So week one flew by with lots of photos to be taken of the kids in assembly, in class and on their way home. Now it was time for the super fun stuff... SAFARI! Arusha is known as the major drop-in point for tourists from around the world who come to Tanzania to experience the safari parks such as Serengeti, Lake Manyara, Ngorogoro & Tarengeri national park - and safari's are pretty much visited by tourists only, so you can imagine the expense!
I was super lucky that my first Saturday in Tanzania, needed me to go on safari with the kids to do some photography of their outing - we actually took the St Jude's buses into the Lake Manyara national park! Mostly tourists go with the drivers from their lodges or organised tours - so you see an abundance of them in open top landcruisers. We had 3 or 4 bus loads of St Jude's students who were super excited and only around 6 teachers to look after them all. I had prepared myself that this is a school excursion, so expect the headaches etc.
Not the case at all! You have never seen such well behaved children - ever! I'm talking that it got to the point that I had to look behind me to check that the kids were still in the bus. The teacher started the trip with a stern lecture on being quiet during the trip and once in the park so as not to scare the animals. When we drove past the airport, all the children lost their mind (quietly though) and were all staring in amazement at the aircraft - it was very cute.
We stopped just before arriving at the national park for some African ginger tea and these triangular donut spongey breads for morning tea. The funniest scene ever - the buses pulled up in some vacant land on the side of the road for morning tea, but as the drive had taken us more than 2 hours to get there, plus most of the kids had been waiting at the side of the road since 6am for pick-ups - they were busting for the toilet. So you just saw this mass of boys run and surround this poor tree and start peeing and then the girl decided they too couldnt wait and there was like 40+ girls running for trees at the back of the land and squatting shyly. Some girls got so excited that they ran over on of their friends and there she lay face into the ground like she had been run over by a steam roller. I ran over to peel her off the ground and wipe away her tears - of course then her friends apologise profousley. After killing the grass here we decided it was time to finally take them to the national park.
We pulled up outside and are greeted by our guides. The female teachers and I who had not been able to join the tree and squat made a made dash for the toilets. Just as we were so close there is a male cleaner in front of us walking so sloooowwwwly up the ramp, that I couldnt take it anymore and started saying at the top of my voice "emergency, emergency" that made him move - it also made him start laughing too!
It was only $30USD for us to actually have access to the national park since we had our own transport. Outside the park there were already baboons and some other type of monkeys roaming around, so the kids were starting to get excited. Once we passed security and drove into the safari park - it was just us and the animals. You should have seen the kids with their eyes peeled looking for the most popular animal of all in this park - the tree sleeping simba (lions). We lucked out this day and didnt see any, but everytime we drove past another tour group they would say they had just seen some around the bend - of course by the time we got there Simba was gone - but Im wondering if they were just saying it to keep the tourists happy!
We saw endless giraffee and impala's. The kids swear they saw hippos but Im still convinced they were rocks in the water. We saw zebras and flamingo's and a heard of elephants were right next to our bus.
You can actually camp in the national park grounds but I just think thats down right crazy!!! Lions prowling around, hyenas!!! You can even do guided walks with an armed ranger through the park, but Im not a fan of animals getting shot just because I need some adventure.
Whenever we saw animals the kids were so well behaved and they like me were hanging to see the lions but never game up hope. We had a short break at the hot springs - the water was really really hot and I forget this and nearly burned my face!!!
Lunch was beside the lake near the flamingo's - it was everyone's favourite pilau and rice that we had in massive plastic bins that were on the bus. Yes sounds glamarous, hence why I didnt want the meat as I thought it would be cold - I tried one piece and it was fine so gobbled it up with the kids who were amused that I sat eating with them and not the teachers.
As we were leaving the park we saw endless families of baboons and even one that was the since of a 4-5 year old child - I havent had my rabies shot so my window stayed closed!!
The drive home took us past some beautiful and typical African scenery with the round mud huts with their stick thatched roofs, too many Masai's and their goats grazing, quiet a few Masai women in traditional gear off to the water holes.
The kids were angels right until the very end. It had been an extremly long day on the road and in the bus for everyone - by the time we needed to refuel and drop off the last few children who must have been famished so I was feeding them arrowroot biscuits - everyone was exhausted but we had some amazing photos to show for it!!
Again this safari was enable by the generous St Jude supporters - if it were not for the donations these children may never afford to go on safari in their own hometown in their lifetime.
Next Blog... First weekend and not only do I go on Safari but the next day I'm visiting a Masai village and bargaining at the Masai Sunday markets!
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