Jacqui and Richard Abroad: Saturday, December 28th

Waiting for breakfast, at the Tulia Hotel, in Arusha

The Tulia Hotel

Getting to Tarangire National Park
Departure time from the hotel was set for 9 am. It was kind of nice to sleep in a bed, after the multiple flights of Friday. We were picked up by Malisa, our guide/driver and Juma, our cook. We headed up to a grocery store for some liquid supplies and snacks as there will be no convenience stores on the safari. We finally headed out of Arusha around 10 am to go to the Tarangire National Park (about a 2 hour drive). Driving along, we could really see how poor this developing country is. People still tend to their flocks, just like they did centuries ago, walking behind their goats, cows or donkeys and guiding them with a stick. We saw women carrying bundles of sticks or buckets of water on their head. We saw villages built of grass (or wood sticks) huts where people live. The lucky ones have a motorcycle, that they use to carry fruit or other goods to the town market. But despite all this poverty, people are always smiling and look very happy.

Malisa, our guide/driver and Nicolas

A village close to a water hole

A shepherd, with his goats

Using your head!

Tarangire National Park

We stopped at our campsite to drop off our cook and our camping gear. It got set up (ya, our driver does that too, with help from local people) and we had a boxed lunch.

Waiting for lunch, at our campsite

A village in the background, close to our first campsite

Our means of transportation for the safari - the roof does open up

We then headed out to Tarangire National Park. Everyone was very excited by all the things we saw. Baobabs, a great variety of birds and animals were present at every turn of the road.