An African Safari

A small journal entry from my Tanzanian safari expierence. 

I can officially say I am a woman who has been on an African safari. I camped in a tent with a sleeping bag and pillow for three nights. I camped in a small village, in the middle of the Serengeti, and I camped in African mountains somewhere above the Crater. I saw so many animals, felt so many emotions, and lived entirely in the moment. I’m pretty sure that safari will be the best four days of my life. I feel absolutely blessed to have been able to experience it myself. I hope everyone I know has the courage to go on an African safari at some point in their life. It will make you a better person. I promise.

Peter came to the hotel with our guide and cook Friday morning. Our guide/driver was Goodwin and our cook was Joyce. Jillian and I later renamed Joyce “our crazy Aunt Rose” as that name seemed more fitting for her. Goodwin was 37 and I’d guess Joyce was in her late 40s maybe her early 50s. We hopped into our green safari ranger and the adventure began. Jillian and I have become quite the combo. Since day one we have made each other laugh so hard I end up in tears and can’t breathe. We stopped by the grocery on the way to the first park and picked up some beer for ourselves, Goodwin, and Joyce. Jillian and I also brought a bottle of wine each. Goodwin and Joyce seemed to be pretty quiet for the first day. I think they were trying to read us, however we both are pretty much open books. It did not take them long to join in on our jokes and laughing fits.

When we got to the first park, we immediately saw elephants when we entered. One of the elephants took a massive dump and Jillian and I reverted to the maturity level of seven year olds. I actually caught it on video camera. I think it has become our favorite video from the entire safari. Just two white girls, who are almost thirty, laughing uncontrollably at an elephant using the restroom in Africa. We also saw a lion couple on their “honeymoon” as Goodwin put it. This led to Jillian and I asking Goodwin several inappropriate questions about mating. I’m pretty sure we made him feel very uncomfortable; however it was very entertaining to both of us.

We camped in a small village the first night. It was a little nerve racking to be in a tent at a camp site that had lots of mosquitoes. I personally have never been so much of a camper. Jillian made the comment that not only were we camping, be we were camping in the middle of Africa with malaria infested mosquitoes all around us. She had Ambien and shared some with me. I still did not sleep that great, but I know I slept a lot better than what I would have had I not had that. We later joked that all you needed to survive an African safari was a roll of toilet paper and Ambien.

The next day we woke up and I showered. We had breakfast at the camp and then headed to the Serengeti. The drive was breathtaking. We covered so many different types of terrain. I honestly felt like I was in a dream. It’s hard to believe what you are seeing sometimes. It just seemed completely unreal. The Masai herding their animals across the fields and mountains gave me a feeling I have never had before. A lone giraffe walking across the savanna, baboons walking along the road, herds of buffalo in the valley, and naked children playing in a huge mud hole where all things that I saw along the way. Freedom in it’s purest sense mixed with God’s architecture. Blissful. No words to describe it.

When we arrived into the Serengeti, Jillian and I both saw a huge lone elephant walking through a large green field. It was one of the most majestic things I have ever seen. It was powerful and deeply affected the both of us. The way it was walking and its surroundings was one of the coolest things I have ever seen.

I saw so much on that four day safari. It’s hard to put it all into words. But I hope you could enjoy this little bit of it. Please feel free to tweet me if you’d like to hear more about my trip or want some information on a great place to stay in Africa! I love to share the experience with others!