Monday, September 7

[Sept. 5 & 6 were travel days from Boston to Tanzania, and were quite uneventful, arriving at 8:15pm on Sunday the 6th. The 2 hour drive from the Kilimanjaro airport to the camp where we’re staying was an adventure: a cross between Mario Cart and Frogger, the way our very skilled driver bobbed and weaved our way through traffic on a very rough dirt road with no lanes, passing being something of a game of chicken. When we turned into Arusha National Park, the road got REALLY bumpy and our Toyota Land Cruiser was in 4WD much of the time. It was so bumpy, my watch though I was walking and I more than met my steps goal for the day! We arrived at the Itikoni Camp at 10:45, received our orientation from the camp manager: Our Tent/Room has no heat but lots of blankets, lights are solar powered, no running water - pitchers of hot and cold water by beautiful rustic sinks in a large bathroom, composting toilet, hot shower (gravity fed from a bucket) upon request. Dinner was served at 11:30pm, and then to bed!]

The communal charging spot

Our personal tent

The shower bucket!

To release water, pull the handles!

Sunday, the 7th was a slow morning with breakfast at 9:00. Then out for a game drive in the National Park. It was a warm and sunny day with clouds punctuating the sky.

The roof was open so we could photograph out the top

These fig trees are actually parasites that grow from the top down. Birds will eat figs and then poop out the seeds which will land in a tree. The seed will take root up in the leaves and begin to grow downward and after hundreds of years the roots will encompass and eventually kill the tree.