Safari: Part One

If given the opportunity, how would you describe the universe? Would you start with a physical description of its stars and move forward to the galaxies? Would you explain the universe in the form of a story from beginning to end? Would you be concise? Is that even possible?

If you replace “universe” with “safari,” you have my problem. We finished our safari tour of three national parks a week ago, and I’m still racking my brain to figure out how I can describe the amazing things I’ve experienced with you all.

I’ve decided to rely on pictures with a few highlights. Brevity is the soul of wit.

Part One: Lake Manyara National Park

Less famous than the other two, this park is known for its birdlife and abundant hippos. The park lies between the lake and a series of cliffs that resemble the hills of Los Angeles – we looked for the “Hollywood” sign.

We awoke at 4:30 to be picked up at 5:30 from our compound by the vehicle below. The first night we slept in a luxury lodge; we would camp the following two nights.

We (and our stuff) waited to start an adventure!


Hippo pond – with storks, hawks, wildebeest, zebra, and of course, hippos. This is what I call an ecosystem.

While driving around, we spied the rear of an elephant snacking on a nearby bush. While verbally coaxing it to turn around, we almost missed this family of elephants behind the truck! They sprinkled themselves with dust to “clean” themselves. How it works, I have no clue.

An acacia tree – the symbol of both East Africa and the movie "the Lion King." Often, we would break into song.

The velvet monkey. The first thing I noticed were the bright blue genitals. That’s how you can tell its aroused, apparently.