Jambo! We're Alive!

Thanks to Lynn at Tent with a View, I am able to post this and a new Saadani Photo Album. We are safe and happy but you probably will not hear from us again until maybe Amsterdam airport. Hakuna Matata

Saturday, February 25, 2012

First I want to say Happy Birthday to Mark and hope he and Darren have made it to the summit of Kilimanjaro. We are rooting for you guys.

Right now, G & I are sitting inthe middle of nowhere overlooking the Indian Ocean in East Africa. But I will start from the beginning..

Got up, ate a small breakfast, packed up our stuff and met the van. It was a good time to be leaving Zanzibari. This morning all the tables were set - which means a full house - 22 folks up from 6. We liked it nice and cozy. The van was wasting no time getting to Stone Town airport. The ride that should have took an hour and a half took only about an hour. Great - more time waiting at the tiny airport. Our flight was supposed to leave at 11am. Well, 11 came and went. We heard them calling ZanAir to Dar es Salaam, ZanAir to Arusha, and then finally ZanAir to Saadani. Geoff and I were the only ones who responded to that call. Finally we are on board with the captain all set to go, when one of the crew notices that our bags are not on the plane. "just wait a minute till they get your bags" the captain said. Naturally, I pipe up "How do we know they are not on their way to Arusha?" "Um, good point - I will call. Well, my lady you are so right. Your luggage is on the Arusha plane. They are coming back now." "Coming back?" Apparently, the Arusha flight was on the runaway preparing for takeoff. They hailed them down and brought the plane back so that we could get our bags. Nuts!! Then the pilot says "In this heat you need your luggage, that would not have been good." REALLY?

Twenty minutes later we land at a tiny landing strip in the middle of Saadani National Park. Steve (he runs this end of Tent With a View with his wife Lynn) is there waiting patiently for us. I ask about the fly-camping and his opinion was that it is really too hot to be out there in the middle of the day - not a good time for it. So that settled that question. I am a bit disappointed though.On the up side, we have been assigned the honeymoon suite. No time for a game drive through the bush since the plane was so late. We take off for the lodge. A bumpy hour or so later we arrive. G & I are pretty weary by the time we reach the "mess". He has just about gotten over whatever he has and I might be getting it but not sure. It's not really stomach, just a big achy feeling. Since it was after one already, we chose to eat lunch and then go to our "tent". Ate and made conversation. Watched the other folks get back from safari. A group from England traveling like we did with OAT. They are on the elder side. In fact Steve built a platform to make it easier to get in and out of the Land Rover.

At last, Lynn escorted us to our home for the next 5 nights. It all the way down the beach at the very end of the line. We should be getting plenty of exercise just going to and from meals. Running water - no little man filling up the bag for the shower. All the bandas sit on stilts up in the mangroves with views of the sea. We also have a sunken bath tub to "honeymoon" in. It extends out from the tent and sits right in the mangroves. Will have to try that out when the water rises out back. Fortunately, the winds have kept up and there is a nice breeze going through.

Since my plan got shot, I have no idea what is in store for the next 5 days. I know tomorrow, we want to do nothing but maybe walk around a bit and explore. Almost time to get ready to trek down to the mess.

Next time...the Honeymooners

Sunday, February 26, 2012

Dinner was a wonderful 5 course affair with a private table set up with a nice breeze. Since we ate a half hour before everyone else - 7:30 instead of 8pm - we were the first to leave. Walked back on the beach under a beautiful starlit sky. One thing about eco-lodge is that there are no external lights at all. At night it is dark and quiet - well almost quiet - we still have the bush sounds of monkeys and birds. Not feeling at the top of my game, I fell asleep around 8:30. At 5am a huge storm came through - lots of rain and strong winds. G got up and closed some of the flaps on the windows and we settled back down to sleep again. The only damage to our banda was that the front door swelled up so much we can't close it. Hopefullly,
Steve can fix it this afternoon.

Didn't make it out of bed until around 9am. I am still out of sorts. Walked down to the mess - the first order of business was to order some ginger tea. The thermos arrived and it was the best tasting tea that I have had. Not taking any chances in the food department, we both just had papaya and toast. Steve left to get some new folks so Lynn sat and chatted with us for a while. We wanted to know what is included since we didn't get to fly-camp- which by the way, means camping in a pup tent with fly netting over it so the lions don't get you. Apparently, they don't know what to do with netting. Anyway, all our park fees and game drives are already paid for so we basically can do what we want without any more charges. I just have to feel up for the bumpy roads.

After breakfast, G got out the fly rod to try a flick in the creek - as the Aussie's say. Steve & Lynn are Aussies and he also loves to fish. We took a walk down to the creek by our banda. He flicked some but no success. Tide is too low. Walked back for another rest before lunch. Got down to the mess for lunch and met the new folks. A couple from France and a young couple from UK. Lunch was good but I just picked at it and ordered another thermos of tea. We made some tentative plans for a walk this afternoon - hopefully it will cool off, it is very humid now. We will also try to go on safari for sunrise tomorrow. I am thinking positive thoughts about my tummy.

We are back at the shack watching the tide come back in. Looked like the sun was going to come out but it has been cloudy for most of the day.  Steve showed up to fix the door. From the sounds of things, we might be left with a toothpick when he is finished. It took about a half hour, but the door now closes - at least until it swells again. Nothing left to do now but put on our suits and head for the ocean. The water was warm yet still refreshing. Took a walk down the beach came and got ready for dinner. Met up with Steve at the lounge and the six of us are aiming for the 5am wake up to go out for safari tomorrow.

Next time... Saadani Safari

Monday, February 27, 2012

The walk back on the beach last night was a bit buggy due to the rains - no mosquitos but lots of other stuff. The air was very still and heavy. Around 4am the sky lit up with bright lightning all around us. Didn't look the rain was going to make it here, so we all gathered at 5ish for coffee before heading off. On our way down the beach to meet everyone atthe mess, we noticed that the waves were all lit up. Apparently, the rains had brought the phosporus plankton. What a sight.

We headed to the park with great intentions. However, the roads are deteriorating more and more every day it rains. We were 15 minutes or so into the trip when the rain started. We made it to the checkin station where there was shelter, and then the downpours came. It subsided in a while but by then there was no way the road was going to be good enough to travel. Turned the Land Rover back to base for breakfast. The plan now is lunch at 1pm and try to go out again at 3pm. It is now 9:30 and it is still raining. The only good news, is that it is a bit cooler with the rain. I will be surprised if we see the sun again for the rest of our duration. My tan is already peeling off - Ce la vie - knew the sun wasn't going to last forever. It is not in our karma! We are thankful that we had such good weather up until now. At least saw and did a lot before getting here to the rain. Now we can sit in our banda and watch the ocean. Till later..

Well what to do on an overcast muggy African morning? Take a bubble bath in the middle of the mangroves, what else!! The bubble bath was absolutely glorious. So much better than a pup tent in the bush. Had a honeymoon of a time and then went down to meet everyone for lunch. Headed out for safari at around 3 with Steve.

The skies cleared as we headed out to Saadani National Park. Not much was to be seen - I won't bore you with names (although G has written them all down in his diary) - but there were many beautiful birds, one strange hump billed duck. As for bigger stuff the most we saw were some water bucks. However, there was plenty of "evidence" that the elephants, cape buffalo, and giraffes were around somewhere - just not where we were. Steve did a fine demo on the dung beetle and the tree that produces cream of tartar. One great story was about the Whistling Thornication Tree. A tumor is created by ants feeding at the base of the thorns. When elephants go to eat the leaves, the ants crawl out to protect their nest. The elephant having developed a fear of the fire ant does his best to stay away so as not to get these creatures up his nose. Elephants are greatly afraid of fire ants and can smell them for miles. When the ants crawl inside the elephants trunk, the "ellie" goes nuts beating himself up by thrashing his trunk around to release the ants. Hard to imagine something so big being afraid of something so small.

In the end, we all had a fun time and was grateful to finally get out and see something. Didn't get back to camp till 7:30 or so - quickly hightailed out to our banda for a quick shower and then back to the mess for dinner.

We are just not back from dinner after a wonderful walk down the beach. The stars are back in full force and there a cool breeze. Dinner was absolutely fabulous tonight. (You can tell I am feeling sooo much better). There was a buffet with tradtional African food. Everything was so yummy. The 2 young kids from UK are leaving us tomorrow morning. The French couple and ourselves will be going on the river cruise to see some hippos and crocks and then do a game drive on the way back. Tomorrow's wakeup is at 5:30am. On that note I will say goodnight.

Next time.. Rolling Down the River

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Bright and early wake up for our river cruise and guess what? Yes, it is raining again. Of course, it waited till we were all at the lodge ready to go. A few gloomy faces, with Lynn trying her best to keep our spirits up. The plan is not to reconvene at around 8:30 and see what the weather is doing. Right now it looks worse rather than better, but things change quickly.

Got down to breakfast and everyone decided it was a go. We are just four now - the French couple and us. The UK kids left this morning. It turns out they were in Dhow Palace with us in Stone Town. We knew we recognized them. Back in the Land Rover with a new guide we slowly made our way towards the park. Of course, there was paperwork to do. While hanging around waiting for the red tape to be finished, we all were remarking on the heavy road equpment left outside. Steve was tellinng us the day before that it had been donated to help build the roads. It worked for about 18 months and then the bearings went. It has been sitting there ever since and will continue to do so as are so many other machines just rotting away unattended. The theory being, that since it was donated it is no one's real responsibility. Therefore, no one fixes anything. The Peace Corps gal we met in Usa River told us the same story not only about donations but also about volunteering. With all the help coming in, the locals feel that they don't have to do anything. They just wait for the next wave of volunteers and donations. They are not learning how to be self sufficient. It is complicated because lots of good people want to help but the system seems to be broken.

Finally back on the road to Wami River where we will board a river boat and scope out the hippos and crocks. Along the way, there was plenty of bird life to admire along with small villages and salt flats. Reached the dock around 11:30 and had great fun watching the hippos. Spotted a 2 day old baby with his mom, Some crocks going for the water. They are really hard to spot because they blend right in. Today also happens to be Jerry B.'s birthday. Did our little ceremony in the Wami River and hope that the hippos will protect him from the crocodiles! Ate our box lunch while watching the hippos splash and groan. After about an hour of this, it was back in the bus for a short game drive before heading back to camp. Finally, we came upon some very good looking giraffes, who didn't mind posing. Stayed for a while to enjoy the show. Also saw some more water bucks and of course, the birds. The giraffes certainly were the highlight and you can see the difference from the Serengeti species - these are lighter.

Camp is very quiet now. There are only the four of us left and the French couple leaves tomorrow. Don't know if anyone else is coming. The lodge was deserted when we got back. G & I walked up to the research center hoping to find Lynn but no luck. Came back to Venus (which is the name of our honeymoon banda), donned our suits, and headed for the ocean. Still low tide but was splashed around enough to cool off. Relaxing now and hoping for a good day tomorrow for our final hurrah! We will try to get in another bubble bath tonight after dinner. Hoping we don't have to wake up at 5am.

I am waiting for the bath to fill so I thought I would type this. Dinner was so awesome tonight. Steve and Lynn set up two private tables on the beach for us. The stars were all out, there was a cool breeze, and the setting could not have been more perfect. They also gave us a champagne split with dinner - which I held on to - going to enjoy it in the bubble tonight. This was Eric and Isabel's last night but we still have one more to go. Not sure they can top this one.

We get one more shot at safari tomorrow afternoon - no more early calls. Sweet dreams

Next time...The Last Safari

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Woke up finally to some sunshine. Just back from breakfast. Said adeiu to Eric & Isabel. Hoping we will meet again. They were talking about buying a holiday housee in Provence, France. Told them to let us know and we will help christen the place. Lynn gave us a tour of the kitchen and the outdoor cookbox they use for the oven. The food has been incredible, so they sure know how to use the thing.

We are the last guests here today which means we will get a private safari for our last shot at the bush. Hoping to see some elephants and maybe some buffalo or lions - good luck to us. Speaking of elephants, this property was once a coconut plantation and one thing elephants love is the sap and the vegetation on the tops of the palms. Apparently, Steve has one pesky little elephant or two that keeps knocking down his trees for a treat. They have going down at the rate of 6 per night. He has finally set up a patrol to stop try and stop the damage. Don't want any trees falling down on the bandas with guests inside.

Off to meet Lynn at the research center and hopefully get this posted along with the album. After lunch we safari till dinner. Tomorrow we will take the canoe out on the creek behind us and try to find the momma crock that lives there. Then we head to the airstrip for a 4pm flight to Dar es Salaam - wait 6 hour wait at their hot sticky airport until the KLM flight to Amsterdam - 3 hours in Amsterdam and then we head to Boston. If all goes well, we should land around 1:30pm or so on Friday. It will be one very, very long day.

Next time... The Road Home