Friday, March 1
Good porridge for breakfast this morning. Suzy and Cindy feeling better, Dennis and I a little queasy...mostly just sympathy pains on my part, I think.
We go by the hippo loop on the way out and Adam repeats that he doesn't like hippos, because they kill more people than any other animal (except maybe mosquitoes). People go to bodies of water to collect water and hippos don't like anyone being in THEIR water.
Greg comments that there is very little litter outside of the cities. We are given glass bottled water many times and plastic bottles a couple of times, but several of the lodges have purified water in pitchers. There is a ban on re-usable plastic bags and we were warned not to bring them in our luggage. When we make a purchase, it is placed in a kind of woven paper bag. Good idea, USA.
This is Simba's Kopje, but no lions here....
But on the next kopje, we spot this young lion surveying the area. George says there are no doubt many others in the area if we had time to sit here for a while.... but
We move on and pass through the zebra and wildebeest herds again.
Just as we leave the park, these three lions get our attention - a mother and two young ones, just chillin'.
We stop at a small UNESCO exhibit that speaks about the area. Also has clean washrooms.
Lunch is at a Maasai lodge that has recently opened. It is reached by a very rough road that winds and climbs into the mountains, past these folks tending animals.
Definitely off the beaten path! We are greeted with warm towels and watermelon juice. Lunch is nice on an open deck, and the views are grand.
Then we move on toward Ngorongoro Crater National Park. The crater is about 10 x 15 miles in area, and is referred to by some as the "animal nursery". Here is a view as we begin our descent. There are some animals that use the crater walls which are quite lush and heavily treed, but we don't see much till we stop to watch a few large bull elephants near the washrooms on the crater floor. They are older, George says, maybe 60-65 years and may be looking for softer grass as they lose their molars.
George soon catches sight of a distant lion and maneuvers closer. She is relaxing in the sun. He makes a wildebeest sound and she looks right at us!
She rolls over and George comments that her nipples are large, so there must be babies. And right on cue three little ones break out of the brush and join mama! So darn cute! When there are cubs, the mothers sometimes keep them hidden, away from the pride for the first few weeks, so these are quite young.
They soon move off into taller grass and bushes.
We travel towards the lake and see some more families with babies. Wildebeests.
Pumba - warthogs.
The young zebras are brownish rather than black.
Not far away, this hyena is taking a soak. With another nearby.
And more lions lazing about.
This lioness was fastidious.
So many photo opportunities! We each have a large window and the top of the vehicle lifts so you can stand and have unobstructed views. Of course, Beth has to stand on the seat to be able to see well out the top, but it works!
By the lake there are scores of flamingos nibbling away on algae. What gorgeous colors!
These looked like they were tied up in knots!
Other birds included this Egyptian goose (we've seen many of these),
A stork and an African spoonbill (white rather than pink like those at home), and other interesting birds. This is a popular place for migrating birds, we read.
We are looking for black rhinos, but only find this one quite far away before it is time to leave.
A few shots as we leave the crater....
We paused at this memorial to Michael and Bernard Grzimek of Frankfurt Zoological Society who dedicated their lives to working here in the 30's, 40's and 50's. Michael, the son died in a plane that crashed here when it hit some large birds.
A couple of hours drive to our stop for the night - Acadia Farm Lodge where we are greeted by the staff.
The farm raises coffee and bananas (that we know of) and the individual cottages are lovely, with large windows.
Ours look out on banana trees, complete with huge bunches of fruit and some interesting blossoms. We have a sitting room, a luggage room, large bedroom and a small screened porch. The Lodge has some great amenities like a gym, a pool and farm tours... and makes us wish we were spending more time here!
Dinner is a typical buffet with tasty choices. We shower and get cleaned up before dinner, so are last to arrive and last to leave at 8:15.
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