A DAY AT TARANGIRE

Monday, June 22, 2015

After a good night's sleep in our huge bed warmed by hot water bottles and surrounded by screens and the pitch black, we awoke at 5:50 to get ready for our day of safari in Tarangire National Park. At 6 a staff member arrived with a tray containing a pot of hot coffee with cups, accoutrements and biscuits. Up at the open air dining room, we assembled with the other guests and our group for a breakfast of eggs, bacon, sausage, pancakes, fruit and muffins. And then, at 7, we were off on safari. 

Today I went with Peter, Bea and Tom with our guides Esto, the boss and naturalist of the Asilia Safaris guides and Emmanuel, one of the driver/guides. They have been taught that the park/bush is "the animals' home, not our home!"  We drove by many acacia trees, aka umbrella trees, because of their shape. Also saw a couple of "candelabra" trees.....amazing!  

Here is a sampling of what we observed: A black backed jackal,a bush chicken, a Martial eagle who had preyed upon a guinea fowl or bush chicken (this eagle can eat a baby impala!), mongeese atop and in a termite mound (they eat termites!),  and black-faced monkeys.  We also saw plovers, black storks, white faced whistling ducks, herons and also rollers who are very colorful ( 7 colors) but who sing terribly, an eagle owl, and a water buck (who has a natural white circle on his butt that looks like a toilet seat!)

Do you know the following names of groups: a business of mongoose, a tower of giraffes, a Parade of elephants, a pride of ostriches or lions, a parliament of Eagles and a school of monkeys. 

ATTENTION:  a lion sighting at 11:20 AM!!!!!  Esto has great eyes and saw a lion in the distance sitting atop a termite mound. A little far away but we could see it through our binoculars. And then another sighting at noon. This one was much closer!  A mother and 3 Cubs came down from hills, crossed in front of us and sauntered down to the water and back!  WOW!!!!!

After more than 7 hours on safari, we returned to Oliver's camp for a delicious lunch of self-made wraps with chicken and marinated veggies, beautifully served and ending with a fabulous jelled passion fruit dessert.  My Kilimanjaro beer (quite light) hit the spot. The remainder of the afternoon we spent regrouping, repacking and resting. 

BTW:  AS I'M WRITING THIS, IT'S 4:40 PM AND 4 GENET JUST STROLLED BY OUR TENT BOLD AND BRAZEN AS COULD BE!!!!  5:45 A PARADE OF ELEPHANTS JUST PASSED BY ON THE SEVANAH IN FRONT OF OUR TENT!!

Off to sunset and cocktails. More later.  

Sunset was spectacular on the Sunset Deck with gin and tonics followed by lively chatter around "the bush TV" fire pit. Dinner was again delicious and elegantly served in the roofed dining roof: steak, broccoli, scalloped potatoes, butternut squash and coconut cream pie. Again, lively discussion ensued. Dinner ended with a lively musical parade with drums by the staff. All in all, it was a fitting end to our stay at Oliver's Camp. 

Back in Tent 3, after being escorted there by a staff member, we went to bed serenaded by silence with only the sounds of nature.