Ode to Africa

Part 1 Arrival

It’s overcast, sunny, hazy, and hot. There’s a whirlwind of activity as my car makes it way from Kilimanjaro airport to the town of Arusha.

Here’s a small sampling of what you would see if you were riding along with me: umbrella-topped roadside stands selling colorful play balls, a lifetime supply of watermelons displayed in wheelbarrows, soccer jerseys, and snacky food – chips, nuts – repackaged in small plastic bags. Everyone seems to be on the move.

Herds of meandering cattle, goats, sheep. Along the side of the road, in fields, and smack in the middle of the road!

Boys with sticks, leading skinny cows on leashes along the one main road. Chickens. Old tires. Bed frames. Roughly-drawn paintings in red, yellow and green that look like they were inspired by an attack of deliriousness.  (Malaria-induced dreams?) Motorcycles and mopeds whizzing by. Corrugated tin- roofed shacks selling soda and water bottles. Giant stalks of yellow or green bananas, robust tree stem still attached.  Open bedded pickup trucks with colorfully-garbed passengers crammed against each other, riding in a standing position.

Tall corn growing in dusty fields. Huge swaths of plants wrapped in plastic bags stretching along the roadside. These are apparently for sale. Where is the “store” owner? Where do you pay?

Pink and blue plastic buckets. Good for carrying water. (Kids have to take turns lugging these to school so everyone can drink.) They also make practical stools on which to sit and watch the day unfold. Shrink-wrapped laundry detergent. Headstones with crosses (plan ahead? Last minute emergency?)

The Vatican Pharmacy is next to the liquor store which is next to Godmark funeral directors.

Life is lived outside.

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Part 2 Safari

In 4 different locations throughout Tanzania, including the wildlife-rich Ngorogoro crater and Tarangire and Serengeti parks, we encounter more than 60 species of animals. We see birds in unfathomable colors – the piercing iridescent blue of the Superb Starling

and the intoxicating purple of the Lilac Breasted Roller. One afternoon I come face to face with a Bare-faced Go Away Bird.(I thought it was a “Bear-faced” bird…) Justly named for their cry which sounds like “Go Away! Go Away!”

Many of these creatures bring to mind the imaginary animals described in fairy tales.

The unquestionable highlight is catching FOUR migration crossings in one day (my birthday!) across the crocodile-infested Mara river. It’s all about the timing. You could sit all day (as happened to other hopeful visitors the day prior) and not see one animal cross over.

We cheer on the 1000 galloping wildebeest and zebras who have spent most of the day deliberating where and when to attempt the crossing. The Zebras are the first line of offense, the sentinels.  When they determine that it’s safe to attempt the crossing, the drama unfolds quickly and a watery stampede ensues. Our jeep races madly from our shady watchpoint to the cliff edge of the river as we hold on for dear life. Then we’re right in the middle of it all, wildebeest and zebra storming by us, the pounding of thousands of hooves in the dirt.

Other high points – Mama leopard nursing her baby cub high atop a rocky outcropping, the sleek cheetah, close enough that I can see the pattern of his spots and hear the dry grass rustling as he lopes along.

The Alpha Baboon Watch Patrol atop a sizable termite mound.

After our sunrise hot air balloon ride crashes hard into a termite mound upon takeoff, we learn firsthand how sturdy and impenetrable these insect homes are. They also provide fodder for our constant, misidentified animal sightings as in “OOOOH LOOK – a lion – no wait, it’s just another termite mound.”

 I treasure the smiling elephants, usually moms and aunties with juveniles, sauntering through the veldt, munching grasses along the way.

I impale myself with a nasty and painful Thorntree barb, while the elephants delight in devouring them, thorns and all. Elephants eat for approximately 80% of their day. What a concept.

Warthogs (Pumba! Not in front of the kids!) in downward facing warthog prayer pose. And a squawking bushbaby with a sweet tooth, fearless enough to help herself to (wrapped!) milk caramels intended for the lodge guests.

The roar of the lions beyond our tents in the middle of the night.

The barking of the hyenas and whinnying of zebras. In many places we come across bones and horns and carcasses. The circle of life. The survival of the fittest and fastest.

A Night Safari experience provides us with another perspective – hundreds of illuminated golden round orbs that are eyes of the night reflected in our flashlight. What’s that noise in the bush? Giddy with the wonder of it all, we yell into the blackness  “Come out with your paws up and identify yourself!”

I adore the comical hippos. I know they are the most feared and dangerous of all creatures here but who can resist those tubby figures and googly eyes that appear suddenly atop the water’s surface.

I will dream of these days and nights for a long time to come.