Tarangire

I’ve been looking forward to this 4-day Easter weekend, as Tanzania observes the same public holidays as the UK. The plan is to enjoy some wildlife in Tarangire National Park in northern Tanzania with Gugs (driving from Nairobi where she’s based these days) and Robin and Kate (arriving from Zanzibar with their cherub).

The guy checking me in at Dar es Salaam airport appeared to be flirting and he asked for job opportunities. He said he was a skilled cabin crew and check-in agent. I said as a conservation NGO we’re unlikely to have any openings in this field.

The rendezvous point was Arusha airport. I was first to arrive and enjoyed basking in the sun, happy in the knowledge that I won’t need to see my laptop again until Monday.

Robin and Kate arrived with Rhys having various meltdowns when he was told he couldn’t play in the road. A dry storm drain was offered instead, which was eventually accepted. However the overriding emotion for Kate was the relief from Ramadan fasting on Zanzibar and the ability to imbibe liquids and ingest food in daylight hours. She has been secretly drinking water and stashing biscuits in the office bathroom, away from colleagues.

Gugs had various tribulations at the border and with dirty fuel put into her car in Kenya that led to some dubious-looking fumes. However we eventually all convened late morning and made the journey to Tarangire. Residents can find relatively good deals on accommodation fees compared to what foreign tourists (on this occasion a truckload of Norwegians sharing the lodge) have to pay, so we’re stoked about this vista at Tarangire Safari Lodge. After loading up at the buffet we didn’t really stray from this location, watching the sun slowly come down and seeing elephants and vultures moving around the landscape from our vantage point.