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Wednesday 21 September 2011

The first game drive... An angry elephant and a wonderful lodge


June 20th 2011 : 5.30PM
Salvatory explained that we would now have to head back to the lodge. The crater 'closes' at six o'clock, and we had to reach the ranger gate before this time. Though of course, as the best guide in the Africa, Salvatory would always stop and let us grab another few million pixels of memories:




The road leaving the crater is a fairly steep switchback and provides breathtaking views over the caldera floor. This was another situation where a lack of camera equipment caused a problem. With the internal prop flights only able to take 15kg per person we had really stripped down our cases - I had done this even to the point of not packing the 50mm lens, which would have been much better for the landscape shots...



Part of the switchback




We hit the gate around five minutes before 6pm and Salvatory gunned the Patrol through the final rise and onto the road that ran the rim. The colour of Africa was changing; the green of the grasses and trees that we had seen earlier that morning was now losing out to the red colours of the coming sunset and the rust coloured road dust that vehicles had kicked up in a fine spray over the course of the day.

Phillipa and I settled back into our seats, too tired and too overwhelmed to yet talk about the day. We chugged the rest of our cans and popped the empties into the bin next to the fridge at the back of the Patrol.
Salvatory stopped the jeep, climbed into the back and asked me to help him pull down the roof and secure it fast. The roof stood tall on 4 folding arms, held up by two hydraulic struts. Salvatory grabbed the front handles and I the back, and together we swung our weight forward to bend the arms and bring the roof down. Four large rubber pulls at each corner slotted into grooves and held it tightly shut; until tomorrow :-)

Salvatory hopped over the drivers seat, hit the gear and hit the gas. We had been used to a sedate ride all around the crater floor, and the extra burst of speed woke us up a little. We passed a fairly derelict looking building on our right which we were told was the local police barracks, and then a wide brown track which was the Ngorongoro airstrip.

Not quite Gatwick...

We were peering across at this (Phillipa with interest, me with bum-puckering trepidation) when on came the anchors and the Patrol juddered to a halt. As he was braking Salvatory shut off the engine too.
The surprise of all this shot our heads round to the front and what then filled our view was an old bull elephant. We had disturbed his meal and he was peering back at us; Salvatory silently unfixed the rubber stops holding the small sunroof above his head - this folded forward and locked, and Phillipa and I stood up very slowly, poking our heads up through the gap and leaning on the driver and passenger seats.


There are not many times I will use the word 'exhilarated' and mean it; this however was definitely one such occasion... It was so close we could see the texture of his skin and hear the workings of the muscles in his trunk and jaw.


We stood, open mouthed, not making a sound, but he knew we were there. Every now and again he would turn and peer at us. Eventually, he began to move and it was incredibly fortuitous that his route was taking him across the road in front of us. He walked with a remarkable grace considering his size, making barely a noise as he moved through the dry grasses.
It was then I wished I was a better photographer. The elephant passed in front of the setting sun, bestowing upon us a view so beautiful it is really hard to find the right words to describe it...
The pictures certainly don't do it justice and I'm sure it didn't help that I kept fiddling and clicking different options, trying in vain to find some way to capture the moment. So here are a few out of focus and badly exposed snaps:







I know this isn't a great photo, but I really like it so you're stuck with it extra large

He began to cross the road, and Salvatory started the Patrol and nudged us closer. We could see the elephant eyeing us up without moving his head. His outstretched leg slowly pulled back, and he became motionless.


We barely breathed...

Then he turned to face us. A stand-off!

Phillipa and I were both statue still, frozen in awe at the sight - what appeared at first as a magnificent old friendly elephant had become something else as he faced us - something really big and dangerous that had taken exception to our gawking.

Then he did something that shocked me down into my seat. He gave a rumble, not quite a trumpet, and flapped his ears at us. Now, this might not sound like anything at all, but those ears are bloody big and it made a hell of noise. Dust flew as his ears slapped outwards from his neck, and combined with the snort from his trunk it sounded like a thunderclap.

Apparently this is a warning - it's a 'back-off buddy' move. I did exactly as I was told and sat my ass down. Salvatory grabbed my arm and exhorted me to 'get up, take photos!!'.
So I stood back up, noticing that Phillipa hadn't moved (annoying - but then she has had an Indian elephant step on her chest on her travels...)
With a sheepish smile at Phillipa, up came the camera for some more photos and some video as he decided that we were no threat and that he could happily cross the road...





As the elephant sauntered off, we sat back down and Salvatory continued the drive back to lodge. This meeting had really perked us up and got us talking. Well, perhaps talking is too grand a word for the 'ooh's' and the 'oh my god's' and the 'did you see's' that we peppered each other with for the next few minutes.


The sun was setting as we reached the top of the ridge, and we were noticing that it dropped rapidly in comparison to back home. We had left at around 6am that morning, and were returning after 6pm... Most people we met would do much shorter drives (which we could have asked for) but Salvatory's first thought is to his clients, and we wanted to see as much as possible - anyway, we had a honeymoon in Zanzibar coming up; we'd relax there!

We were dropped off at the lodge and Salvatory headed over to the guides area.


We had read about this, the guides have separate areas and can't join you for dinner etc. Salvatory would join us for a drink on a few nights, and for lunch and dinner at our wedding (we were adamant about this), but he did seem keen to also meet with his friends at the guides area so it's not quite as we had read. By the time we got to Zanzibar for our honeymoon we thought so much of Salvatory that it took us days to get used to not being with him. Phillipa and I still talk about him - a nicer man you will not meet!
We arranged to meet for a drink after dinner, and Phillipa and I headed into reception. We were stopped here and again given fresh warm towels to wipe our faces and hands, and an extremely fresh and thirst quenching fruit drink. We sipped these as we headed down the large wooden staircase to the veranda that overlooked the whole crater.


The Serena Lodge - each room looking right over the crater

Of course, by this time we just wanted Tusker beer, food and a shower. And we wanted it all in that order too.
With this in mind, we turned left and straight into the main restaurant and bar area. We grabbed two bottles of Tusker from the bar and carried them straight through, picking up the raised walkway outside all the way to our room and swigging the African nectar as we walked.

The rooms here were superb. Have a look at http://www.serenahotels.com/serenangorongoro/default-en.html for a full idea of this awesome place. The bathroom was on our right as we entered, just past an almost-walk in wardrobe. The bedroom was straight on and had a huge, comfy bed, a writing desk and huge sliding glass doors that looked out over the crater. We weren't about to take too long in the room though, a quick shower, a quick 'no' from Phillipa when I asked for a fumble (worth a try) and then we were heading back to the restaurant. We walked past the bar towards the open fire that resides at the bottom of the spiral staircase leading to the upper floor and the restaurant.
We didn't have a single bad meal during our whole time in Africa, so if you are going and are worried, don't be. These lodges are top class, and so is the food and service.

Each night at this lodge there is a performance or show downstairs and unfortunately our timing was off this night. Just as we were tucking in to a fantastic curry we could hear the Maasai performers downstairs; we made a mental note to hold off dinner until after this performance the next night.

The food and beer was working its magic and our eyes were closing as we finished dessert. We walked back downstairs on leaden legs and eschewed a nightcap at the bar in favour of sleep. After all, we had to get up early again - unbeknownst to us at this point of course, we had the full action of a lion kill to see the next afternoon...




                                                                                          







Tuesday 20 September 2011

Subscribing... A brief interlude

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Next up... An angry elephant... :-)

Sunday 18 September 2011

The first game drive... Buffalo, and a little bit of history...

June 20th 2011
The sun was at it's zenith and the heat hit us hard. The chilly air and mist on the crater ridge was now a distant memory. Beneath the azure sky we dropped layers and yet still sweated. The suncream was pulled from my trusty National Geographic bag (which made some people think I was actually affiliated with them; I, rather shamefully, did nothing to dissuade them from this...) and applied liberally.
The hat band in my Indiana Jones replica fedora (yes, really) was getting uncomfortable, but even though the Patrol roof 'popped' and did provide shade, we were up and peering out of it so much that covering the bonce was a must. Phillipa has brought with her some floppy monstrosity that Angela (her twin sister) had worn in South Africa. It had nothing at all to do with Indiana Jones and so my interest ended there :-)



We were both taking on water constantly, but Salvatory hardly touched a drop. He would go most days on a single small bottle. He did say he would drink more when we hit the Serengeti proper however, as it would be much warmer than in the crater. Phillipa and I shared an apprehensive glance...

We had not travelled far before seeing our first buffalo. Now, I don't know about you, but these never rated highly on my 'must see' list. 'Funny horns, don't do much' was my initial summation, but when we got up close I had to change my mind. They do have funny horns and they don't do much, but their size is staggering... It's quite captivating being so close to such a huge animal, and the fact that they don't shift around much made it easier to get some good snaps:









While I snapped away like a horny paparazzi outside Scarlett Johansson's bathroom window, Salvatory explained a little about Tanzania's history.
Tanzania was originally a German colony (remember 'Yellow Fever Forest'?), until World War 2. After the war the German colonies were divided up between the allies and England took over Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda. Zanzibar was passed to the Sultanate of Oman and this perhaps explains why the Muslim faith is much greater in Zanzibar than on the Tanzanian mainland.
The fact that Tanzania became a English colony also explained something the Phillipa and I had not even noticed yet - they drive on the left, in right hand drive cars... The plug sockets are also three pin, 240v, and so all our chargers fit straight in - and thank god for that; with our 15kg baggage limit we had no room at all for anything else!
Salvatory explained that with the English in charge there was a burgeoning NHS, good schools and good prospects (Tanzania remains to this day the jewel of Africa in regard to stability and opportunity) - once England left however, and the country was given back to Tanzania the organisation began to fall apart (I am quoting Salvatory here). He really missed English rule and felt it was to their detriment to have lost it. An interesting point to give to all those people who think colonisation was all bad...

Anyway.. :-)

We moved on from the buffalo and Salvatory's eagle eyes caught another black rhino. Honestly, the distances this guy could spot game was amazing - he would comment on details I could only see with the binoculars...
This rhino was definitely not our friend from earlier. We were too far away from the initial spot point, and as a further giveaway, this one had her baby with her!
Cubs, children - no matter what the species or what they are called, no matter what they are capable of, no matter how dangerous when grown - all young frolic and play and run around the legs of their parents, and the baby rhino was no different. It would run around the mother and then off a short distance away, before stopping and looking back, checking Mum was still close. If she was too far away, the baby would run back and then begin again. It was fantastic to watch, and just a shame that we were again watching through the binos (there are only 6 black rhinos in the crater, they are that rare, and so I guess we cannot complain that they kept their distance - who could blame them? After all, their only real predator has been man).

After all the above, I'm afraid I have no photos. The distance was just too great... Rest assured though, it was wonderful to watch :-)

We spent the rest of the afternoon driving slowly back to the lodge.




Secretary Bird - called thus due to pencil-like feathers on the back of the head, and because the Arabic for 'hunter' sounds like secretary (and the Arabs named the bird!)


Black back jackals



Our lodge is hidden in these clouds

Zebra babies have brown stripes - they get darker with age until perfectly black



Classic Africa shot!

And then, driving across the crater to the lodge, we saw yet another black rhino - I mention this only as I was able to get some pics of this one :-)

This guy was sleeping, but popped his head up for a sniff from time to time



And then we headed up the crater ridge to our temporary home. The day was not over however. We were about to see an elephant closer than we could have ever imagined - and he was not happy...






Thursday 15 September 2011

The first game drive... Black Rhino

June 20th 2011
I apologise in advance for this photo... (remember if you click the photos you'll get them in full size)


The distance was just too great for the lens I had...

Through the bino's though we took in a lot of detail and had a great view. The rhino was such a throwback, a proper dinosaur. It swaggered through the grasses without a care in the world, which realistically was true. Not a fat lot messes with these boys. We would later get a glimpse of the largest male lion in the crater, and whilst the black rhino didn't appear troubled, he did move away from the lion. Salvatory told us that even a rhino wouldn't mess with a fully grown male lion... Whilst the rhino was remarkable, comments like this just fuelled my desire to see a large male lion up close, but more of this later.
We were told that a rhino horn is flexible, floppy almost, when the rhino is relaxed. It only becomes rigid when excited (yes, I laughed). Perhaps angry or agitated would be a better word. When agitated, and the horn becomes rigid, it is tough enough to pass through the side of a jeep like a hot knife through butter...

The rhino was not coming any closer and so we moved onward. It would remain the most elusive of the big game we would be hunting, but we would get a little closer before the end. We had not travelled far before Phillipa spotted and pointed out a clan of hyenas. We had seen a lot of them around already, but this was different. Perhaps 6 or 7 adults were all stood watching a shallow defile just out of sight. Several young were there also. 
Aside from size, you can tell the age of a hyena by the spacing of their spots - the young appear very dark as the spots are closely grouped, the adults are lighter in colour as the dark spots have spaced out over their body as they have grown.
We were here for a long time as it was clear that a kill was in the dip, and it could only be a very large male lion to keep away this many hyenas. This was also when our black rhino sauntered over to check out the commotion - when he beat a slow retreat Salvatory confirmed it must be 'the' male lion.


Despite waiting for a long time, this was all we saw - the lion poked up his head (circled in blue, hyenas nearby in front) before settling down to nap after his feed... Male lions can sleep anything up to 20 hours a day and the chances of anything making this guy move, considering a black rhino left him alone, were slim to none. Slightly disappointed, we moved on...

There was of course no need to be disappointed. We were slap bang in the 8th wonder of the world with the best guide in Africa. On the way to our next lion spot, we passed a few crowned cranes:


But to be honest I'm not really into the whole bird thing, unless we're talking pheasants and I've got my shotgun with me. So, more lions!







Tart




These two lions, the young male with the short mane, the young female with her legs open :-), were napping about a meter from the edge of the dirt road. Lions have no predators at all in the crater - the Maasai are not allowed to hunt in the crater, and only they will cause a lion concern as they actively hunt them.
These two lions had not long hooked up by all accounts. Lions will mate for seven straight days once paired and each encounter will get progressively longer each time after the first coupling, which is around 5 mins (not sure I made even that my first time!). This massive and constant mating period pretty much guarantees pregnancy.

It also, judging by these two, knackers the hell out of them. 

It is very hard for a male to get a mate, and the only thing that woke this male was his female shifting around - he had to keep an eye out and make sure she didn't leave. Other jeeps pulled up to take photos and the lions did not stir. When she rolled on her back however, his head shot round to check she wasn't getting up.
I was chuffed to bits here. To be so close, just a few meters away from a lion was exactly what I had hoped for when Phillipa bullied me into going to Africa to get married on safari. 

This just about took us up to lunch. I could tell this as Phillipas stomach sounded like an angry animal and she kept mouthing the words, "I'm starving' at me... Luckily, Salvatory thought the same and we headed off to the lake to dine with the hippos...


The small lake is the only area of the park where you can safely leave the vehicle for any length of time (other than the toilet stop by the forest). Even though Hippos were in the lake we were completely safe. Whilst they are very dangerous animals, the danger comes from people inadvertently crossing their route to water, or their route home - Hippos see this as a threat and charge. You can be a long way away, but cross their route and they will attack. You can get close safely, as we did here, because we approached and stayed on the side of the lake that they did not use or ever cross to.


We saw a lot of vehicles packed with people - Phillipa and I were really glad again that Roy Safaris provided our own private guide and vehicle, and we were about to be even more pleased...
Salvatory pulled into a spot right by the lake and Phillipa and I prepared to munch on a few sandwiches in the Patrol and enjoy the view, as others were. Salvatory hopped out however, and unloaded a fold away table and chairs from the boot. We helped him set this up by the lake in front of the Patrol and he then fetched a huge wicker hamper from the passenger seat.


He even brought a tablecloth!

It had a full set of china, silver cutlery and more meat, yoghurt, fruit and snacks then we could ever eat in one sitting. We hunkered down with Salvatory and all had piping hot tea from the included flask before diving into the good stuff. People eyed us both greedily and enviously - we loved that of course!! ;-)

We had some company during lunch...
Tip: (as provided by our awesome guide) When eating at the Ngorongoro rest area ensure that you sit in a circle where possible, and make sure food is either packed away, on route to your mouth or in it. The huge Black Kites (below) would snatch food right out of your hand or mouth if you weren't careful, and they would more than likely take a chunk out of you too... Being in a circle baffles their attack run, and if they can't see the food then they can't grab it!

Big buggers - that's the roof of a safari jeep in the bottom right

This was also where Salvatory found the rock below... This now sits in our garden as Phillipa would not let it stay in the house. This round rock caught Salvatory'e eye as it did not seem to fit in with the surroundings. He plucked it from the mud and washed it in the lake before handing it to me. 
So, I held it, nonplussed. He then explained that the most likely explanation was that it had been used by an elephant as an aid to digestion. Elephants will swallow these rocks, which will help grind and pulp the acacia in their stomach. They will then pop it out like sweetcorn for some strange westerner to hold, and have it slowly dawn on him that it is still pretty much covered in elephant dung...


So, after washing my hands several times, and packing the rock into a few plastic bags, we were ready to head off for our afternoon drive. 

Smiling after lunch. I wouldn't be smiling when we angered an old bull elephant on the way back to the lodge...