We head into Ngorogoro along the rim of the crater stopping at a viewpoint to look out over this amazing place. It is absolutely huge beyond comprehension and it is difficult to get a sense of distance and size. I'm excited about coming back here in two days as the wildlife viewing should be excellent.
In the plains we see Thompson and Grant gazelles: tall thin, elegant and dik dik which look like white tail deer but only about 18 inches tall. We see more zebra, more giraffe, and then see our first big wildebeast herd.
The wildebeast migration is sporadic this year. The short rains (November and December) were very light and the long rains should have started several weeks ago but have yet to appear. And though I'm happy that I'm not in the middle of the rainy season, it is a bad thing. Everything depends on the rain and its procrastination has thrown the wildebeast migration, normally a rigorously scheduled event, into disarray. They follow the rains to give birth in an area with ready water and food supplies. Apparently they can smell rain on the wind across vast distances. Also I'm told that the babies can run within 20 minutes of birth - a useful skill when you are a 15 pound hunk of meat, hunted by lion, cheetah, leopard, hyena, crocodile, and possibly more.
So as we approach, the wildebeast look like a long dark line cutting across the grass kicking up dust. There are thousands of them, all in a row, at times walking, at times running full out. A wildebeast, or gnu, looks a bit like fifteen animals rolled into one. Sortof like a huge goat, you can also see similarity to cow, yak, bison, zebra. They are dark grey/brown with a lighter colored beard and somewhat bushy tails. Even the young have a whispy little beard.
It has been a while since I've been in the plains and I'd forgotten what the cloud fronts looked like. There is a great dark storm cloud moving in to the left and bright clear sky above. They cut across the road right in front of us running. I expect to hear more noise, but it is surprisingly quiet.
During a gap, we continue forward and catch up to the larger herd. There must be 10 thousand head here. Absolutely stunning.
In addition to seeing most of the animals we had seen yesterday, today we spotted vultures, a hyena, herons and a mongoose running across the road. Also more birds including the superb starling. Yes it sounds oxymoronic - what could be superb about a starling - but they are irridesceng turquoise with the most peircing eyes.
Just past Ngorogoro on our way to Serengeti is the Odupai area, where Luis and Mary Leaky discovered footprints of very early man cast into what was then wet volcanic ash. I'm a bit fuzzy on the details right now, but i believe this was homo habilis. Something like 2 million years ago, this precursur to modern man had been standing upright long enough to have a big toe in line with the foot, a good arch, and was making some of the earliest stone tools ever.
I have been saying all week how amazed I am at the way the plants here bear fruit and food and it feels like mankind is meant to be here. Like we belong and blend in more than anywhere else, it is as though the earth wants us to thrive here and provides in spades. So it is no surprise that this area is where our ancient ancestors were able to come down from the trees and walk upright and become us. I feel as though I have come full circle. Back home.
In the Oldupai Parking Lot we watch at least five different lizard species sunning on the rocks. From 2 inch brown ones to 12 inch bright blue and orange.
Once we come to the Serengeti we see hundreds of impala and gazelle. Near the lowlands we see water buffalo with wide curled horns, hippos, and warthogs (pumba in swahili).
Have I mentioned that most every animal herd we see has young? Baby elephants, young giraffe, tiny monkeys, and infant warthogs. The last ones are funny but completely adorable! They run with their skinny little tails sticking straight up like a flag pole. Warthogs are quite endearing really. They have two teeth or tusks that stick out obliquely from their upper jaw and seem to always be sneering or maybe smiling but in a coniving way.
We reached camp about 4pm and set up the tents. We each manage to set up our own tent - large square olive green canvas domes. We unload the food and equipment and pile back into the truck for a bit more game spotting. We are very quickly rewarded with a male lion lying on this back in the sun. This guy is happy and sated. I don't think he can roll onto his stomach because it is too full. Think post-thanksgiving dinner lying on the couch. He's spread eagle with his head dangling back looking blissful. About 15 meters from the car and completely unconcerned by us. Oh! We hadn't noticed earlier but there is another big male in the shade of a nearby bush. We watch for some time and are again rewarded when first one and then the other gets up, blinks around at the three trucks of people watching, decides not to care and saunters over to the side of the road to lap up some water from the ditch. So now we have two, full-grown male lions haunched down lapping up muddy water like a house cat not 3 meters in front of the car. What a day!
After driving for another hour along tiny tire tracks in the savannah watching a plethora of fauna, we actually have another lion encounter. This one is a female. Also happy to be lying in the sunshine, she looks up at us, stands and poses a few times before moving back to another bush to lie in the shade.
Back at camp we take our dinner late and head straight to bed. The night sky is beautiful. No pollution and no lights so there are millions of stars. Except for Orion I recognize very little of this sky, however. No big dipper, no Cassiopea. The Milky Way is stunning. I learn from my companions that in Israel the belt and sword of Orion form part of what is known as the north arrow and point in that direction. Also there is a constelation of a letter from the Hebrew alphabet in each of the cardinal directions.
The nighttime sounds are a wonderful soothing symphony. Crickets and various chirps, woops, croaks and calls. I hear a lion roaring not far away and think with some real joy that there is just a piece of canvas between me them. Wow!
1 comment:
Back home. Mmmm. I like this.
When you're that close to lions, does instinct take over and make you breathe differently, want to run, escape? Does your body fill with adrenaline?
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