Day 57 to 64 - Tanzania

I’m not sure I’ve ever done anything so cool in my life as go to Tanzania and experience the Serengeti. I had the most incredible time, I’m going to have a hard time getting in every single detail. I was debating whether or not to take my laptop, my final decision of course was to leave the laptop for fear that it would be a burden and get in the way or being out-and-about. Well, I discovered that I really could have brought it and been just fine. That way I would have been able to record things as they happened or at the very least come back to the hostel or tent wherever we were and record for the day. In any case, I’m here now and I’m about to attempt to write about my experience in Tanzania.

It began early in the morning on Saturday the 21st of June. Our group was Amber, Heidi, Steph, Jackie, Ashley, Lindsi, Trent, Jeff, and myself, possibly the funnest group possible. I had been considering and was pretty sure I was going to plan my own trip on which Leslie and Emily were going to go. We had the idea that we would go to Tanzania and then South Africa. As time got closer to them departing I realized that my best friends of the group were the ones leaving and that I really needed to be with them! I quickly changed my mind and had Jackie call the travel agency to see if they could still get me in. Sure enough, they got me through and I was ecstatic. We were going to spend time in Kampala before we caught our plane but our taxi was late and the traffic was horrible. We quickly got the tickets from the travel office and screamed to Entebbe, only to find out that our plane was going to be 2 hours late. We were not to happy about it but realized that we had to deal with AST (African Standard Time).

Our flight took off about 2 hours late, whatever. We had a pit-stop in Mwanza, Tanzania and then on to Kilimanjaro Airport. We flew in a twin prop turbo something or nothing. I was nervous it was going to be one of those crazy puddle-hoppers but it turned out to be just fine. I was pretty impressed with the noise level, having expected horrendous droning of the props. The front of the plane was worse than the back for sound. The plane ride was short and felt like nothing at all. I think we went to a maximum of 19,000 feet the whole time. The first thing I noticed when I stepped off the plane in Tanzania was the air; cool and crisp, so refreshing. It was good to have a break from the monotonous humidly of Lugazi. We went through customs of course and had to lay our a whopping $100 USD, not the funnest part, though I have yet another stamp in my passport so I guess that’s alright. We were picked up by a man holding a sign that said, “Skinner x9.” He was a jolly Tanzanian, very nice. We threw our stuff in the Land Cruisers and we were off to Arusha. The landscape was amazing, totally different from that of Lugazi or anywhere in Uganda I’ve seen thus far. It was a desert! But then something weird happened. We got closer and closer to Mt. Kilimanjaro (which being clouded over was unable to be seen) and the landscape changed again. It went back to the lush green that we were used to. We figured that because of the altitude and weather around the mountain, much more precipitation was at the disposal of the plants.

We arrived at Arusha Backpackers Hotel, though it felt more like a Hostel. There were one or two beds to a room which classified it as a hotel. I was a bit nervous as to what the conditions were going to be there but was surprisingly impressed with the accommodations and the cleanliness of the place. Jeff and I roomed together, Amber and Heidi, Jackie and Steph, Lindsi and Ashley, and poor Trenty had his own room (he was OK with that, he actually offered to take the single room). The beds were done up nice, new sheets and neatly made with a towel for showering, in what? Yes, that’s right... hot showers; a commodity we have learned not to take for granted since being here. There was always somebody cleaning up the bathroom, sweeping the floor, etc, very clean. There was a bar on the third floor where you could have a drink or soda as well as order food. Free Internet was available which made the whole thing even more suitable. We all use the internet so much to keep in contact with family and it was so nice to have it included and available right there! We didn’t do much the day we arrived, we just got settled in and relaxed from all the hubbub of traveling. We decided we would go out and hunt down a restaurant to have some dinner. As we were walking I spotted a place called McMoody’s, the name couldn’t have been more perfect. Of course McDonald’s rang through as we read the title, I’m sure that had something to do with our final decision of going inside. The food was surprising VERY good. I had a pizza, fries, and a Pepsi and was very impressed, very satisfied. It was nice to actually have some REAL food, a REAL meal. Yes, we eat at the house every night but it’s the same EVERY night: rice, beans, cabbage, green beans, potatoes, pineapple; with a little mix up here and there. Following dinner we all headed back to the Hotel and chilled in the bar area. Of course I had myself a Coke to suit the moment of relaxation, it was great. I used the internet to check e-mail, that was nice.

Sunday was a pretty chill day that consisted of visiting a crafts village, a zoo of sorts, and some sort of Masai museum which was pretty anticlimactic. The crafts village was awesome. I couldn’t believe the artwork! Everything is art that they sell, whether it’s a carving, painting, or otherwise. I just wanted to buy the entire place and ship it home to my apartment. I bought somethings that are pretty cool, things that you couldn’t really get anywhere else. The people there were overly annoying however. In Swahili “karibu” means welcome. Yes, the animal that we have all known since that first grade lesson. Well, every store you walked by they would “welcome” you and tell you to come in their store. Most of the time they were talking over each-other because their stores are right next door to each-other It was slightly comical but more annoying. It was nearly impossible to just walk around undisturbed and just look around! Some people would even guide you in by making a human road block in the path you were taking. Others would even grab your arm and pull you! By the end I was so ready to get out of there but wish I could have gotten 3 times as much stuff as I did. The zoo was pretty entertaining. We saw crocodiles, snakes, birds, and some other animals. I got to hold a snake on my shoulders and in my hands. It was a type of garden snake. Very calm, very nice. It wasn’t like a Provo garden snake though. Just about 5 times as wide and long. I even got to hold a baby crocodile, now that was cool. The little thing was strong and could have drawn blood had he gotten a hold of me. We went to the Masai village next and that was not too cool, sort of a waste. What followed however made it worth it. I, Corbin Allred, have ridden a camel. For 1000 TSH (Tanzanian Shillings, just under a dollar) we got to ride some camels. They are funny creatures for sure. Heidi and I rode together, we had a blast. While the ride was only a total of 4 minutes or so, we definitely rode camels.

We had dinner again at McMoody’s, again I pizza, fries, and a Pepsi. The meal was just so good the time before that I had to have it again. We went back to the hotel and again went up and chilled in the bar area. Later in the night however we played around... Ashley and Trent decided they were going to stuff people into Ashley's backpack. Ashley was the first to go in, but I wasn’t there to see it happen. When I got there we had decided that Amber, being the flexible gymnast, would be able to fold in half and fit in the pack. It was a little harder done than said, she only got half way in, we have pictures to prove it. We were laughing so hard that Amber almost peed her pants... not that that’s an uncommon occurrence.

Monday turned out to be rather expensive and a bit anticlimactic. We decided to take a hike up to some waterfalls on the base of Mt. Kilimanjaro. We realized that our dreams of climbing the mountain were nowhere near going to come true, so we had to do the next best thing. The worst part about it was that it cost $50 USD. That wouldn’t have been so bad had we been taken on a trip that was worth that. We were picked up from our Hotel and then we drove for about an hour or so. We took off up the mountain in the big bus, following the badly beaten roads. It had recently rained and the roads were absolutely tumultuous, so bad in fact that we couldn’t make it up all the way. As we went up the mountain the roads got steeper and steeper and slicker and slicker, we knew we weren’t going to make it. We came to a point in the road where the tires on the bus started to spin. When the driver put the brakes on, rather that stopping the vehicle it created one giant slipping heap of metal and people. We slid back and almost into a ditch, we were a bit on edge as you might expect. We were told that the trailhead was an hour and a half by foot up the road and that that was our only choice. Reluctantly we stepped out of the bus with our clean shoes on to the muddy ground, what followed can only be described as messy, mucky, dirty, etc. We trudged up the hill with much difficulty but we eventually made it to the trailhead. The hike was long but amazing. Everything was fogged in and the air was practically water there was so much humidly. I remember on the way up my friend Steph asked, “Do ever just get to that point where you’re done?” “Yeah,” I responded, “like right now?” “Yeah,” she said laughing. We had only made it half way to the falls and we had HAD IT! We were filthy, it was wet, and we just didn’t really like that we had paid all that money for a half-way bus ride and a walk to some falls. We had paid $106 USD for an amazing hike at Sipi Falls, many amazing meals, nice sleeping quarters, and it was just amazing. So we weren’t too happy about it. We finally arrived and the falls were pretty spectacular and I got some good pictures. We sat in a little hut that had been constructed for sitting and relaxing. We got our lunches out and I cut some mangos, they were amazing. The walk down was another story. People were slip-sliding all over the place and many fell. Poor Lindsi fell so many times, we were all dying laughing. Amber, Jackie, and Steph all fell down too, they were all covered in mud from head to toe. Luckily I stayed on my feet and didn’t have to experience the ground.

Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and half of Friday were all dedicated to Safari in the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater. The experience was amazing, something that I’ve wanted to do my whole life. The ironic part about it is that my room for the last 10 years has had the african jungle/desert theme. Now I’ve been there and experienced it first hand. We left Arusha in the Land Cruiser with our driver Buba Lou who turned out to be the best guide ever. Our drive to the Serengeti was a good 5 or 6 hours. We crossed all sorts of land, from lush to dry back and forth. As we exited the city we began to see more and more the Masai people. They were generally herding cattle, goats, or some other livestock. We also saw them walking in groups along the rode as well as in the fields. I felt like I was with the National Geographic crew out doing a show or something. Our first stop was on top of a hill overlooking the Serengeti. We pulled out the lunches they had prepared for us and had a pleasant sit-down. The skies were so clear and blue, you could see quite far over the valley. The air was crisp and dryer than Uganda. We made our way from lunch just below the hill we sat on to a Masai village. Never did I think I would shake hands with or participate in a welcoming jumping dance with natives of the Serengeti. It was an incredible experience. A guy took Jackie and I into one of the huts that they live in. Inside he showed us sleeping conditions as well as the small cooking area, as in, 3 rocks 4 inches tall and a small pot with a diameter of no more than 12 inches. We sat in there for 10-15 minutes and were instructed on some of the ways of the Masai people, it was very intriguing. Jackie luckily got a lot of it on here video camera, so that will be nice to have. I was able to take a bunch of great pictures. I’m always a bit apprehensive here in Africa about taking pictures. I always want to be respectful of people so it’s hard to determine when it’s appropriate. We usually ask if it’s OK to take pictures. We left the village and continued our journey into the Serengeti. Along the way we had a small game drive while in route to our campsite. The first animal we saw was a giraffe and I went snap happy with the camera, because of course in my mind it was the ONLY giraffe I was going to see in the next 3 days... silly me. Then along the way something entirely unexpected happened and we were all taken for extreme surprise. As we were driving along the way we stopped to find a lioness and with five cubs behind here walking down the road. I couldn’t believe my eyes. In the first hour of really driving in the Serengeti we see this! This time I went super crazy and took a bunch of pictures and boy did I get some good ones. What happened next blew our socks off. We realized that the mother had spotted a Pumba (or a warthog if you’re unfamiliar with The Lion King in which case I might have to kill you) and that she had gone into hunting mode. We watched as she edged forward and Pumba got down close to the ground to try and conceal himself... to no avail. The poor guy is as obviously as the sun in the sky. Suddenly the mom left her cubs and took off after Pumba; the race was on. We watched as Nala took Pumba out and later his shrieking as she put the death grip on him. It was absolutely incredible, we thought for sure there were cameras around and that we were in a documentary. I managed to get some incredible sunset pictures on the first evening, I got pretty lucky. They were on the move even, I didn’t even get a chance to really set up! I am very pleased with the shots I got, so pleased that I’m considering printing one of them on canvas. The drive continued and we saw Zebra and Gazelle. By chance we stumbled upon another pride of lionesses who were relaxing in the shade next to a water hole. Some wildebeest approached and they were on guard though they were VERY unsuccessful in taking them down. They sort of jumped the gun and the wildebeest took off quickly out of their grip. Our first day continued to get better with seeing elephants, more giraffes, and just absolutely beautiful country.

We arrived at our first campsite and set up camp. We were asked to help set up our tents and get things ready, we were happy to help. The campsite was nice with facilities (walls and a roof with a counter-space for cooking) for cooking, latrines, showers, and covered eating areas to boot. I felt very comfortable there and it was a lot of fun. There were many other people there as well, at least 20 tents set up in the campsite.

To be continued...