Steve McQueen and Friends

Yesterday one of my friends asked me if I was ready to go back to the U.S. to which I replied, not necessarily. While I’m anxious to see my family, most of whom Dave and I haven’t seen since at least August, I just returned from a month’s visit in Philadelphia on December 1^st, and wasn’t feeling the normal need for a break from the unique challenges that present themselves while living in Ghana.

This morning that all changed.

As is customary, my first stop in the morning is the restroom. As I sat down, I glanced into the tub and saw three bugs….more accurately….larvae. Hmmm, I thought. Yesterday there was one of the same types of bugs in the tub. I picked it up with a Kleenex and flushed it down the toilet, never thinking twice about it. As I continued with my business I thought about where the bugs might be coming from, and I concluded that it must be from the bathtub drain. As I wasn’t planning on going to the gym this morning, I went back to bed to just stretch and wait until Dave was ready to go to work.

When he came into the room, I told him to check out my bathtub. He looked at my quizzically, but then did what I asked. He came back and said, “There are bugs in your bathtub.” I said, “There are three bugs in my bathtub.” He said, “No. There are five bugs in your bathtub.” I quickly jumped up and went back to the bathroom and discovered that Dave was wrong. There were SEVEN bugs in my bathtub.

We were scratching our heads, discussing where the bugs could be coming from, and I was convinced they were coming up through the drain. I already had a plan developing in my head whereby I would dump a bottle of bleach down the drain, determined that anything and everything that was even considering joining us would die first.

As we both stood there watching the bugs being washed down the drain, a bug dropped into the bathtub! We immediately looked up but didn’t see anything unusual. I had some lingerie hanging on the towel bar and wondered if maybe one of the little buggers had climbed the wall and snuggled into my bra. I shook the clothes out, but nothing dropped. Just then, another bug dropped out of the sky. Again, we looked upward. Just then, we watched as one of the larvae wiggled out of a small hole at the juncture between the baseboard and the wall! I don’t know what the baseboard is called when it is placed up on the ceiling, but here’s a picture of the area in which they were coming out. They were dropping out of the ceiling about halfway between the wall and the window.

Over the next several minutes one after another larvae twisted their way out of the ceiling and into our bathtub. There must have been 20-25 of the squirming maggots in our tub. As we were both just staring at the ceiling, shocked at what we were witnessing a bug dropped….onto the other end of the bathtub. We turned our heads and discovered the larvae hadn’t just found one hole, they had found two!

At this point I was freaking out! I told Dave he was NOT leaving for work until he had closed up those two holes. So, as I attempted to keep the bugs corralled in the bathtub (they were actually crawling up the sides of the tub trying to escape to greener pastures), Dave went in search of something…anything with which to plug up the holes, at least temporarily.

He returned with masking tape and a can of Raid. He first sprayed the holes with the insecticide and then waited for the area to dry. While we waited, all the while staring intently at the ceiling, another bug made his way out of the hole…and then another one, and then another one. Raid wasn’t anything to these guys!

Dave bravely climbed onto the tub with masking tape in hand, coughing as there is no ventilation in the bathroom and we weren’t really thinking “safety first.” He quickly, but with much deliberation, used the masking tape to cover the area between the wall and the baseboard all around the ceiling above the bathtub.

As we both stared into the bathtub at our new “friends,” and I gagged because they STINK, we looked at each other, shook our heads, laughed, and then  I said, “I wanna go home!”

Newmont has a Site Services group for which Dave is responsible as VP of Human Resources (go figure how that relates in any way to HR, but nonetheless). Anytime there is a maintenance issue with our house, I have a list of contact names and I’ve mostly been the one to contact them for help. Before Dave left I asked him….no wait, I strongly urged him to personally contact someone in site services as soon as he got to work so that the issue would be given top priority. It’s amazing what the initials V.P. after your name can do for you.

Dave quickly agreed, so I know he was as freaked out about the problem as I was. I kept saying, “What if this would have happened tomorrow after we’d left for the U.S.?” I just keep thinking that my house would have been infested with the larvae. Dave did a little online search once he arrived at work and we think these would have morphed into adult cockroaches!

Steve McQueen, you ask? Well, in addition to this latest unsettling company, we’ve endured an ongoing battle with what we think are rats in our attic, which I’ve written about in a previous blog. Unfortunately, the monthly throwing of bait into the attic is not keeping the rats at bay. Almost every evening we can hear them running around above our heads as we watch TV, read, and oftentimes…as we are sleeping. The other night I SWEAR it was a small child running from one end of the living room to the other.

We originally nicknamed the rat(s) Randy, but that has since changed after watching an episode of “House” where Greg House and his ex-wife are hunkered down in her attic in an effort to trap a pesky mouse. Pfftt…mouse? I’m WAY over mice! I’m onto RATS! Anyway, Greg named the mouse “Steve McQueen,” and we hastily adopted the name for our rat(s). The last time the pest guy came over to throw the bait into the attic we discussed the fact that bait is only temporary as rats are famous for having “colonies,” and only move on when they no longer have access.  So, we are also working on getting someone over here to trim the enormous, gigantic treesm as they apparently climb them at night to get to the roof. Dave had an even better idea! How about eliminating the holes in which they are getting  INTO the attic! Ah ha!

My husband does NOT like bugs. Snakes and lizards don’t seem to bother him.  Even the rats haven’t affected them the way they disturb me. However, the larvae squeezing out of the hole in the sealing sent him over the edge. Dave has yet to contribute to this blog, but I’ll leave you with a copy of the email he sent to Franklin, who is his guy currently in charge of Site Services:

“One more issue I forgot to mention.  In addition to the larvae and rodents in the ceiling, the roof also leaks which may be contributing to the insects hatching in the attic.  The roof leak has been “repaired” twice, but we still have water coming into the house whenever it rains. To summarize, I suspect you’ll need to trim the trees to keep the rats from getting on the roof, seal the attic from the outside to prevent rats that can jump from the trimmed trees from entering, poison the rats that manage to leap from the trimmed trees and  somehow force their way past the sealed attic, fix the roof so rain water doesn’t promote insects from breeding in the ceiling, spray the bugs that are already in the attic, and seal the ceiling from the inside the house (where the larvae wiggled through) to keep the really hearty bugs from getting into bathroom. I’d say you’ve got your work cut out for you!”

I wanna go home.

Hair Care....Ghanaian Style

Dave and I have experienced a number of challenges since moving to Ghana, but grooming has actually not been as difficult as we thought it might be. Unusual? Yes! Difficult? Not really.

I have been fortunate to have a built-in family hairdresser while living in Elko, namely my niece, Jessica. Each time I make it back to Elko, you can be sure I am in her salon. However, there have been times during these last 19 months that I just HAD to get my hair colored and/or cut. Last April, after travelling to the Seychelles with the unrealized expectation of getting my hair done, I started asking around. A few of the ladies with whom I golf recommended Antoinette. 

The Star Unisex Salon is located about 15 minutes from my house (which is definitely a plus). The salon is located on the second floor of the building and overlooks the very busy Achimota Road. Antoinette is Ghanaian, and was trained in Nigeria. I suspect she is about my age, although I have found it very difficult to gauge the ages of the locals. They ALL look young to me!  Antoinette has a teenaged daughter, but I believe she has been (and continues to be) raised by Antoinette’s mother.

When I walked into the salon, it looked to be like any other salon. However, once I sat down, I realized there were some significant differences. First, the lights are never on. I suspect it is both an attempt to keep electrical costs down as well as the temperature of the room. This is Ghana. It’s ALWAYS hot, but there is no air conditioning in the salon. Rather, all of the windows are wide open, allowing for a nice breeze through the salon. The lighted intersection at which the salon is located is also a Tro-Tro (taxi) station, and so the room is also quite noisy.

Antoinette and I discussed what I wanted done, and then she quickly…and very quietly…went to work. I tried to engage her by asking questions about herself and her family, but she didn’t seem too interested in conversing. As a result, I also sat there quietly, taking in the atmosphere around me. There was much yelling, honking, and general noise caused by the busy motorway just outside of the window. Otherwise, the salon was completely silent. There was no radio or TV, and there were no other customers. There were lots of pictures of various hairdos hanging on the walls. Ironically, most of them were of white women. I suspect that Antoinette’s primary clientele are expats.

In addition to myself and Antoinette, there were two young ladies in the salon, and I quickly realized they were there to assist their employer. One of them was assigned to attach the drape to me, and pick up anything Antoinette might drop while she was putting the color on my hair. She was then also responsible for setting the timer once Antoinette had completed the application of the color.

When the buzzer went off, the other young lady took me to another chair where she washed my hair. The first time I went, the water didn’t appear to be working directly out of the faucet, so somehow the gal was filling up a pitcher of water and would then pour it over my head. Not really sure where the water was coming from, as I had my back to her (obviously). The next time I went to the salon, the water in the sink was working.

Prior to my first visit, I looked through some pictures online via my iPad and took the device with me to show Antoinette. I think this helped, but honestly….she didn’t cut it the way Jessica does. On the other hand, the color was quite nice and it was good enough until the next time I got back to Elko. This last time I went, there was no electricity (not an unusual event in Accra), and she felt bad…but not bad enough to give me a discount! I have been to Antoinette three times now, and I have yet to be disappointed.

Now….Dave! Dave has tried several places. The first barber shop was recommended by a former Newmont expat, and it was located in the Golden Tulip, a popular hotel. The guy spent almost an hour cutting Dave’s hair. I swear he went over it and over it….15-20 times. I think he was nervous about cutting an Obruni’s hair! If memory serves me right, his haircut cost about 20 cedis ($12-$13 US dollars at the time). That was the last time we went to the Wooden Comb!

Next, we stopped in at the Exotic Trendz salon at the Accra mall. It’s small, and mostly caters to local women who are looking to have their hair styled (wigs, extensions, and straightening), rather than actual cutting. However, there is one barber…Ron, the bald guy. Seriously, his name is Ron and he’s bald (or at least he was when Dave first started going to him). Ron is quick – takes about 10 minutes. Dave says he’s not great, but he also only charges 10 cedis (about $6-$7 USD), so hey…..it gets him by.

A couple of months ago, we arrived at Exotic Trendz, but Ron wasn’t there. Some other guy was there in his place, so Dave sat down. This guy must have been brand new as he was SO nervous. It took him about 30 minutes to finish the job, and I can honestly say it was the worst haircut Dave has had in Ghana. I’m not sure if he was new to cutting hair, or if had just never cut a “white man’s” hair!

Last Sunday Dave was due for another haircut, so off to the mall we went. When we arrived there were two other people in front of us….or so we thought. Ron had not yet arrived (not unusual). Once he did – about 15 minutes after the salon opened - a guy who had arrived after us jumped up and proceeded to take a place at Ron’s station. Ron took a good 20 minutes to give this guy a haircut, which really consisted of buzzing his head and then giving the guy a scalp massage.

When Ron was done with that gentleman, another guy walked in and sat in the chair. The other two people and Dave who were waiting in line, protested. Ron looked confused. Dave said that we would go do some shopping and then we would return. On our way to the grocery story on the other end of the mall, we walked by a new salon (can’t remember the name of it). We stopped in as there was a barber shop towards the back. The hostess welcomed us and said the barber had gone to get some water and would be right back. After about 5 minutes, he returned (we think he was middle eastern), put Dave in the chair and in 10 minutes he was done! I don’t think he said two words to Dave. Dave claims this was the best haircut he received, and we paid out the nose for it….25 cedis ($13-$14 USD). Ha ha!

Getting my hair done, in particular, was definitely a source of anxiety for me, and I am thankful it hasn’t been too much of a problem. In fact, it has ended up being a good experience and a source of many laughs for Dave and I!

Safari Trip - Zanzibar

After rising very early for our balloon safari over the Serengeti, it didn’t take any of us long to fall asleep that evening and we were able to sleep in, relatively, leaving the Serengeti Soroi Lodge at around 9 a.m. The plan was to continue with a short morning safari and head to the air strip, where we would be flown to Arusha for our connecting flight to Zanzibar.

I don’t recall seeing a whole lot of animals that morning, and it may have been that we were all a bit tired of being in a jeep on a very bumpy road and were ready for a beach environment. Prior to reaching the landing strip, we stopped at what appeared to be a Serengeti Welcome Center. Mbaga, pictured here with Benjamin and Melissa, dropped us off and went in search of some fuel.

We wandered the center while he was gone, and checked out the unusual animals and surroundings.

I had NO idea what to expect when I read the itinerary regarding our transfers to Zanzibar. THIS is the landing strip.

Basically, it’s just another big dirt spot in the Serengeti where planes land and take off, and there were plenty of them doing so.

 Mysteriously, I had no anxiety about the primitiveness of the “airport.” Check out the “terminal.”

The plane was small - seats for 14, including the pilot.

I’ll say this about the experience, there was no waiting in long security lines, and no long-winded safety presentation that I’ve heard dozens and dozens of times before! The pilot introduced himself and informed us that we would be in Arusha in just over an hour. The view from the plane gave us all an even greater appreciation for the vastness of the Serengeti. As we got closer to Arusha, the landscape changed, getting greener and more mountainous.

This is the only view we had of the famous Mount Kilimanjaro, its snowcapped peak rising out of the clouds.

Kilimanjaro is a dormant volcano and is the highest mountain in Africa at 19,341 feet. We have a friend who scaled the mountain a few years ago, and another couple who are planning to do so in about six weeks. Personally, I’d prefer to look at it from the inside of a plane at 25,000 feet!

See those two circles in the following picture? Those are the Maasai villages!

After the brief flight, we arrived in Arusha, which is where we started our safari just three days prior, having been dropped off at the hotel at 5:00 a.m.!

Shortly thereafter, we boarded our next plane, which was pretty similar to the one we just deplaned. This time, however, I got to sit in the co-pilot’s seat!

Here’s the pilot giving the brief (very brief) safety message.

I thoroughly enjoyed the view from the front, but to be honest, had a hard time seeing over the front of the plane! I think if I had to really fly the plane, I’d need a booster seat! The flight from Arusha to Zanzibar was about 90 minutes, and it seemed like we would go for miles and miles without seeing anything below! Finally, there it was - the coast of Eastern Africa.

The Indian Ocean is absolutely beautiful. Reminds me very much of the Caribbean waters. In this picture we are coming up on the island of Zanzibar.

When researching our trip, I first believed that Zanzibar was a separate African country, but discovered that not to be true. In fact, Zanzibar is a semi-autonomous part of Tanzania. It is located about 25 miles off of the coast of Tanzania and is composed of the Zanzibar archipelago. As such, Zanzibar has its own government. More than 99% of the population is Muslim.

Just as with all of our other stops, we were greeted outside of the airport by our driver, although I can’t, for the life of me, remember his name. He was, of course, Muslim, and was very pleasant. His driving was a bit scary, but that seemed to have been the theme of the trip. Our resort was about an hour drive north of the airport, so off we went. Our driver told us a bit about the island and the heritage. He explained that they were right in the middle of Ramadan, which Dave and I are familiar with having been living in Ghana for the past year.

Ramadan is a time when Muslims worldwide observe a month of fasting. In Ghana, the Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset. They aren’t allowed to drink liquids, eat food, smoke, or have sexual relations. Our driver, however, mentioned that he was just fasting until noon, so I’m not sure if he and his family just chose that practice or what. He told us that he had a seven or eight year old child who was participating in her first Ramadan and was finding it very difficult to refrain from food or drink for that long. Can you imagine?

Driving through Zanzibar felt similar to driving through Ghana, to be honest. After an hour long drive, we arrived at the Royal Zanzibar Beach Resort, which was about a ½ mile off the highway, down a dusty dirt road. We were warmly greeted by the front desk staff and each given a coconut filled with its refreshing milk.

We also met the General Manager, although her name escapes me. When she found out Dave and I were living in Ghana, she was so surprised. She is Canadian, but recently worked in Accra at the La Badi Beach Hotel, which is just down the road from us. Talk about a small world!

Here’s our first view of the ocean from our resort.

After visiting our room, we took a tour of the grounds.

At sunset, we found ourselves poolside. It’s been a while since Dave and I were at a resort whereby we could watch the sun set. It was absolutely spectacular…every single evening. I couldn’t get enough of it. The sailboats looked like dorsal fins gliding over the water, making for a picturesque skyline.

After dinner, a few drinks, and some interesting dinner time entertainment, we turned in, looking forward to a relaxing day on the beach.

The next morning began with sunshine, but around 11 a.m., the skies opened and the downpour began. It was amazing how cool it got when the rain came, but about an hour later the rain stopped and the sun came back out. Once again, it was hot. This ended up being a theme for our entire stay, which we were told was unseasonable.

Benjamin and I mostly just laid on the beach and read, while Dave, Melissa, and Daniel joined the sand volleyball game.

There were LOTS of Italians at this particular resort. Not sure if it was just our resort, or Italians, in general! That afternoon Dave and I walked down the beach to the East Africa Dive Center to check out the diving opportunities. We signed up for a morning dive, and were told we would be picked up on our beach.

Throughout the resort there were Maasai men guarding the grounds.

I didn’t really understand why at first, but after a while it was obvious they were needed to keep random people from walking on the grounds and eating/drinking for free, as this was an all-inclusive resort. In addition, the beach right in front of us was evidently public, and there were several guys down there trying to convince the tourists to buy their excursions. If it wouldn’t have been for the Maasai, I suspect they would have been sitting next to us!

Just as promised, the next morning Dave and I were picked up on our beach and taken to the dive center where we met up with a group of people who would be diving with us. Yep...this is the boat that picked us up!

The Dive Masters were quite young and were from South Africa. If I remember correctly, they had been in Zanzibar for a couple of months, and they seemed to be enjoying their time on the island.

After a brief reminder of diving protocols and signs, we set off on a dive just off the western coast of Zanzibar. The water was quite a bit cooler here than it was when we learned in the Seychelles. And, unlike our previous dives, Dave was able to stay down quite a bit longer; 48 minutes on our first dive, and 61 minutes on our second dive. When we came to the surface after the second drive, the air had cooled off and a storm was brewing. As we headed back to shore, it started drizzling and I was having a difficult time getting warm. I pretty much shivered the entire way!

The dives were both really nice, but I’d have to say that I enjoyed the Seychelles more. First, the water was so much warmer, and second, we saw more sea life in the Seychelles. Regardless, it was still a really cool experience, and reminded me of why I enjoy diving!

The next day was, we were told, an Italian holiday, and so the resort went with it and held the Italian Olympics.  Two teams were formed and they competed in a variety of competitions, including volleyball, tug of war, and a “survivor” type of challenge whereby they had to run into the ocean, fill up a small bucket of water, run it back to their teammates, who then poured it into another bucket. It was pretty fun to watch, but I found it strange that no one in our party was invited to participate. Guess you had to be Italian??

That evening an Italian feast was being held out on the beach. When we arrived there was a 4’ shark hanging out….literally, he was hanging next to the table. They were cutting out filets and grilling them. Strangely enough, the only truly Italian food I saw in the buffet line was lasagna….and we had to wait for it because they only had one pan of it at a time.

One day Benjamin and Daniel were picked up and taken down the shoreline where they spent a short time jet skiing. The rest of the time, we just sort of lounged around. We read our books and magazines, and just basically tried to de-stress (not that I have much in the way of stress in my life anymore). There were only two selections of beers - Serengeti and Kilimanjaro.

There were three pools on the resort, and do you know that we rarely saw anyone in any of the pools. One of the pools had a swim up bar, but there usually wasn’t even a bartender in attendance, as there was no one in the pool. Very strange, and very unlike the Caribbean and/or Mexican resorts at which we have stayed.

In much the same manner as we arrived on our trip, we left. Our flight left the Zanzibar airport at 4:30 a.m., which meant we were to be picked up at our resort at 1:30 a.m. So, we slept for a couple of hours, met our van driver, and headed to the airport. As we were driving through some of the more populated areas, I was just staring out the window sort of zoning out. I saw two very unusual things….especially considering it the middle of the night. First, I saw a guy getting his hair cut….he was actually sitting in a barber’s chair getting his hair cut. Really? At 2 a.m.? Second, I saw two larger groups of men who were evidently praying to Allah (or to whomever it is Muslims pray).

Our flight from Zanzibar to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, was (thankfully) uneventful. After a brief layover, we headed out for Accra, arriving at around 11 a.m. I was very glad to be home, but Daniel, Benjamin, and Melissa still had a full day of travel ahead of them, as they were flying back to the U.S. that evening. What to do in Accra for the next 6-7 hours? Well, naturally….we watched The Lion King, from an entirely different perspective!!!

Our Safari Trip - Leg #3

After climbing out of the Ngorongoro Crater, we began to make our way to the Serengeti. While we were still down in the crater, we asked our driver, Mbaga, how many miles it was to the Serengeti. He told us it was about 75 kilometers (46 miles). Well, after driving more than 2 ½ hours, we realized he meant it was 75 kilometers just to get out of the Ngorongoro Crater!

At around noon, Mbaga pulled off the side of the road (I use that term very lightly), and parked under a tree so that we could have lunch. Our resort put together boxed lunches for us to eat while on our safari. We tried not to think about the fact that the lunches had been riding along with us since 6 a.m. in an increasingly warm jeep! As we sat in the jeep opening up our boxes these young boys cautiously approached our vehicle. They didn’t get too close, but their dog did. He came right up to the jeep, looking for food. These boys are Maasai's.

While we ate, the boys talked among themselves. It was difficult to eat in front of them, seeing that they had so little. In fact, as we finished our lunch, they gave us the international signal for hungry (we see it all the time in Accra from the beggars, especially the street children).  The Maasai people and their cattle coexist peacefully with the wildlife in the Ngorongoro Crater, but we were instructed by Mbaga not to feed them. When asked why, he said, “If we feed them today, how will they eat tomorrow?” Basically, he’s saying that we should not disturb the way in which they live and survive, and it would ultimately ruin their culture. He also said that if visitors began giving the Maasai their leftovers, the country would be littered with trash and the safety of the tourists would be in jeopardy (people would surround the jeeps as they stopped). It may seem like litter is a small sacrifice, but I live in Ghana; a country littered with trash. The area may have been dry and desolate, but it was clear of trash.

Before we reached the Serengeti, Mbaga told us that for a price of $50 USD, we could stop at a Maasai village where we would be welcomed with a dance, and an opportunity to see how they lived. We decided that it was an opportunity we just couldn’t pass up.

Our guide was Palo, one of the Chief's many children.

As we stood outside of the village, the men began dancing. The men wear bright cloaks of red and blue and almost always have a stick in their hand, which is used to guide the cattle.

Melissa and I were presented with necklaces, which we had to unfortunately return before we left. Check out the earrings on the lady! We were then led into their village where Palo took us to his “house.” 



A typical Maasai "home."



All Maasai villages appear to be arranged in much the same way, other than some being larger or smaller than others. A thick thorny hedge is usually built around the outside to keep out the lions and leopards.  Maasai herd the cattle during the day and bring the animals into the center of the villages at night to keep them safe.  

Inside this village we were treated with quite a show of the “jumping dance.”  This particular dance is done by the men of the village, who leap….and I do mean LEAP….into the air to show their strength and stamina as tribal warriors.

Benjamin jumping with the Masaii.

They first invited Benjamin and then Daniel to join them in the dance. I always thought Daniel had some hops, but let me tell you…..he was put to shame by the Maasii! In the meantime, Melissa was doing a smaller jumping dance with the women.

The huts in the village are primitive and are built by women with mud and cow dung and had thatched roofs. There was no electricity or running water to speak of. There were probably 20 or so huts located in a circular fashion. Palo took us inside his hut which was pretty dark and a bit smoky from the fire, which were basically embers. There were two people sleeping in two “rooms,” one of whom was Palo’s sister and who was literally right behind us laying on a bed. Palo was quite eager to answer any of our questions. He was 26 years old, had already killed two lions, his father (the Chief) had numerous wives, and he was planning on going to school in Arusha soon.

After we left the hut, we were taken to the center of the village so we could see their arts and crafts. See them hanging on the sticks?

The Masaii women followed us from one piece to the other, encouraging us to buy anything and everything. We each picked out one item that we wanted to buy and then Palo told us to follow him outside of the center of the village where we would then negotiate the price. Dave was appointed as our chief negotiator. I have a feeling he is MUCH tougher when dealing with mine unions than he was with the Maasai. In fact, he may have even paid MORE than they initially asked for, but he told me later that after seeing how simplistically the people live, he didn’t have a problem with providing them with some financial assistance.

After the negotiations, we were taken to the Kindergarten school, where children ages 3-7 or so are taught (before they go into town for primary school). As you can see, the classroom is very primitive.

The children were all sitting on benches and were quite well behaved. On the other hand, they were very dirty. Many of them looked sick, with snot running down their faces. I mean….look at their feet. They live in the dirt!

They sang their ABC’s for us and we were encouraged to ask questions. Melissa introduced herself and asked some of the children their names and how old there were. The only curricular material in the classroom was a small chalkboard at the front of the room. As we left, the children were working on math problems - 1+1 = 2, 2+2 = 4.

A long time tradition of the Maasai's is to the drink cow’s blood mixed with fresh milk. The drink is said to be rich in nutrients and fills the people for an entire day. It is also essential to their survival, as water is not always available, especially in the dry season.  The blood is obtained by nicking the cow’s jugular vein, just enough to get the liquid, but not enough to kill the animal. Fortunately, we didn’t have to watch this demonstration!  Nor did we have a taste of the concoction!

After we left the kindergarten classroom, we were taken back to our vehicle where several of the villagers thanked us for visiting. Oh, and they also offered Dave 20 cows for Melissa….and after much consideration, he turned the offer down. What he may not have known then was that the Maasai measure a man’s wealth by the amount of cattle and children he has.  Had he sold Melissa, he would have still had Benjamin, Daniel, Christine, Chap, Brody, and the new baby - in other words he still would have been quite wealthy!

The visit to the Maasai village was one of our favorite activities. While we are sure that it’s sort of staged, and is somewhat of a tourist trap, we still believe that it was relatively authentic and represented real Maasai life.

After MANY hours on the road, we finally came to the entrance of the Serengeti National Park.  

The largest native mammal migration in the world occurs once a year when millions of wildebeests, zebras and gazelles move to areas that provide fresh grazing.  Serengeti is a Maasai world meaning “endless plain,” and I can totally see where its name comes from. The Serengeti is massive. The savannah goes on and on and on until it meets the horizon. The Kenyan and Tanzanian governments have identified 80% of the Serengeti as protected areas, and it is obvious. There are very few structures, the countryside is free of litter, and things appear to be in their original state.

You have probably heard the phrase, “The Big Five” game. I had, but just assumed that it referred to the largest animals located in game reserves. In fact, it was actually coined by big game hunters and refer to the five most difficult animals in Africa to hunt on foot.  The term was then adopted by safari operators. The five animals include: lion, African elephant, cape buffalo, leopard, and rhinoceros.

We saw all but the rhino….he was elusive. Actually, I guess they are located in the western part of the Serengeti, and we didn’t have time to get over there.  Here’s a picture of the leopard.

I found the giraffes to be pretty remarkable. We saw many of them in the Serengeti, including many baby giraffes.

Mbaga was driving very quickly through the Serengeti, and we really didn’t know why. He was really reluctant to stop when we would see an animal, and we finally figured it out at about 6 p.m. when the sun began to set and the world turned into a scary and dark place teeming with wild animals! Prior to sunset, we came upon a family of elephants.

They are just SO magnificent, and I could have watched them for hours. Mbaga, however, was in a hurry and didn’t want to stay long. The queen elephant decided she wasn’t interested in letting us pass, so she stood directly in front of our jeep - she was about 200 yards away. Mbaga would rev the engine to scare her off of the road. The queen wasn’t deterred, and took a step towards us. Mbaga backed up and again revved up the engine. This happened a few times until she decided to let us pass. However, as we drove by her, she turned to us and trumpeted. IT….WAS….SO….COOOOOL!!!

As we got closer to our lodge, we were driving in complete darkness. Keep in mind that there are no lights in the Serengeti, other than those of our headlights and from the stars. Daniel coined the last stretch of our drive as “Gazelle Alley,” as there were tons of them continually darting across the road.

We finally arrived at the Serengeti Soroi Lodge, and once again pulled up after dark so had no idea what our lodge actually looked like. We were graciously greeted by the workers, given something to drink, a towel to help remove some of the dirt on our faces and hands that had accumulated after a day of a dusty drive through the two parks.

We were escorted to our rooms by the locals, and told that we should not leave our cabins without an escort. We would be picked up and taken to the restaurant after we had showered. Benjamin and Daniel were sharing a room. He came over to tell me that there was only one bed in the room, much to he and Daniel’s distress.  I explained that first, there was no phone in the room, and second, I wasn’t going to put myself in any immediate danger by walking to the lodge to ask for a change of room. They bucked up and I never heard another word about it until a few days later when I was asking the kids what was the best thing and the worst thing about the trip. Daniel piped up, “The worst thing has been being sick,” (think some of the food didn’t settle too well with him in Zanzibar). Benjamin inquired, “You mean sleeping in the same bed wasn’t worse?” To which Daniel replied, “The honeymoon suite is just barely above the diarrhea.” I got a laugh out of that one!

The rooms at the Soroi Lodge were again pretty basic, but mostly comfortable. We all had mosquito nets over our bed, and everything around us was SO quiet and DARK. Even the lights barely cast a shadow. Our shower was located outside on the deck.

While I think most of my group was a bit daunted by showering outdoors for all to see (it was EXTREMELY private in terms of other cabins being able to see), I felt totally liberated. There was just something about being out in the nature in the buff that sort of appealed to me. 

After another interesting dinner (menu items many times alluded us - didn’t really know what we were going to get), we returned to our room where we all went to sleep. We had to be up at 4 a.m. the next day as we were going on a balloon safari first thing!

After a 4 a.m. wakeup call….well, let me explain, as it was an unusual wakeup call. There were no phones in the rooms, and so at 4 a.m., a guy came down the wooden path leading to our room and yelled, “Wake up!” Anyway, we hopped into the jeep to begin our day in the Serengeti, beginning with a Balloon Safari. After about an hour and half ride in the dark, we arrived at a clearing where a balloon and accompanying basket were laying on their side.

There were workers sort of scurrying around and we watched as they tried to start the big red fan. The fan was needed to fill the balloon up with air, so it was pretty important. Unfortunately, the guy was having problems getting it started. It was a machine typical to a lawnmower where you pull the cord to start the engine…except the engine wouldn’t start. Eventually, they determined that the fan was out of gas. In typical Ghanaian fashion (yes, I KNOW we were in Tanzania, but this was exactly what I would expect in Ghana), they hadn’t thought to bring extra gasoline. So, the little guy jumps in the jeep and hauls down the road on a mission to find some gasoline.

About 20 minutes later, and after a short safety brief, he returned. The fan was filled up with gasoline, and quickly started. The balloon had four little areas in which people would be standing. Our pilot was in the middle, in order to easily access all of the controls. The rest of the compartments held four people. While Melissa shared hers with others, Benjamin, Daniel, Dave, and I were in the same compartment. The basket was sitting on its side, and we were each instructed to slide in and lay on our back, after connecting the harness. As the balloon filled up with air, the balloon slowly started to go upright. Once it was completely upright, we were basically sitting on a little shelf, at which point the pilot told us we could stand up.

And there it was….my first hot air balloon ride. We rose into the air quicker than I expected. Because of the gasoline misfortune, we didn’t actually get to see the sun come up over the horizon, but nonetheless, it was a spectacular view of the horizon.

The ride was much, much louder than I expected, as every 30-40 seconds he had to fill the balloon (or the more technical word, envelope) with hot air. It was also quite warm in the basket; much warmer than I expected.

The ride was smooth and when the burners weren’t on, it was very peaceful. It wasn’t scary at all. When the burners weren’t on, it was very similar to the experience I had parasailing in Key West - calm, quiet, serene. The pilot took us along a river, where many animals could be found. We saw these enormous crocodiles quickly slither into the river as we passed over, scared by the burners.

We also witnessed a family of elephants who were quite bewildered by the sound as well. They seemed to be running into each other, into trees; anything to get away from the noise.

We flew over a lone elephant, and were told by the pilot that he was injured. He said the elephant had a swollen limb and that he would likely die soon.

Our flight was about an hour long, and I can’t believe how quickly the time went. Before we knew it we were getting ready for our landing. It was just a bit bumpy, but overall, pretty uneventful. After we disembarked, we all gathered into a circle where the pilot told us the story of the very first balloon flight, which culminated in the drinking of champagne - both in the story and in our morning.

After toasting our adventure, we climbed into the jeeps and were driven to an area by which we were treated to a delicious breakfast on the plains of the Serengeti.

There were baboons hanging around the area, but the workers kept them at bay. At one point, I just had to visit the “loo with a view.” There is no door on the other side. It’s wide open, and as I was doing what I needed to do, a baboon walked by. So…..strange!

After breakfast, we headed off for another day of safari with Mbaga. We arrived at this area where there were no other vehicles, but there were a ton of lions. They were just lazing around and didn’t even really seem bothered by us.  We counted 11 total, and it was amazing how close we were able to get to them. One of the female lions had an infected eye…..if only the vet in our family was with us!

Our next stop brought us to this spot where we witnessed a Wild Kingdom moment! At first, all I could see were the vultures, but then it became clear….they were going at a dead cape buffalo.

Mbaga told us that the buffalo likely died of a disease or an injury, because he appeared to be mostly intact. If he would have been hunted by lions, the vultures would only be eating the small scraps the lions had left on the bones. We watched in fascination as the vultures tore through the thick hide of the buffalo and pretty much pulled out the guts. One vulture pecked out his eye, while another one pecked at his nose. It was sort of gross, while captivating, all at the same time. It was interesting to watch the vultures as they tried to earn their rightful place in the pecking order.

While stopped at this location, a random hippo ran by. Literally….he was running, and he actually moved quicker than I thought he would considering his size.

Next, Mbaga went off the beaten path as he could see a big group of vultures flying overhead, meaning there was something below that was catching their attention. We ended up coming up on this watering hole.

Talk about another Wild Kingdom moment. I think we all agreed that what we watched unfold was one of the most fascinating hour of our entire trip.

While we ate our lunch, we watched the many Marabou storks catch fish.

The watering hole only appeared to be 8-10 inches deep, but there were actually some pretty large fish in the water. When a stork would catch a fish, he would gulp it right down….or, if another stork tried to fight him for it, he would fly off with it, hoping to get it down before it was stolen. Other fish were so large that the storks could not find a way to swallow it whole and ended up releasing it back to the water.

Eventually, a family of baboons came to the water. They looked to be getting a drink, but two of them got into a “fight.” Have you ever heard a baboon scream? It’s scary! They chased each other around before finally settling down.

The entire time we were parked at the watering hole, there was this single lizard swimming around. Sometimes the storks would peck at him, but he would quickly get away. We saw some smaller rhesus type monkeys up on the hill on the other side of the watering hole.  We saw more vultures and a really interesting eagle. I wish I could remember the name of the eagle as he had a really interesting type of “laugh.”

So, now that our tummy’s were full, we were ready to move on. But wait! What was that coming up to the watering hole? Two enormous hippos! We moved closer to them as one of the gingerly walked into the water. As I’ve mentioned before, the Serengeti is SO quiet. As we sat there watching, we could literally hear him (or her) drinking from the watering hole.

Suddenly, we watched as the lizard began to approach the hippo. They sort of had a stare off. It was so funny - this huge hippo staring at this relatively diminutive lizard. Eventually, the lizard swam off to the side and climbed out of the water.  Lo and behold….the lizard was missing much of his tail. Guess those storks had actually gotten a piece of him!



Lizard vs Hippo!

The other hippo walked around the watering hole and entered from the other end and began to make his way towards the first hippo. All of a sudden, the first hippo lifted his tail and let loose.  As he took his “dump,” he quickly swished his tail back and forth, which then propelled the crap all over the place. We were VERY glad we were nowhere near him!  If you don’t believe me….google it. There are many videos of it out there on youtube!

Remember that lone elephant we saw while in our hot air balloon? Well, we saw him a bit closer up while on the ground. His right leg was quite swollen. He seemed very confused and was sort of rocking back and forth. I felt SO sorry for him, and wished there was something I could do. Mbaga told us that maybe the park rangers would get him some help, but I’m not so sure. I think it’s just part of the circle of life and that at some point he would become so weak that he would then become food for some other species.

After a really incredible day out on the Serengeti, we returned to our lodge for dinner and a well- deserved night of rest!

Next stop….Zanzibar!