Prof Huster

Wed. 2017-Dec-06

What the ?????

While driving out to Tanagire National Park we were passing a daladala(minibus) when we saw an eagle sitting in the roadside eating some roadkill. As we approached, the eagle took off, swooping in front us. The eagle unfortunately did not see the daladala we were passing.

Boom!

The eagle bounced off of the windshield of the daladala. As I looked back I could see the windshield was completely shattered and bent inward. Everyone in the daladala was OK; we didn't even stop. Meanwhile the eagle flew off unharmed as far as we could tell. Fahad said the eagle probably struck the windshield with his talons. As we looked back, the eagle was gracefully soaring.

Maasai Coming of Age

When Maasai boys reach 15 - 20 years old, they go through a coming of age ceremony. Before they are eligible they have to make a big kill, traditionally a lion. Fahad said another test was that they have to be physically developed enough to reach over their heads and touch the opposite ear. (I never knew that childen can't do that.)

Typically a group if initiates are taken away by an elder and go through the ceremonial rites. The boys have to endure it without crying. If the boy cries, they are ostracized for life. Fahad said, "These Maasai boys are tough." Fahad said he once saw a very young boy having a nasty thorn being pulled from his foot without flinching.

After the ritual, the new adults paint white lines on their faces. I have seen pictures of these young men before, but we saw a number of them on the roadside. They were waiting and hoping a tourist would pay to take their picture. Fahad said it is a bad idea to stop and pay for pictures because it encourages them to beg. They wear this makeup for about four months. It is a time of play and relaxing before they enter the full adult role of livestock herding.

Other Observations on the Drive

Sheep herding seems to be done by women and boys. We would see a herd of30 sheep tended by two boys who looked about 6 or 7 years old.

I saw my first termite mounds. Some had colorful birds feeding out of them.

Maasai men prefer red and black.

Landscape

There are three tall mountains in Tanzania. We drove along the  Losenmengori (? spelling) range. There are a lot of scattered volcanic rock scattered throughout the terrain on this drive. Also there are many old cinder cones scattered across the region. Land was volcanic soil with "erratic" boulders of larger,  harder volcanic rock. It actually reminds me a lot of the land east of Redding, CA that also has volcanoes, cinder cones and this type of land.

As we headed east we gradually climbed. the landscape transitioned from desert to more small trees and less farming. Many of the small villages had about ten structures. We passed many traditional round Maasai mud huts with thatched roofs. Some had tin roofs. This is more modern, but the tin roofs and much hotter and very loud when it rains.

Corrals are built of dense hedges or woven walls of sticks.

Traditional Maasai women do all of the work. The build huts, milk cows, cook, gather water, gather firewood. And also bear and raise the children.

Animals

Donkeys are used as beasts of burden, not ridden. They can carry up to 80 liters of water (175 pounds).

Goats have tails that stick up. Sheep have tails that hang down.

Tanagire National Park

We reached Tanagire National Park where we stopped and Fahad took care of the business of entering the park. I was looking for something different, but there wasn't any dramatic change. Then ...

Look! Zebras! And single warthog trotting along. Really!

For the next four and a half hours, it was like a dream. Lots of zebras mixed with impalas. Cool long twisting horns on the impalas. Then, in the distance, Elephants! But we were just beginning. We drove up to a herd of elephants and stopped. We were within 50 feet of a herd of a dozen elephants at a watering hole. Cute baby elephants still learning how to use their trunks. The big elephants were sucking up muddy water and spraying themselves with muddy goop. The baby got down and rolled in the black mud. Amazing. We watched for at least 20 minutes. Crazy.

We saw giraffes. Cape Buffalo at a distance. Baboons. Wildebeasts (gnus), heartsbeasts, and some others. We ate a box lunch on an overlook of the main river and there were scores of elephants wandering the plain below us. Astounding.

The crowning moment near the end of the safari was a herd of 19 elephants grazing and walking to within 3 feet of our vehicle. We stopped sat for a half hour taking pictures, watching, and listening. I
their trucks around tufts of grass and pulled them up out of the ground. Occasionally on a tough strand, they would kick the base of the grass to break it loose. They finally crossed the road in front and behind us as and we left.

It was beyond what I had pictured.

The Lodge 

We finally left the park and drove to our glamping lodge at Lake Manyara. Calling these lodges tents just isn't right. They do have canvas wall and screen looking over the lake. But they also have full bathrooms. If we want to go the lodging after dark, we need to call a security person to escort us. Because of the wild animals. There are a lot of zebras, wildebeasts, warthogs, and gazelles wandering through. And the occasional giraffe, jackal, and others.

A Maasai took us for a 40 minute walk to "see" the flamingos. We walked across the dried part of the lake bed toward the water I finally saw a faint pink line on the horizon. With binoculars the line resolved into pink dot. This was the only disappointment of the day. The flamingos were actually miles away on the other side of the lake!

I'll have to get to posting pictures later. We only have WiFi at the pool or in the entrance pavilion.