Leaving Ngorongoro
September 3, 2005
When we arrived on the crater floor early this morning, the surrounding mountains were shrouded in thick cloud and the sky was lowering and grey with fog, but by the time we were leaving Ngorongoro in the late afternoon the sun was blazing hot and the heat seemed to shimmer on the grasses.
I was glad of the cover on our truck for shade, although I banged my head repeatedly on the raised cover over the roof as we bumped along the tracks. Basically we stood on the back seat in our stocking feet and leaned out for most of the day.
We were able to get some nice close-ups of zebras as they came right up to side of the road, flicking their tails and turning their broad backsides to us as they grazed. They made a most curious sound--like a wheezing mule braying at double-speed and hyper-ventilating at the same time.
I learned that even if a zebra is starving it may still look curvy and fat. It is the state of its mane that is a more telling sign of its health. Or so said our driver Simon. These particular zebras looked incredibly healthy and fat to me. Er, their manes looked fine too.
Our little land-rovers had wandered separately around the plain for most of the day so except for the lunch-stop we hadn't seen much of our other friends. Upon gathering at the dusty rest-stop before climbing out of the crater we learned that one of the other vehicles had gotten a flat tire, but their misfortune turned to luck as they chose to break down right near a leopard sunning itself in a tree. The tire was fixed quite quickly and they got some great photographs.
At this rest-stop I took a picture of Simon and Jeff in our vehicle and also a picture of one of the vervet monkeys as it ran by a buffalo skull in the parking-lot. Simon says these are called tombeli in Kiswahili, which sounds an awful lot like Tom Bailey.
There was the sound of branches breaking in the thick brush just beyond the monkey and Simon cautioned me about going too close. We couldn't see them, but he figured there was at least one elephant nearby. I looked and looked and couldn't see one, but as we drove away I saw two broad grey backs moving through the undergrowth there.
I'm amazed that two somethings so large were completely invisible to me.
We had a better view of the precipice-edged road on the way back up from Ngorongoro. This is not a road for sissy drivers like me. I am not scared of heights but the drop on one side is quite impressive.
We passed by a large blue truck that had overturned at the side of the road. It was very lucky it hadn't gone over the edge. Anne-Dorte later told us that brake failure is a common hazard on these roads.
We also stopped to read the name on a monument at Heroes Point (2266 m) which had all the names of park rangers who have met their end badly: a shocking number at the hands of poachers, and in at least one case killed by a rhinocerous. It's obviously a job which should call for danger pay.
When we arrived on the crater floor early this morning, the surrounding mountains were shrouded in thick cloud and the sky was lowering and grey with fog, but by the time we were leaving Ngorongoro in the late afternoon the sun was blazing hot and the heat seemed to shimmer on the grasses.
I was glad of the cover on our truck for shade, although I banged my head repeatedly on the raised cover over the roof as we bumped along the tracks. Basically we stood on the back seat in our stocking feet and leaned out for most of the day.
We were able to get some nice close-ups of zebras as they came right up to side of the road, flicking their tails and turning their broad backsides to us as they grazed. They made a most curious sound--like a wheezing mule braying at double-speed and hyper-ventilating at the same time.
I learned that even if a zebra is starving it may still look curvy and fat. It is the state of its mane that is a more telling sign of its health. Or so said our driver Simon. These particular zebras looked incredibly healthy and fat to me. Er, their manes looked fine too.
Our little land-rovers had wandered separately around the plain for most of the day so except for the lunch-stop we hadn't seen much of our other friends. Upon gathering at the dusty rest-stop before climbing out of the crater we learned that one of the other vehicles had gotten a flat tire, but their misfortune turned to luck as they chose to break down right near a leopard sunning itself in a tree. The tire was fixed quite quickly and they got some great photographs.
At this rest-stop I took a picture of Simon and Jeff in our vehicle and also a picture of one of the vervet monkeys as it ran by a buffalo skull in the parking-lot. Simon says these are called tombeli in Kiswahili, which sounds an awful lot like Tom Bailey.
There was the sound of branches breaking in the thick brush just beyond the monkey and Simon cautioned me about going too close. We couldn't see them, but he figured there was at least one elephant nearby. I looked and looked and couldn't see one, but as we drove away I saw two broad grey backs moving through the undergrowth there.
I'm amazed that two somethings so large were completely invisible to me.
We had a better view of the precipice-edged road on the way back up from Ngorongoro. This is not a road for sissy drivers like me. I am not scared of heights but the drop on one side is quite impressive.
We passed by a large blue truck that had overturned at the side of the road. It was very lucky it hadn't gone over the edge. Anne-Dorte later told us that brake failure is a common hazard on these roads.
We also stopped to read the name on a monument at Heroes Point (2266 m) which had all the names of park rangers who have met their end badly: a shocking number at the hands of poachers, and in at least one case killed by a rhinocerous. It's obviously a job which should call for danger pay.
posted by Spider Girl | 1:41 PM
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