Arusha

:Arusha: :Tarangire: :Ngorongoro Crater: :Serengeti: :Balloon Safari: :Cat Gallery:

We left Boston on February 10, 2003 for our delayed honeymoon: a Tanzanian safari. After much research on the matter, we opted to use Thomson Safari, a Watertown, Mass company that is committed to low-impact tourism exclusively in Tanzania. The trip was extraordinary, and I'd recommend Thomson in a second for anyone considering a safari adventure. We decided upon the Serengeti Wildlife Safari, which offered us a diverse combination of luxurious lodges and adventurous tented accommodations in Tarangire, Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti. This itinerary also appealed to us because of the small ratio of guides to safari-goers. We were NOT disappointed! The trip exceeded our expectations in every way.

The flights to Tanzania all go through Amsterdam. Although many folks do, we had decided NOT to take an extra day and stay over in Amsterdam. Although this would have allowed our bodies to recuperate from the jet lag a wee bit, we also knew that we simply couldn't be trusted to rest and relax. We would have over-packed with "Europe clothes" and over-itinerized. So, we enforced upon ourselves an itinerary that took us from Boston to Amsterdam to Arusha, Tanzania with few hours between

In Boston’s Logan Airport, we adhered to our time-honored regimen for sleeping on Trans-Atlantic flights:

Step 1: Drink lots of Guiness and eat a high-protein meal
Step 2: Get on the plane and IMMEDIATELY insert earplugs and put on sleep mask
Step 3: Snooze until landing

Here I am reading a pamphlet about our “balloon safari”, sporting my new glasses. Don't they make me look smart?

We snoozed and snoozed on the flight despite the cramped seating on Northwest. While in the Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, we browsed around the shops in what turned out to be a fruitless search for what Bill had heard was a magnificent french fries stand. Instead, we visited a museum right in the airport, and sipped coffee in one of the lounges. Then we herded into the waiting area for the KLM flight to Tanzania...we spied on all of the passengers, looking for the "Thomson Safari" baggage tags that would announce them to be fellow safari-goers with us.

Finally, late on 2/11/03, we arrived at Kilimanjaro Airport in Arusha late at night. Our guides, Robert, Mohammed, and Ojukwu met us at the airport and immediately helped us to feel like a cohesive group, well-cared for. They loaded up the Land Rovers, and off we went to the Mountain Village Lodge, about 45 minutes away. It was dark and moonless, but Ojukwu pointed out the darker section of the view that was the shadow of Mount Kilimanjaro.

In the lodge that evening, I grabbed a Safari Lager and immediately set to studying up on the wildlife. We found Richard Estes book, "The Safari Companion" to be absolutely invaluable. It seemed dense to get through before we actually saw any wildlife, but once we were on the road and seeing the animals, the immense value of this book became apparent, and it was dog-eared by the end of our trip.

The next morning, we awoke bright and early. The Mountain Village Lodge in Arusha was lush and warm and welcoming. Flowers were everywhere.

Here I am in front of our Mountain Village Lodge rondavel. The wooden doors were carved with all sorts of animal figures:

The rondavels were charming and comfortable.

It was a short walk to breakfast...I might look like I am taking a jaunty pace, but actually I was suddenly feeling rather lousy.

Okay, now for the most embarrassing picture. I dunno if it was the jet-lag or the Safari Lager from the night before or the KLM food on the flight to Tanzania or payback for our Guinness strategy of TransAtlantic flying, or perhaps a combination of all of it, but I was suddenly struck down with a horrible illness. I had to urgently excuse myself from breakfast after taking one bite of fruit and realizing that it wasn't going to stay down. I half-dragged myself back to the rondavel, where I crashed on the bed, woozy and sick. Of course, Bill wasted not a second in documenting my illness with all manner of photographic equipment.

After 1 hour of sleep, I felt renewed, and up for our morning excursion!

We went for a short hike on the slopes of Mount Meru, through the coffee plantations. We knew this limited exercise would be about as much as we would get! Jet lag and altitude really kept us going at a slow, easy pace.

We visited with a local woman, Mama Anna, who runs a Cheese Farm:

Have you heard of the Heifer Project? http://www.heifer.org/index.shtml This is a charitable organization that gives cows and other agricultural animals to families in need around the world. Heifer animals (and training in their care) offer hungry families around the world a way to feed themselves and become self-reliant. Children receive nutritious milk or eggs; families earn income for school, health care and better housing; communities go beyond meeting immediate needs to fulfilling dreams. Farmers learn sustainable, environmentally sound agricultural techniques.

Anyway, this is Mama Anna’s Heifer Project cow! (the closest one, with the clip on its ear).

She realized that she could not support herself on the milk alone, so she went to the Land O’ Lakes “Cheese School” and gained a certificate in cheese making. Now she runs a women’s cooperative, making 7 different kinds of cheeses! Mama Anna’s Gouda is gooda! They can only make cheeses that don’t require refrigeration for production, and gouda is their main cheese. Here is their Cheese Factory, with aging goudas all lined up. Anyone who knows me and my cheese obsession will be surprised that I didn’t just take a wheel and run!

We returned for an evening meal at the Lodge, and then off for our first full night of restful sleep. Then, we were off to Tarangire National Park.

On to: Tarangire National Park

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