Another early start, this one with the benefit of a wet and rainy campsite but a hot breakfast. Debs said they say an elephant on the edge of the campsite, which beats our hog. Then off at 6.30 for a game drive into Ngorongoro crater 600m below us. The crater rim road was clouded up but that didn't stop Herman careering about nor the odd giraafe or ostrich from appearing in the mist.
The road down into the crater is quite steep and fortunately Herman was required to go quite slowly. We guessed at [it being] a troop of elephants wandering single file down below us. The crater floor is surprisingly flat. Hands us who knows what geological/environmental phenomena causes an exploding volcano to leave a flat crater? Today we took it upon ourselves to stand up in the truck regardless of the chance of it [the roof] falling on our heads. That's left me with sore, bruised legs from trying to balance against the seats. Fortunately, the speed limit in the crater is 25kph though Herman still managed 50kph at one point.
We initially trailed as usual but I think we caught Herman out by saying we were done with a pack of zebra before anyone else was and thus forced him to the front. He then seemed to wander aimlessly occasionally spotting other operators' trucks and following them, occaisionally stopping for animals because otherwise he would have run them over.
We didn't get to see a great deal in the crater -- you can't guarantee animals -- but it didn't live up to its "we have the big 5" reputation. It turned out that the rhino were too cold and were hiding off the beaten track. We saw our only adult male lion (at quite a distance) and, um, that was it for the big 5. We did see plenty of birds, hippos, jackals, antelope and a few hyena and foxes. Nat a bad day [really] but Herman's reticence to say anything spoilt it all.
After lunch we headed back to Arusha (Herman driving like a maniac -- I took to keeping my eyes closed to make me feel safer). We did see a lot of the trainee Masai warriors. Adolescents who dress in black then paint their faces black but for their foreheads and sometimes their cheekbones which are white. They make for a ghostly image under the right conditions -- in the Masai village three were peering out of a hut, I thought they were masks hanging in the doorway, until they moved. Mostly, however, they stand at the side of the road chanting and jumping and, I guess, looking for money. The whole thing is part of a month long cermoney -- during which they get circumcised -- to become Masai warriors. I'm sure the villagers said there was something to do with killing a lion but I think that sort of thing is frowned upon these days by the government.
We had a start/stop trip back with Herman. Haring off then waiting for the others to catch up. That was until we reached the main road when he took to sitting in the exhaust fumes of the truck in front (in lieu of dust, I suppose). Back at the rainy Masai camp [in Arusha] we were handed questionaires. I'm pretty sure we all wrote terrible things about Herman and by coincidence the questionaires were handed back to him. He flicked through and you could see his face fall as he read his. I wonder if they'll reach management?
We had an all you can eat buffet meal (those of us that dared try something other than pizzas) [for our own expense meal] which was good, including the "cooking" bananas which taste like potato. Naturally, I ate more than was necessary and took to my bed early with overly full stomach complaints.
Masai Camp, Arusha S3.38527 E36.71998 Elev. 1346m.
Copyright 2002 Ian Fitchet. All rights reserved.