Ngorongoro Crater

Now this was a truly spectacular day in every way.  We went out for an early morning game drive and saw more animals than I could imagine.  Very early in the drive, we saw a dozen vehicles all parked in one spot, so we knew there was something interesting there.  But before we got there, we spotted a male lion off in the grass.  We stopped for a while viewing him through the binoculars and thinking, ha, those other people are all looking at something else while we are seeing a lion.  Then we drove to the group where there were three male lions right next to the road.  They walked around and one even sat in the shade of one of the vehicles right next to the tire.  Amazing!  Over the course of the day, we saw so many lions and lionesses.

The variety of animals and birds in the crater was astonishing, but what struck me the most was how peaceful it was.  I guess I expected a constant tension between predator and prey, so I was surprised by how much the animals mingled.  There would be a zebra standing next to a gazelle, with warthogs grazing nearby, and hyenas and jackals just hanging about.  Even when a lioness was strolling nearby, everyone kept grazing.  I don’t think I would be exaggerating to say that I saw thousands of wildebeest, antelope, and zebras.  It just went on forever, and for me, it never got old.

Besides being peaceful, it is beautiful. In the morning, the clouds sat on the rim of the crater, looking like a frozen waterfall in the winter that stops part way down.

When we drove down to this lake, I glanced quickly and I saw a few ducks, so I looked away, thinking all the dark spots I saw were ducks.  But when I looked closely, I was looking at the snouts of hippos sticking out of the water.  Later we went to a shallower lake where the hippos were only half submerged and I saw something that I never expected to see in my life:  hippos mating.  That poor female under two tons of male, but it only lasted a few minutes.  Earlier we had seen lions mating which only took a few seconds.  I felt sorry for that female, too.

I pointed out to the others in my vehicle how peaceful it was, that I had expected more conflict, and we all agreed that the animals were way more interested in sex than violence.  Once, when a lioness was strolling nearby, a dazzle (herd) of zebras took off running.  But mostly the animals grazed and walked slowly.

I saw tracks across the ground which surprised me since the vehicles are only allowed on the unpaved roads.  It turns out that the animals make their own tracks, usually walking single file and using the same paths over and over.  Today we also saw baboons including some tiny babies.

Single file wildebeest migration

We were told that we were having a picnic lunch in the crater and we all pictured box lunches.  At lunchtime, we drove to the “rest area” and saw a few dozen vehicles parked.  But we kept going another half mile or so to our private, catered picnic complete with a tent over a tablecloth covered table, chairs, our own private bathroom complete with running water and a mirror. And zebras watching us quietly.  This is the way to travel.

The dining room

The bar (notice the zebras in the background)

The serving buffet

Guides' table with zebras grazing behind

Dessert table

Dining in style

Private bathroom

Sink and mirror

After lunch we visited a Masai village, where the villagers sang to us, showed us their house, and then sold us overpriced bead jewelry.

Apparently the Masai really do live today in their traditional manner.  The village is made of three concentric circles:  a circular fence of shrubbery on the outside, a circle of circular houses (bomas), and an inner circle for the animals.  The chief of this village, who is the chief over twenty five thousand Masai, has fourteen wives.  So the entire village is composed of his wife and children.  Marriages are arranged with members of another village, and the husband's father must pay the wife’s family in cows and goats.  Our guide, who was over forty years old, was the oldest son of the chief and will someday become the chief.  We asked him how he acquired cows and goats.  He said that at the age of five, each boy is given two heifers, a bull, and some goats.  It is then his responsibility to take care of them and grow a herd. We asked him how large his herd is now and he proudly told us that he has twenty three cows.  Later we talked to one of our waiters who was also Masai and lives in a local village.  He told us that he had paid eight cows for his wife but he did choose her himself.

We also visited the local kindergarten and I could not resist snapping a few pictures of the children. The Masai all shave their heads. You can tell the girls and women by the earrings.

My hotel is on the east side of the crater, so I have just finished watching the sun set behind the rim on the other side.  This is such a beautiful, peaceful place.