Tanzania!

Is it teacher summer all the time now??? Might as well be!

It was Tet Holiday* and Vietnam took a week off to celebrate. Jessie and I got all the way out of town and a continent over to Tanzania. We flew into Dar Es Salaam and had one night there before venturing out on safari. We spent the day shopping and enjoying genuine sunshine before we flew out for a safari.

We flew to Arusha where most Tanzanian safaris begin. Our first destination was Tarangire National Park. Our game drive took us all through the park and we were able to see elephants, giraffes, and monkeys. At one point our driver floored it to a specific area of the park. When we got there, a big crowd was gathered to see a leopard sleeping in a tree! 

The next day we went to the Ngorongoro Crater. The crater is an imploded volcano that is home to so many different animals. It was covered in clouds when we first arrive but we got a beautiful view on our way out. The game drive took us down into the crater where we saw zebras, hippopotami, gazelles, flamingos, buffalo, wildebeests, and even a rhinoceros off in the distance!

The real treat was all the lions we saw! There were lions sleeping along the road, lions playing in a big pile of dirt, and a group of lions that came and laid down right next to our truck! They saw the shade and invited themselves over for a nap. We were more than happy to oblige. 

Maasai people live at the top of the crater and we did a walking safari around the top to take in the views. The sky was clear by the time we left and we could see the entire crater below.

For our last day of the safari, we went to Lake Manyara National Park. There weren't as many animals out that day but we were able to follow some buffalo, gazelles, and an elephant around while they went about their days.

 

After our time on safari we flew to Zanzibar. Zanzibar is an island chain in the Indian Ocean that is not even a half hour flight from the mainland. I'd love to tell you that we spent our time there fully immersing ourself in local culture but the truth is we relaxed in the sunshine and enjoyed the beautiful air, weather, and atmosphere for most of our waking hours. We did occasionally pose dramatically** by the beautiful ocean waters and we took a sunset cruise*** on our last night there.

We it took a whole bunch of flights and airports**** to get home but we have successfully returned to the Year of the Dragon. I'd say that now we have to stop traveling and work for a bit but this blog entry is coming to you from Jeju, South Korea, where I'm chaperoning students at a music festival. But next week I'm totally home for at least two weeks!

Chuc Mung Nam Moi!
KT

*Lunar New Year, aka Happy 2024: Once More with Feeling
**Or hysterically
***We expected the sunset. We did not expect the 3 hour tour and live drum band that joined us on the boat.
****And one stop at the Bangkok Taco Bell