What Happened to Tracy

Something has happened to Tracy. Yesterday she was an animal lover, nature lover, all animals are cute, baboons being one of her favorites. Last night's baboon encounter has changed her. She's angry at them. She hates baboons. She has created a pile of rocks, if they come even remotely close to our camp, she throws rocks at them and hurtles swears and insults at them. She has changed.

We woke up this morning with the sunrise. Last night we went to sleep with all kinds of strange and amazing animal sounds. Hyenas, leopards, buffalo, elephant and more we didn't know what they were. I slept soundly, but Tracy kept waking up. It's great sleeping in a tent, hearing all of the night noises. When we woke up, four buffalo were no more than 50-60 metres from our camp, sleeping. A small group of hyenas were a short distance off in another direction (that would explain why we heard them to clearly last night). We were the only ones in the public campground, which Tracy didn't like.

We had our little table and chair setup  to overlook the grasslands, and tourist were driving by throughout the morning. At least two of them, when they saw our little campsite, with our little table and two chairs, Tracy and me standing there observing our domain, grabbed their camera and took pictures of us and our campsite. We were the tourist attraction! They were probably staying in some fancy lodge and were fascinated by people sleeping in tents amongst the wild animals. They were probably jealous.

It's incredible and amazing to wake and see a plethora of animals roaming in the vista from the campsite, including zebras, buffalo, giraffe,wildebeest, hyenas, various antelope and more.

The baboons came back this morning, watching us. Tracy was our protector, though, and kept them at bay with her rocks. After they left, black-faced monkeys arrived and watched the cook as he was making breakfast and watched us eat. They are quite a bit less scary than the baboons, and Tracy was less aggressive with them.Jumping on our truck, around the trees at our camp, on the cooking shelter. The cooking shelter has a wired windows and doors, with latches, so they hung around the door and in the windows peering in at us as we ate. It was quite awesome, actually.

Then a large female baboon came back, and it's obvious the baboon rules over the monkeys. The baboon would push his way around the monkeys, scaring them off if they were in her way or got too close.

Around 10:00am, we left for another campground, Pimbi campground I think. We're now in the central Serengeti region, which is quite a bit more popular, so was quite a bit busier with more tourist trucks around. On the way there, we got close to a family of elephants right near the side of the road, including one teeny, tiny elephant baby sticking right by mom's side.

Once again, we're astounded and we got some very good luck in seeing things.

Another lion family, no males around, but a bunch of females and about 10 kittens. After observing that for a while, we didn't go more than 5 minutes and we got a leopard in a tree. That means we've now got all big 5. Moved on, and not 1-2 minutes later, a cheetah in the field. He'd stop and stand and observe, then move on, then jump on a mound and sit and observe everything again, then move on. There were quite a few other tourist trucks around these parts, and we'd seen tons of stuff yesterday, so our guide decided to go off to some areas where there weren't any other tourists. What a treat! We got up and close and personal with a couple of giraffes. Then we hit another jackpot, a cheetah female with 5 cubs literally right by the side of the road. We were the only tourist truck there, so we got the treat of observing them. This is very rare for cheetahs to be so close to the side of the road. After we observed them for 10 minutes, our guide called on the CB radio to the other tourist trucks, and the rush was on. About this time it started to rain, so we closed the roof and the cheetahs decided to move on. By the time the other tourist trucks started to arrive, the cheetahs were in the field and hard to see. So, we got a treat by seeing them first.

We also saw a snake, African python I believe it was.

More ostriches, zebras, wildebeests, various antelopes, etc., etc., etc.

Back to the campground around 5:00ish, and we had another amazing day.

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First Day in Serengeti - Todd pisses off wildlife

We woke up very early this morning to leave, as we had a long drive to get to the north gate of Serengeti National Park.

We entered the north gate (Klein's Gate) entrance to Serengeti National Park. There were some cool red and violet lizards at the entrance, scampering around. The toilets were squatters, Tracy's first experience with them.

Well, talk about animals. Everywhere. Zebras, wildebeest, giraffes, warthogs, all kinds of antelopes (mainly gazelles and impalas), ostriches, elands, etc. The landscape just covered with them. It kinda blew my mind. For some reason I thought all of the animals congregated in smaller areas. Saw many elephants from a distance as well.

We did a game drive up to the Mara River, famous for the wildebeest crossing during the migration. On the way up, we came across two male lions lazing in the heat of the day beside the side of the road and got some great pictures. We missed the crossing by a short bit, they've all crossed now, but we went to see the crocodiles in the river. Also saw lots of hippos in the river. They're huge.

As we were returning from the Mara River, our guide stopped suddenly, and grabbed the binoculars, then immediately turned the truck around and raced off. We were all wondering what he saw. As we approached, we found out. A black rhino, which are very rare. He said we were very lucky, as the rhino is the hardest one to find. There are none in the central Serengeti, so if you don't find one in northern Serengeti, you have to try your luck in Ngorongoro National Park. So, it's only been a few hours and already we've seen 4 of the big 5 in Africa! Amazing stuff.

On the way back, one of the two male lions was now sprawled out across the only road leading over a small stream. Two other safari trucks were sitting there taking pictures and waiting for it to move. We pulled up and got some amazing pictures, then noticed the rest of the pride was just a few feet away, lots of females and about 10 cubs! Fabulous pictures. They also had a fresh kill there. At one point, the male lion got up and walked up to our truck and our cook freaked out and rolled up his window. It was kind of funny.

We game drove to the Lobo campground. When we pulled up, it was empty, nobody else there, except a bunch of baboons. We pulled in and started to unpack. The baboons were blocking the path to the bathroom, and Tracy wanted to go. Our guide aid the baboons would run away when we approached, so we started to walk towards them. They didn't back away. They started to slowly approach us. We were both a bit unnerved, then Tracy freaked out and turned around and started to walk away. I then did the same thing. This is where I learned my very first lesson. NEVER turn your back on a wild animal! As soon as my back as turned, they came at me. They shrieked and screamed and one of them hit the back of my leg. Tracy yelled "Oh shit" and started running. I turned my head back around to look at them, and they stopped baring their teeth and shrieking. I actually thought one of them cut my leg open, but looking down, it was all good. I slowly backed away, and our guide said "What did you do?" We said nothing, we were just trying to back away and they attacked! He started laughing. It ended up that someone had left a slingshot in the kitchen area. Our guide grabbed it and started showing it to the baboons and they started to back away. He started to shoot rocks with the slingshot and throw rocks at them, and they scattered up the rock face behind the camp. It was pretty scary anyway.

We had a supper and then went to bed early. The sun sets around 6:30 and it gets dark quick, and then you get tired and to to bed.

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Our Failed Trek

Up at 11:00pm and we drove to the base of the volcano. The skies were clear when we woke up.

The drive was about 30 minutes, then we started out with headlamps on.

As we ascended, we moved into a cloud layer. We were moving at a good pace. About 3/4 of the way up, it started raining and our guide said it would be raining lots at the top. So we decided to cut our losses and head down before we had to descend in pouring rai, which could be hazardous to our health. On the way down, we met two other guys going up. We got about 3/4 of the way back down and it started pouring. Fortunately we had our rain jackets with us.

We made it back to the start point around 4:30 or 5:00 (still pitch black), but our truck wasn't there. The drivers that brought the other two hikers were still there, so they let us sit in their truck (and even gave us food!) until either the other two hikers returned or our driver came back.

The other two hikers got back after it brightened up and they said it was pouring at the top. They got to the top and turned right around and came back down.

At the same time, our driver arrived. Most people take about 6 hours to go up and 6 hours to come back down, but our pace was so fast, we would have done the whole thing in 6-7 hours probably.

We didn't do much for the rest of the day. We just relaxed.

We had another activity scheduled for 5:00, a walk along the shore of Lake Natron to see the pink flamingos. Thousands and thousands of them, both Lesser Pink Flamingos and Greater Pink Flamingos. It was a pleasant walk and then we returned to the camp, had an amazing supper of bbq meat (pork chops, chicken and beef).

I have to say that the food is amazing, but there's soooo much of it, it's getting unbearable and we're getting fat again.

We went to bed early, super tired after hiking all night last night.

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Waterfall Hike

This morning after breakfast, while waiting to go for a guided hike up a ravine to a waterfall, Tracy and me decided to go walk down the road. As soon as we left the camping area, we got swarmed by local Maasai girls selling stuff, mainly bracelets and necklaces they make. It was crazy, and while it shouldn't have been unexpected by me, for some reason I didn't think it would happen there. They were super friendly and nice, wanting to know our names and where we were from and all that, and kept telling us their names, hoping we'd buy from them. They were sneaky too, they put bracelets on Tracy without Tracy even realizing they had done it. In the end we got away by telling them we'd be back later to buy something.

We then went for a hike up to a waterfall along a gorgeous ravine. We had a guide, a Maasai guy nameed Ngaka. Of course, we have to leave the "compound" with our guide to do the hike and the girls followed us to the start of the ravine, always reminding us of their names. We had to fjord the river numerous times. We saw some baboons (from a distance) along the way. We went swimming under the waterfall, it was very nice.

After the walk we just lounged around the campground, reading and crap. A fierce electrical storm rolled in, with a crazy wind and clouds, but no rain. We are scheduled to hike the only active volcano in Tanzania tonight (Oldoinyo Lengai), but if it rains, we might have to cancel it.

After a very filling supper (the food is amazing, we have our own cook cooking everything for us), we went to bed early, as we're leaving on our volcano trek at 11:00pm.

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All the Animals We Saw Today

We're still jet lagged, so we didn't sleep that great. Got up around 7:00 and went for breakfast, then headed back up to the room to try and sleep some more before our 10:00am meeeting with Ernest from World Wide Safaris.

After meeting Ernest and getting the last details sorted, he left us with our guide, Danny Boy, the same guy who picked us up at the airport yesterday. He's great, super funny.

We headed to a supermarket to pickup some snacks and such and Tracy got a hat and we hit an ABM. I took out 400,000 shillings.

We headed north, and turned off the main highway at Longido, onto a gravel road towards Lake Natron.

This is where we started seeing our safari animals:
* tons of giraffes
* a number of secretary birds
* zebras
* wildebeest
* gazelle
* Impala
* and, the rarest of East African animals, the camel!

Yes, we saw a camel. Our guide was just as shocked, laughing hysterically that there was a camel here, thousands of miles from a desert. He figures it was owned by a local Masai guy. I didn't have any humps, as it has no need to store water, and it didn't have a traditional camel toe, it's feet more like that of an elephant.

We had a mid-afternoon lunch that was way too  much food.

He took us to a huge volcano crater first, then we made it to our camp, a wonderful little Masai tenting campsite. There were a number of other tourists here as well. We're spending three nights here with a number of activities planned over the next few days.

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In Africa

We have made it to Africa with no surprises.

Darren drove us to the airport and we had about an 8 hour flight from Calgary to Amsterdam, a 2 hour layover in Amsterdam, then another 8 hour flight from Amsterdam to Kilimanjaro Airport outside of Arusha. Shortly into our flight from Calgary, one of the flight attendants came up to our seats with two glasses of champagne and asked me if I was Mr. Courtnage. I said yes. She then asked if today was my birthday. I said yes. (In actuality, they were a couple of days early, but whatever). So, we got a glass of champagne a little gift.

Immigration and customs in Arusha was excruciatingly slow. But we made it through and only needed a single-entry visa, which the customs guy said would still be good after we come back from Kenya and Uganda, saviWhen we ng us $50 each!

When we exited the airport, there was a guy from World Wide Safaris holding a sign with our name. Everything going to plan. It was about an hour drive from the airport to the Silver Palms Hotel in Arusha, where we spent the first night.

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Last Day in Panama

I was super lazy this morning. I woke up early, before 6:00am, but then laid there and eventually feel sleep again and woke up after 9. It felt nice to sleep in like that.

I went Super Gourmet for breakfast (the breakfast place of choice every morning), then my day consisted of not very much. Among just plain wandering around, I did walk to the fish market, which was cool. It's the place to buy fresh fish and other seafood, straight off the boats.

Did a small amount of shopping, withdrew more money to make sure I had enough for the taxi ride to the airport tomorrow morning and generally didn't do to much else.

Late in the afternoon I talked to the front desk and asked how I could get to the Ancon theater. She wrote the Spanish name out on a piece of paper and said I should be able to take a taxi there. The staff at this hostel are wonderful for helping out!

I went out for supper. Around 7 I flagged down a taxi and handed him the piece of paper. He started talking in Spanish to me, but I kept hearing him day Ancon, so I just agreed with everything he said, and he seemed to know how to get pretty close.

He drove me through the seediest part of town (El Chorrillo), then a more swanky part of town (Ancon) before arriving at the theater. He didn't know specifically where it was, but he was driving slow along the street and we found it.

The theater is quite old, an older wooden building with a small veranda and bar outside. The theater guild building had a date of 1950 above one of the doors. Another older lady who came down with her son and his wife/girlfriend started taking to me, she said this is the only English theater in Panama and they've been operating for quite a long time.

They opened the doors after a while, there was quite a throng of people there, I'd say 50-60 people. The inside of the theater was darkly lit with a stage and older, but comfortable seating.

The show was called The Woman in Black. It takes place in England maybe 100 years ago. A woman who owned at large house on a remote spit of land has died. A lawyer is sent from London to collect all of the documents left in her large house. There was a movie a couple of years ago, starring the actor who played Harry Potter.

The theater group did a great job of making the audience scream. At one point, the lights turned off in the theater, and an ear screeching scream played through the sound system and a black dress was dragged over the audience, touching people as it went. People (mainly women) were screaming. The woman in black would appear at various locations in the theater, with just a hint of light on her, it was very creepy. When they turned the theater lights off, the theater was super dark, which just added to the scariness of it.

The show lasted about 2 hours, afterwards I walked to the main road, flagged down a taxi and made my way back to the hostel. Saturday night, all of the outside bars were packed with people and it made me sad that I had to leave early the next morning.

At the hostel, I asked the front desk to arrange a taxi for me to the airport for 4:30 and went to bed.

The end.