Tanzania Honeymoon
At the park, we roll back the fabric roof on the rover and stand up to get better views. The road is dirt, but better than that outside the park, and we catch a nice breeze in our faces as visions of this new unexplored territory fill our eyes. Grinning like children, it isn't long before we spot some giraffe near the road. Although we know we'll see many more, we shoot as if these are the last on earth.
     We climb up to the rim of Ngurdoto Crater, or 'Little Ngorongoro,' and drive through lush forest full of wild mango, African olive, and wild figs. Beard-like lichens hang from outstretched limbs. The huge trees, fused with virus vines, create a tangled skyscraper canopy far above our heads. Black and white colubus monkeys play in the superstory. A huge troop of baboons runs across the road as we approach. Babies ride on their mothers' backs. They play, eat leaves, jump, and scream like it's a cat fight. They hang in the giant trees with the endless plain stretching out far below. From rim overlooks we see, a thousand feet down in the crater, warthogs, water buffalo, and bushbuck. The sun, dancing through cumulous clouds, moves slowly across the crater floor. All around, white-cheeked hornbills with large casques on top of their bills glide through the air with a phffooom sound, and make raucous noises from their perches. A blue monkey appears, then quickly disappears from view. Walking to another overlook, we see fresh buffalo scat. We're told not to stray too far from the guide. The buffalo is said to be the most dangerous of the 'big five.' Related to bison, they can weigh up to 2000 lbs., yet they can run up to 35 mph, far faster than humans. We also see elephant scat in this area. Elephants apparently don't digest their food very well, so they have to spend up to sixteen hours a day eating to take in the 330 lbs of vegetation that they need to sustain themselves. Their size and eating habits have presented a problem in some National Parks, where the encroachment of civilization and the inability of elephants to migrate have caused them to destroy their own habitat. Some parks are even toying with the idea of culling herds to counter this problem. It is not a problem in Arusha Park, however. Here, there are only 70 elephants left.
    We continue driving around the rim, up to the highest point at 7000 feet. There's a great view across the two mile wide crater. Turning around, we see the base of Kilimanjaro, but most of it is hidden by clouds, even in this, the dry season.
    We drive down to a lunch spot overlooking the alkaline Momello Lakes. More wart hogs along the way, running away hysterically, with their little tails stuck straight up in the air. A waterbuck is seen through the trees - they depend on cover to escape predators. Dainty dik diks, about 10 lbs, with large doe eyes, run across the road. Amazingly, these antelope get water solely from the foliage they eat. They are so well adapted to their harsh environment that they can tolerate temperatures of 104 degrees for eight hours before they even begin to pant. As with the other antelopes, they can allow their body temperatures to rise 10 degrees during the heat of the day, and dissipate it later.