Travelogue: Ngorongoro Crater

11.24.11 Thanksgiving in The Motherland. I have sooooo much to be thankful for...and today, it's more evident than it has been in quite awhile...as today is the day I've been looking forward to for most of life. Today is the day that I go on a safari. Woo hoo! I'm uber syced! So...we arise early. It's funny...I was so excited that an woke up an hour before my alarm went off and just listened to the sounds of the night...and it's no telling what I was hearing as I was lying in bed in the lodge...my bed covered by mosquito netting...in Arusha, Tanzania. I get up and immediately Skype my family. I am 8 hours ahead of them and they are just as excited as I am. Plus, it's Thanksgiving and I have to see their faces as they are the thing that I am most grateful for. Anyways, like clockwork, our guide, Maku, arrives on time and we set put on out 3 hr long journey to the crater. Mind you, Maku drives slow as hell. There are old ladies in walkers passing us...sophisms actually a 2 hr trip. But anyways, as we pass through village by village, he gives us the 411 on each. Over two hours into the trip, we finally turnon thee road that leads to the crater. Not even a mile in, we come to a halt. Why you ask? Welll, though this is not the rainy season, it has been raining more than normal...in fact, it was raining while we were driving. The result of the rain was erosion...erosion which led to one side of the road that we are supposed to travel downto collapsing. Yes...you read that right. The freaking road had collapsed...and there were tons of folks on both sides of the road standing outside and watching the water careen down the newly developed cliff. Of course, both BG and I were like...we are just going to wait this out bc we are going on a safari come hell or high water. Funny thing is that that was both literally and figuratively. Lol! And so we did just that. We sat there for damn near 45 mi utes waiting for the water level to decrease to the point that we could cross. And one we got the green light, we went on our way. Passing through, we noticed that a couple cars did not make it cross. And later on, we found out that at least two people lost their lives. Again I say, I have so much to be thankful for bc that could have easily been us. Anyways, we proceed to the crater. In order to get there, we have to traverse up a mountain. Why is it that Maku all of a sudden felt like he needed to become an Indy car driver? My nerves. Shot. After all most losing it a couple times, we finally get to the top and then descend into the crater. To say that is was breathtaking is an understatement. I was indeed in awe. No explanation other than God is real. Finally, at the bottom, we get to open up the top of the Land Rover, as we would start to begin seeing lots of animals. And, the crater did not disappoint. First, there were the gazelles and wildebeests. Then jackals and warthogs. Then zebra. And they all seemed to be coexisting. Then the hyenas and the sole cheetah that was saw. And then the king of the jungle...or should I say queens bc you that it is the female that seems to do most of the work. This one hyena actually scared the hell out of us because we didn't see it...and then all of a sudden,it was right up on our truck. Another hyena actually got buck with me and I was like...I need you to back on down boss. Of course, my ass never left the truck. Lol! The we saw ostriches, hippos, rhinos, and elephant...monkeys. It was sensory overload...and I enjoyed very last minute of it. Definitely, the experience of a lifetime. Again, I am abundantly blessed. After the safari, we had our Tanzanian version of Thanksgiving (ie...we had regular ole dinner...lol). But I was thankful to be able to Skype with my family yet again...to tell them about my amazing experience. Despite not being with my family, it was indeed one of the best Thanksgivings I have ever had.