Home from the Range
There is something about vast landscapes that has a profound impact on the mind and on the soul. The endless plains, forests, and mountains of the Serengeti and Ngorongoro became as much the focus of our safari as the many animals we saw. It was wonderful and fascinating to see the wildlife (and even more so to see the system in which they exist), but it's the land that was hard to leave rather than the animals. I have re-affirmed the committment I made to myself on Kilimanjaro to spend more time in natural settings from now on.
That said, the animals were great! We saw the "big five" and a lot more, some of them right next to the car and in one case (baboons) on the car. I fell in love with dikdiks (smallest antelope) and baby warthogs, and I have a newfound fondness for wildebeests (gnus). But really I could have spent hours watching any of the animals we saw. I'm not sure I ever got over the sense that we might be in Africaland, where they stock exotic creatures for tourists to take pictures of. We saw giraffes grazing near flocks of goats and wildebeests resting near herds of cattle. Passing wildebeests, buffalo, zebras, and gazelles that stretched as far as the eye could see gave me a new appreciation for what the States may have looked like before the Europeans arrived. I made a promise,related to the one above, to see more of the U.S. in the future.
We stayed in a wide variety of lodges, but at almost all of them we woke up to the sounds of birds. At one camp, I peeked outside in the morning and saw a pair of jackals. At a couple, they offered armed guards (bow and arrow) to accompany us back to our rooms. At all of them, we ate looking out at the parks. It's going to be a hard adjustment over the next couple of days, but I am looking forward to the completely different atmosphere of Zanzibar.
Speaking of adjustments, I have been surprised to find that leaving CCS has been a bit difficult. I miss being out in the community, using Swahili, hanging out with the group. Some of the differences are just part of travel - being with tourists instead of locals, living out of a suitcase and sleeping in a different bed every night, not being able to predict what will be served at the next meal. And some of the differences are great: my first real shower in over six weeks, some delicious food in some very nice settings, and being with people with whom I have a history. I think that going back to the States (in a new city) may be even more of an adjustment than I had thought.
In our next episode: the exciting island of Zanzibar!
-Jenna
That said, the animals were great! We saw the "big five" and a lot more, some of them right next to the car and in one case (baboons) on the car. I fell in love with dikdiks (smallest antelope) and baby warthogs, and I have a newfound fondness for wildebeests (gnus). But really I could have spent hours watching any of the animals we saw. I'm not sure I ever got over the sense that we might be in Africaland, where they stock exotic creatures for tourists to take pictures of. We saw giraffes grazing near flocks of goats and wildebeests resting near herds of cattle. Passing wildebeests, buffalo, zebras, and gazelles that stretched as far as the eye could see gave me a new appreciation for what the States may have looked like before the Europeans arrived. I made a promise,related to the one above, to see more of the U.S. in the future.
We stayed in a wide variety of lodges, but at almost all of them we woke up to the sounds of birds. At one camp, I peeked outside in the morning and saw a pair of jackals. At a couple, they offered armed guards (bow and arrow) to accompany us back to our rooms. At all of them, we ate looking out at the parks. It's going to be a hard adjustment over the next couple of days, but I am looking forward to the completely different atmosphere of Zanzibar.
Speaking of adjustments, I have been surprised to find that leaving CCS has been a bit difficult. I miss being out in the community, using Swahili, hanging out with the group. Some of the differences are just part of travel - being with tourists instead of locals, living out of a suitcase and sleeping in a different bed every night, not being able to predict what will be served at the next meal. And some of the differences are great: my first real shower in over six weeks, some delicious food in some very nice settings, and being with people with whom I have a history. I think that going back to the States (in a new city) may be even more of an adjustment than I had thought.
In our next episode: the exciting island of Zanzibar!
-Jenna
posted by Jenna @ 2:02 AM
<< Home