5/22/11 Safari Day 1 –or– Best ‘I Spy’ Game Ever

Bonny is our driver and he is as cute as a button. He had us practice our Swahili as we drove to the park – twiga, punda milia, simba, kiboko (giraffe, zebra, lion, hippo). He points out the coffee bean plants and the rice fields, the market, the Masai village. He tells us that in the Masai custom, the more wives you have, the more respected you are. (The ‘witch doctor’ has many wives and much cattle.)

In the field we see giraffes and stop to take pictures. Stunning. (And we aren’t to the park yet.) The people are walking from church – children in their suits and dresses – it is Sunday, right? Others are taking goods to the market to sell. The mountains in the distance are pure beauty.

(Side note: we saw a safari truck yesterday with a picture of Lil’ Wayne and the slogan ‘Live Real’ on the back. Not sure what that was meant to advertise, but it was . . . interesting/amusing.)

In the park, the most amazing game of ‘I Spy’ was the task at hand. The seven hour “car ride” flew by as we searched the forest and savanna for animals best known to us through zoos and Disney movies, never knowing what we might find. (I think nature and creativity live in the same part of the brain because movies and good stories are coming alive before my eyes.) Monkeys of all kinds were the most prevalent. Baboons especially crowded the grounds and trees – but also blue monkeys and a small variety (I can’t remember what).

Zebras, warthogs, wildebeest, and impalas also made frequent appearances. Among favorites though were the giraffes (ok, Abby, maybe you were right, they are graceful and among the best animals), elephants, and hippos. The hippos are fascinating for their ginormaty and their habit of staying in and around the water. (Uncapturable moment: hippos fighting (or playing?) and seeing their large pink mouths and snouts.) And elephants (tembo in Swahili) are strangely beautiful and elegant. Even dusting their wrinkled skin, they have a dignity to them. They move between the trees with ease and push along the youngsters with their trunks. (Their call, however, is not elegant – Aja mistook it for one of them passing gas.) Just the proximity to them was breathtaking.

An attempt to describe the indescribable: 1) There is a Lake Manyara just before the mountains that you can see in the distance. Between the blue of the large, large lake and the gray of the enormous mountains is a line of pink – like a sunset in the middle of the day. It runs the entire length of the lake cohesively. The source of this miracle: flamingos, millions of flamingos in the water’s edge. It is spectacular. 2) The view of the park as we drive to our lodge. Mountains fall into the lake that becomes the savanna and forest. Wow. Mist and dust combine to make it seem dreamlike. 3) The peacefulness of this place. One could lose themselves easily, and happily.

After we checked into the lodge, we walked through the countryside to see the view of Karatu. Along the way we met children who were beyond precious. We saw more cows and chickens. More of this sustainable and humble lifestyle. And so much quiet – save the singing from the evening church service. The view, again, was . . . well, you should really be here. Cameras don’t even begin to catch the rays streaming through the clouds over farmland and villages or the curves the mountains add to the skyline or any of it.

(I love nature.) I was inspired today to want to trek through this land one day on foot . . . or maybe I’ll just promise to go camping more often – and maybe here, who knows.

Our only hope is that we will see big cats tomorrow – though this is rare. (Bonny says smiling, “I’m glad to see you still have hope.”)

(Also, Michelee and Karen are at the clinic this evening. Thoughts to them.)

P.S. I was so looking forward to my first hot shower since being here, but it was freezing after my roommate used it. I was a little angry, and very disappointed. Oh well, in the morning.