DAY FIVE
TUESDAY
Once you have stepped foot on the continent of Africa, it is hard to shake the dust from your boots. Unknown
OK, this was my only rocky morning. I did not sleep well; I prefer to forget the details of the evenings struggle to achieve a better and deeper slumber, but I do remember at 4 AM keeping company with three zebra, who were loudly munching their way through the savannahs lush lawn.
Sometime past 9 AM I did rouse, worried that we might NOT beat House Keeping out of the room THIS morning (we did, but barely!) and decided that although I am NOT a breakfast person food, THIS morning, food would be medicinal.
Where, however, to eat? Well, it occurred to me, concierge is not all gifts, new best friends, and evening appetizer offerings. No, I do not mean that they commonly offer what some refer to as a full breakfast. Without the least hint of protein anywhere to be found in the morning offerings, I can hardly call it full. What I was thinking is that concierge might be able to score us Boma, no matter how crazy it was to get an ADR during free dining.
Sure enough, I picked up the phone, talked with one of our new best friends and had a 10:15 ADR to Boma before DP had even arisen.
Breakfast was wonderful, as always. We largely eschew the American offerings, and focus instead on the African-influenced food (we notice that lots of other folk, especially teens, pursue the opposite strategy what a shame!). Yummy. All of it delightfully served by our CM Albert, who could not have been more solicitous.
Continuing our rest and recuperation from the evenings festivities, and after breaking our fast, we took to Uzima Pool and enjoyed several very hot hours before rousing ourselves, finally convinced that we had regained enough intestinal fortitude to brave the afternoons offering: our private Sunset Safari bumpy jeep and all!
Cleaned up, we donned our safari garb,
and headed out to meet our guide Megan,
a biologist experienced in the area of elephant care and whose career goal is to become the manager of a zoo. Tim, who had been our Sunrise Safari guide, was our driver, and also joining us were two CMs, Michele, from South Africa, whose backyard back in SA includes two blue cranes, the national bird, and whose career goal is to become a manger of tourism and Kenta, from Botswana, whose goal is to work on a national animal preserve.
This was a private safari, but it was super to have these additional companions who were so informative and excited that their one-year long internships were drawing to a close and both headed home Ernie or NO! - on Sunday.
We shared with our companions that both DP and I had been trained as biologists. Indeed, DP still works as one and that was a happy coincidence because it meant that for the rest of the safari we could all throw around terms like surface area and adaptive pressures. (Read: we were a whole group of science GEEKS!).
It was, in fact, a most thorough safari. Here is a selection of the wildlife to which we were treated:
ANKOLE CATTLE: OK, the only AKL animal that is, in fact, domesticated. They can, however, brag their images on Egyptian pyramids.
BLUE CRANE: National bird of South Africa, two of which live on Micheles property back home.
BLESBOK: Virtually extinct in the wild.
BONGO: Ghosts of the forest, very hard to spot in situ.
HELMETED GUINEA FOWL: Otherwise known as Mardys, the Zebra, favorite playmates.
PATTERSONNS ELAND: Have been known to jump over each other from a standing start!
RED RIVER HOGS: Highly social, live in groups called sounders, that contain up to 15 animals per group.
RETICULATED (AND MONGROL) GIRAFFE: Mom and new baby are mixtures.
Of course we also saw gazelle, zebra (including brown-maned Mardy!), kudu, impala, ostrich, and assorted other birds.
My favorite two events were:
Seeing Mardy up close and hearing that she is indeed the bad girl of the badboy savannah.
Apparently, she is the youngest of the four females and she is already exhibiting leadership qualities. That is, in the morning, when they ring the triangle to bring in all the animals for their morning feeding and count (you have to catch this on the corner of the Arusha savannah from 9:15-9:30 am its like Noahs ark!) Mardy rushes to be first at the gate and then begins whistling and snorting to get her girls to hurry up and meet her. Apparently, she is still befouled with failed leadership attempts her girls are not quite as frisky, having achieved a greater age and being needful of greater respect. Simply put: they may still yet, but for right now, they are not following the baby no matter how bossy she is!
Also delightful was the story about a group of REALLY smart birds the name of which neither DP nor I can remember!
who are so smart that theyve had to be temporarily removed from the Savannah. When we saw them they were lined up behind a gate, pacing back and forth, back and forth, looking way too smart for their own good. Apparently, before being banished, they developed a strategy of pursuing the Jeeps on the Sunset Safari that resulted in their being constant companions for the length of the trip, who could not be avoided or shaken. They will do ANYTHING for attention. ANYTHING!!! And, so, the strategy now is to train them to come into their pen before the safari begins. Good Luck. Oh, theyll get the training, but then, I fear, they will discover ways around it. VERY SCARY BIRDS (think RAPTOR because, remember, modern birds are the evolutionary offspring of the dinosaurs!) Of course, being the professional troublemaker I am, I wish they would just SET THEM FREE!!!
Your report has given me an idea to secretly buy DH a nice bottle of Scotch for the trip and surprise him. I have been so busy thinking about the kiddos . . . but that is something he would really enjoy. As a connosieur, what would you recommend?
My DGM passed in January, so I know how that is. 
Although now I want to hear the meet-up stories from Viki....LOL
