Wednesday, July 20.  We awake at Kikoti to a cool and overcast morning, like most so far.  By the afternoon, the clouds have pretty much dissipated, and it is warm and sunny. We find that the low humidity and the high altitude makes for fairly rapid temperature changes.
 
Off we go to breakfast at 7 am for delicious coffee, toast, eggs, potatoes, sausage and bacon.  Abu explains our agenda for the day, which is a morning of wildlife viewing in Tarangire, then back to the lodge for lunch about 1:30.  The afternoon we have off for lounging and relaxation until sunset, where they say they have a special treat for us.  Our dinner will be outside, and that will be something special, too.  We enjoy another filling meal, and head out to the parking lot to load up the Land Rovers.  Today we are riding with Samson, and Russ joins us.
 
We drive to the park, and not too far into our journey we encounter a very large, very boisterous, very agitated elephant.  He could very easily attack our vehicles, and Samson says to "Be cool..".  We are the last vehicle, and could back up REAL FAST if required. 
 
Samson tells us of a time when an elephant charged his Land Rover.  Thinking quickly, with a multi-ton animal coming at him full speed, Samson just got the Rover in neutral when the elephant plowed into the front of the truck.  He pushed the Rover about 15 meters (~45 feet) backward before he broke off the attack. 
 
We learned two very important things from this situation, and Samson's story.  One, regardless of how tame and uninterested the wildlife appears to be, they are, in fact, wildlife.  We are guests in their lands, and we should always treat them with respect.  Two, Samson is one major-cool  dude!!  Looking out the windshield and seeing an elephant head the size of Toledo coming at you, seconds away from impact, he thinks "Neutral"!!  Me, I'd have closed my eyes and said my prayers.  Thankfully, this didn't happen to us, and we made our way past the elephant without incident.  Perhaps he had a hangover from eating that alcoholic fruit with his buddies the night before.
 
Compared to that, the rest of the morning is uneventful, at least from a stress standpoint.  However, this is our first official, sole purpose, driving-around-in-a-truck-with-a-
pop-up-top, game viewing day, and we are pretty excited about that.  Samson and the rest do not disappoint us, and throughout the morning we see elephant, velvet monkey, giraffe, klipspringer, mongoose, dik-dik, zebra, and bunches of birds.  We totally enjoy the scenery, the wildlife, and Samson's commentary on what we are experiencing.
 
One thing that strikes me is how lovely and peaceful the countryside is.  Even though it is very dry, and terribly dusty, not really conducive to human comfort, we are mesmerized by the beauty of nature, of being in areas where man has not annexed, flattened, and paved the earth in all directions.  We are humbled when we observe how so many animals, although natural predators and prey, can live a peaceful coexistence.  Are there lessons here for the top of the food chain...
 
We arrive back at the lodge and indulge ourselves in yet another great meal.  The afternoon is ours, and we scatter a bit until dinner.  Michelle and I wander back to our "tent", where we wash up, enjoy a beer and a glass of wine, and talk about our trip.  Eventually I take a nap and Michelle catches up on some reading.  What a wonderful way to spend an afternoon in the African countryside.
 
Until.....  Michelle's feelings of being fortunate not to have come across any snakes yet were interrupted.  Pam was walking toward our tent and suddenly stopped and looked over to her right.  Michelle hollered "What do you see?"  Pam's retort was "You don't want to know."   Naturally, it was a snake, and Pam assured Michelle that it had taken off through the grass.  The next hour was spent making stomping sounds all over the tent platform to put Michelle's mind at ease that the "critter" hadn't headed her way.  Later Michelle was talking to one of the night guards and gave him Pam's description of the snake, and he informed her that it was a Puffer snake, highly poisonous.  As you can imagine, she didn't sleep a lot that night.
 
Later in the afternoon we gather for an hour walk along a dusty road.  We are escorted by a young guide, a guard with a rifle, and a traditionally dressed Maasai with a spear.  Apparently, one always needs some degree of protection when walking in the wild.
 
We stop along the way and our guide points out various plants, trees, an animal tracks in the road.  It is amazing how much wildlife is all around us, as evidenced by the multitude of elephant, gazelle, lion, and hyena tracks we see.
 
Eventually we arrive at a covered deck, high on a ridge overlooking a grassy plain.  Looking down we see giraffe and gazelle among the Acasia trees, grazing elephants, and beauty beyond words.  We are once again awestruck with our surroundings.
 
Before we left on the walk, we placed drink orders at the lodge bar.  Our beverages, along with some snacks, have been transported up and are awaiting us.  We gather our chairs together and quietly enjoy the view, the evening, and the sunset. As always, our guides are perfect hosts.  They are there when needed, and quietly recede when not, leaving us to our own thoughts.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Once we arrive back at the lodge, we have a few moments to freshen up before dinner.  Instead of eating in the lodge dining room, we are led down a path to an outdoor dining area.  It is ringed with poles stuck in the ground to protect us from the wild animals, similar to a Maasai village.  All of the lodge guests are there, probably 30 in all.  As usual, we are seated at a single table for our party of 13, and we serve ourselves at the buffet.  The food is wonderful, the temperature is about perfect, the night is clear, the stars seem so close you can reach out and touch them, and a roaring fire is in the fire pit. 
 
Then we hear singing and a group of Maasai men enter the compound.  They proceed to entertain us with their traditional dancing and singing. They line up, chanting in harmony, and one moves forward in front of the rest.  That individual begins to jump up and down, using only the ankles and calf muscles to propel him upwards.  Their body is rigid and the only movement is their feet.  It is incredible to watch, and unbelievable how high they can jump!!  Unfortunately, it is dark and the pictures did not come out too well.
 
To ensure that the guests are properly embarrassed, the Maasai bring each male guest up, individually, to dance with them.  We must take their spear and attempt to duplicate their miraculous achievement of vertical motion without bending ones knees.  It looks easy when they do it, but as they say, looks can be deceiving....  Luckily no one breaks an ankle or a leg, and we all performed admirably, considering our full bellies and lack of talent.
 
Once all the men are done, we each wear an evil grin, awaiting the ladies turn.  This should definitely be interesting.  However, much to our chagrin, all THEY have to do is a chorus line, which they do as a group, and have a jolly time of it.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
After dinner, we walk back up to the lodge.  A night game drive is planned, but there is limited seating.  So Michelle and I decide to stay at the lodge and enjoy the rest of the evening relaxing on our front porch.  We read and write in our journals until 10 pm, when we have to stop because they turn off the power.  We crawl into our comfy beds, pull the blankets up, and drift off to sleep amid the cries of elephant and hyena.