So much in four days...where to begin?
For starters, I must note that dairy is not even on the radar when it comes to food in Tanzania. No cheese. No yogurt. No ice cream. The only milk in sight is in a bag...hydrogenated. However, Arthur, our charismatic chef, blessed us with all of these delicacies Tuesday. His gracious display somehow morphed the normal breakfast (eggs, hashbrowns, oatmeal and fruit) to also include grilled cheese and baked beans. Bizarre, but who turns down grilled cheese for breakfast after two weeks of withdrawal?
My day (which began with Cook Crew at the lovely hour of 6:30 am) continued to Tarangire National Park, about two hours from camp. Like on our trip to Lake Manyara, our task was to count the number of species and animals in each transect and habitat. A seemingly simple task became quite tedious when we spotted what turned out to be over 200 zebra. Not so relaxing. On a more exciting note, we stumbled upon two lions lounging in the shade of an Acacia tree! Naturally, their extremely distant cousin, Boondocks, came to mind! Personally, however, even more exciting than the lions was the moment I spotted the largest, most majestic owl I have ever seen. Cream in color. Huge talons. Orange brush strokes around his eyes. He was omnisciently perched in another Acacia tree: brilliant and wise. Considering my love for the creatures in general, you can only imagine my excitement!
Even more impressive are the baobab trees- absolutely gigantic! These things look like they are straight out of the Old Testament. They make an appearance over most terrain here, but everytime I see one, it takes my breath away. Most are somewhat hollow and, according to one of our professors, some Maasai used to live in them. Crape myrtle and pear trees have nothin' on these things!
More to come, but for now, much needed sleep!
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