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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

Hi Everyone Had a great nights sleep even in the heat and humidity of Tanzania. Try not to get bitten by the Tse Tse fly. The burning itch lasts for about twelve hours. Julian gave me a cream called “Burn Cream”. Of course, we went through the same routine. Woke up at five with hot pressed Tanzania coffee and boarded our vehicles at six. We drove until the sun started to come over the horizon and then parked. I watched the African sun rise against some beautiful clouds and trees. I always tell people you need to see the sunrise and sunset in the real Africa. It is a show by itself. We then drove over to where the lions were. This is the biggest known pride in Katavi and consist of twelve lions. On my previous blog, I told you that they had killed a hippo. Four of them were eating the carcass. They loved the bones and chewed on them. We then saw a couple a little distance away. We drove over and they were matting. Lions mate in a very interesting way. They mate anywhere from three to seven days and do not eat during this period. They have sex almost like clockwork every fifteen minutes until they are finished. Sean said you can set your watch by it. We watched them for quite a while. The female would always initiate the act. She would stand up and the male would reciprocate. We then drove around looking for some more wildlife and finally stopped for breakfast. The drivers set up our breakfast and made our coffee overlooking a dried out riverbed where elephants and giraffes were roaming. After our breakfast, we drove on the side of the riverbed and saw some giraffes around a large pond of water that came from an underground stream. Before getting to the water, our driver spotted a small beautifully colored lizard on a tree. I couldn’t believe he had seen this small lizard while driving the Land Rover. He must have great eyes. The giraffes created some great shots of them drinking and standing in the water. There seems to be an abundance of giraffes here. We then drove on towards the Airstrip. Don’t forget, only two planes a week land and take off here. Our driver then spotted a male spotted leopard under the shade of a tree. Leopards are quite rare in Katavi. We spent some time taking pictures of him and then drove back towards Camp. The afternoon heat is very intense. You feel like doing nothing and become lethargic. Lunch is at one and then its tea time at four and our drive at 4:30. In 2012, Olivia joined me for one of my many charity trips to Cambodia. She termed the heat and humidity there “Africa Hot”. It is “Africa Hot”. I took a quick nap in my tent before the afternoon drive and was woken up in a pool of sweat and a big fan was blowing on me. The only way to describe the heat is intense. Our afternoon drive started at 5. We drove until we found a pride of young lions near a dried out riverbank. There was a woman doing video there by herself. The driver told us she is German and has spent the last two months here doing a video on the Katavi Lions. As soon as we arrived she packed up and waited for us to leave. We then drove on and finally came upon a beautiful mud pool of numerous hippos. Our driver let us get out of the vehicle since there was no one around. Speaking of remote. There are only five Bush Camps in Katavi. Each one has accommodations for the most ten so at the peak season there are only at the maximum fifty people in this huge National Park. We all met for drinks around a campfire. I just starred into the fire knowing that I am blessed to have experienced this magical place. Dinner was then served. For our last dinner, local Swahili dishes were made. The chicken was very good and the vegetables were excellent. Some facts about Tanzania. There is no medical system. You pay as you go with no government help. The average income earned is $70 US per month. Only 10 % of the population pay taxes. There are only 1500 doctors to take care of 46 million people. Quite disturbing. Tonight is our last night at Katavi so I will sum up my experience here. Katavi is a special place but it is not for everyone. You get close up to the wildlife, but the Camps are not for everyone. I loved the Bush shower and living in a large tent. The heat gets to you and you slow down and become lethargic. The bathroom is too primitive for most people but I enjoyed being on a safari from years ago. You endure lots of bugs and Tse Tse flys. I can only hope that some of my grandchildren have the courage and drive to experience this amazing and beautiful small part of Africa. Katavi is an experience and visit that I will remember for the rest of my life. Now for tomorrow. The morning drive is optional. I will do it. We then come back to Camp for breakfast. We will be taking showers after breakfast and then pack up. My laundry was done everyday so everything is fresh. We leave the Camp at eleven and our putt putt takes off at 12:30 for a forty minute flight Where are we going? We are going to Mahale National Park. Our Camp is “Greystroke Mahale” and is located on the shores of Lake Tanganyika. We will be trekking chimpanzees in the morning and enjoying the Lake in the afternoon. Sean told us that Lake Tanganyika is the second deepest lake in the world. The center goes down to over 4000 feet. He also said the water

Hi Everyone I fell asleep so fast and easy. Took a Bush shower after dinner. Nothing like a nice and cold Bush shower to wash away the dirt of the afternoon drive. Was woken up at five by a tray of hot coffee. I could get used to this. Imagine being woken up every day and given coffee as soon as you get up. PRICELESS. My escort arrived at 5:45 and he immediately pointed out some elephant tracks right near my tent. By the way, I shook my shoes and turned them upside down before I put them on. Making sure there was no scorpion presence. We all boarded our vehicles at 6 AM and it was off for another adventure. How can I describe this mornings drive? It was simply incredible. There is so much wildlife here and so close. Let’s start with lions. They seem to be in abundance. We constantly ran into them. Took some pictures of two lions cleaning each other’s faces. Others roaming and some sleeping. Now let’s go to hippos. Also in abundance. It is the end of the dry season in Katavi. The rivers are dry, but there are some ponds of mud and water from underground springs. All the animals tend to wander towards those areas. During the day, most of the hippos get into the mud to try and stay cool. They also share the mud ponds with crocodiles. These crocodiles are large. We stopped at three mud ponds that were loaded with numerous hippos and crocodiles. I took some wide angle shots of the whole area that appear to have come out well. The muddy water and the hippos and crocs created quite an amazing shot. Now let’s talk about giraffes. They are all over and tend to get close to our vehicles. I took some great shots of the giraffes running and portraits of them. All different kinds of birds, pelicans and storks were dispersed amongst the wildlife. I could go on and on, but hopefully my pictures will tell the tale. We arrived back in Camp at around 11:30 AM. There is a central charging station and I went there to swap two fully charged batteries for two exhausted ones. It was then back to my tent to take a long Bush shower, download and backup my pictures and get ready for lunch at 1PM. I forgot to mention that we ate breakfast overlooking a dried out river and plains. There were lots of hippos and giraffes. My vehicle was the second one to arrive and the people on the first vehicle told us that a few of the hippos almost charged them. We stayed clear and tried to not get them nervous as we ate a delicious breakfast. Lunch was excellent. Bush pizza was served. An interesting way to make pizza. I have had it before in Zimbabwe. I then had a three o’clock critique session with Sean. I picked out three of my images and Sean and myself discussed the editing techniques of each. I get so much out of these sessions and look forward doing them. At four we all met for afternoon tea and then boarded our vehicles for the afternoon drive. It will be hard for me to describe this drive but I will try my best. Our driver drove us to a dried out riverbed and then stopped the vehicle. Sean was with us. The driver then walked over to a small hole in the side of the riverbank and motioned for us to come and see what was in there. We then looked inside. There were baby crocodiles all bunched together and looking alive and well. Female crocs lay around sixty to seventy eggs and when the babies hatch, they are quite mature. The mother does not nurse the babies but will protect them. We were on the lookout. Sean had a 360 degree camera attached to a long selfie pole. The camera took videos that were then downloaded to his cell phone almost instantly. He stuck the pole in the hole and took a 360 degree video of the babies. Our driver then walked over to a larger hole. He motioned us over and we looked inside. A huge croc was starring back at us. I took some great shots of the crocs head with some spider webs hanging down. The crocs build these holes to get out of the heat. Then Sean put the pole in and advised us to go back to the vehicle since the croc may come running out. The croc held his or her ground. We then saw another hole with a long croc tail sticking out. Sean did the same routine. Gently put the stick in the hole and maneuvered it around. We then got back in the vehicle and found a large pride of lions. The head male lion was so hot. He was constantly panting. The heat here really gets to you. It hardly cools of at night and the temperatures get up into the nineties. I sleep facing a fan. At least two Bush showers are necessary. One after the morning drive and another after the evening drive. The pride had killed a hippo last night and the carcass was half eaten. Most of the pride were sleeping under a large tree. We then moved on. Our driver had a treat for us. It is against Park rules for the drivers to go off round and get out of the vehicles with their guests. There are very few land cruisers in the Park. Only two planes come per week. One on Monday and one on Thursday. Furthermore, there are only a handful of Camps in Katavi. The driver drove to a dried out riverbed and we all got out and followed him across the riverbed and up the other side. He ten led us to a large tree. Lying under the tree were at least twenty to thirty full size

Hi Everyone We were finally given an opportunity to sleep in. I fell asleep shortly after being escorted back to my room after dinner. Had a wake up call at 6:15. Breakfast was at seven and we are scheduled to leave Lamai Camp at 8 AM. I was so tired that I almost could not get up from the Masai knocking on my door with hot coffee. Let’s talk a little about the coffee. It is exceedingly strong and always made via a French press. I have cut down on my consumption due to the strong blend. After breakfast we all boarded our vehicles for the fifty minute drive back to Kogatende Airstrip. The twelve passenger was waiting for us. Before we boarded our vehicles, Andy gave us some bad news. His wife has been sick with a blood disorder that has turned serious. She was admitted to the hospital last night and he will be leaving the group early to return to her. I am sad to seem him go but family always comes first. Of course, we all understand. To take his place, Kevin Pepper will be joining us in two days. I have been on three workshops with Kevin and he is awesome. We boarded our little putt putt for a one hour flight to refuel and go to the bathroom. The pilot landed in a town by the name of “Tabora”. As soon as he landed, the gas truck pulled up and we all used the restrooms. The men’s restroom was very clean. Andy left us here. We all gave him big hugs and kisses and a few of the women shed some tears. The next leg of the flight was about forty five minutes. The pilot landed at a very crude and dirt runway. We were entering “Katavi National Park”. The Park is located in western Tanzania and the terrain is very different. Lots of trees and shrubbery. No rocks and boulders. All of us first had to sign in. We had to write our names and passport information in a ledger book via hand. Sean told me that very few tourists come here since it is remote and not easy to get to. Our drivers were waiting for us with their vehicles. They loaded our luggage and we all boarded. We had three open air land cruisers with canopies. The driver told us the drive would take around thirty minutes. We drove through a dry forest. The air was much hotter than at the previous Camp. We were lower in elevation so the temperature was higher. We finally pulled into “Chada Katavi Camp”. Let me try to describe the Camp and let me begin by saying that this is probably what Safari was like twenty years ago. Our rooms are permanent zipper tents. The tent is open air most of the way around with a big platform bed in the middle. Attached is a small bathroom with a sit down toilet. There is no plumbing. The bathroom sink has a box of water next to it with a spout coming out. Next to the bathroom you unzip that part of the tent and there is a Bush shower. A barrel of water hangs outside the open air shower area and you pull a cord to have the water come down on you. The way you take a Bush shower is you first get wet, then shut the water off, then lather up and finally turn the water back on to rinse off. You also need to notify the staff thirty minutes before you want to take a hot or warm shower so they could get the water ready and the bucket full. I have previously used these showers in Botswana. Lunch was served after we arrived. The dining and sitting areas are also tents. I then walked back to my tent and took my first Bush shower this year. My last one was in 2018 in Botswana. Julian, the Camp Manager, gave us a brief orientation. We cannot walk to our tents alone between sunset and sunrise. As I was eating, I saw lots of monkeys running by. He told us to always keep our tents zippered up to avoid having the monkeys get in. He also told us that a small herd of elephants roam the Camp during the evening since there are lots of Tamarind Trees around the Camp and they love the fruit that is currently in season. Further, the monkeys will jump on the roof of the tents. Of course, internet is sparse and could only be used for an emergency. I am starting to wonder what kind of wildlife and adventure this will be. Our adventure starts at 4:30 with our first drive. We finally went out on our first game drive. The driver told us we were the last group of guests in the Camp for this season. After we leave, they will be breaking everything down and reopen in June. The rainy season starts any day and the rain is so intense that roads are almost wasted away. We immediately began to see wildlife. Lots of giraffes, impalas and buffalo as we drove towards a river. The wildlife is much closer here. You can almost touch some of them. It seems they have very little fear of humans. We finally reached the river and it was almost dry. Our driver spotted a male and female lion laying next to each other. The driver told us they were getting ready to mate. I saw two lions mating in the Kalahari two years ago. Lions mate for over three to five straight days at fifteen minute intervals. They do not eat during this time, but just constantly do their thing. We parked not far from them and decided to wait a while. They would constantly look up and then the female moved a little way away and the male lion followed her. Both then laid down next to

Hi Everyone I am so tired that I could barely get up at five AM. Coffee arrived and I wait for my escort with his long spear to arrive and guide me down the hill to our vehicles. He arrived at 5:50 and we arrived at the vehicles shortly thereafter. Off we went. What wonders will I see this morning? We drove until we saw some saw two small looking Impalas sitting on a boulder. With the sun rising I took some interesting silhouette pictures. We then drove on until we came upon a mother spotted leopard guarding a small crevice between some boulders. The only thing she would be guarding were her cubs. We waited as she saw something and ran across our path to the other side of our tracks. One cub came out of the crevice. The cub was very young and started to explore the area. The cubs fur color as darker than the mothers. We waited and watched the cub. This might have been one of the first times this animal had ever ventured out into the world and we were witnessing it. We then took some more pictures of both Mom and cubs and finally left. We were working our way towards the Mara River. Our driver pointed out some beautiful birds and then a huge fig tree. On the branches of the fig tree was a family of monkeys picking and eating the figs. They would jump from branch to branch enjoying their breakfast. We passed and stopped to take pictures of herds of zebras and wildebeest grazing in the long grass. We finally saw the river and on the other side was a huge herd of wildebeest and zebra grazing and kicking up a huge cloud of dust. We were told that the herd was getting ready to cross the river and that we should set our cameras to a much higher shutter speed. For all you photography buffs, I have decided to shoot in manual mode with auto ISO. This way I can control both shutter speed and aperture. I will always use a minimum shutter speed of 1000 and mostly apertures of either 5.6 or 8 based on my location and what depth of field I need. Shutter speed is important when shooting wildlife. The other opinion was to shoot in Shutter Priority. We waited and waited for the herd to cross the river but the herd just roamed back and forth over a cliff looking down into the river. After a while, we decided to have a quick breakfast and coffee was made. All coffee is made using a French press even in the Bush. By noon, we decided to leave and work our way back to Camp. We came upon a beautiful female lion and her three cubs were a little bit away from her in a ravine. We took some great pictures of the cubs and the Mom. We then came upon a single giraffe eating. Giraffes are so different and unique in the Bush. We then saw a small family of baboons. A mother was carrying her baby on her back. It was about one when we finally arrived back at Camp and lunch was being served. I was so tired and dirty that I decided to go back to my room and shower. I then made the mistake of laying down in bed and the next thing I knew it was three. Just got dressed for our afternoon drive and made copies of my mornings work. Onto the afternoon adventure. When I walked down to the common area and bar for the afternoon tea, I told the bartender that I had slept through lunch. The next thing I knew is he brought me a sandwich and plate of fruits. The staff is so helpful and try to ensure your comfort and safety on a continuous basis. We boarded our vehicles at 4:30 for the afternoon adventure. The days are hot and the nights cool off and are pleasant. We drove through the high grass and came upon a single giraffe eating from the trees. The clouds are very interesting here. I took some beautiful pictures of the giraffe set against the blue sky. Andy then spotted a serbet cat. I had never seen one. The driver said they are very shy. They are small like regular cats and have spotted brown fur. I managed to get some nice shots of this unique animal running through the high grass. We then drove through some large boulder areas. The driver spotted two male lions sleeping on top of a large boulder. Male lions generally roam alone, except when they are with their pride. Brothers will roam together. One of the males got up and disappeared to the other side of the boulder. We drove around and there he was. Sitting on top of this huge boulder looking down at his kingdom. A real Lion King shot. My fingers could not stop clicking. He then disappeared to the other side. When we turned around and got back to the other side, both lions were sleeping near each other. We waited a while, but they were both sound asleep. We then worked our way towards Camp. All three vehicles stopped and the drivers set up a temporary bar on the hood of one of the vehicles. We were going to watch the sunset and toast our stay at their Camp. The sunset and colors were very different. The layers of clouds as the sun set, created an amazing display. After arriving at Camp, we were told dinner was at eight. Dinner was served buffet and consisted of some local Swahili dishes. I did not eat most of them, but the rice and beef was very good. It is one member of the groups birthday. The staff presented her a cake while singing local birthday songs in Swahili. Tomorrow we leave this Camp and travel about four hours south

Hi Everyone Of course, coffee was brought to my room at 5 AM. I am having trouble sleeping and believe the jet lag is the culprit. On the positive side, I am getting a lot of reading done. I read from my IPad. Could never imagine packing books on my trips. By the way, I finally fell asleep and was woken up at around 3 AM by a sound that I thought was a lion. Andy heard the same sound and the staff confirmed that it was a lion. You are escorted to your room and picked up between sunset and sunrise. The staff carry a long spear with them when they escort you. I touched the tip of the spear and it was very sharp. I know they know how to use it. We met at the vehicles at 6 AM. It’s quite cool here in the morning. When the sun comes out, the temperature rises rapidly. We were going to cross the Mara River and go towards Kenya. It took us about one hour to get to a concrete runway that was raised in the River. We crossed. Eventually the terrain lost most of its trees and shrubs. There were only single trees amongst the grassy plains. We saw our other two vehicles parked at an area off the dirt road. Our driver told us the other vehicles had found a pride of lions. Of course, we took off. The pride consisted of one older female, or the mother, with four juvenile lions and one cub. The head of the pride or the adult male was no where to be found. We all knew he was somewhere. We stayed at this location for quite a while taking pictures of these beautiful creatures. We then drove on. The plains were so beautiful and the grass was quite high. There was a small herd of elephants in the distance. We stopped our vehicles and I got down on the ground to get the whole herd in the picture from a distance. A different perspective. We then found a nice place for breakfast. Since there was almost no trees and shrubs it made it more of a challenge for all of us to find a place to go to the bathroom. Breakfast was a buffet of various cereals, sandwiches and other breakfast items. Coffee was made the real way. No instant here in Tanzania. After relaxing, the drivers packed up everything and off we went towards the Kenyan border. Of course, we are always on the lookout for any wildlife. We finally reached the border when we pulled up next to a large border marker and sign. No Wall nor border crossing post. Both Kenya and Tanzania looked the same. We took the dirt road on the border back towards the Mara River. As we drove down the border, it seemed like half of the vehicle was in Kenya and the other half in Tanzania. We stopped a few times to take pictures of some mongoose families and other wildlife. After crossing the Mara, we stopped at the Airstrip for a bathroom call. It was then back to Camp. Along the way, we took some interesting pictures of a large family of baboons. Lunch was served at noon. We are having a photo critique at three and then at 4:30 it’s back at the vehicles for our afternoon drive. Our afternoon drive started very uneventful. We were driving around and just looking at the beautiful terrain for about forty five minutes. Our driver pointed out two unique African birds on the top of a large tree. He then noticed that there was a male lion sitting under the tree. We drove around and there he was. The King of the Jungle observing his world. He then laid down for an afternoon nap as some other vehicles arrived. He was not bothered by our presence. One of the other vehicles was Andy and two other people from our group. One of the other people dropped her lens cap on the ground and it made a sharp noise. Andy then grabbed a selfie stick to retrieve it and the lion awoke to this strange sound and different kind of activity. It seemed like he was very aware of the strange noise and object. We then realized that a fresh kill was in back of him. He had killed a wildebeest and the fresh carcass was behind him. It is rare for a male lion to hunt for food. Sean believes that this wildebeest was alone and accidentally came upon the lion. The lion started to eat the carcass and then got up and dragged the carcass past us and into a ravine. Another lion happened to also be in the area. The driver told us these two lions were brothers. The carcass disappeared in the ravine as both lions started to enjoy the kill. Our driver then told us that there were spotted leopard cubs with their mother a short distance away. We drove over there and the mother was nursing two cubs on top of a large boulder. The boulder was a gold tone as the sun was receding below the horizon. The colors and subject created great shots. After both cubs were finished, they got up and started to play on the boulder and then walked down as their mother observed them. The cubs then came out on the ground and played with each other. They almost ran up to my vehicle. What an amazing spectacle. I could have stayed there longer, but the sun had set, it was getting dark quickly and we needed to be in our Camp by seven PM. Vehicles are allowed outside of the Camps between six AM and seven PM. What an unforgettable day in the African Bush. I told Andy and Sean that I don’t know how this day can be topped. Love Larry

Hi Everyone Hope all is well with you and the world. Didn’t sleep much last night. Kept on tossing and turning with excitement and jet lag. At five AM someone woke me up from a very shallow sleep with hot coffee. We needed to get ready and be in our Land Cruisers by six AM. I mopped around, got dressed and had my coffee. At 5:50 I was picked up and escorted down to the vehicles. We were all ready and left by six AM just as the sun was beginning to appear. The sunrise and sunset is so different in Africa. The colors stand out as the sun rises and sets. The morning was chilly as we drove along the plains looking for wildlife. We first made our way back to the spot that the spotted leopard had been seen last night. She and her cubs had moved during the night. We then drove along and spotted some ostrich and African Buffalo as the light was coming up. We have three vehicles and each vehicle is connected via radio. If one vehicle sees something then the driver radios the other two to come to him. That’s what happened. We received a message that the female spotted leopard from last night was spotted in a tree. We took off and arrived by the tree. There was a fresh kill on the ground and the driver told us that she had probably moved her cubs to be near the fresh kill. She was so beautiful balancing herself on a branch. She finally went down and walked in some scrub to find a place for a nap. We followed her and waited for her to go to her cubs but then took off before she woke up. We saw a herd of African antelope and some giraffes and then it happened. We were driving by a large boulder when the driver saw two spotted leopard cubs. They were older than the two from last night. The driver said they were probably 10-12 weeks old. Their nest was in an opening under the boulder. They were very playful and we spent a lot of time watching them play and of course, taking pictures of them. Andy, who has been leading photography safaris for over fifteen years, told us he had never seen something like this. It was then time to stop for breakfast. Before we arrived at our breakfast stop, Sean spotted a leopard tortoise. We drove over to take pictures. A tortoise living in the Serengeti. We then arrived at our breakfast stop. The drivers made coffee and put out a large spread of different breakfast items ranging from cereals to egg sandwiches. They put out folding chairs for us and we all sat down to have our coffee and breakfast facing the “Mara River”. After breakfast we decided to take a drive down to the Mara River and try to find some hippos. The Mara River starts in Kenya, goes through Tanzania and empties into Lake Victoria and Victoria Falls. By the way, the Serengeti is very close to the equator but the temperatures do not get extremely high due to the high altitude. Summer temperatures are in the nineties and very dry. We drove on one side of the river and saw lots of hippos keeping cool in the river. We stopped at one spot to wait for any activity. Two large males faced off for some territory. Reminded me of two bears in Russia I took pictures off facing off. One finally intimidated the other as we got some great shots. The light was getting to high so we decided to return to Camp. While driving back we saw a small herd of elephants. Finally arrived back in Camp around 11:30. Lunch is at one and we gather for afternoon tea and coffee and then our afternoon drive. Lunch was salad served buffet style. It is so nice to eat on a terrace overlooking the Serengeti. I kept on glancing at the view and wonder. After lunch had a quick nap and got dressed for our afternoon drive. We all met for afternoon tea and coffee and boarded our vehicles at 4:30. Andy keeps on rotating us on every drive so we never share a vehicle with the same people and drivers consecutively. Off we went. We immediately stopped to take some pictures of some zebras. I love the colors and patterns of zebras. There was one calf and her stripes were brownish and not quite black yet. I thought of my composition and took some great pictures of these beautiful creatures. Looking at the calf, I was so happy that she will never see the inside of a zoo. The wildlife you see in their natural environment all have a different spark in their eyes. The tails on all these zebras were wagging as we drove on. We then drove for quite some time until we spotted some other vehicles stopped at another area facing a large boulder. On top of the boulder was a female spotted leopard lying down and enjoying the heat of the rock. We got ready and then she sat up to view her area. What a beautiful site. This majestic creature enjoying her world. We are the intruders and have to blend in to her world. I never go to zoos anymore. Once you see and feel this sort of experience, zoos become off limits. How content she is and how blessed I am to be able to see her the way God meant her to live. The sun was setting as we drove back to Camp. Dinner is at eight and then this routine is repeated again. LoveLarry

Hi Everyone  We left our hotel in Arusha at 8:30 for the drive to the airport in Arusha. This is not the same airport we arrived in. Took about one hour to get there. The morning activities of the people was everywhere. We saw women carrying large baskets on their heads, children going to school and local markets where fruits, vegetables and meats were being sold. We finally arrived at the airport. This airport looked like it had not been maintained for at least twenty years. The airport consisted of a group of shacks with an old dirty tower.  Our airplane was a twelve passenger one propeller Cessna. There were two pilots. I sat behind one of the pilots. The airport only could land and take off prop planes. No jets nor any large prop planes. Our flight took off at 10:45. We are scheduled to fly for fifty minutes and then land to refuel. After we refuel, the flight was another thirty minutes to our final destination.  After take off we were in the clouds until the clouds disappeared and we finally saw the Serengeti. The Serengeti is about 5500 feet above sea level and flat plains with some single and multiple outcroppings of trees dispersed throughout the terrain. The area looked like some scenes from the movie “Out of Africa”. Specifically the scene where Robert Redford flys Meryl Streep in his plane over the plains of Africa. We started to see herds of wildebeest. We then landed on a non paved runway. The name of the landing was the “Seronera Airstrip”. As soon as the plane stopped, we all got out to stretch our legs, go to the bathroom and a fuel truck drove up to the plane.  After fifteen minutes, we all boarded and off we went. The plains were getting greener as we flew north. After thirty minutes, we landed on another dirt runway. The name of this runway was the “Kogatende Airstrip”. There were three open air land rovers waiting for us. Our drivers introduced themselves and our luggage was taken off the plane and stored in the land rovers. We then boarded the land rovers for our forty minute drive to the Camp.  I took out one of my cameras, attached a lens and got into one of the land rovers. As we drove over the plains, I started to mentally and physically unwind as I took in the beauty all around me. My sole purpose being here is to take great pictures and be surrounded by the beauty of this amazing part of the world. I realized how much I had missed the real Africa. We drove and began to see some wildlife. First some zebras, then warthog and finally elephants.  We then arrived at our Camp. Where are we? We are about five miles from the border with Kenya in the northern part of the Serengeti. I was assigned room three. The name of our Camp is Lamai Camp. We were first served a buffet lunch and then given an orientation. I was then led to my room. How can I describe my room. Spectacular is one way. The view is amazing. Looking out into the Serengeti towards Kenya on a rock overlook. My bed is huge and the bathroom is awesome. Of course, the bed is covered with a large mosquito net. We were told to settle in and all meet for tea and coffee at four. All of the Bush Camps I have been in serve afternoon tea and pastries. This is a custom left over from British rule.  I immediately took a nice hot shower and changed. At four I walked down to the dining area and had some great Tanzanian coffee. We would be leaving for our afternoon game drive at 4:30. I, of course, got friendly with some of the staff help. One of them told me that the Camp is privately owned but the land is leased from the Masai. All of the staff are Masai and they take great pride in their work and taking care of the guests.  At 4:30 we all boarded our three open air land rovers to go out. I was in one Land Rover with Cat and Sean. We drove and saw some beautiful zebras and a lone giraffe. I told Sean that the terrain looked like lion country and he told me it is. We drove and then made a turn into a rock area and our driver stopped. On the side of us was a beautiful spotted leopard sitting partially on a huge boulder with its tail hanging down. My mouth opened wide and I grabbed my camera. Sean told us it was a female and it appeared that she had given birth around six weeks ago and that her cubs were nearby and probably in the rocks. The leopard climbed up to the top of the boulder to rest. The boulder was warm from the days sun. I took some great images of her. We then waited for her to move. She was so comfortable that it took her a long time to move. Sean then heard her cubs calling her. She climbed down from the boulder and disappeared into the rocks on the bottom. The driver then turned the vehicle around and we saw that the female leopard had built a nest and her two cubs were there. She was nursing them. What a sight. The light was very poor and it was almost dark. I took some pictures but don’t know how good they are. Hopefully we will see this special sight again. All vehicles must be in their Camps by 7 PM. There are no night drives in the Serengeti. The health and protection of the wildlife always comes first. We arrived back in Camp at 7PM. The temperature was dropping and Sean commented that this was great sleeping weather. Some staff members were at the gate to great us and walk with us

Hi Everyone Andy picked me up at noon on Monday for our drive down to JFK. The first leg of our flight takes us to Amsterdam. The flight was seven hours long. A flight of this length does not encourage a good sleep. You are served two meals and even if you manage to fall asleep it is not for very long. I have come to make a science of falling asleep on airplanes. We were served dinner, I then took my malaria pill and fell asleep. Slept for around three hours until breakfast was served. As I get older, I unfortunately need more and more sleep. We arrived in Amsterdam at around five AM. Our next flight was at ten for Kilimanjaro Tanzania and the town of Arusha. We found the KLM lounge and settled in for the long layover. KLM went overboard on this lounge. The breakfast and coffee was amazing and they even had beds to sleep. While waiting other members of our group began to file in and meet us. There are ten of us in the group including Andy and Sean. Sean is a professional photographer who was born and raised in the African Bush. He lives in Nairobi and is meeting us at our hotel in Arusha. After countless cups of coffee, we finally left for our gate and the flight. I had an aisle seat and yearned for sleep. We were first served lunch, which I hardly ate and then I immediately fell asleep. Unfortunately, I was sitting next to a young woman who constantly had to go to the bathroom. She kept on waking me up but probably got about five hours of sporadic sleep. We finally landed in Kilimanjaro in the dark. Tanzania is very close to the equator so sunrise and sunset is almost never varies between six AM and six PM. Immigration was quite slow. There were lots of people waiting on line for three officials. Fortunately, I was near the front of the line and was processed. I then picked up my luggage and was met by Andy and the others outside for the thirty minute ride to our hotel. Our hotel is called “Rivertrees” and iin the dark seems to be in a dense jungle. We were given an introduction and our room keys. I scheduled a massage for ten. My room is typical African. No air conditioning, lots of screen windows and a huge bed under a large mosquito net. I immediately took a shave and hot shower. What a relief It was then time to jump into my cocoon. The weather is very pleasant. No humidity and a slight breeze. There is a huge fan on top of my bed. Perfect sleeping situation. I set my alarm for 6:30 and fell asleep. Woke up from the sound of my alarm and walked over for breakfast. The hotel is situated in a dense forest of jungle vegetation. The breakfast was very tasty and of course, the Tanzanian coffee was great. I have my massage at ten, lunch at twelve and a village tour at 2:30. Stressful day ahead in my favorite place in the world. While eating breakfast, the hotel was playing Nina Simone songs. How perfect, listening to Nina Simone while eating breakfast in a beautiful African setting. Had a massage at 10 AM. The woman asked me soft or hard? Of course, I said hard. She worked over my body and tried to squeeze my muscles whenever she could. So relaxing but uncomfortable sometimes. After the massage she filled a large stone bathtub with hot water and let me lay in it as long as I wanted to. After a while, I started to fall asleep and realized that it was time to get up. Got dressed and then went back to my room to relax.  At about noon time I met Sean. Born and raised in the Bush. How envious I am of this sort of upbringing. To always be close to nature and understand it is such a gift that could never be taught in school.  Cat and myself, Cat is one of the participants, took at drive to the local market at about 3 PM. I was so glad I went. The colors and sounds were unique. We saw women carrying huge bags on their heads and people selling almost everything imaginable. Most of the people did not like their pictures taken so I was very discreet and respectful, but still captured some good shots. We will be having our Andy and Sean meeting at 6:30 and then dinner. Will be off the grid starting tomorrow morning as the adventure begins. It has been 18 months since I last experienced the “African Bush”. I miss it. The beauty of Gods amazing creatures in their natural environment. Their majesty, colors and sounds are truly epic.  The game plan is not to blog until I return home. I will continue to write them daily but publish them, one per day, when I return home. LoveLarry

Hi Everyone Its time to wake up. We have all been resting since our last trip. OK, so where are we going now? Would you believe Tanzania and the Serengeti? Thats right. We depart on Monday November 4th for Amsterdam and then onto Kilimanjaro. Arrive late on Tuesday night and then spend that night and the following day in Arusha. On Thursday November 7th, we board a small bush plane for our first Camp in the Serengeti, In all, we will be staying in four Bush camps throughout the Serengeti. Our journey lasts until the night of November 22 and we return home on November 23. Why go to the Serengeti? The Serengeti is one of the great wildlife wonders of the world. We will be taking lots of pictures and visiting many ethnic and local groups. Approximately 80 % of the population of Tanzania live in rural areas. The time difference will be eight hours. After we leave Arusha, we will be off the grid. That means no internet and cellphones. The next time you will hear from me is from Arusha. As always, I will write my daily blog, but publish each day when I am back on the grid. We have all gone through this numerous times and everyone knows what I mean. The African Bush is one of special places in the world. People say that once you get it in your blood, you always have to return. It has been about eighteen months since we were last there. My heart, soul and eye yearn for the beauty, sounds and people of this magical place. Talk to everyone soon Love Larry