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.
Nice blog right here! Also your web site a lot up fast! What web host are you the usage of? Can I get your associate link in your host? I desire my web site loaded up as quickly as yours lol
Heya i?m for the first time here. I came across this board and I find It truly useful & it helped me out a lot. I hope to give something back and help others like you aided me.
Hi! I know this is kind of off topic but I was wondering if you knew where I could find a captcha plugin for my comment form?
I’m using the same blog platform as yours and
I’m having problems finding one? Thanks a lot!
Thanks for finally writing about > Day 9 – Last Day
of Safari (Lake Manyara/Arusha/Kilimanjaro) | African Adventures
of Peep and Pickles < Liked it!
Write more, thats all I have to say. Literally, it seems as though you relied on the video to make your point. You clearly know what youre talking about, why throw away your intelligence on just posting videos to your blog when you could be giving us something enlightening to read?
Thanks for the ideas you have discussed here. Also, I believe there are some factors that keep your motor insurance premium straight down. One is, to bear in mind buying vehicles that are from the good set of car insurance organizations. Cars that are expensive will be more at risk of being robbed. Aside from that insurance coverage is also based on the value of your vehicle, so the higher in price it is, then the higher the premium you only pay.
Fastidious answer back in return of this difficulty with solid arguments and telling the whole thing about that.
I’m really loving the theme/design of your blog. Do you ever run into any web browser compatibility problems? A handful of my blog readers have complained about my blog not operating correctly in Explorer but looks great in Safari. Do you have any ideas to help fix this problem?
Havin read this I believed iit was raⅼly enlightening.
I appreciate you takinng the ttime and energy tߋ put this
article together. I ⲟnce again find myself personally spending way too much time bkth reading and leaving c᧐mments.
But sѕo ѡhat, it was still worthwhile!
I’m not that much of a internet reader to be honest but your blogs really nice, keep
it up! I’ll go ahead and bookmark your site to come back later.
Many thanks
Hi there! I realize this is sort of off-topic however I had to ask.
Does operating a well-established blog such as yours take a lot of work?
I’m brand new to writing a blog but I do write in my journal on a daily basis.
I’d like to start a blog so I can share my own experience and feelings online.
Please let me know if you have any ideas
or tips for brand new aspiring bloggers. Appreciate
it!
Excellen post. I wass chedcking constantly this blog and I’m
impressed! Extremely usefil informaion particilarly tthe last part :
) I care forr suych iinfo a lot. I waas seeking tyis particular infrmation foor a
longg time. Thank you and best off luck. ofvd9wuapt3mugtfu3r1
I absolutely love your website.. Great colors & theme. Did you build this website yourself?
Please reply back as I’m attempting to create my own personal site
and would love to learn where you got this from or just what the theme is named.
Many thanks!
I haven?t checked in here for a while as I thought it was getting boring, but the last few posts are good quality so I guess I will add you back to my daily bloglist. You deserve it my friend 🙂
Greetings from Florida! I’m bored to tears at work so I decided
to check out your site on my iphone during lunch break. I really like 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 .. Anyways, wonderful site!
Qué tal comunidad, quería compartir una página que encontré hace poco
y que realmente disfruté. Se trata de un artículo muy completo sobre la historia
del fútbol argentino, desde las raíces del deporte hasta las grandes conquistas
internacionales.
Desde mi experiencia, siempre tuve curiosidad por entender cómo se desarrolló y creció la cultura futbolística en Argentina.
El contenido presenta con mucho detalle la llegada del fútbol al país, la influencia británica,
así como el crecimiento de los clubes que construyeron una tradición única.
Lo que más me gustó es que no se limita a mencionar fechas, sino que también habla de la relación entre los
clubes y los barrios. Aprendí bastante sobre instituciones históricas, rivalidades clásicas y la forma en que el fútbol pasó de
ser un deporte importado a convertirse en un símbolo cultural argentino.
Además, el texto dedica espacio a jugadores legendarios como Maradona, Messi y otras estrellas argentinas.
La explicación de su legado ayuda a comprender por qué son admirados en todo el mundo.
Un punto muy interesante es la sección dedicada
a los clubes argentinos y a los torneos internacionales.
Se nota que el autor investigó el tema
y permite entender mejor el prestigio de los equipos argentinos.
Si eres fanático del fútbol, te sugiero dedicar unos minutos
a este artículo. Aun si recién estás comenzando a interesarte por este deporte,
encontrarás datos interesantes, contexto histórico y curiosidades.
Para concluir, pienso que este contenido vale la pena.
Disfruté mucho recorriendo cada sección del artículo y la compartiré con otros aficionados al fútbol.
Muy recomendable.
Remarkable things here. I’m very happy to look your
post. Thank you so much and I’m taking a look forward to
contact you. Will you please drop me a mail?
Hey there! I just wanted to ask if you ever have
any issues with hackers? My last blog (wordpress) was hacked and I ended up losing a few months of hard work due to no backup.
Do you have any methods to prevent hackers?
I have read so many content about the blogger lovers except this post is truly a pleasant paragraph, keep
it up.
Hello, this weekend is fastidious for me, because this moment i am reading this fantastic
informative article here at my house.
Aw, this was a really nice post. In thought I want to put in writing like this additionally ? taking time and actual effort to make a very good article? but what can I say? I procrastinate alot and under no circumstances seem to get one thing done.
If you would like to obtain a good deal from this piece
of writing then you have to apply such strategies to your
won webpage.
Thanks a lot for sharing this with all people
you really understand what you are speaking approximately!
Bookmarked. Kindly additionally talk over with my site =).
We will have a link exchange arrangement among us