December 2019

HI Everyone Hope all is well. I want to wish everyone a healthy and happy new year as we start a new decade. The key word is healthy. Thank you for following and supporting me on my adventures around the world. Soon you will be receiving notifications that four new albums have been posted. The albums are named Katavi, Mahale, Selous and Serengeti. Those are the four areas I visited on my last trip to Tanzania. The albums will be gradually posted over a period of a few days. Love Larry

Hi Everyone So here it goes. The last full day in Tanzania. Am writing this blog on a flight from Dar Es Salaam to Amsterdam. We are scheduled to arrive in Amsterdam at around seven AM and then pick up another flight to JFK and arrive at twelve PM. The day started like any normal day on this trip. Wake up was at five. I gulped down my great Tanzanian coffee while I packed. Sleep was pretty good given the heat and bug situation. Went over to the dining area to board our boat ride on the Rufiji River. I had contemplated missing this final drive since I need some serious sleep and mopping time. At the last moment, I decided to go. We boarded our little boats and took off. We tried to get the sun to reflect off the hippos in the water. Finding the hippos was not the problem. Getting the right light was. At this point, I am not sure what I captured. We then drove further down river and got some good croc shots of them sunning themselves and going into the water. We then searched the banks for birds. The birds of Africa are so unique and beautiful. At about eight it was time to head back to Camp. We needed to be packed and then meet in the dining area for breakfast. After break we just sat around and waited to leave at twelve for our drive to the Airstrip. I am so tired that I fell asleep on one of the couches for about an hour. At twelve we left the Camp after saying our goodbyes. We drove through this part of the African Bush for the final time. My eyes became glazed and my mind tried to absorb all this beauty for the last time. The heat was intense and the ride was extra bumpy, but the only thing I could think of was this majesty of our planet all around me. We arrived at the Airstrip and waited for our putt putt to arrive. The plane then landed on the dirt runway and we all boarded for our forty five minute flight to Dar Es Salaam. The flight was quick and there was sadness in my mind to leave such a beautiful place. We all disembarked and walked on the runway. As soon as we entered the terminal, the ten of us just stood inside and could only feel the comfort of cold air conditioned air blowing on us. There members left us, including Sean, for different flights. Sean lives in Nairobi and his flight is very short. The other seven, including myself, were all driven to a hotel where we had day rooms reserved. The traffic in Dar Es Salaam or Dar as the locals call the city, was horrendous. It seemed that traffic lights are only a suggestion. We eventually arrived at our hotel. The day room was very nice and the A/C was great. Took a shave, a hot shower and rested. We were meeting at seven for dinner and then it’s off to the airport. By the way, during my down time I called Olivia. We talked and talked. I told her that I had taken a long swim in Lake Tanganyika. Her comment was “Whats wrong with taking a long swim in a lake in East Africa? Have you ever heard of parasites? “. Oh well, I hope I am alive in a few weeks. Now let’s sum up the trip. We visited four areas of Tanzania and the African Bush. They are the Serengeti, Katavi, Mahale on Lake Tanganyika and Selous. All four places are different and unique. The Serengeti is all that we would think it should be. Beautiful plains, tall grass, trees and rock formations, but it’s always about the wildlife. The leopards and their cubs. Watching the cubs playing and exploring together. The lions in their beauty and grace. The zebras, elephants, baboons, Wildebeest and giraffes. Even a small lizard that had some of the most beautiful colors I had ever seen. I’m sure I have left some wildlife out. The sweet and friendly nature of the Masai people taking care of us at the Camp. Then the sadness of one of my mentors, Andy, leaving us. I so wanted to spend some time with him. Onto Katavi. The remoteness and experience. Doing an old fashioned safari. Sleeping in a tent. Taking Bush showers and then the wildlife. They are so unique and plentiful. The huge amount of hippos, crocs, lions, giraffes, monkeys and baboons. Watching amazing sunrises and sunsets. Seeing crocs digging holes to stay cool while they wait for the rains. Seeing baby crocs in a hole dug by their mother. Barely seeing anyone else and knowing that so few people have visited this place. The amazing sunrise and sunset that so defines Africa. I will miss Katavi the most. The beauty and majesty of Africa is so well defined here. I know I have been blessed to see and experience Katavi. Onto Mahale. Taking a boat ride on Lake Tanganyika to our Camp and knowing that there are no roads and that this is the only way to get there. The beauty of our Camp. Then the chimps. Trekking through a dense jungle. Finding the chimps and then trying to take pictures of them. The photography challenge was enormous and I learned and succeeded. Swimming in Lake Tanganyika and having its cool water bring my core body temperature down. Now the final Camp, Selous. The challenge of the heat and bugs. Adjusting and living with the challenge. The beauty of the wild dogs. I had never seen so many. The lions and their cubs. The giraffes, Wildebeest, zebras and baboons. The amazing sunset I saw there and the colors. The drive with Will in darkness and him searching for more. I could go on and on. How could I forget to not mention Sean and Will. Both

Hi Everyone The bug situation last night was fierce. It seemed like many of the smaller insects have gone right through my mosquito net. I slept sporadically and finally stopped the charade at 4:30. My coffee arrived at five and I went to meet our vehicles at six. I have gotten so many bug bites around my angles that some of them have started to bleed. I think I got bitten by some more Tsetse flys as well. The difference is the Tsetse fly bites burn and itch for much longer. At six we departed for the morning drive. We went far from the Camp. Passed numerous giraffes and was constantly looking out for lions and leopards. We saw a herd of Wildebeest grazing. They are very shy animals and as soon as they see you will normally run away. I set my Sony on fast speed and was able to capture some images of the Wildebeest in motion. We then drove up and down ravines and through the grasslands. Came upon warthogs, impalas, giraffes and other assorted wildlife, but no lions or leopards. Our vehicle was then called to breakfast. Members of the Camp staff had set up a long table and fire to cook us our breakfast. What a feast. Hot coffee, juice, eggs, bacon, sausage and crepes all made over an open flame in the Bush. After breakfast it started to rain and got harder as we drove towards Camp. The Land Rover was slipping and sliding over the muddy road. We finally made it back to Camp at twelve. I yearned for a long shower and hopped right in. Lunch was another great meal. Bush pizza and salad. Will never get tired of Bush pizza. I went back to my room and fell asleep. Woke up about thirty minutes later and saw a monkey looking through some of my stuff I had left on the floor. Forgot to monkey proof everything. Had another Lightroom session with Will. He is such an amazing teacher and the knowledge and that he has I hope to gain one day. Sean called off the afternoon boat ride and drive. The rain has not stopped and we all need the mopping and quiet time. Our final dinner was amazing. A great barbecue with Swahili side dishes. After dessert some of the staff sang Swahili songs and danced. The game plan for tomorrow is as follows. Wake up at five and pack. We then take a boat ride at six and come back to the Camp by eight. Eat breakfast and be out of our rooms by nine. We have a fifty minute flight to Dar es Salam. We have Day rooms near the airport since our flight is at midnight to Amsterdam. I then have a two hour layover in Amsterdam and then it’s onto JFK. Arrive around noon time. Am writing this blog laying in bed with a fan blowing on me. I hear the hippos and the bugs seem to have subsided. The bug situation could not have gotten worse than last night. Imagine trying to sleep in a bed with beetles falling down from the canopy of the bed and little flying bugs crawling all around you. I will wrap up the trip tomorrow night on the plane and tell everyone about our next adventure Love Larry

Hi Everyone Finally got a half way decent nights sleep. After dinner, I went back to my room, took a nice cold shower, moved my fan to inside the mosquito net and turned own my iPad to read myself to sleep. The light from the iPad started to attract small bugs that I did not notice nor see in the bed and mosquito net. Eventually it became annoying. What I did was to read a while, turn off the light from the iPad, then wait awhile, then turn the light back on. I consistently did this to avoid the build up of bugs. Needless to say, after a few times, I fell asleep. Was, of course, woken up at five with my hot Tanzanian coffee. Always pressed. We all met in the reception and dining area at six and boarded our three boats. The boats were motorized and each had three rows of two seats each. Off we went down the Rufiji River. There were hippos going into the water. Hippos are quite defenseless when they get out of the water to forage at night. They are slow and have a limited means to defend themselves. When hippos go under water, they come up for air and the first thing they do is spray out the water that collected in their lungs. We tried to time the hippos surfacing and then taking pictures of the spray. A hard shot to take and deliver. We then drove down the Rufiji and saw more hippos, beautiful birds and a croc sliding and crawling into the water. Sean, who was the captain of my boat, pulled over to some rocks, tied the boat up and we all got out to stretch our legs and use the Bush bathroom. He gave a fishing rod to one of the women and she caught a big tiger fish. Has lots of large and sharp teeth. Sean had ideas for this fish. We then traveled further down stream and saw a grassy sand bar. The three boats stopped there and we all disembarked. Will pulled out some tall grass and Sean made a float with the long grass and attached it to the dead fish. We saw a beautiful eagle sitting on a long branch watching us. The idea is to put the fish in the river and entice the eagle to fly down and pick the fish up and fly back. We tried this maneuver numerous times floating the fish past the eagle, but the eagle would not budge. Will said these eagles have great vision and it appeared he or she was watching us. Shortly thereafter, another eagle arrived and perched next to the first eagle. Will then picked up the fish and put it on a large rock on the same side of the river that the eagles were on. The second eagle jumped down and flew to a closer tree. The first eagle followed and then one of the eagles jumped to a still closer branch. Then it happened. The closer eagle flew and landed on the fish. The eagle started to eat the fish but did not try to pick it up and fly with it. Our three boats were all around this scene clicking away. Eventually, the eagle took off without the fish. We made our way to a rocky outcropping to have breakfast. Our usual choices were spread out on the rocks and we were served hot coffee. The temperature was rising and my clothing was getting soaked. After breakfast we drove back to our Camp. The high speed breeze was so refreshing. Of course I immediately took my first cold shower of the day and then walked over to the main area for lunch. Before lunch I took a nice cool swim in the pool. Got my core body temperature temporarily down. Lunch was a delicious mix of salads. I scheduled a Lightroom session with Sean at four. My photography has gotten better and better as the days have worn on. I have concentrated on my composition and image composure. Sean and Will are great wildlife photographers and I have learned so much from them and their perspective. I love and enjoy all aspects of photography but my favorite is becoming wildlife photography. At 4:30 we left for our afternoon drive. Will was in my vehicle leading the way. Of course we spotted some giraffes. This Park has such beautiful and majestic giraffes. We then spotted some beautiful guinea hens and birds. It was then onto a small lake where crocs, hippos and birds were plentiful. We stayed at the lake to watch the sunset and the colors change. The sky turned orange and red as we composed some beautiful images. Will spotted the skull of a croc and we took some unique pictures of the skull with the colors reflecting through. We eventually began our drive back to Camp in darkness. Will stood up with a flashlight looking for wildlife as we drove back in the darkness. We spotted a huge hippo grazing and there were so many fireflies. He then stopped the vehicle right before Camp, got out and came back with a huge branch from a bush. On the bush was the biggest chameleon I have ever seen. The chameleon was almost the same color as the leaves and was the size of a small marine iguana. This drive is just one example of why I love the African Bush so much. My mind empties whenever I am here. I absorb the beauty of what is around me Tomorrow is our last full day at this our final Camp. Our morning drive, like always, starts at six and we have an afternoon boat ride to see the sunset on the water. The bugs are out in force tonight. I turned my computer on to download pictures and had to shut it off since the light was attracting so many bugs. I just sprayed myself with

Hi Everyone It’s around 5:20 AM. Coffee was brought to me. I hardly had any sleep. My room is all open. There is a view looking at the Rufiji River. The river is full of hippos and crocs. There are no doors to lock and windows to open. The hippos come out of the water at night to forage. Some hippos have been foraging from the river bank up to my terrace and room. They have been grunting all night. Further, the bugs are all over. Some of them have gotten into my mosquito net. When you get out of bed, the bugs are all over everything. I saw a beetle crawling up my power cord to my MacBook Pro. Last night I looked up to the canopy of my bed, with the mosquito net draped around the bed, and saw beetles on the inside part of the canopy. I am so looking forward to feeling the cold and crisp air of NYC, seeing my beautiful wife and sleeping in my own bed. Our morning game drive is at six. If it is like the previous afternoon, we will have had a huge success. Our morning game drive started at six. The light was a little bit earlier here than up north. We drove and saw a baby giraffe with the umbilical cord still attached. As soon as we pulled up, the mother made sure she was close to her baby. The driver told us the baby was less than two weeks old. We then drove on and came upon a large pond or small lake. There were hippos and birds all over. One of the few places I like taking bird pictures is in Africa. Many of the birds are so unique and colorful. All the hippos were in the water and some of them started to play with each other by opening up theirs mouths and butting heads. There were some dead trees upright in the water. Created some beautiful images of the hippos, birds and barren trees in the water. We also saw some very large crocs and a baby croc. We took pictures of one large croc eating a large fish and some crocs were going into the water. The reflection of crocs with the water was beautiful. There were also quite a few baboons running across the landscape. Some of them were carrying their babies either under them or on top like riding a horse. We then spotted a family of lions resting in the shade. There were three adult females, three cubs that were around two months old and two older cubs that were were around nine months old. They were just laying around sleeping. We decided to mark their spot and return after breakfast. Our driver set up breakfast. Coffee, cereal, muffins and egg sandwiches were served. As we were eating we saw the group of lions walking. We all stopped eating, grabbed our cameras and boarded the Land Rover. The cubs and other females were following one large female. As they walked, the cubs were playing with each other and the other lions. What a treat to be able to see this in their natural environment. We followed the group for quite some time until they disappeared in shrubs. This Park is different than the others. You are permitted to go off road. We also went off road in the other parks. Our drivers ignored the rules for our enjoyment. After the experience with the lions, we returned to our breakfast. Fortunately baboons and monkeys had not trashed the place. We then turn towards Camp. I can tell you that it is “Africa Hot”. The late morning and afternoon heat is very intense and humid. Speaking about humidity, Sean told me that if you go to the Congo and wash your clothes, they never fully dry. The other side of Lake Tanganyika is the Congo. I saw it from my view point when we were in Mahale. This morning, when I put on my socks, that were laundered by the Camp, they were damp. The weather creates a three shower day. One after the first game driver, one before the second game drive and one when you return from the second game drive. We arrived in Camp around 11:30. I was soaked but the soaking was well worth the experience. I met Will at 12:30 for some Lightroom work. Will is so talented. I hope to learn and know as much as him one day. Lunch was served at one. Great salads, breads and meat. We are all meeting at four for afternoon tea and then it’s off for the afternoon drive. This Park seems to be loaded with wildlife. I have avoided taking a nap. Hopefully I will be able to sleep through the hippo serenade. Our afternoon drive was the first time I have been disappointed with the African Bush. The beauty and stunning aura of the Bush will never disappoint me. I could drive around for hours without seeing any wildlife. We spotted some zebras,giraffes and buffalo but that’s about it. I guess I am becoming spoiled. Well, that’s nature. Dinner is at eight and I have decided to take my third shower after dinner. Love Larry

Hi Everyone I am going to combine two days on one blog. You will see why Woke up at 6:30 by the smell of hot coffee being brought to me. We all met at 7:30 for breakfast ready to go. We waited and waited. Finally I went back to my hut, got into more comfortable clothes and of course fell asleep until around 11:30. It was raining hard as I got dressed and then went to the dining and reception area. No news yet that the chimps had been found. At one lunch was served. The homemade breads are fabulous. I then had a great Lightroom session with Will. Then went back to my room and of course, took another nap. I was woken up by the steady rain at about 3:30 and walked over to the dining area for afternoon tea and to see what’s doing. The trackers had found the chimps way up on the mountain and the hike would be about two hours straight up. I decided to not go and went with Cat on a two hour jungle hike. The jungle hike was challenging enough for me. We went up and down walking over a small and narrow path over branches, roots and vines. The sweat started to pour down and eventually saturated my entire body and clothes. We occasionally stopped and our guide told lectured us on some of the vegetation and we saw monkeys jumping from tree to tree. I started to think of a nice hot shower. By the way, the other group who went up the mountain did not find the chimps. Nature does what nature wants to do. After my long hot shower we all met around the camp fire and were served drinks. The sky was full of stars and the scene was so relaxing and inspiring. Dinner was another feast. Lamb was served and was so soft that you did not need a knife. Wake up is at 6:30 and breakfast at eight. We leave on the boat at 8:45 for our last adventure and Camp. We are flying to southern Tanzania. Our Camp is named “Sand Rivers Selous”. The Camp is located on the Rufiji River. The temperature will be warmer, but we are told that the wildlife is plentiful. We all met for breakfast at eight after packing. Our luggage was all put on the old boat and we left at around nine after saying our goodbyes to the wonderful staff. How would I rate Mahale and was the experience worth it? Mahale is a beautiful Camp, the food is wonderful and the staff is great. All of your needs and wants are immediately taken care of. Lake Tanganyika was beautiful and the water was so clear and fresh. Trekking for the chimps was a great experience. Seeing them in their natural environment was amazing and of course taking pictures of them. We only had one chimp trek due to the weather and where the chimps wandered to. I would have loved to have at least one more trek. I learned so much on my first trek and photo shoot that I wanted to get some more amazing shots. For someone who has never experienced a safari, I would first go to one of the other Camps where the wildlife is abundant and diverse. We arrived back at the Airstrip at around eleven and shortly thereafter boarded our flight. We are first landing back at Katavi to pick up two more passengers. We landed at Katavi after about a forty minute flight and stayed in our seats as the other two passengers boarded. I immediately asked them if it rained in Katavi. The wildlife needs the water so bad. They said it has poured the last few days. I was so happy for this special place. The next flight was about ninety minutes south to a primitive Airstrip somewhere. We landed and saw lots of wildlife as the plane came to a halt. Layover time was fifteen minutes for refueling and the bathroom. It was then onto Sand Rivers Selous. The flight lasted about one hour and we finally touched down at three. I immediately noticed the difference in the terrain. The terrain was green and lush. We all boarded three land rovers with our luggage. The air was dry heat. Sean decided that we should go straight on our afternoon game drive and check in later. Smart move. Most of us have not picked up a camera in two days and we needed to get back to what this trip is about. We drove through some beautiful African terrain and then spotted a large family of wild dogs. There must have been at least twenty including some pups. Wild dogs are disappearing and they are not easy to find anymore. We were treated to a real show. They were resting and then became active. As the daylight lessened, they became more active. They hunt during the night. Some of them started to chase some impalas, but never caught any. We then drove towards Camp but intermittently stopped for giraffes and hyenas. As we got closer to Camp, we saw some spotted leopards. What a start to the wildlife at Selous. All of the staff was waiting for us as we arrived in the dark. I was led to my room but let’s call it a suite. I was so hot that I immediately took a nice cold shower. The water for the shower comes over a small rock waterfall. How different and unique. Dinner was served at eight. Most of us are very tired. This was a long day sitting in a little plane with almost no leg room. I am writing this blog laying in my bed under a mosquito net. I could tell you that there are bugs in my mosquito net and much more outside. The fan is blowing on me and it is uncomfortably warm. Wake up time is five and

Hi Everyone Woke up in the middle of the night with a bad headache. Took some pills and then was woken up by a staff member bringing me my cup of coffee at 6:30. Sat around mopping and then dressed for our morning trek. We had breakfast at 7:30 and were all ready to go at a moments notice. The trackers sent back messages telling us the chimps were high up on the mountain and in a difficult place to reach. It is now eleven and still no word to leave. While waiting I had a nice conversation with the main guide talking about mine and my wife’s travels and his life in Tanzania. He was born in the local village and started as a porter, then a tracker and now the head guide. He knows the names of the chimps, their individual characteristics and tendencies. Am now back in my hut waiting for the call to get up and go. We are on standby until around 4 PM. Hope we get the call. The guides are hopeful since the place where the chimps are now does not have enough food and they will need to move. The Camp has a very nice gift shop of all local items and items made by the disabled and needy in Tanzania. I bought some jewelry and gifts for the grandchildren. Both Olivia and myself like to do this to support needy people. I always use the local laundry service wherever I travel. This is another way to support the local people. During breakfast, I asked the group some important question. What day of the week is it? When you travel to remote and far places you tend to loose your track of time. Also, the lack of internet and cell phone service sort of puts you in a state of suspended animation and feeling that days blend into one another. We had lunch and were told that the chimps were in a very difficult place to get to and the trackers were still up there. By three the possible trek and search was called off. No chimps today. Am going on a boat ride to the middle of Lake Tanganyika to go swimming at 4:30. The temperature of the lake is around 75. When will I ever get another chance to swim in Lake Tanganyika. Why not experience all that this beautiful, large and remote lake has to offer? I walked back to my hut and fell asleep again. Two naps in one day. I needed this day of nothing to recharge. Half the the group left the Camp at four for an afternoon trek through the jungle. Myself, Sean, Cat and Joann boarded an old boat with a canopy for swimming. We got out towards the middle of the Lake and we all jumped in. It was so refreshing. My core body temperature immediately fell and I felt so refreshed. I was thrown a tube and given a Kilimanjaro to drink. What is a Kilimanjaro? It is local Tanzanian beer that is quite good. There is no sugar added. Dinner is at eight. Hope we get the Chimps tomorrow. I am ready, willing and able. Love Larry

Hi Everyone After dinner I took a shave and a nice hot shower. You have to tell the staff twenty minutes before you want to take a hot shower. They then turn on the boiler outside your hut. I slept so well. Curled into my nice big bed, went under the covers and fell asleep listening to the waves from Lake Tanganyika. The air was nice and crisp but not too cool, just right. After experiencing the “Africa Hot” of Katavi, The difference was so comforting. At 6:30 I was woken up and delivered my coffee. Sat looking out at Lake Tanganyika as I contemplated what I will experience today. Will today’s memories last me the rest of my life? I hope so. After coffee got dressed wearing long pants, long sleeve shirt and tucked my pants in my socks. We are meeting for breakfast at 7:30 to await our call from the trackers. Hope the call comes early. We had just finished breakfast and my fourth cup of Tanzanian coffee when the call came from the trackers. My porters name was Sullimon. I gave him my camera bag with my two cameras and lenses. I picked up a walking stick. We all boarded the old boat for a short ride down the coast. Everyone disembarked on a small sandy beach. The head guide led the way with a machete. We walked through a thick and tangled jungle with vines and thorns everyone. The head guide led the way and we were walking in a single line. The head guide cut numerous vines and told us to always look at the ground when walking. Lots of long roots were growing and it would be easy to trip and fall. That’s exactly what I did. Took a fall with one of my cameras Fortunately no scrapes and bruises and the camera was not damaged. Our surgical mask was attached to our ears and we would be told when to raise the mask over our mouth and nose. The jungle was like a steam bath. There were portions where the light was hitting the ground but much was in shadows. I started to sweat and the sweat started to drip down my arms and fingers. My shirt and pants had become totally drenched with my sweat. We then spotted one chimp in the distance. The group was moving and foraging for food. We followed them and came upon a group of them sitting around and enjoying themselves. The guides know the names of each Chimp. The Japanese research team gives them names and the guides know each chimps characteristic behaviors. We spotted a mother with her baby. Both had names. The guide told us that the baby acts like a gorilla and pounds his chest when eating. We saw a dominant male showing off his private parts to the others. Our group was broken up into smaller groups and we wandered around taking pictures of these awesome creatures. As I was taking pictures, I began to think where else can you go to get this type of experience? There are less than five places like this left in Africa and this is only one of two places where you can get this close. The sweat was dripping down my arms like a faucet, but I was determined to take as many shots as I could. Don’t forget, you are given one hour from the time you spot your first Chimp and then you must leave. The Chimps were walking right by us and one even brushed into me. We were told we had six minutes left and the exhaustion and sweat finally got to me. I stopped to drink some water. Our time was up. We returned to the boat and the only two things I could think about was seeing some of these pictures on my laptop and taking a long cold shower. We had some refreshing drinks on the boat back and my mind kept on thinking about peeling these sweaty clothes off and the shower. When we disembarked at the Camp, Fabio, the Camp manager, told us the water pump had broke and there was no running water yet. That’s part of staying in the Bush. He had sent someone to get a replacement. I then walked back to my hut and found some monkeys in the hut looking around. I invited them to stay, but they took off. I have tried to make my hut monkey proof. I then downloaded my pictures and took a look. Some of them are really good for the first time shooting Chimps in the jungle. I then laid down and fell asleep. Was woken up by a monkey walking around and luckily it was lunch. Lunch was excellent. Some vegetation wraps with a huge salad. Will then critiqued some of my Chimps. He is a real artist. Gave me some pointers for tomorrow’s trek and what to focus on and we discussed the way some of my images should be edited. I felt that I had accomplished my goal today and gotten used to shooting the Chimps and most of my pictures did not need much editing. Was it worth it walking through a thick jungle and sweating until you are exhausted to see the Chimps? What do you think? We have two more treks. I vote PRICELESS. Let’s talk a little of the challenge of taking pictures of chimps in their natural environment. There are only three known places in the world that have specific Parks set up for Chimps, Tanzania, Rwanda and Uganda. This is not like sitting in a Land Rover in the Serengeti taking pictures. The chimps first have to be found. That could take some time. We were lucky. They were found by the trackers in early morning. Then you trek through dense jungle watching out for thorns, vines, roots, snakes and any other creature that calls the jungle its home. The jungle is very hot

Hi Everyone Let’s speed up the day just for a minute. I am currently sitting in a bamboo chair writing my blog on an old wooden table facing Lake Tanganyika. My hut is beautiful. I have a huge canopy bed facing the lake with an upstairs and a private bathroom and shower in the back. What a difference between this Camp and Katavi. Let’s not put Katavi down. Don’t forget, I said Katavi is not for everyone. I had an amazing experience in Katavi that will live with me forever. Katavi is about the experience including the accommodations. This Camp is for everyone. Now that I jumped ahead let’s go back to the beginning of the day. Of course, was woken up at five with a hot carafe of freshly pressed Tanzania coffee. Slept all night with the fan blowing on me. We then all met at the vehicles and left at six. Sean picked out a nice tree to watch the sunrise. The sunrise did not disappoint. I wish I could watch the sunrise in Africa every day. It is that special. The sun starts to come up at around 6:30 and gradually goes up the horizon. We then drove on to see if we could find the lions again. We found some of them, but they were sleeping under a huge tree and trying to adjust to the days heat. Yes it is “Africa Hot”. We then drove on and spotted a single young male elephant with nice size tusks. He saw us and constantly did a charge and stopped short of our vehicle. It seemed like he was playing with us and just wanted to scare us away. We then drove on and found some more hippos in a small pond of mud trying to keep themselves cool. I love how hippos spit out the muddy water. The pictures of them in a mud pond are special. We then drove back to Camp for breakfast, packing and to say our goodbyes to the wonderful staff. As I previously said, we are the last guests in this Camp until the first week of June. The Camp will be dismantled and stored in two large storage containers on the site. At eleven we left Katavi Camp for our drive to the Airstrip. We got to the Airstrip at around 11:45. I had not turned on my cell phone for three days and did when we arrived. There was internet at the Airstrip. At noon we boarded our putt putt for a forty minute flight to Mahale National Park. By the way, Will was on the flight into Katavi and he and I hugged. Look up Will Burrows Lucas on u tube. I have learned so much from him and his amazing ability. As the plane flew close and closer to Mahale, the ground became greener and greener until a deep green color when we landed. We all then had to sign in with our passport information. It is much cooler here and when we landed it was raining. I pray for this rain and much more rain to go to Katavai. Our luggage was then loaded onto an old large boat with a canopy for a ninety minute lake drive to our Camp. Lake Tanganyika is the longest lake in the world and the second deepest. Four countries are touched by Lake Tanganyika. They are Tanzania, the Congo, Bruendi and Zaire. We passed some fishing villages and then entered Mahale. What are we doing here and why? There are no roads in Mahale. You can only reach your Camp by boat. This is home to some of Africa’s last remaining wild chimpanzees. There are roughly eight hundred wild chimpanzees living in Mahale. Wild Chimpanzees live in families and each family has boundaries that the families honor. Chimps have a very sophisticated social structure. Our Camp is located within the boundary of the “M Group”. The M Group has about sixty members. This Group has been studied since the 1960’s by researchers and this Camp was established in the mid 1990’s. Researchers from Kyoto University in Japan have published a series of books on the Group we will be observing. The Camp sends out trackers when the sun rises and when they find the Group they then radio back to the Camp telling us where the chimps are and how far a trek it is. You have to go on a moments notice. We are being given an orientation of what to expect and procedures for the treks. We have been already told that if anyone is sick or feels sick they could not go. A few years ago thirteen of the chimps were killed from the human flu. The day is focused around the chimps, finding them, trekking to them and taking pictures of them in this beautiful natural environment. At seven we were given our orientation on the chimps. 98% of humans and chimps DNA are exactly the same. The trackers go out at dawn to track the chimps. Breakfast is at 7:30. We were told to dress ready to go when we eat breakfast. Wear long sleeve shirts and pants. Tuck your socks in your pants so that biting ants do not get into you. You can make eye contact with the chimps. Cannot drink nor eat while with them. There are no biting insects in the jungle and we will be under the canopy so sunglasses and sun block are not needed. Also we have to wear surgical masks right before we encounter them. If you need to go to the bathroom, ask one of the porters. We have six porters to carry our camera bags. We will be broken into two groups. We are only given one hour to study the Chimps and take pictures of them. A government ranger will be with us to make sure we all observe the rules. Pretty intense and all precautions are taken to safeguard and protect the