Monday, July 11

Notes from Africa: Day 2

Day 2
July 11, 2011

We me our group at 7:30am today to begin our adventure. After a one hour orientation from our Tauck Tour Director, Abby, we hit the road. We were split into groups of six with our own guide/driver. Our family was with a very nice couple from El Paso, Texas. Our guide, Omare, was both knowledgeable and a very nice guy. First, he drove us through the city of Arusha. It was very busy with people all over, walking the streets, many women with bundles on their heads. We saw two automobile accidents, which was not surprising considering there were no traffic lights.
Once we left the city, we drove past Masai villages as members tended their flocks of goats and cows. (Masai are one of the tribes of Tanzania.) Finally, we arrived at the outside of the park and saw our first real animals: baboons. It was then into the park by the rim, where we saw a cornucopia of animals inside the park, including blue monkeys, zebra, wildebeests, giraffe, and impala. It was incredible! We captured some amazing photos. We then had lunch at a lodge that overlooked the park. From there, we drove to our hotel for the evening which is built into the Ngorongoro crater! It was incredible! In this area of roughly 120 sq miles live thousands of animals and our room likes directly into it! Incredible! This evening we had a cocktail party, followed by a lovely dinner. We ate with an Australian couple and enjoyed good food and a fun evening. Tomorrow we go down into the crater!

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