unfamiliar names would lodge in my memory and facinate me all my life. I have been lucky to travel to some of these countries and cities in Africa. Everything Africa interests me and has for a long time. This will be our 4th trip to the continent and the first to the Eastern side. Tanzania and Zanzibar will be the countries that we explore. Because we left Sequim the day before our flight, we have been on a ( two day plus) journey to the City of Arusha in Tanzania to begin a trek to see the migrating herds of the Seringheti, Ngorongoro Crater, and many more historical and cultural things of this area. 

I am sitting in a plane once more, having left Istanbul and and flying south over Africa to Tanzania. Because of the time changes, plane changes and  everything else...I do not even know what time it is for real.... Steve keeps saying it is "such and such" time back home, which only makes it worse. I like to just get on board with the time when we land and take it from there. So we land at 1:05 AM. We need to go thru customs, pay the Visa, find our guide and get to the hotel. Steve already has a sleeping mask on and a blankie.   I am enjoying a 2nd glass of wine. I am figuring it will be a long night, or morning...or whatever it is.....

29 hours of travel and still hanging in there. 

THE GHATS OF VARANASI

Bathing ghats are a big attraction in this

 ancient city of pilgrimage. People flock here in large numbers every day to bathe early in the am, and worship in the temples built beside the river bank.  We got up early and hired a large row boat to float down the Ganga at sunrise and watch this tradition of offering puja to the rising sun.  It is bustling early with the faithful  and people have their favorite ghats. Men usually strip down to white wraps, but  most women go in fully clothed. One must submerse totally and over and over to do it correctly.

There are also groups of a certain caste doing laundry in the river and laying the sheets and towels out on the cement banks of the river  to dry. This has been going on for hundreds of years, and surprisngly the items come out very clean.

 We sat and watched a school of young boys learning "sankrit". These boys are picked by their families to become Hindu Priests. We docked here and walked up to the steps of their school to watch their instruction. Then we walked all over the alleys and little winding areas above the ghats.  This was not the  tourist spots, but where locals shop and take care of business when in Varanasi. I bought a very cool camel bone necklace of "skulls" from a vendor whose family makes all his products.  He explained to me it was a "tantric" necklace used to protect the good from the evil forces always trying to take over...so guess I am good to go now!

EVENING AARTI

Aarti is a Hindu religious ritual of worship, in which light soaked in ghee or camphor is offered to one or more deities. This ritual is performed EVERY night at sunset on the shores of the Ganga. Tonight, we decided to go see this. It is  performed in more than one spot on the shore,but it is  the exact same ritual, so the shores of the Ganga are alive with rhythmic chants, clanging cymbals and lots of flaming lights.

There is something else flaming in the night and that is the cremation of so many bodies. We had to pass by many cremations on our way to one of the bigger Aarti displays. It is the wish of every Hindu to die in Varanasi and be cremated by their loved ones on the shore of the Ganga.  That doesn't always happen, but it is the desire of most. It is also why many many people come to Varanasi and literally sleep on the sidewalks at night, feeling if they die, they will be cremated in this holiest of spots and make a better passage to heaven.  We thought they were just homeless bums, but not necessarily...just very devout,whom feel their time is approaching. We wanted to be respectful as we passed these pyres, so I took pictures while in a boat a bit away from the shore.

There were many boats floating across the shore from the Aarti. We joined them, and as the young hawkers were stepping from boat to boat trying to sell chai, I tried to get into the groove. It was very loud! Very smokey from bodies burning and all the wicks.  The pilgrims just flock in great numbers to this version of what we might call a church service. I kept thinking of what we were told over and over.....Hinduism is NOT an religion, but a Lifestyle.  People rarely convert "TO" Hinduism, because it is hard to understand all the do's and mostly DONT's. Lives of Hindus are ruled by excessive rules attached to everything. Everything! It Is fascinating and puzzling to an outsider like me.

I Really enjoyed our sunset float down the Ganga.  It was real. And alive, amongst all the dead. Hard to explain.