Day 7

Saturday, December 8, 2018

We almost missed the bus!  The hot air balloonists had a 4:30 AM wake up call, and the printed schedule said the rest of us would be meeting up with them at 10:00 AM. We interpreted that to mean that we would be loading up at 10:00 AM. But, not wanting to miss a single thing, we were up and in the lodge for breakfast at 7:30 AM. It was then that we learned that the balloonists were more than an hour away and we would be loading at 8:00 AM to meet them there!  Unfortunately two others also didn’t read that information correctly and were still in the shower, so one bus driver stayed back to drive them to our destination.  We were glad we had gotten up early!

Any time we are in the Jeep, our driver (and all of us) are scanning the grounds for animals and the skies for birds.  Once again we weren’t disappointed .  Soon after we had left our lodge we came across a group of lions who had just finished their breakfast at the expense of a poor zebra.  It was amazing to see how clean that carcass was!  Only a little of its head was left and the hyenas were waiting in the background to finish it up.  We have noticed that there are few bones laying around.  Mostly what we have seen are skulls.  Our driver told us that is because the hyenas eat most of the bones.  

We reached the welcome center for the Serengeti around 10:30 and found some very happy balloonists!  After their balloon ride they had a bush breakfast that looked just like a scene from “Out of Africa”.   They said the experience was awesome.  The plan was for us to have a game drive for the rest of the day, eating a picnic lunch which the hotel had prepared for us along the way.  But shortly after we returned to the Jeep, the heavens opened, and the rain poured down.  Because the Serengeti is mostly clay based and the soil level is so shallow, and because it has been so dry, the land and roads immediately became a slippery mess.  Several of those in our Jeep elected to just return to the lodge, but on the way there we came across a pride of 4 lions lounging beneath a tree.  They had just devoured another poor zebra.  About all that was left was head and legs, and at least 18 hyenas waited in the visible distance for the second course.

There seem to be many travel guide companies in Tanzania, so we often see people also on safari, and consequently have met many people from other countries along the way.  Rather than trying to “out do” each other, the field guides from other companies share information on animals they have sighted.  While we were watching this pride of lions, our driver noticed that a Jeep from a competitive company was stuck.  He drove behind that vehicle to help him get out of the deep rut by pushing him with our Jeep.  That didn’t work, so the other driver and our driver got out of the vehicle and starting shoveling.  They were so very close to those lions, and I was really uneasy.  I was very happy to see our driver back in his seat!  He was successful in pushing that Jeep out of the ditch and back onto the road so it all ended well.  

It was interesting to see how the animals all but disappeared in the rain, but then as the rain cleared they started to reappear.  I couldn’t figure out where they had gone because the Serengeti (at least the part we are visiting) is a vast grassy plain with few trees.

Shortly before arriving at our lodge, we came across another huge pride of lions.  This pride consisted of at least 20 lions.  Two were males, one of whom had a black mane which designated him as the older of the two.  They were actively devouring a zebra and you could hear their grunting as they tore at the meat.  The females were laying back, waiting for the males to finish their meal (even though they did the killing).  The little ones would be the last to eat. The sight, the sounds and the knowledge that we were experiencing this was mind boggling!

Our four drivers keep in close contact with each other via radio, and try to make sure that we all then get to share similar experiences.  Today, however, the radios were not working well - probably because of the heavy rain.  We ended up being the first Jeep back at the lodge, and the others came back in maybe half hour intervals.  It was fun hearing what everyone else experienced.  Not everyone saw the same things, but everyone was blessed with another great day.

Tomorrow we head back to the Tarangeti.  And that is our first step back towards home.  I find myself thinking about home and Christmas a little more every day.  Right now, sitting here wearing shorts and flip flops it is hard to imagine snow, but it will be part of our story again soon enough.  For now, though, I am going to sit here and watch the zebras meander outside our window and the monkeys run along the outside corridors.