December 16, 2004 -- A collection of pictures taken in the Serengeti National Park can be found at Elwai Esirenget; a collection of pictures taken en route to Serengeti National Park can be found at Olduvai and Shifting Sands.
It's only fitting that we spend the next five days in one of the world's treasures, the Serengeti. Before leaving, Carol, wife of Maasai wa Milima ya Kijani, finalizes her tailoring arrangements with Bernadetha, the farmhouse hostess. Carol had purchased several pieces of Kitenge fabric, a tight-weave, brightly colored cotton cloth, at the T-shirt Shop near Karatu, and wanted two-piece dresses made in the style worn by the women at the farmhouse. Alex volunteered to take measurements by using string for bust, waist, and hip dimensions; cutting and labeling each respective string for the tailor. Bernadetha took care of the tailoring arrangements -- even spending part of one of her precious days off sitting alongside the tailor to ensure the job was done to her high standards. The dresses would be ready by the time we returned from the Serengeti.
The day started with rain and cool temperatures. However, by the time we drove through the Ngorongoro Crater gate and circled the southern rim route of the Crater the rain stopped and temperatures soared. Not unusual, since the eastern side of the Crater is considerably more temperate than the western side. We descended the western slopes and passed through the Malanja Depression, a grassy bowl, towards Olduvai Gorge (also known as Oldupai, the Maasai spelling of the name). Oldupai is the Maasai word for the wild sisal that grows in the area. Sisal has been harvested traditionally to produce agricultural or baler twine. It also has many other uses.
Before arriving at the Oldupai Museum, we stopped at a Maasai village. The atmosphere at this village was much more commercial than our earlier visit to Leiyo's village in Sinya. Nevertheless, they were very proud of the schooling provided to their children. In addition, many of us participated in their dances and chants, and purchased more beadwork and adornments. Carol was very busy with her Polaroid camera.
At the Olduvai Gorge, we toured the small museum and seated on an observation platform overlooking the Gorge, listened to a lecture by a museum employee. The Leakey's and other researchers discovered evidence of at least three hominid ancestral species in the area, including Australopithecus afarensis, Homo habilis or "handy man", and Homo erectus. Another important discovery made in the vicinity of the Gorge is the Laetoli Footprints, a fossilized 80 foot trail of hominid prints providing evidence of upright bipedal walking dating back 3.6 million years.
Our next destination was the amazing "Shifting Sands". This crescent shaped dune, buffeted by the constant winds in this region, is moving in a westerly direction at about 17-20 meters a year. The dune is composed of black volcanic ash presumably deposited from one of the extinct volcanoes near Ngorongoro Crater and the still active Ol Doinyo Lengai (meaning "Mountain of God" in the Maasai language) volcano. The dune and the volcano are considered sacred by the Maasai. We have a picnic lunch nearby under a sprawling acacia tree.
We entered Serengeti National Park from the southeast through the Naabi Hill Gate. As we passed through the Simba Kopjes (pronounced kâpee) we spotted our first Serengeti lioness. Kopjes are erratic stone outcroppings found on an open plain which provide good cover for predator and prey alike. The highest of the Kopjes is Soit Naado Murt (in Maasai, the Long-necked Stone) and nicknamed Big Simba Kopje located just off the main road leading from Naabi Hill gate to Seronera. A new silhouette appeared ahead, a topi, from the antelope family, with its striking reddish-brown to purplish-red coat.
Further up the dirt track we noticed a couple of safari vehicles parked along the roadside, usually a good sign! Sure was this time -- a leopard in an acacia tree, full stomach, sound asleep. We were about one mile from our tented camp. No sooner had we disembarked from our vehicles at Makoma Hill camp than we heard a lion roar -- IT SOUNDED VERY CLOSE! Pascal, James, and Alex leapt back into one of the vehicles to investigate. Within minutes they were back to pick us up. Less than 400 meters from camp were a huge lion chewing on a wildebeest carcass and two lionesses sleeping in the hillside.
Our first night in the Serengeti was noisy with whooping hyena looking to cleanup the wildebeest kill and roaring lions.
