Ngorongoro Days 8 and 9

Hi Everyone

We finally left the Bush at nine for a long drive back to the way we came. Wolf took us over a rocky dirt road and some wood bridges that seemed like they were about to collapse. We then reached what he called the highway or a long dirt road back out of the Serengeti.

After traveling what seemed like forever, we spotted the migration again. Thousands upon thousands of wildebeest and zebras all making their way in one direction. We stopped to take the scene in. I could never describe what the scene looked like. My pictures will not do it justice either. The shear numbers crossing the Serengeti plain needs to be seen and experienced.

We finally reached the gates and stopped to have our box lunches. Olivia wanted to give the bathroom attendant her uneaten food, but Arnold assured her he would get it into the right hands.

After lunch we then hit the highway again. Suddenly Wolf took a left turn through some grazing land and we arrived at a museum in the middle of nowhere. This was the area that the Leaky’s found human remains and specifically the skeleton of Lucy that made them famous. We walked through the museum and were given a great lecture by one of the local archeologists.

We still had another two hour drive to our Lodge on the rim of the Crater. It was so beautiful driving past local. Asia villages and herders. That I hardly minded being in a Jeep for most of the day.

At about six we pulled into our Lodge. The Lodge sits on top of the caldera. There are only eight craters like this in the world, but this is the only one that has wildlife living inside it.

I could not image what sort of wildlife we would find in the crater of a volcano. Looking out from the Lodge, the size of the Crater was enormous and you could see the other side.

After a quick check in, dinner was served at seven thirty. During diner, staff members would sing songs in Swahili and do local dancing. We are meeting at six for breakfast and then it’s down to the Crater for wildlife. Wake up time is 5:30 and breakfast is at 6. Then it is onto the crater at 6:30.

Wolf was on a mission. He needed and wanted to find the rhinos. We drove into some very wet and muddy sections of a road and almost got stuck. Wolf turned around and then put the metal to the petal. By the way, this is one of his favorite sayings. I then saw them. Two black rhinos forging in the tall grass. The time of day was not the best and the sun was bright, but I did not care. I finally had seen my rhinos. I kept on clicking and watching the beauty of this magnificent endangered animal. How could someone kill this creature? I am so glad I have experienced their grandeur where they belong.

At about noon we left the crater for a long drive back to Arusha and our last night in Tanzania. Of course, we had our box lunches and drove through the Masai countryside.

The closer we got to Arusha, the less numerous the Masai and their way of life and the more numerous scenes of a third world country.

We pulled into our Lodge at about six for one last night sleep and our fair well dinner at seven thirty.

Every night I back up my pictures to two external hard drives. In this way, I have two backups in case something goes wrong. This is the first trip that I have not started to edit any of them. Hopefully, the few Olivia and myself pick as the final product, will depict the beauty of what we witnessed.

Love
Larry