Saying Goodbye to the Serengeti

Where to start... 

Today was a travel day of sorts. We had one last morning to take in last breaths of the Serengeti but needed to exit the park by noon, per our permit. 

Just enough time to point and shoot at giraffes, cape buffalo (looks at you with gentle eyes but has a reputation for changing his mind about you on a dime and is considered one of the most dangerous animals in Africa). 

A pride of lions with full bellies, digesting uncomfortably... Cubs bursting at the seams, only 4-6 months old.

This cub went on walkabout. Mamma gave him some space and time, then called him back in her deep stern voice. A few seconds later, she up'd and fetched him. Gently and affectionately escorting him back to the group, where safari vehicles weren't parked between her and her baby. Check out his ROUND belly!!! She's a great mom!

... And he couldn't wait to tell his brother about his wee adventure! (At least, that's how I see it.)

Hippos - Also decidedly unpredictable and dangerous - wallow in the filth they create. They eat greens on land all night then fart, poop and pee into the water they splash themselves with and drink all day! The smell is exactly how you'd expect and then some, but despite this, there is something entirely endearing about them. Pink skin and tiny ears, giant mouths! All snuggled up together, happily passing their days in community.

Like I said... Every animal has a bird! The vital role is of wound cleaner, in this case.

Silverbird

Lunch was at the Serengeti/Ngorongoro entrance-exit. It's a heck of a busy and ruthless environment so Hilary asked us to jump out and secure a picnic table for the 3 of us. Easier said than done! I nabbed a table and Sue went to the loo. Then I found myself setting firm boundaries with other guides as they attempted to hijack me, unload picnic hampers and settle in! Boundary-setting comes with a great deal of respect here, apparently. The guide gave up... then high-fived me for my bravery and stubborness. Yeah me!

Hilary positioned me on the road to Serengeti... then said "Now jump!" so I did. Hahaha

(The Serengeti is about a week away from the start of the rainy season. It's not just the animals who can feel it coming.)

Post lunch, of veggie stew, chicken, rice and bananas we got an education about how refueling the vehicle is done. I believed until this point that either our vehicle had a 100 gallon tank, was fueled by Hilary magic or he had been sneaking away at night to refuel the Land Cruiser. (Oh and I forgot to mention that every morning that truck was CLEAN! Hilary had been sweeping endless Serengeti dust from every pocket of it and restocking it with wet wipes, water and snacks every night after a long day of driving our precious selves around!!!)  Anyway... the queue is 30 minutes long and tan colored at the fuel station. Land Cruisers out the kazoo, lined up and waiting patiently - African style. Hakuna Matata!

Our final stop was for the permit for Ngorongoro. Then there was a substantial drive back across the conservation area and into grazing (Masai) territory. Our tented lodge is here. Literally tucked in between the Masai villages, surrounded by not just Tanzanian wildlife, but the herds of goats and cows that signify Masai net worth.

Embalaakai Ngorongoro is VERY similar to Embalaakai Serengeti. Not sure why that surprised me, but Welcome Home us! A cute tent cabin with 4-poster beds, hot water and clean linens awaited. 

But what have we here?!

"Someone" washed out his underwear and hung it to dry atop of my bed frame. Aussie branded boxer shorts! The whole situation reeked of a Zar-incident. Our Aussie kids had indeed stayed at this very resort last night and my money was on the kids having stayed in room S10 also. We giggled and took a picture. It was time to What's App them before they boarded the plane to Zanzibar!

Bingo! I win! Zar confessed to having my bed last night and our concierge (part mortified, part amused... but definitely more mortified) confirmed as much. It was the perfect way to end the day - wine and giggles on the covered porch, monkeys grooming each other nearby and more shared memories with the kids.

... and the wine? It's freakin' local and pretty darn good.  G'night Dallice!

More Serengeti... You can never have enough Serengeti!

Serengeti Day 2 starts from Embalaakai Tented Lodge @ Serengeti - and featured a teary farewell to "the kids" who were headed directly to Ngorongoro Crater. 

Hilary loaded us and the giant picnic hamper up and we were off around 7:30am. I was manifesting leopards and hippos from my seat in the Land Cruiser and enjoying (mostly) my "African massage" which is essentially being vibrated from head to toe, continuously by the uneven roads.  (When we get to the end of the journey, I'll give you an update about the long term effects of the African massage. There is a twist!)

It was an unexpectedly full day. 

Roller bird

Impala

Lions sleeping and looking uncomfortably full after gorging on giraffe. Thank goodness that bit of the natural world was not outside our tent when we woke up - because it was outside someones! What a smell! Vultures - 4 of the 8 species in Tanzania - and Marabou storks (sometimes called the "undertaker bird") scrapped over the carcass. Wings flapped noisily. Storks carrying babies is the dreamy version of these birds. This version is what nightmares are made of! Giant dead-meat eaters, not to be trifled with and kinda scary looking. 

Ruppell's vulture (?)

Marabou stork

Only the black-backed jackal - cunning, quick and gutsy, stood up to them.

Two leopards in a sausage tree was my personal happy place today. The universe provided! They were a mated pair who will only actually spend a few days together, lounging romantically. Soon... she'll be a single mom, using all her smarts and experience to keep her cubs safe from other big cats, hyenas and pretty much anyone out here! And he'll go back to his uncomplicated (kinda) life, roaming the serengeti alone. 

I make no apologies for overdoing the pics of the leopards here. This is but a fraction of what I edited which is in turn a fraction of what I shot! You'll get through them. Suck it up!

As the day unfolded, we picnicked in Serengeti NP and I ran into a couple from TARIKI, New Zealand!!! What a freakin' small world. This little village is about 30 mins from where come from and you know, we probably have circles that overlap even outside of the huge coincidence of being on this little overlook in the Serengeti at the same time, comparing our safari experiences and pictures! 

The afternoon was packed with wallowing hippos, hyena pups and a tribe of very entertaining baboons who took the road and my heart, with their tiny wee babies. 

Lovebirds!

Every Serengeti animal seems to have a bird companion!

Just when I thought the glorious African sunset and last minute sighting of a secretary bird was a wrap... a bonus from the universe; A serval sighting (Sue's eyes are the best!)

Grass colored and grass height, extremely difficult to see and even harder to photograph. What a treat! 

I knew that a couple of weeks from now I would be taking his pictures into LightRoom in order to turn out something identifiable! So... here's what we got:

Secretary bird

Another night in our tented camp, Room 2A, with good food, great people and sleep punctuated by the sounds of the Serengeti wildlife. Ah-Mazing!

Oh and more tidbits from Hilary!

How did the secretary bird get its name? Well...it's tall and slim, wearing a white blouse and a black skirt, much like secretaries used to look. And just as a secretary might have tucked her feather pen into her hairdo, this bird features a handful of long writing feathers sticking from its head!