Safari

Safari in Swahili means 'journey'. Since being incorporated into the English language, it is now generally used to mean an expedition or adventurous journey. And what an adventure it was. I'll use the pictures below to tell the story...

The jeep and our luggage was all set and we're ready to go!

Our first campsite, with dinner being set.

Just outside, Maasai traders selling their goods.

A sign at the Manyara Lake National Park entrance. ;)

The colourful agama lizard.


The plentiful, but beautiful impalas.

The mighty giraffe.

Car trouble #1.. Before the journey started, the car we were supposed to use had already broken down. The replacement wasn't in great condition but our rookie driver decided that the Defender can handle a 1-foot tall rock in the middle of the road by driving straight over it (!?). The cylinder which connects the back wheels to the steering wheel fell off about 100m ahead. Thus, we continued our journey as a 2-wheel drive..

Acacia tree, a common feature of the African landscape. This was taken in the Serengeti National Park.


The very distinctive topi.

Campsite #2 - This was actually in the park itself without any barriers. We were told to make sure that food was safely kept as the animals come looking for food at night.


Hot-air balloon safari? Maybe when I'm a bit richer next time =)


Big, tall Ostrich.


Storks resting on an acacia tree.


Final campsite near Ngorongoro Crater -
I actually saw wild pigs in the middle of the night wandering around!


A Masaai 'village', just at the edge of the crater.


Descending into the crater.. considered by many as the 8th wonder of the world. Pictures don't do it justice.

Oh did I mention it was cold?!

We saw a huge line of jeeps in the distance..
what could they be looking at?

Nothing but the King and Queen of the jungle.
(They were quite far away!)

The majestic elephants.
They came really close to our jeep & doesn't seem to be bothered at all!

Alas, our trip had to be cut a few hours short as our car broke down for one last time =(

And we thought it was all over.. Surprise, surprise! The car that picked us up had a puncture along the way. What else can we can do but laugh..