KENT $ LYNN’S TRAVELS

We said goodbye to northern Serengeti and the excellent crew at the camp as Henry our guide, transports us to our next runway for our final African stop of Zanzibar island. Zanzibar is just off the coast of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The flight was quite full but Lynn is really good at somehow getting us on first when they are non-assigned seating flights so again, I am enthralled with the Garmin G1000 flat screen instruments. ( I know those of you that do not fly may not even know what I am talking about but Craig, Chris, Tony and even Johnny C. will be impressed). On our way, since it was a clear day the pilot took a 10 degree detour to fly over a crater from an active Volcano. We were picked up by a minivan, a little different than the LandRovers we had been traveling in for the past 3 weeks, and taken to a beautiful gated resort on the ocean. Zanzibar had a very different look than the other areas we have been in. It is a much larger populated area and a little less 3rd world looking. We stayed at the Breezes resort for 3 nights and in Stonetown at the Serena for one night. Breezes is much like a resort area you might stay in on the ocean in the Carribean. We were not encourage to go outside of the gated resort so we didn’t. We relaxed on the beach and walked it, did a beautiful snorkeling boat excursion, and ate a lot of food! The snorkeling event had a little twist to it. Kent of course thinks he is such a good snorkler since of course he is a certified diver. So he decides to enter the water by sitting on the side of the boat and flipping backwards into the water. This is the common way to enter when scuba diving but maybe not quite as forceful. Kent flipped off backwards and landed on his stomach. He was definitely not prepared properly and his mask cameoff, he lost his snorkel to the bottom of the Indian Ocean and came up coughing. They had also put soap in the masks so they don’t fog over, so now he has soap in his eyes, and ocean water had apparently entered most breathing orafaces. Of course Lynn finds the whole event quite amusing. We finally all are in the water and snorkeling but Kent is stopping and taking his mask off blowing his nose as he is completely plugged up. I (Lynn) had been snorkeling for 20 minutes and all I can see of Kent is his legs). Finally he went to the boat and changed out his mask with a new one. He left the boat for the second time, then his snorkel started leaking water so he kept breathing in more Indian Ocean. Finally the third time is a charm and he was ready to go about the same time people were starting to come in. I (Lynn was cold so after an hour I went in. Kent stayed out for a few minutes but an hour was all they gave us. After he got out and removed his gear, I looked over at him and he had his head down and water was pretty much pouring out of his nose. It was the funniest and most unusual thing. His nose continued running at a moderate level most of the boat ride back. We both could not stop laughing. That night we started talking about it and still couldn’t stop laughing…….

Stonetown is a very busy area but quite cute. We were in the heart of the town and therefore able to venture out on our own. We did a walking tour and saw the house Freddy Mercury lived in until he was 18, heard history of the big wooden doors on the buildings and how the carvings on them meant something on each one, along with many facts of the area. It was excellent. We also bought some cute souvenirs (we knew we could add more to our 33 lb. bag limit at this point).

Zanzibar has some dramatic history of slavery and was one of the main ports for trading slaves until the British became involved and abolished it.

Boarded another Cessna caravan to take us to norther Serengeti, As we are landing we see the Wilderness Signature dark blue Land Rover waiting to pick us up. Our Serengeti guide Henry loaded us up and before long we were on another game drive. He started taking us across a bridge and I said (Lynn) I’m not going there as it was a very narrow bridge of cement with water flowing over it. He said, “no this is fine, we can make it”. Made it across and saw crocodiles along with hippos sunning themselves on the shores. We then started our journeys to our third and final camp, We arrived with of course eucalyptus towels for our hands and face, champagne and 10 staff to accommodate all our needs. Over the next few days we saw and infinite number of Wildebeast, giraffes, lions, hyenas, impalas, hippos and too many other to mention (see pictures). It was amazing! Spent three nights there with safaris twice a day. Staff was amazing, and of course food was too ( DIET TIME WHEN WE GET BACK).

Many tourists go here for a safari as it is only a one day safari due to the high density of animals in a smaller area , the crater was formed 2-3 million years ago when a volcano collapsed on itself. So there are mountains that circle 100 square miles or 64,000 acres. Most areas we visited for drives cover 4-5 million acres. The sides are steep so there is only one way in and one way out, simply because the road is not wide enough for vehicles to pass. Rough, winding, steep and narrow roads. Perfect for Lynn!! So usually you are going to see a lot of animals quickly however it is really crowded so if someone would see an animal, there would be 20 vehicles at the same spot all trying to see one animal. They have Rhino’s there but very few and they hang out in the thickest part of the trees and shrubs so are not that easy to sight.We also fell into the category of not seeing them. We talked with one gentleman who sat there for an hour at one time and went back 3 different times without success. After we drove down into the crater, we saw a big group of hyhenas. Even though we heard them around our tent practically every night, we never got a chance to see them until here. They look like a cute bear. Ngorongoro was great but because of the amount of people there it was hard to see what we wanted but still was amazing. Just going down into a crater that is completely flat with a lake in the middle was unreal.We saw many animals not native to our country.

We left Ngorongoro and again road through rough terrain but made it back safely to camp. Our people were waiting with eucalyptus towels to clean the dust off our hands and faces. That evening the Maasai chief and some of the local boys had a goat barbecue. The Maasai boys of the village do this so they can eat it and they loved it. We decided to try to have a taste so our guide talked the boys into letting us try it. We tried the ribs and the leg. It was quite tasty. The ribs were more like a beef jerky. We opted out of trying the other organs like liver, intestines, kidneys, etc. The boys had it devoured in minutes. We then walked down the hill back to the tent for our main and more normal dinner.

For reference, if you are reading this, one way you can tell who is writing is by the accuracy of the spelling. If the words are spelled correctly, it is likely Lynn wrote it and if they are not, well Kent is sometimes just to much of a right brain thinker. Anyway, we reach the entrance gate of the Ngorongoro crater and our guide tells us to be sure and keep the windows shut and when we get out of the vehicle, to watch for baboons and shut the door immediately as they will want to get in and look for food or anything they can grab. Apparently someone previously thought they were cute and decided to feed the Baboons awhile ago. Ever since then, they are crazy for getting into vehicles and looking for food they might be able to find from tourists and all tourists pretty much look the same.

As we get out of the vehicle, Baboons are everywhere, chasing and fighting with each other, jumping on vehicles and basically owning the place. We watched a vehicle pull into the area with big bags of corn strapped to the top of the front part of the cab and before it is stopped the baboons (there where many) jumped on the vehicle. They ripped into the bags of corn and started eating. The vehicle had a roof that raised up for animal watching. The driver pushed the roof up and batted at them with a stick to get them off. It was quite the comical scene for us to watch. We continued our drive around the outside of the crater of about an hour to our campsite where we were greeted by Ole, the chief of one of the 124 Masai tribes. He spoke good English so we were able to communicate with him fairly well. He told us he had three wives and thirteen children (Opey, we think one of them was probably named Lena!) but was now done with wives and children. That evening some of the boys of the village did an African dance and sang which meant they love there land. Those boys can jump very high! Our tent here is a little smaller than the last but nice. We had the bucket shower but not a flush toilet however they were both in our tent. The shower was barely a trickle and we thought maybe that is how the showers were here but finally were convinced it was plugged. Kent offered to fix it and asked for wrenches, however they said no they would take care of it.

By the way, in case you were wondering what happened for the past 10 days, we had no Wi-Fi. Yes no Wi-Fi for 10 days. Even cell service was very remittent, poor or nonexistent. Something Kent is so accustom to. NOT! It was really good for us though. Majority of the African people we saw were much poorer than the US, but very happy. As we shared this thought with one of our children, she responded, “so are you saying Americans are rich and unhappy?” There might be something said for the less you have, the less you need. Or maybe some developed cultures have turned wants into needs. Either way, it has and continues to be a very humbling experience. Can you imagine not checking your email or phones for 10 days? I am curious when we get to our next major airport and count the number of people who are not looking at their cell phone or computer. Enough already, time to get back to the adventure.

The typical day consists of 2 game drives. We get up very early as it is cool and animals are waking up and ready to get a drink. For you lushes, I meant of water:) We then return to camp between noon and 2:PM for siesta.this way we are out of the hot sun during the hot afternoon hours and then back in the Land Rover at 5:PM for a late afternoon drive. One day they did drive us to a picnic all set up with whit linens and champagne, of course under an Acacia tree. In addition one night they drove us to one of their favorite spots to watch the sunset with blankets and pillows laid out for us to relax and enjoy the view. Guess what else they had, yes, champagne. Then off to a night drive. The guides have a large spot light that they shine into the bush to watch for shining eyes. Many animals are nocturnal like hyenas which we did see. After returning back to camp, our guide escorted us to our tent in the bush and zipped us in, again telling us not to come out without radioing him for an escort. It takes a little getting use to someone constantly with you even staring at you while you eat, watching for any signs that we might need more of something.

The next day we headed for the Ngorongoro Crater which is normally a 6 hour drive but Kent and I wanted to see the real cultural (more of the Tanzanian ways). So it ended up being an 8 hour drive on roads made up of sand, rocks or a combination, through the mountains. I (Lynn) hung on for my life most of the way and felt a little nauseated but it was worth it. They call it the African massage as you are constantly being bounced around, however Lynn really called it “shake the shiste out of you (Her mother Dorothy’s words). It’s amazing how primitive it can be. Herders herding sheep, cows, etc. (We think Jameson needs a herder) :-0

We arrive at the Arusha airport, check in, go through security which takes about 2 minutes and all we see are Cessna caravans. Those unfamiliar with airplanes, they are fixed gear, nonpressurized so are slow but can haul a lot. They cruise about 150 MPH but they all had great instruments and we were the only passengers. The flight was 22 minutes and our guide had drove to pick us up which was a 4 hour drive for him. We land on a dirt strip in the bush, so kent is kind of in heaven.

Climb into an open 8 passenger Land Rover and within 5 minutes see Zebras, Giraffes and Impalas. Spent the rest of the day driving and seeing Leopards, lions, elephants and moe zebras.

We arrive at the camp around6: PM and are met by 13 staff who hand us cool eucalyptus towels to wash our hands and face with. Of course they also meet us with champagne as we watch a family of elephants pass by. They have permanent tents their which include flush toilets and warm bucket showers. The main dining tent was amazing and the food was always excellent. We have also found we love African wine.

Our days start out with a voice at our tent at 6:AM with a coffee press waiting for us to stir. Breakfast is at 6:30 and into to the open Land Rover to find animals. We are fairly close to the primary watering hole and this is the dry season so all animals tend to navigate their way for a drink. We were fairly fortunate to see several of main creatures the first two days so on day three we were off to see the more rare to find species. Our guides did not disappoint as we came across a female Cheetah and her cub. The guides are amazing at seeing animals camouflaged into their surroundings by seeing a couple ears sticking up. I doubt I would have been able to see any of them unless they were right in front of me. I was actually really good at finding elephants, giraffes, Water Buffalo, Wildebeests and Zebras. Lots and lots of Zebras. The rest however are pretty good at blending right into the scenery.

If you are a bird watcher, oh my gosh lots and lots of birds with every different color and practically every different sound.

A funny thing happened on the way to Tanzania. When we arrived at the Kilimanjaro airport, we were met by the medical record agent asking for our medical cards. Lynn has been on top of this from the beginning making sure all of our required vaccinations were complete and complied with all country requirements. He asked where are Yellow Fever vaccine was and of course Lynn was confident all was good. He then said “follow me” as we walked into his office and told us it was not on our records and the shots cost $50/person but if we think we may have received them and they were just not added to our records, he could correct our records. After spending some time with him and trying to contact our USA Drs., (unable as bad internet service) sounded like we were in a predicament and at the mercy of the agent. So, we now have signed medical records stating we have the shots without the shots, all of this for only $100 (we will correct that back in the states). We decided to pay it and check with our MN doctors when we arrived at the hotel.

After we were met by our guide and told him the story, he immediately called his office and reported it thinking it might be a scam.

We checked into the hotel and immediately contacted Dr Anderle at Cambridge Medical Clinic and and Dr Shah at Health Partners. Both of them are amazing and have amazing staff. They immediately responded explaining we didn’t need the shots. I must say Lynn and I are very happy with the medical system in the USA… Thank you Cindy L and Jodi M.!!! I will say Lynn was a bit nervous thinking OMG we are going to get Yellow Fever and are probably going to die:-0! All is good in Tanzania!!! Except for the scam. Dang THANK-YOU KELSEY FOR CALMING YOUR MOTHER AND PUTTING THINGS IN PERSPECTIVE!

Sorry for the long boring story but it was quite a devastating experience that people do this to others.

Spent the next day touring Arusha with GUIDE (love guides) touring culture center, open markets and coffee plantation.

Goodbye to Arusha, next stop Tarangire National Park for Safari adventures

We woke up feeling a little sore to say the least but psyched to trek again. We were put in a group of 8 and opted for a level down. The guide said it would be an easier trek but gorillas can move. We started our walk into the jungle when the guide got a call from the trackers that said the gorillas had moved and we needed to go another direction. We entered what you might call a very dense rain forest. The guides needed to machete a path for us to walk thru. We were walking on vines/trees, etc. Because we opted for an easier walk we had older people and some that needed 2 or 3 porters to help them walk!!! So we made frequent stops. The trek ended up being a little shorter than the day before but a very different type of difficult….at least it didn’t rain. Once we reached 7500 feet we came upon the gorillas. They were very active. A baby grabbed Kent’s leg and wanted to play. He did not want to let go so the guides had to make their gorillas noises and shoe the little guy away with a stick. Guess those gorillas love Kent!!!!

We were watching a female eat, that is basically what they do most of their waking hours as they consume over 30 lbs of vegetables/day, when the silverback (leader of the family) came into site. He stood there just watching the female for quite some time and then moved closer and started sniffing around. It didn’t take long for the female to start getting a little frisky. The silver back apparently saw an opportunity and took it. We both filmed this very very short event so I am not bragging but feeling Ok about myself.

As we were exiting the park, we watched a couple locals holding up another man as he was yelling out and not able to stand by himself. The guides were laughing and saying he had apparently consumed too much Banana Beer. So of course we felt the need to try one of these local banana beers on our way back to Kigali. With a 14% alcohol content, it tasted more like a liquor and was very strong. Needless to say, we only had one. We meaning Kent!!!!

Little cubs playing in front

The end of gorilla trekking and off to Tanzania

One of the most dramatic and saddest experiences has been visiting the Genocide, which happened primarily in 1993 -1994. Estimated 1.2 million people were killed in a very brutal and devastating attack on one group of citizens against another. If you are unfamiliar with the event, just google “Rwanda Genocide” and you can learn more about it. All we can say is the world can be such a better place if we all learn to forgive, believe and care more for others than ourselves.

Moving on to the Gorillas

We arrived at our next stop, the “five Volcanos Resort” around 2:30 PM and were stopped at the gate because the president of Rwanda, Paul Kagame, was at our hotel finishing a meeting and lunch after the annual national event of naming baby gorillas. Our driver dropped us off and guards escorted us to check in. One of the staff then stayed with us while we waited at the dining room balcony for the President to leave. The staff person finally went down to check status just as the president was leaving and was able to get a picture of the president with the staff. The staff was so excited as every single citizen of Rwanda truly love their president. The president, according to stories we heard and read at the Genocide museum, was a military leader from Rwanda and through his career had moved to Uganda to help with military needs there and moved up the ranks quickly. When the Genocide started, he organized an army and literally hid out in the mountains with the gorillas for 1 1/2 years as he built the army to a level of defeating the militia and is recognized by all citizens as the primary person that saved Rwanda. Finding out later that the reason the president was in the area was because they were naming the baby gorillas, which is huge here and this is an event he personally attends every single year. It was truly an amazing experience that both of us feel very fortunate to be part of.

SO HERE WE GO

Visiting Gorillas Day One

MY DREAM FOR EVER!!!!!!!!!

We decided to do a median trek which is considered 2-3 hours and they never know where those darn gorillas will go. They try to match up groups of 8 with 2 guides so we were patiently waiting, (if Kent can ever do that) to be put with a group. Finally after most groups had left, our guide came up to us and said we would be put with just 3 other people who were dignitaries from Ethiopia. The previous prime minister, Hailemariam Desalegn had been selected to name one of the baby Gorillas, which is an enormous privilege. So as you can see, we basically arrive in Rwanda and for 2 days are surrounded by dignitaries. Kind of like we are treated in the USA:)

Back to gorilla tracking, it was harder than we thought it would be, going thru thick rain forest and massive bamboo, then lets add the increased elevation, about half way up I thought, “OK, I could be done” but my Porter ( I love him) would catch me and Kent at the same time, which was quite amazing as rain was massive and the mud was making it very slippery. After about 2 1/2 hours of hiking (according to Kent’s health Ap, 3 miles and 50 flights of stairs) we came upon the Pablo family of gorillas.

The very best part was when we got got to these wonderful friendly gorillas. WOW. Right away, one of the first things that happened was we saw these beautiful animals and an adult came toward Kent and started pushing him while I was behind him with a bamboo tree between us (bending down very low) toward Kent (she wanted to play). We were taught by the guides in the orientation that they are very gentle beasts but they’re strength is huge so if they start walking toward you, just stand perfectly still. (Kent said it was kind of hard to stand still when they are pushing you.) The guide immediately ran up and started making the gorilla sound to calm her down as she walked away.

Looks a little scary but she was actually yawning