Serengeti to Amboseli
Last night we went to sleep to the high-pitched squeaks of bats and the strange howls of the hyenas, who were quite chatty. We have a final breakfast, as on every morning, of made-to-order omelet, delicious bacon, fresh fruits, pastries and breads, an delicious coffee.We pack up to depart, enjoying a final view out over the valley. At the receptions area, we sign the guest book and take some photos of the Masai men and the house staff, who have been wonderful. Every morning the Masai men, armed with a long stick, walk us to breakfast in the barely dawn light, and in the evening. They walk us to and from dinner. This seems a bit much at first, but sightings of Cape buffalo and hyena on the lodge grounds, as well, as hearing of the three leopard who live there, make it clear that this is indeed a good idea. We hear that the male staff asked if they could create a soccer field for times when there are no guests, and host Doreen and her husband said yes. In a few hours, they cleared a soccer field near the drive, and play there, with one man always standing guard for predators.
On our last ride with our driver, John, there is still more wildlife to be seen: gazelles, giraffes including one that was sitting down, and a lioness and her Cuban a downed dead Ted, posed perfectly. A bit over an hour to the airport, and we wait for our flight, which is either at 10:00 or 11:00. It is getting hot, so time for some sunscreen. After much switching of who is on which plane – each carries only 9 passengers . We are off for a very smooth flight to Arusha. The landscape that was so strange when we arrived now looks familiar, winding roads throughout the Serengeti reaching throughout the park.
We arrive in Arusha, go through security, and stop at a very large restaurant, which from the sign appears to do quite a business for weddings and similar events. They have a huge circular barbecue, and almost all of us get their special plate, which is barbecued chicken, lamb, beef, and goat, which is delicious. Then off to the Tanzania Cultural Center, which offers every imaginable kind of carving, wooden wall hanging, statues, beaded jewelry and accessory, as well as Tanzanite, a beautiful blue stone from this area. We find a pretty pair of earrings for Madeleine – her birthday is just after our return – and placemats I admired so much at the Soroi lodge.
At the border crossing , we get out of the rather stuffy bus, stand in line for out exit papers, all along the way women in traditional dress and beaded jewelry are selling necklaces and bracelets quite assertively. Ari buys a number of water bottles and small ice creams for the group and graciously distributes them. We then walk over the border to the Kenya side to get our visas, with about 7 or 8 women again selling beaded items while we waited in line. A problem arises – one of our group’s passport was altered, and the immigration agent was not at all happy about it. Fortunately our Kenyan escort, Eric, was able to help, as it was quite hot by now and most everyone was a little cranky. We walk to our three new vans, load up the luggage, most of the women still selling through the windows as we wait for everyone to board, and we are off. We drive through a village which quickly become countryside, a vey dry and brown landscape.On the road from the border crossing to Amboseli, we see people on motorcycles with huge loads of of firewood, children driving small herds of goats, wood or concrete block and mud houses with metal roofs, some very sad looking wooden kiosks selling various items, and the fewer new buildings mostly seem to be mosques. Seeing these small herds of goats and cattle makes it clear that this is an important part of people’s livelihoods. The road is rough, and all-weather road Barney tells me, the gravel surface making it less dusty than a dirt road, but not paved so it is still dusty. Because of the delays at the border crossing, we are quite late, and the drivers are eager to get us to Amboseli before dark, so they are driving quite fast, about 80 kph. It is a bone-jarring two hours, though we see Kilimanjaro at sunset from the Kenya side. It is too noisy in the car to talk, so I’m writing to catch up on the day. There is work underway on the road, so we take a detour, driving over a dry river which is rather smooth by comparison, and then back on the bumpy road. We arrive at last, dental work mostly still intact, tired and very dusty. We head out to dinner, and Joel shifts our start time from 6:30am to 9:00am, which we’re all happy about.
The Amboseli Serena Lodge is much larger than the Soroi, 60 rooms compared to 13, so it suddenly feels like there are lots of people around, and quite a diverse crowd. The rooms are smaller, but the shower is lovely, After being almost alone at the Soroi and getting to know the few staff by name, it seems a little odd to see so many staff here, plus a large lounge and gift shop. A little stream runs through the reception area, and the sound of water, missing from our soundscape recently, is very nice. We’ll sleep well tonight.
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