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.
Hello this is a wonderful write-up. I’m going to e mail this to my friends. I came on this while searching on yahoo I’ll be sure to come back. thanks for sharing.
I really like your writing style, excellent info , thanks for putting up : D.
whoah this blog is magnificent i love reading your articles.
Keep up the great work! You realize, lots of people are hunting around for this info, you can aid them greatly.
I am glad to talk with you and you give me great help
Seriously plenty of awesome information!
Hey would you mind stating which blog platform you’re working
with? I’m going to start my own blog in the near future
but I’m having a difficult time selecting between BlogEngine/Wordpress/B2evolution and Drupal.
The reason I ask is because your design and style seems different then most blogs and I’m
looking for something completely unique.
P.S Sorry for being off-topic but I had to
ask!
The utility leverages Metal API for GPU-accelerated rendering, significantly reducing CPU load during intensive graphical operations. This approach improves overall system responsiveness.
You should see:
[url=https://rlcialis.com/developer/68972-wiking-cms.html]
plist configuration for macos automatic software update behavior
[/url]
Learn more:
The External Accessory framework communicates with Made for iPhone certified hardware through wired or wireless connections.
Hey there! Do you know if they make any plugins to safeguard against hackers?
I’m kinda paranoid about losing everything I’ve worked hard
on. Any recommendations?
It’s time for communities to rally.
Heya! I understand this is somewhat off-topic but I had to
ask. Does building a well-established website like yours require a large amount of
work? I’m brand new to writing a blog however I do
write in my diary everyday. I’d like to start a blog
so I will be able to share my experience and views online.
Please let me know if you have any kind of suggestions or tips for brand new aspiring bloggers.
Appreciate it!
I really love this article.
Howdy, a helpful article for sure. Thank you.
Great beat ! I wish to apprentice while you amend your website, how can i subscribe
for a blog website? The account helped me a acceptable deal.
I had been tiny bit acquainted of this your broadcast provided bright clear idea
I was reading through some of your content on this internet site and I believe this web site is very informative ! Continue posting .
Save 30% on authentic NFL jerseys, NCAA football jerseys,
and hockey jerseys at Kyle’s Football Cards on eBay. Shop rare sports collectibles, Nike Vapor Limited jerseys, and
stitched team gear with fast, secure shipping. Use code KYLEFAN30 for limited-time savings on premium sports memorabilia and fan apparel.
Roman Malyshev Czech and Ukrainian entrepreneur, SEO expert, founder of international digital projects Roman Malyshev is a Czech and Ukrainian entrepreneur and SEO expert with over 17 years of experience in digital marketing. He specializes in strategic search engine optimization and building scalable growth systems for IT companies, SaaS projects, and e-commerce businesses across European and CIS markets. Operating at the intersection of the Ukrainian and European digital ecosystems, Roman has built projects designed for international audiences and the export of digital services, helping companies expand beyond local markets and compete globally.
You actually make it appear really easy together with your presentation however I find this matter to be really something which I believe I’d by
no means understand. It seems too complex and very large for
me. I’m taking a look forward on your next put up, I will try to get the hang of it!
I like to spend my free time by scanning various internet resources. Today I came across your website and I found it has some of the most practical and helpful information I’ve seen.
I don’t normally comment but I gotta say appreciate it for the post on this one : D.
Simply want to say your article is as amazing. The clarity in your post is just great and i can assume you’re an expert on this subject. Fine with your permission allow me to grab your feed to keep up to date with forthcoming post. Thanks a million and please keep up the gratifying work.
I am very happy to look your post. Thanks a lot and i am taking a look ahead to touch you.
Thanks pertaining to discussing the following superb written content on your site. I ran into it on the search engines. I will check back again if you publish extra aricles.
Truly no matter if someone doesn’t know afterward
its up to other users that they will help, so here it
occurs.
You are my inspiration , I possess few web logs and very sporadically run out from to brand 🙁
멋진 비트! 당신이 사이트를 수정하면서 견습하고 싶습니다.
블로그 사이트 구독은 어떻게 하나요?
계정이 저에게 적절한 도움을 주었습니다.
당신의 방송이 제공한 밝고 명확한 컨셉에 약간 익숙해졌습니다.
What’s up to every single one, it’s actually a good for me to
pay a quick visit this web site, it consists of valuable Information.
Hmm is anyone else experiencing problems with the images on this blog loading?
I’m trying to determine if its a problem on my end or if it’s the blog.
Any feed-back would be greatly appreciated.
I saw a similar post on another website but the points were not as well articulated.
I wanted to thank you for this very good read!! I certainly enjoyed every little bit of it.
I’ve got you saved as a favorite to check out new things you post…
I have been surfing online more than three hours today, yet I never found anything that grabbed my interest as much as this piece.
Hi, i believe that i noticed you visited my website so i
got here to go back the desire?.I am attempting to find things to enhance
my web site!I assume its good enough to use some of your ideas!!
Pretty! This was an extremely wonderful article.
Thanks for providing this information.
Wish I’d thought of this. Am in the field, but I procrastinate alot and haven’t written as much as I’d like. Thanks.
I just sent this post to a bunch of my friends as I agree with most of what you’re saying here and the way you’ve presented it is awesome.
Its like you read my mind! You seem to know a lot about this, like you wrote the book in it or something. I think that you can do with some pics to drive the message home a bit, but other than that, this is wonderful blog. A great read. I’ll certainly be back.
Write more stories, more chapters.