SIMBA!!

I have now been to 3 national parks.  Do not ask me to rank them because I’ve tried & literally cannot; they’re all so different.  Friday morning (6:00 AM) we took a day trip to Ngorongoro Crater, the largest caldera in the world.  NC is so very unique because one, it’s a huge bowl filled with a hodgepodge of everything…from jungle-like vegetation, to wetlands, to savanna, to woodlands/bushlands/grasslands, you name it–they have it.  It was about 45 degrees Fahrenheit at the rim of the crater; however, I was applying SPF 65 religiously at the bottom of the bowl (thanks for the lotion mom!).  The extreme amount of microclimates was crazy!   Besides the range of vegetation/climate, this national park also contains a “conservation area” that is home to ~55,000 Maasai people.  They live on the outer rims of the crater.  Nowadays, it unfortunately is not very common to have tribes living amongst wildlife.  The Maasai are not allowed to hunt without a permit nor are they authorized to use the land for agricultural purposes.    We actually started our day off with a lecture about the Ngorongoro Conservation area. It was the first time we’ve sat in nice business chairs since September 4^th!!  After the lecture, we descended into the bowl, here are a few views from the top    we were in heaven  At the viewing site, Robbie (fellow student) made friends with a few Maasai men also  So then the journey began- we saw “the typical” (it’s so sad that we already use those words…as if some of these wildlife are average everyday occurrences… but they kind of are!) ostriches  (who apparently are not scared of moving vehicles) zebra  vervet monkeys  (note the egg shells on the ground.  This innocent looking monkey literally launched at my friend’s hand mid-bite so she had to surrender the snack) flamingos  (I counted 8-9 different colors in this picture-so crazy) and then we saw it   MUFASA! and the rest of his pride…which included  a pregnant female  a protective mother—followed closely by her son make that sons  I guess they needed some shade .  As we tried to inch our way closer, the cub did not look pleased  until he realized our huge land cruiser provided a more adequate cover for himself  he made his way under our very own vehicle  (photographed by another SFS student)! His mother tried not to watch  and dad  well they never care right?  Eventually the cubs needed water and retreated back to their pride.  We then saw a sign,   a vulture (scavengers…usually signify a kill) and then the source  the hyena really did look like it was laughing  can you guess whose hoof that is? We decided on wildebeest.  We eventually made our way back up the crater.  It was a long day but we made it out happily  (these are my bandamates Kat & Zarah) some of us dirtier than others  The dust is so brutal, but totally worth it . Travel lecture this morning on the summit of Manyara…I still can’t believe that I am actually getting credit for this! We have our final exams this week already and then on Friday we embark on our 4-day Serengeti expedition! Send any camping tips my way.

☮Hannah

This entry was posted on Sunday, October 3rd, 2010 at 3:28 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

4 Responses to “SIMBA!!”

1. Colleen Donnelly says:

   October 3, 2010 at 4:14 pm

   OMG i love the tusker’s t shirt drink one for me! sounds like you had an amazing weekend your pictures are INCREDIBLE! love you

2. Linda Canepa says:

   October 3, 2010 at 6:06 pm

   Glad you finally found Musafa and Simba. The picture of the pregnant lioness is incredible. Keep those pictures coming-talk about a picture being worth a thousand words!

3. karen says:

   October 7, 2010 at 8:31 pm

   Hannah….we are so enjoying your website. Your pictures and writings are beautiful. We can’t wait to read your next post!! Stay safe~karen,joe,emma

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