Plunging Into the Dark Continent

An African Safari...
The two months vacation after the strenuous 10th standard Boards were indeed very memorable for me. I had decided to pay a visit to my uncle in Tanzania on my way back from Bahrain. Disembarking from the plane...and stepping foot on the African Soil was indeed a special sensation, though it might sound silly when you hear it. Thanks to the diary, I’d kept updated during my stay there; I’m now able to recount my experience of the African Safari.
Our journey began when we landed at the Kilimanjaro Int Airport (KIA), on the Precision Airlines flight. Unlike the other planes, this one resembled a 19th century fighter plane, with rotating blades on the wings, which provided lift to the plane. I was lucky to catch a glimpse of the Kilimanjaro Mountain through the small cabin window.

Our 1st destination was the ‘Ngorongoro Crater’. It took us a few hrs to reach there. The place was engulfed with thick,silvery mist and the smell of fresh air was rejuvenating. After taking a few pictures from the craters rim we started to descend into the land inside. The inside of the crater is abt 1200 feet below sea level .It was from here that I’d called up Leena Miss to wish her on her B’day. It is hard to believe as to how life erupted inside a crater…It was lush green grass and trees spread over the massive place. We then drove and drove till it was four in the evening. We were able to catch sight of quite a large number of animals, mainly the Big 5 as they call there: The lion, leopard, rhino, African elephant and the wild boar.

The journey was on a safari jeep and there were many pulsating moments and sights: the wild elephants bumped onto our vehicle, cheetahs majestically walked around us and also sights of vultures feeding on dead gazelles and hyenas watching it. The nature was at its best. The thick clouds which were scattered over the blue sky looked more like the cotton candy or the marsh-mallows.

This was not like visiting a zoo, or a wild life sanctuary in India... The fact that the African government despite being way too poor than India, showed importance to the survival of the wildlife in their country is indeed praiseworthy. It was indeed a wonderful trip altogether. I felt this is far better then visiting places like Italy and US as the natural wonders were far too better than the man made ones. God’s perfectionist touch was seen everywhere.

The next day we headed to Serengeti (meaning endless plains).It was a long drive and on our way we stopped at a tribe village called 'Masai Village'. There r many such villages scattered here and there in the country. The chief's son,' Lazorro' who knew English took us around. He showed us the houses (we even went inside), a small nursery and he described their lifestyle. Wild flowers, buffalo blood and meat were their favourite dishes. The language was difficult to catch. I just remember two words: ‘Jambo’ which means hello and ‘Kwaheri’ which means bye.
It is difficult to spot leopards, but we were lucky. We also came across other animals, mainly zebras, wilder beasts, gazelles n our ancestor’s..the chimpanzees’ and baboon’s. After having our picnic lunch we drove about for a few hours more after which we proceeded to our resort. The hospitality of the people surprised me, and I wondered if it really was the ‘Dark Continent’.
Day 3 wasn't very eventful. Our driver was feeling quite uneasy and on enquiry we came to know that he had been infected with malaria the previous day. We headed off to Lake Manyara, it was a very long drive from Serengeti. By noon we reached the lodge and once we finished our lunch we set off for the drive. We got back before sunset and had a sound sleep and hoped that Edward would be fine.

It was the perfect vacation and I’ll cherish the memories forever. So, the next time you plan for a vacation abroad...Think about dropping in at Africa. So....’Kwaheri’ friends...