Day 18: The Serengeti (January 25, 2011)

Waking up at 5:20 am usually sucks, but today I was excited so it was easy. It was still dark, and I could see the Big Dipper through my window, hanging low in the sky. I followed its pointer towards the North Star, but of course didn't see it, as it is at or below the horizon this far south.

We left at 6 to pick up the guys at their campground. I learned later that they had a hyena running around the camp that morning... ah, the fun I missed by staying in the lodges! Actually, I bet staying at the campgrounds would have been fun, if not as posh. There was a fun event when we got to the evening's campground too (more on that later).

So I missed the hyena and I was a little jealous, but the guys missed sunrise over the Serengeti. I wonder if they are reading this later and are jealous.

We saw fewer animals today on the Serengeti than the past two days, but we did see a few we hadn't seen before, notably, some cheetahs, which apparently can be quite hard to find because they like to lie in the tall grass.

Three cubs and their mom.

A few more photos from the Serengeti:

Mongooses go anywhere they want.

The small things can be easy to miss.

Around mid afternoon we started the drive towards the rim on Ngorongoro Crater, where we are all staying for the night before heading down into the Crater tomorrow. As you know, Ngorongoro Crater is my favorite mid-level zone in the World of Warcraft, and it looks even more amazing in real life than in the game. It's the only thing I've seen so far on this trip that literally took my breath away.

While we (well, mostly they) were unloading all the camping gear for the night, an elephant wandered right into the camp. At first, he was off to the side, maybe 30-40 feet away from us, so we all took turns snapping each others' photos in front of the elephant.

Then the elephant started creeping towards us. Well, as much as an elephant can creep, that is. Then he started sauntering towards us at a fairly brisk pace, at which point we all freaked out and were torn between scooting away as fast as possible and staying completely still. I mean, do you know what to do when an elephant starts coming your way? So we compromised by kind of sliding sideways away from it. Turns out, the elephant was after the water cistern right behind us. So he stopped for a drink then went on his way. That was when I really thought it would be fun to camp instead of lodge.

See him trying to hide under the tree?

And disguise himself as an outhouse?

Stealing the campers' water.

I'm at another great lodge tonight, hanging out in the large and festive lobby, listening to a 3-man drum and bells band. Oh, and I just looked out the huge window onto the balcony. It looks like an old Atlantic City boardwalk, complete with binoculars for gazing into the Crater. This isn't as fun as camping, but it's pretty enjoyable.

Until this week, I always wondered why people would vacation in places like all-inclusive resorts or cruises. Well, being on a safari is a lot like that. Someone else is responsible for almost everything we do: When we leave, what we eat, where we go, where we sleep, etc. And it's surprisingly relaxing and not boring. Then again, I've been watching lions and elephants and endless grasslands throughout the day. Don't know if I'd want this complete lack to responsibility anywhere else, but now I at least understand the desire to be completely taken care of.