Ngorongoro Crater, part 4

We leave Tarangire and are behind George’s planned schedule due to the credit card snafu. Before long we turn on to a black top road and George has the Toyota zipping right along. I snap several photos of the fascinating local sights as we make our way towards the crater.

George pulls into a gas station along the way to fill the trucks two fuel tanks. A young woman pumps the fuel while George goes into the station. The woman is singing and dancing while she fills the truck with gas. Once the nozzle has clicked off the woman goes to the back of the truck and begins rocking the Toyota. Then the station attendant walks to the front of the truck, grabs the grill and rocks the truck again. The woman glances at the pump, laughs and dances. The pretty lady does this several times. What the heck? Someone in our crew figures out that every time she rocks the vehicle the gas pump comes back on and runs a little bit more fuel into the trucks tank. Crazy. When George returns we ask about this trick the woman pulled. He laughs, shakes his head and says they are not supposed to do that but obviously he isn’t surprised that it took place. You learn something new every day.

We are climbing steadily as George navigates the winding road that takes us to the edge of Ngorongoro Crater. Stopping at a view-point we join other tourists to get our first look into the famous crater. Some of us have wandered back towards the truck when Jesse comes to tell us that George has spotted a black rhino from the viewing platform. We follow Jesse back to the deck where he patiently describes to us where the rhino is. Sure enough, though even through binoculars the rhino appears very small, there is no doubt that it is a rhino. The rhino is laying on bare ground and as I watch, the rare animal moves his head enough that I can see the outline of its horn. Wow, a nice way to start our visit to the crater. Thanks George!

Leaving the viewpoint, we travel along an extremely rough, curvy road to the entrance on the west side of the crater. Here we eat the boxed lunches that the Ang’ata camp sent with us while George goes to check us in and to arrange for a ranger to accompany us on our walk tomorrow. We are going to walk down into the Empakai crater tomorrow. When we have finished our lunch, we bounce down the road to the bottom of the Ngorongoro crater. We admire the exquisite umbrella acacias along the way. It isn’t long before we begin seeing herds of zebra, cape buffalo, and wildebeest. There are a few Hartebeest scattered here and there. We join another group of tourists in watching some recumbent lions. The lions are also being checked out by a cape buffalo. One lioness rises to her feet briefly then plops back down on the ground so we move on. Many of the wildebeest prefer laying in the road and seem to grumble at us when they are forced to get up and allow our Toyota to pass. I actually see one wildebeest immediately come back to the road and lay back down. George tells us the animals are so tame down here because they are never threatened by humans.

As in Tarangire, we see hippo laying out of the water. It is afternoon and even though it is mostly cloudy this seems unusual to me. Connie and Carl commented that of all the hippos they encountered on their last safari they hardly saw any out of the water and those that did see on land were making their way back to the water. Hmm.

We find another large pride of lions as we go deeper into the park. I’m not sure who saw them but they are far from the road. The lions are piled together in a heap and they are keeping a wary eye on a few cape buffalo. We watch them for a while than move on to find a couple of scraggly hyenas taking a nap. There are two Grey crowned cranes standing near the road, such dignified birds. Perky little Thompson Gazelles can be seen everywhere.

As we near the lake, pink flamingos dot the shore, they are mostly the lesser flamingos but there are a few greater flamingos too. George stops the car so we can watch a yellow billed stork as it feeds. The large stork keeps its oversized yellow bill open and immersed in the water. The bird then uses its feet to herd frogs or fish into the trap that is its beak. In awe, I watch the show the stork is putting on but seeing the delight on George’s face gives me just as much joy. Here is a man who is taking tourists on safari day after day and yet he still shows an almost childlike pleasure in observing something he has probably seen hundreds of times.  George is obviously passionate about nature which makes him such a wonderful guide.

The huge crowds of tourists in Ngorongoro crater that Paul and I have warned our safari mates about turns out to be false. Fourteen years ago, whenever you stopped to look at something there would be dozens of other vehicles parked along the road with everyone jockeying for a better position. It was not a fond memory for us. Today there were no other vehicles when we watched the pride of lions and only a couple of vehicles when we saw the trio of lioness. A nice surprise and we can’t really figure out why this would be. Perhaps it is because we didn’t come into the crater until early afternoon and the big crowds were here early this morning and have already departed.

Everyone must be out of the crater before dark so it is time for us to go. One of the last things we witness is a golden jackal chasing a scrub hare. The hare makes a move worthy of a football running back and totally fakes the coyote-look-alike out. The last thing we see is the hare barreling in our direction as the jackal keeps running straight. We laugh out loud as the jackal skids to a stop and with a puzzled look on its face tries to figure out how his dinner just vanished into thin air.

We are staying at Sopa Lodge which is built within yards of the craters’ edge. The Lodge is impressive and big. Once we have checked in we follow the porters to our rooms. The rooms are quite spacious although a bit worn. We have a glassed-in patio that looks over a grassy area and there is a small opening in the trees where we can catch a glimpse of the crater. Very nice.

All of us meet in the lobby before seven as we intend to be at the front of the line for the buffet dinner. When the doors are opened we are shown to a table and instructed that this will be our table for all of our other meals. A very efficient way to run the restaurant. The sumptuous array of food is amazing. Soups, salads, various meats, many kinds of bread and of course desserts are offered to Sopas’ patrons. It is hard to contain oneself from heaping your plate with food, as the urge to try everything is hard to suppress. Yes, I think we all ate too much but boy was it delicious. The wait staff later sang and danced to everyone’s delight. Wow, do they have beautiful voices.

When going to and from your rooms after dark you must be escorted as animals from the crater often migrate onto Sopa’s grounds. Jennifer, Paul and me are told by our jolly escort that they have had leopard, elephant, cape buffalo and other animals drink out of the swimming pool at night. Since our chaperone is only armed with a flashlight I ask him if he will just throw the flashlight at an animal if it is threatening us. This makes him laugh loudly and then he proclaims that he will make gun noises which will make the animal run away. It is our turn to laugh out loud now.

I had a good night’s sleep despite a really weird dream and I am ready for another adventurous day. After we have eaten breakfast we find George waiting for us in the lobby and we leave the lodge by 7:30. We pick up our ranger escort, a very young man, whose name is Zachari. Instead of a gun our protector is carrying a spear!

As we rock and sway through the vast landscape, Paul and I remember this area called the Embulbul depression with much fondness. Fourteen years ago, we were able to get out and walk among the Maasai who were scattered over these wide-open plains with their herds of cattle, sheep, and goats. In my memory I can still hear the Maasai singing to their cattle and the melodious sound of cow bells ringing as we strolled through the grassland. Today the Maasai are just beginning to move the cattle from the wooden corrals out into the plains where they will graze all day under the protection of herders. The grass is plentiful here and the colorful cattle are much fleshier than the cattle we saw around Tarangire. There is a scattering of wild life such as zebra, ostrich, golden jackals, a few solo wildebeest and Kori bustards. George informs us that the zebra will often join the cattle herds to graze knowing that they will be safe.

We arrived at the trail head before ten and make use of the cement long drop that is not far from the road but still hidden from sight. As we prepare to begin our descent into the crater, we hear George tell Zachari to go “pole pole”, (polee, polee), which means to go very slow. Zachari looks over at George and replies “I will see you tomorrow”. This makes us bust out laughing. I don’t think it will take us quite that long. I suppose that five of us do look pretty ancient to this young buck.

Boy, Zachari took this pole pole order from George to heart. We are mincing along so slow that even I with my short stride feel like I am barely moving at times. There are spots along the trail, which is very steep in places, where the soil is loose and slick. I think all of us, except probably Jesse, slip and slide in places. We try to keep a fair distance between us and the person in front of us but at times we end up nearly treading on the persons heels in front of us. I have this vision of a domino affect where one person falls, taking down the person in front of them who repeats the action with the person in front of them. Fortunately, this scenario does not come to pass and we make it safely to the bottom of the crater. I am so glad that I have my hiking poles which helped steady me several times.

It is stunning down here, with the deep green of the thick forest covering the sides of the crater complimenting the green tinged water of the large lake at the base of the crater. There are flamingos feeding in the alkaline water but no other wildlife shows itself. We have the crater to ourselves for most of the time we spend down here and we just enjoy the peaceful, wild place. Jesse and Zachari are in deep conversation as Jesse shows the ranger photos from Kansas on his phone. Since they both have a similar line of work the game warden and ranger have a lot to discuss. It is pretty darn cool to watch the young men converse and laugh as though they are steadfast friends. At some point during their visit, Jesse has taken possession of Zachari’s spear, a weapon I’m sure he has never handled before. The rest of us keep our distance and let the two handsome fellows enjoy their new-found camaraderie. This is a memory both men will remember for a long time I bet.

We share this special place briefly with a fit young couple before we turn to climb back to the top. Jennifer again falls in behind Zachari as he goes pole pole up the trail. Jennifer and I have a quick consultation and then Jennifer asks our protector if he can walk a bit faster. He looks surprised but does pick up the pace a bit. The altitude of Empakai is about 8,000 feet and the North Millers have a little trouble with the altitude as we ascend the trail. We go back to our pole pole pace stopping several times to rest and catch our breath. A group from Australia passes us on their way down the trail, the two couples are probably about the same age as us. A Maasai has a firm grip on one of the women’s arm and our eyebrows raise when we see that she is wearing moccasins. This looks like a disaster waiting to happen as I can’t imagine that her shoes have much tread. I hope they make it without any problems.

George smiles broadly when he sees us emerge from the craters rim. George had hoped to trek to the bottom with us but since no one was around that could watch the truck he had to stay behind. We felt badly about that. George begins preparing a place for lunch as he puts down one of the Maasai blankets on the ground. We have box lunches from Sopa Lodge. Unlike the small camps we were able to order from a list of five entre which was really nice. Even so the lunch boxes have way too much food in them. There are three Maasai women plus I assume their husband who have set up a temporary duka offering beadwork in various kinds of jewelry. We ask George if it is okay to give them our extra food and he said it is. The man, taking nothing, gestures towards the women who gladly take the food. Jesse ends up buying some beaded bracelets from the trio to take home to his daughter. Sweet.

Time to head back to the Lodge. We are all feeling quite contented with the days adventure. Little do we know that the adventure isn’t over. We are enjoying the large flocks of sheep and goats spread over the open range as we drive through the Embulbul depression. BAM! I look behind me and ask Paul if that was a rock that hit the vehicle. No, it wasn’t, it seems the Massai boys that had run to the edge of the road begging us to stop took exception to the fact that we didn’t. We had all waved at them as we passed by and one little stinker threw his staff at us. He had good aim as it hit hard against Paul’s window. Thankfully the window was closed and thankfully the window didn’t break.

I have hardly had time to digest what has happened when the Toyota screeches to a halt. George and Zachari jump out leaving the doors wide open and begin running back to where the boys were standing. They aren’t standing there anymore, they are running as if their lives depend on it. Zachari, who is wearing rubber mud boots manages to corral one of the kids who immediately points at his fleeing cohorts, obviously putting the blame on them. He is telling the truth as he is still carrying his wooden staff. The ranger turns him loose and takes off after the four or five others who have a pretty good lead on the pursuers. George in the meantime is running down the road trying to head off a couple of the trouble makers at the pass. Two more of the boys have already crossed the road and are disappearing from sight.

Eventually, George and Zachari have to admit they are beaten as the boys that were still within reach find an extra spurt of speed and leave the two men doubled over trying to catch their breath. Paul and I estimate that the guys pursued the troublemakers for a good quarter of a mile before crying uncle. As the men return to the Toyota they are laughing. Upon reaching us they declare that this will be a lesson the boys will not soon forget. I got so caught up in watching the drama unfolding that I never snapped a single photo until after the fact. Then I took a few photos of the flock of goats that had been abandoned by all but two of the shepherd boys. Jesse has the presence of mind to get a couple of photos of the chase.

Down the road there is a truck which has a bunch of men in the front seat and more riding on a bench in the bed. George stops so Zachari can tell the elders what has taken place. Most of them nod solemnly but someone in our crew notices an old man in the back smiling and giving a thumbs up. Does that mean he is proud of what the little punk did or is he glad that the two men scared the heck out of them for doing it? George also informs us that if the boy had done damage to the vehicle, the family would have to pay for that damage. That is unless it is a very poor family and then they won’t take anything from them. Obviously, this kind of thing has happened before.

We continue through the depression and two different times some kids run up to beg but they happen to be on the side where our ranger is sitting and as soon as they see his hat, they turn tail and run. Whoa. We arrive back at Sopa Lodge without any more adventures!

Since it is mid afternoon we have some leisurely time to ourselves. After getting as much as possible packed in prep for our departure tomorrow, I sit and relax in our little patio. I am just gazing out over the grass and weeds when a movement catches my eye. Well now we know why they escort us to our rooms because there is a cape buffalo grazing in a tall patch of weeds. I knock on the Gehrt’s door, they are right next door and tell them of our visitor outside. When I return to our room, Paul is sitting in the patio and says there is a reedbuck out there too. It is a doe and when Paul first saw her a tiny baby was visible too.

The Wabaunsee crew meets in front of the Lodge and we go to watch the Maasai dance program that is being performed on the lawn. There are both young men and young girls who sing and dance. The men also jump high into the air which is amazing in itself. When the dancers have finished we move into the lobby where we are given an encore as the troupe files into the lobby behind us. We enjoy the second performance just as much as the first one. We are some of the first into the restaurant again and a whole different array of food is laid out for the guests to enjoy. One of the best things I ate was a corn and pineapple salad. An odd combination but boy was it tasty.

We are escorted back to our room by the same jolly fellow as last night. This time his flashlight beam lights up a Cape buffalo calmly grazing at the edge of the lawn, not twenty yards from where we are walking. The old buffalo pays us no attention at all.

Next stop, Sanctuary Kusini camp. Later, Nancy