{"id":1695,"date":"2019-08-13T23:10:13","date_gmt":"2019-08-13T23:10:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/southernhighlanders.com\/new\/?p=1695"},"modified":"2019-08-13T23:10:29","modified_gmt":"2019-08-13T23:10:29","slug":"the-safari","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/southernhighlanders.com\/new\/2019\/08\/13\/the-safari\/","title":{"rendered":"The Safari"},"content":{"rendered":"

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When we got off the big Uhuru summit of Kilimanjaro we took a shower at the hotel in Moshi. I was now in full blown respiratory distress and spent the afternoon\/ night in a fever. Imagine being in a hotel in Africa and freezing to death then burning up. Yes, the idea of a safari, or anything else, for that matter was not enticing. But, then again, neither was being laid up sick.\u00a0 So, we made arrangements, again through Evans, to leave early the next day and drive to Arusha, several hours away and eventually toward Tarangiri National Park.<\/p>\n

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Tarangiri was warm but the dusty roads weren’t helping my condition. Still, we pushed on and saw our first animals, ones that would signify the abundance of Africa, the Thompson Gazelles.<\/p>\n

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Soon we were knee deep in zebra and wildebeest.<\/p>\n

\"\"\u00a0\"\"\u00a0Then we saw our first elephants.<\/p>\n

\"\"\u00a0Thompson gazelle are like the buffet items for predators.<\/p>\n

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Much like you see in Discovery, animals congregate at the watering hole.<\/p>\n

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Not that they weren’t plentiful elsewhere.<\/p>\n

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After several hours cruising Tarangiri, we drove for a bit to our first lodging which was exquisite. For some reason I didn’t take any photographs here but we had individual bungalos and incredible food. We would depart early the next morning for Serengeti.<\/p>\n

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All smiles for a minute as we paid our fees and entered this marvel of nature. It spans 12,000 square miles and extends well into Kenya. The Maasai people used to inhabit this area and are abundant throughout. You recognize them by their colorful dress.<\/p>\n

\"\"\u00a0Howard captured this moment with the Maasai. Then we zoomed in to see how they really felt about being photographed.<\/p>\n

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Elephants on the move in Serengeti.<\/p>\n

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We couldn’t get out of the Land Cruiser much. There were dangerous animals around.<\/p>\n

\"\"\u00a0\"\"\u00a0(the ubiquitous gazelle)<\/p>\n

\"\"\u00a0Three jaguar.\u00a0 But wait until you see what happens here.<\/p>\n