The Adventures of JenMonster: Tanzania, Day 5

February 27, 2012

Today is our six hour drive to the Serengeti, where we are diving to the furthest point away on our trip and then working back up again, so that this will be the only long drive that we have to take.

On the drive out we saw a gray heron strutting his stuff, and pied crows flew overhead. We drove into the village and stopped for gas and supplies. Sellers came determinedly to our windows, and we again had the experience of dealing with very friendly, but very pushy businessmen.

I ended up selling one my UMaine college bracelet that I got for free, for a bracelet. Then, determined to save my money, I tried telling the rest I was out of money. They told me they were broke too. It became a broke off, trying to determine who was poorer that day. I told them all I had was 500 shillings, and I showed them to make a point.

"This is only good for a coke" one told me. (Meaning that the money was only enough to buy a soda, it wasn't much). He again tried to sell me some necklaces for 5000 shillings, and I insisted I didn't have the money. Realizing he wasn't getting anything from me, he reached in the vehicle, took the 500 shilling from my lap and said "I will use this to buy a coke."

I was so flabbergasted I didn't even know what to say, and decided that though he had won the "broke off," he's a jerk.

I have to admit, it seems that in Tanzania they have to work a lot harder for a lot less, so maybe he earned that stupid coke.

It was this guy with the colorful hat. > :(

Leaving the village behind in our dust, we drove for quite a ways and ended up at the gates to Serengeti National Park.

There were many money issues (a constant problem on this trip..from the beginning this trip almost didn't happen due to our original tour guide company trying to give us random false charges, and causing several other headaches, so we went with Soko Tours, which was GREAT and I recommend them!) the park wanted us all to pay in cash, not only that but it had to be in American currency, and just to make things EVEN MORE difficult, minted after 1975.

No bank would help us, so our professor's friends came to our rescue and loaned us the money. The University sent them a check and everything was solved, but that seemed like an unnecessary difficulty, and I wonder why the park didn't let us know about this bit of information AHEAD of time.

While we waited to go through the gate, a family of baboons entertained us, hopping on the jeeps and racing around the parking lot. When several people left one jeep to go inside for a bathroom break, a baboon started to climb in one of the jeep windows. The lone girl still inside was so surprised she instinctively punched the thing back out of the jeep!

The gate to the park

This just might be the baboon that got punched, right before it tried climbing in the window..

Money issues finally aside, we then SPED through the Serengeti, as we had to get to our lodge before a certain time, and the whole money thing really screwed things up!

Our professor told us "We won't be stopping for anything short of a cheetah riding a rhinoceros"

So, with a five hour drive ahead of us, and needing to get to the lodge before sunset, we sped through the Serengeti like it was a bad neighborhood. Happily, we made it to the lodge in time, but sadly, we missed some things.

One jeep was lucky enough to see a leopard! (I was not on that jeep = ( )

We passed the Ngorongoro Crater, what a view!!

We saw some wildlife on the way!

We stopped for a bathroom break, and there was a great view from here.

The lodge we are staying at is beautiful! We stayed at Lobo Wildlife lodge, and it was like a castle compared to the places we'd been staying (though the tented lodge is still my favorite) The main part of the lodge is wide and open, and the rooms all have views overlooking the Serengeti, and there are bats nesting in the rafters!!

We were also warned not to leave anything near the windows, as baboons might reach in and take it.

This place is amazing. While walking to dinner, Annie and I spotted a hyrax (silly looking creatures, pictures of them will follow in another post) and much to our surprise this overgrown rodent jumped of the second floor balcony into a tree! (They look like groundhogs..except kind of evil..)

Dinner was a buffet where a talented musician played piano and the guitar for us, singing a popular song called "Jambo" (Jambo means hello) and he also sang "In the Jungle" (I bet a lot of tourists LOVE that)

This is the view from our room. Not the greatest picture, but I LOVE that we could see so much and for so far! It was hard to go to sleep when I just wanted to keep looking for more things to see!