Tourist time
- jeremyskoler
- Apr 26, 2018
- 14 min read
3/28/18 - 4/2/18
For the first time in my travels I saw more diversity in the living animals than in the road kill. In fact, I only saw road kill once, but it was two donkeys so that was pretty memorable. The live animals were pretty memorable too.
I rode the bus for 9 hours from Bagamoyo to Arusha. Tanzanian coach buses offer complimentary food and drink on the long ride, which was a welcome surprise. I had splurged and spent the extra dollar for the bus with the bathroom, so I was really riding in style. On top of my already good mood, I managed to pick up enough words in the announcement, when we stopped for lunch, to understand the gist of it. I was pretty proud. I went down the cafeteria line and was given lots of foods I couldn’t recognize. I guess I ate liver and maybe some other intestines for the first time. I think I also ate something’s heart.
Back on the bus, we started passing through more and more beautiful scenery. I’m so glad I got to see some of the country this way. The red African soil contrasted nicely with the lush vibrant green of the humid mountain foliage. Bare purple rocks rose out of the jungle tangle and gleamed against the bright blue sky. It was dreamlike, nothing on this earth can be that perfect, but for some reason here it is. I yearned to capture and share the beauty but I don’t think even a professional’s camera could accurately portray the majesty when confining it to one small frame.
I arrived in Arusha after dark and was immediately swarmed by men trying to book me a safari, sell me a room and get me into their taxis. Luckily Caito, Terri’s husband, had set me up with a friend of his who kindly arrived to walk me to a hotel. When I declined the WiFi option, he brought me to a place for locals, which was kind of cool. I went out to find dinner and was immediately approached by yet another “rafiki”. I asked where to eat and he suggested a place we were passing. They had fries in eggs with chicken, very typical but much tastier than I've gotten before. It even had some veggies in it! My new friend decided he wanted to take me to a club. I told him I didn't have much money and wasn't going to pay to enter, but as I wanted to walk and see the town a bit I agreed to go along. I knew meandering alone at night was ill advised so I felt safer with him. The club was a super touristy, expensive-looking place, at a hotel. There was live music and lots of white people. We left immediately. My friend walked me back to my hotel. All night he had been telling me how he is caring for 200 orphans with HIV and how good I could feel by helping someone; I was waiting for him to ask for a donation. He didn’t, but maybe it is still coming. We exchanged emails and parted ways. The next morning I bought breakfast across the street, a mango juice box and plain muffin, and was picked up by the safari company at my hotel. The four other customers were volunteers working at a turtle sanctuary in Zanzibar. I was glad to see they were my age. We drove two hours in silence to the first park, Tarangire. On the way I spotted some camels being herded across a field; the safari begins! There is no possible way to describe the glory of seeing free wild animals so close or the mind blowing settings they were in, so I won’t try. I have a lot of photos in this post but please understand that you need to go there yourself to fully appreciate it; the pictures are disgraceful compared to reality. Trust me, it is worth it. Lastly, my camera is awful so the quality of the images declines rapidly as I zoom. Thus, for any of the decent shots, the animals are actually that close. That said, I also figured out how to shoot through a pair of binoculars, so there are some nice closeups taken that way, but you will be able to tell the difference.
The first thing we saw was an elephant maybe a meter from our vehicle. I held my breath, its sheer size and serenity was literally breath taking. We then proceeded through the park seeing monkeys, impala, mongoose, herds of elephants, baboons, giraffes, vultures, waterbuck and more. It was stunning. We were given cardboard box lunches and ate surrounded by thieving monkeys. They would jump on the table, grab something, then run away. No amount of yelling or threatening scared them off. After we lost the first two sandwiches, I realized we needed to be more aggressive. The next time one jumped up on the bench next to me I stuck out my boot. He brushed it aside and kept reaching. I kicked again, less cautiously this time and his little hands came up to protect his face as he easily deflected the blow. He grabbed some bread and scampered clear. Now we were terrified; I had literally kicked this monkey in the face, twice, and it hadn’t fazed him in the slightest. Once we started throwing rocks, we hit the little burglars weakness, although some of the sneaky ones still got through.
That night we pitched tents at a walled safari camp in a small town an hour from the park. I got to know the other people on the trip and we walked around town a little. I discovered how bad I am at saying no. The first guy we saw on the street managed to sell me a necklace. After our walk we went to an art shop inside the tourist compound and spent an hour bargaining for pricey souvenirs. Finally, I decided to not give in to temptation and leave without an expensive item. Another of the safari members had bargained, with much difficulty, for some art that started at the equivalent of 75 dollars. He got it down to 25. At the last second though, he changed his mind and got a different one. I, for some reason, decided the effort to drop the price shouldn’t go to waste so I ended up getting the cool piece. We left the shop and the guy in the store next door insisted we enter. I went in telling him I was only looking. I started to leave and the owner stopped me asking what price I would pay for a very nice souvenir. I gave him an extremely low offer hoping he would give up, I am so naïve, he didn’t. Every time I started to escape he would drop the price and grab me. Finally, he reached a point where we all agreed that it would be dumb not to take the deal and I ended up buying that too. I told the others I wouldn’t purchase anything else on the trip and they should stop me if I tried.
The next morning we were joined by another woman our age and two additional people were added to the other safari truck accompanying us. We headed off for our long drive to Serengeti National Park. A short ways in, we stopped at an even more touristy gift shop. The prices were unbelievable. I grabbed a postcard and the others told me I wasn’t allowed to buy it. The new girl, however, bought a statue and they threw the postcard in as part of the deal, so I managed to get it anyway.
We continued on and drove through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. The contrast of cattle and goats grazing amongst zebras and wildebeests was fantastical. The lush jungle mountain slopes were dotted with Masai villages. I couldn’t peel my eyes off the window. It was like being in a movie, the view was just so pristine. We saw forests short enough that the giraffes were bending down to eat, and we weren't even on the scheduled game drive, just commuting. I discovered the zebra is probably the most visually appealing animal in the world, I could stare at them for days.
We stopped for lunch and had another round of random assorted food from our cardboard boxes. I think I ate half a potato, just by itself, plastic-wrapped. We got ready to go and our driver told us he didn't have the money to pay for the park entrance fee. It was Easter weekend so the money hadn’t transferred to the card he was using, or something like that. The two vehicles ended up bonding over our frustration as we tried to find a solution. We pooled the cash we had been saving for the driver’s tip and where then told the park didn’t accept cash. Our driver ended up being able to receive a money transfer from a friend so we finally were able to leave. The long wait at the entry gate meant we missed one of our 4 game drives. Everyone was extremely bummed, to put it gently.
When we finally got going again, we did get a little luck. We were able to stop by the roadside and see a lion basking on a far off rock. Then we stopped for an eagle eating a jackal. There were two vultures waiting nearby for their turn. Seeing the food chain in action was pretty amazing. In camp, the twelve of us (six from each truck) made a fire and grumbled together. Frankly, the day’s misfortunes had united us and the trip became a lot more fun, so it worked in our favor. Everyone was very different but we were always laughing and joking. With each continent represented in our group we had fascinating conversations about culture and approaches to life. I translated for the Argentinian couple and they shared with me their unique perspective on happiness and self satisfaction. It was quite neat.
The next day, we woke up early to drive into the park. We saw lots of hyenas and jackals in the early morning and then a lion walked right between our two vehicles. This was soon topped by a massive pride sunning themselves on a rocky island in the sea of grass. We saw a huge heard of zebra playing and chasing each other. There were also many different types of gazelles in the park and the usual warthogs and wildebeests. Then, on the drive back to camp for brunch, we joined some parked safari vehicles. They had spotted a leopard in a tree, it was beyond incredible.
Brunch was stupendous. We had chapatti (crepes essentially), toast, Tanzanian deep dish fish pizza, avocado salad, fresh fruit and eggs. Afterwards we rolled ourselves into the trucks and headed back to Ngorongoro where we camped for the night. Our campsite was on a ridge overlooking the crater up in the mountains. It was the first cold weather I’d had in a while, which felt pretty good. As did the splendid hot shower!
The next day we entered Ngorongoro Crater early in the morning. It is the largest unflooded, unbroken caldera crater. This means that all the animals inside have been isolated there for generations and generations, as they can’t climb in or out the steep surrounding walls. It also means that it is a hot spot for quality views and an unreal quantity of animals. The descent was marked with wonderful glimpses of the crater walls extending away from us and the uncountable herds of black specks grazing on the crater floor. As we drove we saw lions, wildebeests, zebras, elephants, water buffalo, impala, thomson’s gazelles, two specie of jackals, ostriches, hyenas, flamingos, monkeys, grant’s gazelles, hippos and variety of large exotic birds living harmoniously together in the open plain that makes up the bottom of the crater. One could easily spot ten different species by simply spinning around. It was incredible and I was left in a sort of amazed daze. There were so many wild animals everywhere, just living. We even spotted a rhino, one of 29 in the crater. A privileged sighting as, just a couple days before, the final male northern white rhino died, adding yet another member of the family to the extinct species list.
I realized the drive was an experience that unfortunately future generations will likely never have; we were witnessing one of the last truly untouched thriving natural ecosystems. Even so, it was already crisscrossed with dirt roads and polluted with tourists in their open-roofed safari vehicles. Amongst the paralyzing wonder there was a nagging desperateness at the thought of all that used to exist like this and the direction this place too, is surly headed, fortunately late, but ever steady on.
After a long glorious morning, we headed back towards Arusha. The drive out of the park granted us final breathtaking vistas as we switchbacked up the crater wall. We stopped back at camp to gather our gear and have a final meal together. Then, we loaded up the truck and drove to our last scenic overlook. We snapped quick photos of the crater as drops began to fall.
On the road, we stopped at a gift shop so two of the girls could buy Masai cloth. I got out and wandered around with another guy looking at the Masai art and tools. I asked the price and immediately got the attention of one of the eager vendors. I was just curious to compare it to other prices we had heard. He wanted 180 thousand shillings for an antique and 150 thousand for the tourist version (they were both tourist versions, one was just rustier) and asked me what I would pay. I said 30 thousand for the older one and tried to walk away. He grabbed my arm and commanded me to raise my price. I said my highest was 35 thousand. He kept begging as I walked back to the truck. Everyone was coming back from inside at this point and started yelling at me to get inside and avoid buying anything. That was my plan. The guy finally said I could have it for 35 thousand, at this point I turned around and told him “No, I’m sorry, I am not going to buy anything, I’m sorry!” I was feet from the truck at this point, he said “30 thousand”, I turned around and paid the man. Everyone groaned and began scolding me as I got on. Honestly, even for all the lectures they gave me, I think it was a pretty decent deal for a tourist place. Still, I will admit I may have a little issue, as became clear very soon.
We stopped again for gas or the bathroom or something. I decided it would be better if I stayed in the Jeep this time. A man walked up to my open window with a statue asking for my price. I told him I wasn’t interested. He spotted my bracelet and asked if I would trade. Now this was new, I wouldn’t let myself spend money, but bartering was a totally different story. Of course, he wanted the bracelet and some money which I told him was unacceptable. Another man came up with a Tanzanian soccer jersey and I offered my shirt for his. He agreed but unfortunately after I ripped off my shirt and passed it out the window I discovered the jersey was too tight. At this point the others got back in the truck to see me literally trying to sell my clothes out the window. I got another earful about making purchases as I tried to spit excuses about no direct currency transfer. The barterers were still around and when I ran out of things to try trading they suggested my shoes. This was a win, I had on my ratty, decaying hiking boots. I told them they wouldn’t want them but they disagreed and were soon speaking excitedly in rapid Swahili while passing my tar-speckled, sole peeling, torn boots back and forth. They offered a small deformed wooden giraffe. It was not worth it. Thankfully, as the men dug in their bag for something better, one of the smarter members of our group asked the driver to quickly get out of there. Although getting something for the old boots when now I will just throw them away, would have been amazing, I’m glad they finally intervened and saved me. I have a problem.
We made it to Arusha without further interruptions. We stopped at the bus stand so I could buy my ticket home for 6:45 am the next morning. Then, we headed to the Arusha Backpacker’s hostel were we checked into our closets. I got the ‘Special Single Room’. I paid eight dollars, opened my door, and found a bed, there was a little space on the floor to squeeze my backpack in as well. Score! We decided to escape the confines of our hostel and explore the city, we were in downtown after all. As soon as we stepped outside we were swarmed by men selling one thing or another. A particularly determined one walked with us and offered to guide us around. We told him we would love the company but weren’t looking to pay for a guide, so if he still wanted to join he was welcome. He showed us to the market, which was pretty pitiful and we quickly realized Easter Day wasn’t the best time to see the hustle and bustle of the city. He brought us to the giant torch commemorating the Arusha Declaration. We took pictures with Mount Meru as the backdrop. We meandered through the clothing market on the way back. It was nice to see a little of the city.
The other safari vehicle had broken down multiple times and they finally arrived. Most of us had coordinated to stay at the same hostel for a final night together. We went out to eat at an uber touristy place. It was the nicest building I’d entered and fanciest food I’d eaten in months. After a mango milkshake and delicious burger, we headed out. The men that had followed us from the hostel had waited outside and led us back. We headed upstairs to the bar which was the only WiFi zone in the building. There we chatted and really got to know the people we had spent the past four days with.
Liam, the Australian world traveler, had brought the game Dixit and we all skeptically sat down to play. It was super cool. Everyone is dealt beautifully artistic cards with strange images on them. Someone describes one of their cards with a subtle clue and everyone anonymously submits one of their own cards that corresponds to that clue. Then everyone tries to guess the original card and points are awarded in a confusing manner. It is simple, but the artwork is so entrancing and mind bending that the whole experience was surreal. I highly recommend it. Finally, with my early bus in mind, I had to call it a night and returned to my cell to catch a few hours of sleep.
My alarm woke me and I stumbled downstairs. I had been told a breakfast box would be prepared for me because I would miss the included meal. Unfortunately, the memo had been lost somewhere between the front desk and the chef so I wandered into the dark streets empty handed. Twenty minutes later, I arrived at the bus station and popped into a nearby restaurant for a doughnut and the best tea I have ever tasted. No clue what it was, but it was spiced so well, plus lots of sugar.
A similar bus ride ensued with a few minor events. Firstly, I chose to get the other option, chips and chicken, instead of the mystery food buffet, at the lunch stop. It was quite enjoyable. Also, during the ride I suddenly had a great idea so I started drawing diagrams and writing out equations on a piece of scratch paper. The guy sitting next to me asked if I was a mathematician and, worried that he might be, the easiest answer was: “No, physicist.” Luckily, he wasn’t one of those either, so we left it at that. Finally, I was given the gift of watching Swahiliwood. Tanzanian film is 100% physical acting, with lots of slapstick. I followed the plot perfectly without understanding a word. The acting was also super realistic, more like a camera was taken into the street to film everyday life rather than actors. It was a very strange movie experience. I arrived in Bagamoyo and got my bag off the bus. I then strapped on the big backpack, hopped on a pikipiki and sped home. Halfway there, I had to transfer when the motorcycle broke down, but otherwise it was uneventful. When I arrived, I dismounted, rubbed against the exhaust pipe and gave myself a second degree burn on my calf. I have now joined the special club of numerous people here marked with the exact same brand.
The safari was incredible. I’m not sure I will ever experience anything like it again. It was totally worth everything. But it was good to be back with the kids.
