Impala.
Mother and baby baboon.
Warthog (below).
Kori bustard - the heaviest flight bird in Tanzania (below right).
Wildebeest up close and personal.
The crowned crane - Uganda's national animal (right).
A male lion stirs from his nap for a look around.
A two-toned hippo with sodium bicarbonate lines from the shallow soda lake that makes up more than 70% of Lake Manyara National Park.
A sodium bicarbonate warthog!
We were amazed and very relieved that there were toilets at the bottom of the crater (especially since I had a few cups of coffee for breakfast). This crater is definitely a shared coexistence with the wild animals, and we joked that this was enough for us to go to the bathroom in a hurry! Mao pointed out a particular area where cheetah and leopard had been previously spotted and then he asked us if we needed to use the toilet there. We said we would rather wait until later rather than be lunch for the big cats.
A female ostrich makes a run for it!
We saw two very interesting animal interactions before we began our climb out of the crater. A male Masai ostrich with pink neck and pink legs ran across the field toward four females. He picked one; feathers and tail were flying in a blur - the mating was over before I could even focus the lens and press the shutter - talk about wham, bam, thank you ma'am!
Shortly after that episode, a baby wildebeest was nursing right alongside the road. Apparently the mother didn't appreciate either our gawking or the baby's insistent tugging because she started off at a gallop - with the baby clinging to her teats for dear life!
About an hour before lunch, we began our climb upward, out of the crater, ascending almost 2,000 feet to the rim with several hairpin turns (or as Iris would say, hair turn pins). We stopped for a very quick panoramic shot of the crater once we reached the rim, and that is where we heard the song of the Tropical boo boo (Iris' favorite bird).
Iris and Carol try out the unique ladies room facilities before we dine.
Delicious lunch of assorted fruits and vegetables at Gibbs Farm - picked right from the property. Outstanding dish of the meal was definitely the rice pudding. Thirty acres of Arabica coffee plants covered the land.
Finally, we drove to the beautiful Lake Manyara Serena Lodge. Our rooms were in buildings that looked like pagodas. Once we unpacked, we scurried around to get photos before dark, then grabbed some prime seats with Carol, Lou, Teresa and Tsan poolside to watch the Tanzanian staff members dance and sing. Enjoyed some Kilimanjaro beer (both countries had very enjoyable, tasty beers).
Before one of the dances, the manager explained the story of two men courting the same woman. In the story, the men must fight to see who gets the woman. I asked the waiter what happens to the guy who never wins. He said the guy would never marry. Then we asked him if that's the way it's still done. He said, "No, today we just pick up our cell phone and call!" Ah, progress!
Dinner was, once again, delicious. Chicken broth soup, then choice of entrees. Iris, Terry and I had the pasta, which again was fantastic. As always, there were great desserts - caramel flan, strawberry tarts, mini chocolate eclairs, peanut brittle, kiwi mousse. The gym is calling my name...
Much laughter and discussion after dinner and back to our rooms around 9:30 PM. The staff had already sprayed our rooms with repellent and pulled mosquito netting around our beds. I feel like I'm on the set of Out of Africa. Would it be too much to hope for another hot water bottle? Oh well, a person can dream can't she?
Iris' excitement at Lake Manyara Serena Lodge - Evening of July 22nd: When all was tucked in for the night, I was the only person in the Lodge who had some excitement. When I "tried" to take a shower that evening, the smoke alarm went off. I quickly got out of the shower, wrapped myself in a towel and found a luxurious robe on the back of the door, put it on and investigated if there was indeed a fire. When I saw there wasn't I called the front desk and tried to explain to them that I was not smoking and insisted that someone come to research why the smoke alarm was going off. I waited for about 5 minutes and finally two gentlemen came and told me that the water was too hot and the steam went into the room which set off the smoke alarm. They opened all windows and after approx. 10 mins the alarm finally went off. They closed all the windows and left me to take my shower. No sooner than they left and I closed the bathroom door and took off my robe to turn the water on, the alarm goes off again! I put my robe on again and ran outside but they already were gone! I had to call the front desk again and asked that they come back! They finally did after another 5 minutes! They indicated that the alarm was malfunctioning and they disconnected the alarm for me. Thank God! I was then able to take my shower and finally get into bed after much excitement of the night.
ReplyDeleteThe funny thing about the whole incident is that noone heard my alarm even with my room door open! It was so loud too! Even my neighbor Barb, didn't hear it! She must sleep like a log!
Iris, I must have been sleeping like a log because I didn't hear a thing - must have been too much wine:)
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