Kilimanjaro: Martin & Team enjoy the Ngorongoro Crater
Posted by: Jeff Martin
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Kilimanjaro
Hello from Plantation Lodge,
We spent the whole day game viewing in Ngorongoro Crater, and it was certainly a highlight for all. The crater itself is massive, and because of the high slopes surrounding the crater and the year round water supply, it is home of about 25,000 resident animals. Needless to say, we added quite a few animals to our list that we started yesterday, including the black rhino. There are only 12 left in this park, and we saw three of them. Hippos, lions, elephants, Cape buffalo, zebras, hyenas, jackals, warthogs, and too many bird species to name, were seen throughout the day.
Once we had our fill of game viewing, we ascending up out of the crater, and went to visit a Maasai village. We were given a tour of the boma and learned all about their simple way of life. It's pretty amazing that they can continue to live in a traditional way despite all the outside pressures to change into the mainstream culture of Tanzania.
Tomorrow we head out for our last and final park - Tarangire. We still have to see a leopard in order to say that we saw the Big 5. We'll see what the day has in store for us.
Best regards,
RMI Guide Jeff Martin & Team
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Comments (1)
Hello fellow climbers! I am glad to see that you are enjoying the continuation of your trip. Made it back to California without hassle. Helped by red wine and sleeping pill. My last day at The Dik Dik was a little lonely since I appeared to be the only guest there and my plane was not until 950pm that night. They tried to feed me a lot and at some point I had to say no. Also if you want to buy souvenirs I would recommend doing it while on safari, because the airport shops seemed to be lacking somewhat in authenticity (although not too bad). Interestingly, while waiting for my plane, there were 3 power failures in the terminal. Fortunately, the computers and runway lights seemed to be on a different circuit, so Hakuna Matata! Here is the latest Bieber update: http://celebrity.yahoo.com/blogs/celeb-news/justin-bieber—extremely-abusive—to-flight-attendant—has-pot-party-at-10-000-ft-184625636.html
Finally, something else I wanted to share with you. When I arrived back at the Dik Dik after the climb, I received a series of text messages informing me that my mother had passed away. She was 82 years old and was in declining health, but her death was not expected. She died on January 29, only a few days into our trek. Although I could have been informed of this, my father was absolutely insistent that I not be told until after I had summited (I guess he had more confidence in my abilities than I had myself). I did not want to mention this at our celebratory dinner since it would detract too much from our overall festive mood. Nonetheless, after having spent over a week with all of you and getting to know you, I think I can tell you now. So after a 36 hour turnover time, I will be on an airplane to Florida to visit with my father for awhile.
I look forward to seeing and sharing all of our pictures. It was a pleasure meeting all of you. I think our overall comradeship, as well as Jeff’s high degree of leadership and professionalism is what allowed us to be successful.
I wish you all the best.
Robert
Posted by: Robert on