Day 9 – Last Day of Safari (Lake Manyara/Arusha/Kilimanjaro)

And so it is…last morning in Africa! Great night sleep and it’s so chilly in the tent, neither Rich or I wanted to get up. Breakfast and goodbyes at 7:30 and we’re in route to Arusha by 8:00am. It’s cool here this morning so the tops are still on the jeep. Driving out I’ve come to terms with leaving and looking forward to a little shopping along the way.

Stopped by a t-shirt shop and another souvenir shop – pretty much got all we were looking for with the exception of that special gift Rich was looking for for Linda. Rich and I both dressed for the long flight home, completely forgetting we had one last driveq through Lake Manyara National Park (a much smaller park) on the way. Ally took the tops back off so we could enjoy our last drive. Park here is much greener because it has under water springs. But that also means it is very wooded so a little more difficult to see the animals.

Lots of monkeys (which are so adorable) and the normal grazing animals. Ally said though there ARE lions here, he hasn’t seen them in 2 years…and I can see why. We stopped by a lunch area there in the park to eat before continuing our drive in to Arusha. What’s in our lunch boxes everyday is always a surprise…Edward sent us left over farewell cake for our last lunch!

MSafari, the security guard that works the gate at the Mt. Meru hotel was there when we drove through today. It was good to see him again and he remembered to ask for his photo I promised to send him. I’ll have it framed and sent through Dawn at ADS. Martius and Timan were waiting at the front of the hotel as we pulled in. I appreciate them both so much for what they did to get me a camera. Both went way beyond for me.

As we all sat and talked about the week it was time to settle up with Ally and say our goodbyes. I thought I was ok until I hugged him good-bye. I don’t know if he fully understands how much this trip has meant to me and how big of a part he played in it being so memorable. Rich and I will never forget you Ally! God bless you and your family.

We had a day room there at the hotel for a few hours; to freshen up and get some lunch before we leave for the airport. Did a little more shopping there in the gift shop and waited for Martius and Timan to pick us back up. Have to admit that on our drive, we actually saw Mt. Kilimanjaro for the first time. The mountain we took pictures of day 1 (which we thought was Kilimanjaro) was actually Mt. Meru. It’s difficult to see it because the peak is normally in the clouds, but we caught just the right angle so the highest peak was visible. Was able to get photos of the snow on the peaks, which was amazing.

They got us to the airport 2.5 hours early, but that’s ok. Allowed us to get through customs, etc. with time to spare. Rich was able to find that special gift for Linda and I picked up a few more things. Good thing we decided to check our luggage this time. Our souvenir bag is getting heavy! Funny story is that they made Rich fill out some declaration form to get through customs, but not me? Not sure why. Rich said it was because I batted my eyes…LOL! I think it was because the customs officer I had didn’t want to mess with it. Who knows. I was also pretty sure Rich was going to have to completely uncloth to get through security…LOL. Provided a great deal of entertainment for not only me, but a few others in the waiting area…LOL! Sorry Rich, it was funny.

1st flight went to Del Sar which is South of Arusha. That one stop added two hours to our already lengthy flight to Amsterdam. So 9.5 hours later we arrived in Amsterdam. Three hour layover there allowed us to see parts of the airport we didn’t get to see when we came through the first time. At that airport, each gate has their own security check point verse one area for the entire airport. Also allowed me to pick up some flower bulbs (Tulips are famous in Amsterdam). Thought if I plant them, every year when they bloom, I will be reminded of this adventure. Rich and I both slept off and on, watched a couple of movies (including Born Free…:)), taught Rich how to play Sudoku and counted down the hours until we would be home. Once we started the journey I couldn’t wait to get there.

Quick stop through Detroit and a short 1-hour flight home. We were in the last seat on the plane so the last people off. Dave picked us up and we were at moms by 5:00. Had to stop by to see my boy and take him his goodies. His favorite gift was the two small pieces of lava rock I picked up at the park before we left (sorry Ally, I know I wasn’t supposed to do that). He said “cool MiMi…thanks”. He had his Tanzania bracelet (like mine) around his ankle. Not sure what he ended up taking to school today for show and tell but I’m sure he took something. Plenty of hot water and water pressure here at home. I actually lost 4lbs during the week, which is unbelievable since all I felt like we did was eat, but I’ll take it. Once last funny story is about my step counter on my phone. Mid way through the 2nd day of our Safari, my achievement sound went off letting me know I had reached my goal of 10,000 steps. Walked 5.23 miles…lol! I guess the jarring of the jeep counted as steps for me. Plus climbing up and down looking out the top must have counted for something.

Crawled into bed, missing my hot water bottle…LOL! Sure could have used it last night. I’m not sure how I slept. Dave said I woke up a couple times, looked around like I wasn’t sure where I was and laid back down. Up at 6:30 which would be 3:30pm in Africa. Not sure how long it will take me to get back on track. Atleast I’m home.

DSC_2195

DSC_2192

DSC_1731

DSC_2119

DSC_2113

DSC_2110

DSC_2153

Posted on

14,362 thoughts on “Day 9 – Last Day of Safari (Lake Manyara/Arusha/Kilimanjaro)”

  2. Thanks for supporting Kyle’s Football Cards on eBay! Enjoy 25% OFF your next order
    with code KYLETHANKS25. Authentic jerseys, rare finds, and sports
    collectibles with fast shipping. Limited time—don’t miss out!

  5. คอนเทนต์นี้ น่าสนใจดี ค่ะ
    ดิฉัน ไปอ่านเพิ่มเติมเกี่ยวกับ เนื้อหาในแนวเดียวกัน
    ดูต่อได้ที่ สมัคร asia999
    สำหรับใครกำลังหาเนื้อหาแบบนี้
    เพราะให้ข้อมูลเชิงลึก
    ขอบคุณที่แชร์ ข้อมูลที่มีประโยชน์ นี้
    จะรอติดตามเนื้อหาใหม่ๆ ต่อไป

  7. you are in point of fact a just right webmaster.
    The site loading pace is incredible. It kind of feels that you are doing any distinctive trick.
    Moreover, The contents are masterwork. you have
    done a fantastic process on this matter!

  8. naturally like your website however you need to test the spelling on several of your posts.

    Several of them are rife with spelling issues and I to find it very troublesome to inform
    the truth however I will definitely come again again.

  11. Hi there, I discovered your blog by the use of Google even as
    looking for a related subject, your site got here up,
    it seems good. I have bookmarked it in my google bookmarks.

    Hi there, just was aware of your weblog through Google, and found that it is truly informative.
    I’m gonna watch out for brussels. I will be grateful for those who proceed this in future.
    Many people will likely be benefited from your
    writing. Cheers!

  17. Hello, I think your blog might be having browser compatibility issues. When I look at your website in Chrome, it looks fine but when opening in Internet Explorer, it has some overlapping. I just wanted to give you a quick heads up! Other than that, awesome blog!

  18. Good post. I study something more difficult on different blogs everyday. It’s going to always be stimulating to learn content material from other writers and observe a little bit one thing from their store. I’d prefer to use some with the content material on my blog whether you don’t mind. Natually I’ll give you a link in your web blog. Thanks for sharing.

  25. This is a very informative article and I really appreciate
    how clearly everything is explained.
    Many people find it confusing when choosing
    the right sportsbook, and this post explains the topic
    in a simple way.
    The information about user experience is useful, especially for users
    who are looking for a trusted site.
    Thanks for sharing this valuable content.

  28. Great post. I was checking constantly this blog and I’m impressed! Very useful info specifically the last part 🙂 I care for such info much. I was looking for this certain information for a very long time. Thank you and good luck.

  29. If most people wrote about this subject with the eloquence that you just did, I’m sure people would do much more than just read, they act. Great stuff here. Please keep it up.

  37. Thanks for supporting Kyle’s Football Cards on eBay!
    Enjoy 25% OFF your next order with code KYLETHANKS25.
    Authentic jerseys, rare finds, and sports collectibles with fast shipping.
    Limited time—don’t miss out!

  41. I dont think Ive caught all the angles of this subject the way youve pointed them out. Youre a true star, a rock star man. Youve got so much to say and know so much about the subject that I think you should just teach a class about it

Leave a Reply to DAİMFED'den kentsel dönüşüme destek sözü: Asayiş için kentsel dönüşüm şart! Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *