Africa - Day 9
After a beautiful sunrise over Ngorongoro Crater seen from our hotel porches, we drove out of the morning mist of the crater into Manyara National Park. On the way to our destination, we passed through Karatu, a town where the Iraqw people live. Think Carribean town with people selling fruits, vegetables, grains and clothes outside. We stopped at a roadside souvenir store. Prices were similar to Neiman Marcus - we learned a little about Tanzenian bargaining. Score 1 for the Tanzenians. We drove into the park where we were greeted by yellow billed storks. On our way to the lake, we saw bushbucks, 2 kilpspringers in a tree (Reggie had never seen this before), elephants, blue monkeys, etc. The setting at the lake was idyllic with birds by the thousands of many varieties. The landscape was completed by deer, hippos, giraffes, zebras and wildebeests. We drove to our picnic lunch at a setting which overlooked the lake. After lunch, we saw several troops of baboons who blocked roads, fought over women, and cared for their young. We continued to see our friends the giraffes and elephants, but not the elusive leopard. We finished our tour of the park with Reggie driving 6 sleeping passengers.
Additional words about the small towns we passed through with the Maasi villages interpersed between them. We saw 10 year olds herding cattle, clothing being washed in a pond and dried on trees. No one goes home until the clothes dry. There's an educational system of sorts. We've seen children in uniforms waiting for buses and walking to school. They are the lucky ones. Walking is the primary means of transportation. As we drive on dirt and sand roads, we' seen some bikes, but no privately owned cars since we left Arusha.
Our next destination, the Tarangire Tented River Camp is way off the beaten path. We drove on the sand of a dried up river to reach our tents. This camp makes you feel as if you are on a safari as animals roam freely on the grounds.
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