Day 3 – Safari (Moru Kopjes & Gong Rock)
Breakfast at the camp this morning before leaving at 7:30. We are heading South today in search of the Black Rhino. It was quite the drive so Ally drove with a purpose today so we could get there, search then begin the long drive back. Driving with a purpose here has a whole new meaning for me…lol!
There is a Black Rhino project here where the monitor the species to help from extension. Poaching here is still a huge problem so there are rangers in this area who live on top of the cliffs to help protect them. We learned that often poachers are just killed here because too many have been arrested but go back to poaching when they get out so it’s easier to just eliminate them. Something to be said for repeat offenders of violent crimes in the states. Visited the Rhino information center to learn about their history. A great guide full of knowledge and passion for these animals. You would have to love it to live way out here. You sure can’t just run down the street for milk if you forgot it on your way home.
No luck in spotting a Rhino today though. Since there are only 23 monitored animals on these planes, and they mostly graze alone, there was no telling where they were. The trip however gave us the opportunity to see the Kopjes, which are forms of rocks like none I have ever seen. There are many difference Kopjes, named for the tribe that lived there many centuries ago. This is Massai country. When in Arusha, we saw many of the Massai tribe which are easy to spot as the men still wear the red draped clothes as their daily attire. Would have been something to see these people still living upon on these rocks. There was one particular area where steps have been built so that you can climb to the top. Ally said he normally would not allow us to climb there unless there were other vehicles around because it has been known to have lions up there. But we all agreed we were game to try it. I know…wreckless right? Ally led the way making lots of noise to scare anything that might have been visiting the area. A few remnants of lions were present but no lions to be found. Let me say how glad we are we made that decision. What an amazing site from up there.
Back in the jeep and off to a lunch spot for a packed lunches. Arrived a favorite spot by many and were told we couldn’t be here because the President of Germany and the President of Tanzania would be visiting there soon. They were already setting up a huge spread for them by the Zebra refreshment company…lol! So we left in search of a new lunch spot.
Now for the excitement of the day. On our way to find a new spot we ran across a pride of lions laying in the shade of a huge tree not far from the road. It was an amazing site. 10 juvenile cubs in all and 7 lionesses (we never did see the males) however it was the same pride we saw yesterday, noted by one with a monitoring collar and one with a huge gash in her nose. Within a few minutes, one of the females raised her head and they all looked in one direction towards a herd of zebras who were making their way across the road into the area of the lions. In a split second 5 of the lionesses each rose and moved with grace to do their particular job. Can you believe this? A kill is just about to happen right in front of us. I didn’t think I wanted to see this at all until I watched how these amazing animals worked together with patience and purpose to feed their family. In a matter of maybe 15 minutes, they had completely formed a parameter around the herd and were waiting for their opportunity. In a split second one lioness made a move and the herd scattered, charged, ran…you name it. One of the lioness had to lay down in the road to keep from getting trampled. In that split second their opportunity was lost…they got away! We have a video of the whole thing and believe it or not it was sad. I hate to see the zebra loose it’s life but it was such an amazing thing to watch. Ally put it well, the lion laid down because no one wanted to die that day. They all made it back to the tree with the cubs to rest from their big chase.
We needed to make a trip back to the airstrip anyway (I’ll mention in a future post why) so decided to just have lunch at the airport. Now, keep in mind, without thinking, when were going to the same airstrip where both Presidents were expected in shortly. A guard at the entrance just let us on in, we parked and walked to the small building with our lunch boxes. We laughed because you can’t even get within 5 miles of the airports at home when our president is flying in. Tons of safari vehicles lined up to meet their arrival. A few armed guards and mostly people like us standing around with cameras. There was no concern to be standing along the strip for a photo op so I took it. Now, I have no idea who the president of Germany even is but figured it would be a great moment for Ally to have photos of “his” president. Planes landed and I snapped pictures of anyone coming off the plan. Ended up with great pictures of the German president but the Tanzania president was not there. Only the Interior ministers were there to meet him. Fun adventure to this trip, even though our original trip to the airstrip was not a success 🙁
Before heading back to camp we saw another Leopard in a tree. It’s so funny to see how they just chill and are so uninterested in us.
Back at camp at 4:30. Showers again at 6. Dinner at 7. Tonight we were joined by all the staff of the camp, except the chef. We had asked them all to join us when we first got there and they said they would on the last night. It was a great meal and a lot of fun. This crew has over exceeded our expectations. It will be hard to top it at the next camp. During our dinner, we were joined by a Hyena, just beside the tent. That just sort of cracks me up. I watched JJ leave the dining tent and walk to the kitchen tent, in the dark, with the Hyena sitting right there. He said, He knows me! They also shared that a few weeks ago a pride brought down a buffalo right in the camp area and stayed there for a solid week. JJ said they had approached him carrying the buckets of water to the tents to get a drink. He just dropped the buckets of water, walked away, let them get their drink and then picked up his buckets and carried on. OMG!!!! I guess there is something to be said for living in this country and feeling comfortable.
Back to the tent to be zipped in at 8:30. We packed, well Rich packed, played a few hands of gin and I caught up on my blog posts. Heard several lions throughout the night. I don’t think I will ever get tired of this. We leave for 2nd camp location tomorrow.
My programmer is trying to persuade me to move
to .net from PHP. I have always disliked the idea because of
the costs. But he’s tryiong none the less.
I’ve been using WordPress on several websites for about a year and am concerned
about switching to another platform. I have heard excellent things about
blogengine.net. Is there a way I can transfer all my wordpress posts into it?
Any help would be greatly appreciated!
I think what you published was actually very logical. However, think on this,
what if you typed a catchier post title? I am not suggesting your content
isn’t good, however what if you added a title to possibly grab folk’s attention? I mean Day 3 – Safari (Moru Kopjes & Gong Rock) | African Adventures of Peep and Pickles is kinda plain. You ought to look at
Yahoo’s home page and note how they create news titles to grab people interested.
You might add a video or a pic or two to get readers interested
about everything’ve got to say. In my opinion, it would bring
your website a little bit more interesting.
I don’t even know how I ended up here, but I thought this post was good.
I do not know who you are but certainly you’re going to a
famous blogger if you aren’t already 😉 Cheers!
There is definately a lot to learn about this issue. I like all of the
points you made.
I was really stressed about my coursework until I came across Assignment Help Liverpool. The support felt genuine and tailored to my needs. They explained concepts clearly and helped me stay on track with deadlines. It didn’t feel like copying work, but more like learning properly. A great option for students who want guidance without pressure.
Spot on with this write-up, I really believe this site needs
a great deal more attention. I’ll probably be returning to see more, thanks for the information!
Faites un bond dans le passé et osez adopter cette coupe mythique pour un look
irrésistible.
Very nice article, totally what I wanted to find.
Ce style a été popularisé par des designers renommés tels que Pierre
Cardin, Coco Chanel et Mary Quant.
A fascinating discussion is worth comment. I think that you ought to publish more about this issue, it may not be a taboo subject but typically folks don’t speak about these topics. To the next! Many thanks!!
Fees are robust security, and the execution is always smooth. The updates are frequent and clear.
Hey I know this is off topic but I was wondering if you knew of any
widgets I could add to my blog that automatically tweet my newest twitter
updates. I’ve been looking for a plug-in like this
for quite some time and was hoping maybe you would have
some experience with something like this. Please let me know if you run into anything.
I truly enjoy reading your blog and I look forward to your new updates.
Its like you read my mind! You seem to know so much about this, like you wrote the book in it or something.
I think that you could do with some pics to drive the message home
a bit, but other than that, this is great blog. An excellent read.
I’ll definitely be back.
I’ve been active for almost a year, mostly for fiat on-ramp, and it’s always intuitive UI.
Heya this is kind of of off topic but I was wanting to know if blogs
use WYSIWYG editors or if you have to manually code with HTML.
I’m starting a blog soon but have no coding experience so
I wanted to get advice from someone with experience. Any help would be enormously appreciated!
Thanks for ones marvelous posting! I quite enjoyed reading it, you could be a great author.I will always bookmark your blog and will eventually come back someday. I want to encourage you to continue your great writing, have a nice afternoon!
Wow, amazing blog layout! How long have you been blogging for?
you made blogging look easy. The overall look of your web site
is magnificent, as well as the content!
Its like you read my mind! You appear 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 excellent blog. A fantastic read. I’ll certainly be back.
I have been browsing online more than 4 hours today, yet I never found any interesting article like yours.
It’s pretty worth enough for me. In my view, if all web owners and bloggers made
good content as you did, the internet will be a lot more useful than ever before.
WOW just what I was looking for. Came here by searching for best bitcoin casinos
Very descriptive blog, I loved that bit. Will there be
a part 2?
The interface is clear transparency, and I enjoy staking here. My withdrawals were always smooth.
When I initially commented I clicked the “Notify me when new comments are added” checkbox and now each time
a comment is added I get four emails with the same comment.
Is there any way you can remove me from that service?
Thanks!
Greetings from Ohio! I’m bored at work so I decided to check
out your site on my iphone during lunch break. I enjoy the info
you provide here and can’t wait to take a look when I get home.
I’m surprised at how quick your blog loaded on my mobile ..
I’m not even using WIFI, just 3G .. Anyhow, awesome
site!
I’ll immediately snatch your rss feed as I can’t to find your email subscription hyperlink or e-newsletter service.
Do you have any? Kindly permit me realize in order that I may just subscribe.
Thanks.
I think this is one of the most vital info for me. And i’m glad
reading your article. But want to remark on few
general things, The website style is wonderful, the articles is
really excellent : D. Good job, cheers
Asking questions are actually pleasant thing if you are not understanding something completely, but
this paragraph offers good understanding yet.
I switched from another service because of the great support and stable performance.
I like the valuable info you provide in your articles. I’ll bookmark your weblog and check again here frequently.
I’m quite sure I will learn plenty of new stuff right here!
Best of luck for the next!
Sam here — I’ve tried testing new tokens and the accurate charts impressed me.
Как выбрать идеальный купальник
This post will help the internet visitors for setting up new web site or even a weblog from
start to end.
It’s a pity you don’t have a donate button! I’d without
a doubt donate to this superb blog! I guess for now i’ll settle for bookmarking and adding your RSS feed to my Google account.
I look forward to new updates and will talk about this
website with my Facebook group. Chat soon!
Good day! I just want to give you a big thumbs up for the excellent info you have here on this post. I will be coming back to your site for more soon.
I’m gone to convey my little brother, that he should also pay
a visit this website on regular basis to get updated from most recent information.
I got this web site from my pal who informed me on the
topic of this web site and at the moment this time I am browsing this web site and reading very informative articles or reviews here.
Good day! I simply would like to give you a huge thumbs up for your great information you have got right here on this post. I will be returning to your site for more soon.
Hi there! I could have sworn I’ve been to this blog before but after browsing
through many of the posts I realized it’s new to me.
Nonetheless, I’m certainly happy I came across it and I’ll be
book-marking it and checking back regularly!
This platform exceeded my expectations with responsive team and easy onboarding. Definitely recommend to anyone in crypto.
Hi there to all, how is the whole thing, I think every one is getting more from this web page, and your views are nice designed for new people.
I really like it when individuals get together and share ideas.
Great website, continue the good work!
Superb, what a webpage it is! This web site gives
useful facts to us, keep it up.
Thanks in support of sharing such a fastidious thinking,
piece of writing is fastidious, thats why i have read it entirely
What’s up, I log on to your new stuff regularly. Your story-telling style is awesome, keep it up!
The interface is scalable features, and I enjoy cross-chain transfers here. Great for cross-chain swaps with minimal slippage.
You really make it seem so easy with your presentation however I in finding this topic to
be actually something which I think I might by no means understand.
It kind of feels too complex and very vast for me. I’m taking a look ahead
to your next submit, I’ll attempt to get the dangle of it!
Tremendous things here. I’m very glad to see your article.
Thank you a lot and I’m taking a look ahead to touch you.
Will you please drop me a e-mail?
Howdy! I know this is somewhat off topic but I was wondering which blog platform are you using for this site?
I’m getting sick and tired of WordPress because I’ve had problems
with hackers and I’m looking at options for another platform.
I would be fantastic if you could point me in the direction of a good platform.
Hello, its nice piece of writing concerning media print, we all understand media
is a fantastic source of data.
Nice post. I was checking constantly this blog
and I am impressed! Very useful information specially the last part 🙂 I care for such info much.
I was seeking this particular information for a very long time.
Thank you and best of luck.