Yesterday and today have been spent exploring the area by foot. Yesterday I saw my first elephants up close. We watched from the treehouse as they came in for water. The are such fascinating animals to watch. They really have a good time splashing around in the water. I also learned about identifying some birds and how to ID animals by their scat. It is absolutely amazing how you can walk for 5 minutes an in one scan you can see such diversity of wildlife. Today I saw zebras, antelope, wart hogs, water buck, wildebeest, and elands all grazing together! We also learned about some plants here. Elephants chw stalks of aloe vera when they cannot find water. Another plants' roots are ground up and mixed with oils to make Maasai perfume. We also visited an elephant carcass from 2008. The huge bones were scattered about and a parge piece of its hide also remained. It was so tough that you could stand on it. Our askari (guard) stood on it and said "pole tembo" (sorry, elephant!)
This is such a sureal experience. I really have to stop and take a step back to realize how absolutely amazing this is. As I sit here now, I am watching two previously orphaned elephants walk by! Ndarakwai has been amazing, but I am really looking forward to going into Arusha tomorrow. I want to see other areas outside of this isolated camp. It is so dusty and windy here and everything is filthy! My tent actually blew over this morning, so my sleeping bad, pad, pillow, and clothes all got rolled in the dust. Note to self: Dad was right. It is important to fully stake out your tent! Luckily, it didn't blow away! A shower and some clean laundry would also be nice. There is just nowhere to get out of the dust here. I am really starting to feel cut off from the world and I can't wait to have internet access and to be able to mail some postcards!
No comments:
Post a Comment