Well, it's getting late and we decide to head off to bed. Breakfast is at 7 am tomorrow, and we need our beauty sleep. We bid our friends and guides good night, and head back to the room for peaceful slumber. Our last night in Tanzania could only have been better if we had been told that all flights were cancelled, and we had to stay for another month...
Finally, the party in the restaurant breaks up, and we wander off to the bar area for a nightcap. Each of us has a toddie, and while we are talking a local musician comes over and plays us some very nice music. Some he has written, some are covers. He is quite good, very interesting, and we enjoy his company and his stories and songs.
Michelle with Willie, Abu, and Samson.
Three wonderful men, and one incredible wife...
We meet later for our last dinner. This is the evening when all the guides join us. We talk, laugh, get teary, and in general enjoy each others company to the fullest. We all get our pictures taken over and over, we are loud and boisterous (as usual), and wonder if we are going to get thrown out of the restaurant. We have become quite close, and I think that leaving is on our minds. We are trying to make the most of our last evening together.
The plan for the afternoon is lunch, then free time until dinner. There is a game viewing drive, but Michelle and I, as well as some others, pass. We want to relax on our last afternoon in the Serengeti, so we let the more adventurous chase the animals one last time. We take a nap, sit on the deck, and watch our last incredible sunset over the Serengeti...
We eventually make our way to the lodge, another magnificent accommodation. We are staying at the Serengeti Serena Lodge, a truly unique establishment. There are about 60 rooms, arranged in 20 "huts" of three rooms each. There is one room upstairs, and two down. The huts are designed to look like tribal houses, with thatched roofs, and made from local materials. They are very comfortable, with nice views and comfortable beds.
The facility also has a lovely pool (about 70° F temp, I think), and an outstanding lounge and restaurant.
We got to see something unusual. We were driving along and one of our guides spotted a cheetah about 50 yards from the right side of the road. About 30 yards from him was a herd of Thomson Gazelle. We watched spellbound as the cheetah slinked through the tall grass, quietly stalking his prey. Finally, he selected his target, and leapt from the grass, chasing a poor Tommy. The cheetah is the fastest land animal, able to reach speeds of 80 MPH, but only for a very short time. While the Tommy can't run that fast, he can zig and zag a bit better than the cheetah, and he can run fast a lot longer. So, after a few seconds, the Tommy had out maneuvered the cheetah, making a quick escape. The whole chase didn't last five or six seconds, but it was mesmerizing. Paul happened to catch the stalking and chase on his digital video camera. He says he will get me a copy, and when he does I will put it here. (Hint, hint Paul)
We are not scheduled to arrive at our next lodge until noon. That gives us plenty of time to drive around the Serengeti looking for more wildlife. We see wildebeest, buffalo, gazelle, baboons, etc. Since the giraffe is my favorite, I was pleased that we saw quite a few today.
As we leave the camp, heading back towards the Serengeti National Park, we are surrounded by the animals at tail end of the annual migration. There are hundreds of wildebeest and zebra running across our road, in front of us, in back of us, seemingly oblivious to our vehicles. We have seen thousands and thousands of animals over the last week, but we are still awestruck by the beauty of our surroundings and the animals that live here.
Driving away, we see the crew laughing and dancing. Are they glad we are leaving? Willie says no, they are just a happy bunch of guys and enjoy what they do.
Michelle and I with the camp crew, just before boarding Willie's Rover. They took such good care of us...
Tuesday, July 26. Well, today is our last "real" day in Tanzania. That means today is our last night in country, our last wildlife viewing opportunity, our last dinner with our guides. We wake to a clear morning, and try not to think that very, very soon we will have to return to the "real" world.
So, it's up for a hot shower at 6:30 am, and down for breakfast at 7:00. I have just coffee, juice, and corn flakes, and bring coffee back to the room, er tent, for Michelle. We pack our bags and sip our coffee on the front porch, watching a truly glorious sunrise. The camp crew helps our guides load the Rover, and we say our good byes. What a great and accommodating group of men they were, as have been all the Tanzanians we have met.
