So Funny

Lake Manyara 024
Originally uploaded by susiebarber

Today was a game drive at Lake Manyara National Park, followed by lunch and a visit to a local village. The drive was kinda the usual -- we saw lots of baboons, giraffes, hippos, etc. We did see some new species to us -- mountain goats, some new monkeys, and some birds.

At one point, it was all so boring that our driver/guide Selemani started to tell us how it is that palm trees were growing around a small river. Apparently, the seed needs to "pass through an animal" before it can actually sprout. If it hasn't ended up in poop, it doesn't stand a chance. He then did something we're not supposed to do under any circumstances -- he got out of the jeep. Right outside his door was a seed (about the size of an avocado pit) that had done the passing. He handed it in through the window for us to take and pass around. No thank you. But Geoffrey (our 75 year old Welshman traveling with his two sons) grabbed it. Before we knew it, Selemani was walking across a small field and then disappeared behind a bush. Then we hear "EL - E - PHANT!" (with Tanzanian accent) really loud. I grabbed my camera to take a picture and here came Selemani running his ass off looking over his shoulder. He jumped into the jeep just as the elephant emergerged. He was laughing so hard (you know, that deep belly laugh I've menitoned) that we couldn't help ourselves. Of course, that was before the elephant came right up to the jeep and stared us down. He started to charge just as Selemani hit the gas, so we both moved in unison. The elephant stopped abruptly and so did we. We kinda played cat and mouse for a bit, but all the time we were laughing so hard. Later at lunch, I showed him the photo in my camera and told him that the only thing funnier would have been if he had come running out with his pants down. That got him laughing so hard that he couldn't speak. Since day 1, we've been talking about how man is the most dangerous animal of all, hence the caption. I can't help giggling just remembering this incident, but it may be one of those things where you had to be there.

After lunch we were taken for a walk through a local village. We saw a banana plantation, saw where they make African carvings, some folks visited a school, we went to a local "brewery" and tried the banana beer (better than the rice beer in Nepal, but still not that great), and hit a market. Then it was back to the lodge and pool time.

Tomorrow we head to Tarangire for one night and one last game drive. Friday I start a very long journey home.