Africa Part 1

For Christmas, Shea and I decided that we would go to Africa in 2015 as our big holiday destination. After months of planning, the big day finally arrived for us to catch our flights to Tanzania.  We were super excited to go and the upgrade on our first stretch of the trip was a huge bonus.  Unfortunately, this high did not last long and we landed in Nairobi very late. Thankfully, we were able to make our connection but our luggage did not catch up to us until the next night at Arusha.

We were beginning to believe that Mt. Kilimanjaro was a myth as we never got to see it. 

No luggage? No problem!  I am in Africa!

While in Arusha, we stayed at a wonderful resort Called River Trees. It had both a river and trees. Because we did not have luggage, we were not able to take advantage of the swimming pool, bike rides and hiking that it offered but we did get to see a few things. 

Our room! It was so pretty. And huge!

The little river that ran through the property.

We don't even know what this is. It looked like some sort of melon after Shea finally cracked it open.

We finally came across our first wildlife: monkeys!  They were so cute and interesting to watch. That was until they turned on us and chased us across a field.  I have never screamed so loud or ran so fast!  All because of a pack of stupid vervent monkeys.

Don't be fooled by this face. Vervent monkeys are vicious and mean!

Fact: Vervent monkeys are far more enjoyable when they are in the trees and not on the ground.

We actually got a lot of pictures of these guys before the attack.

 After this ordeal, we headed to the bar where they served Canadian Rye. And that ended the exploring we did at Arusha.

Chased by monkeys? No problem. I have rye!

A starling bird, African style.

Safari Shea

The next day, we hopped on a tiny plane to fly to the Mahale Mountains. This was our first time riding in a tiny plane.  They basically serve the purpose of a bus in North America. They fly, land, drop people and supplies off, fly again and repeat.

Our plane. 

View of Tanzania from the sky.

Thankfully, this was not our landing.  This plane was at our landing destination.

Selfie with the plane.

 Then it was onto a boat for an hour or so to get to our resort.

Selfie on the boat.

One of the fishing villages we passed along the way.

Our home for 4 days.

This resort had permanent tents as accommodation. That meant that our tent had hardwood floors, plumbing, lighting and all the comforts of a hotel room. The only difference was the walls were canvas. The tent was then under a thatched roof so you didn't have to worry about touching the canvas if it rained (it never did).  It also sat on a wood platform which was extended with a lovely deck to sit at and watch the sunsets.

The king sized bed in the "tent"

Bathroom.

Desk area

Our views outside.

The main reason to go to the Mahale Mountains is for the chimpanzees. The chimps that we got to see have been studied by Japanese scientists for over 40 years.  They were quite comfortable with humans being around.  The only difficult thing is that you never know where they are and whether you will see them.  You could spend all day hiking through the forest and never see one.  The hiking is ridiculously hot too. Because of the terrain, you need to be covered head to toe and it's Africa, which means the weather is hot and humid.  After you accept the fact that you are sweaty and gross, it isn't too bad.  While walking, you are listening to the sounds of the forest for any sign of an animal being nearby.  Our guides were wonderful in telling us what we were hearing and pointing out different signs that the chimps are near (half eaten fruit, chimp foot prints, poop).  And just when you don't think you can walk another step and sweat is pouring down your face, a chimp emerges from the forest!

Our first encounter. This is an older female chimp with a five year old male son trailing behind. 

 And all those hours of hiking, and listening to the forest finally pay off.

We were very lucky. On our first day, we were taken into the forest for a couple hours to get acquainted with what to expect.We also got to see a few chimps.

The sun setting on Lake Tanganyika.

After our luck on the first trek, it was time for our first official trek to see the chimps. This means that a park ranger must accompany the group to ensure all rules are followed. In order to protect the species, you must wear a face mask when near the chimps (they can easily catch our diseases) and you only get to be near them for one hour each day. There are a bunch of rules about how close you can get and what to do if one comes near you. After our experience the first day, I did not think we would get near the chimps. I also did not think we would see many chimps together. Thankfully, I was wrong...

This little guy was running and climbing everywhere.

This young man was very close to us on the path. 

These two walked right by us, a mere meter away from us.

Just a bunch of chimps hanging out.

Chimp watching. 

We also saw our first warthog. Hello Pumba!

Chimp trekking is sweaty work!

Three little chimps, sitting in a tree...

 After a five hour hike (with one hour to watch the chimps, it was time to come back to camp.  As we were washing the forest off us, a group of baboons decided to play on and around our "tent."

A baby baboon out the window.

 Then it was time to enjoy the beach and sip some drinks in the sun shade.

We are loving Mahale!

Our second day started with a boat ride up the lake to see crocodile and hippos. We managed to see one of these!

A couple of stow-aways on our boat.

Hippos! 

Shea enjoying Africa.

 Then it was back to the chimps for our final visit.

Relaxing in the sun.

An older female.

A young male, lounging in the heat of the day.

The chimps were absolutely worth the time, effort (sweat) and money it took to see them. They are so much like us. They have a political system within the group that does not rely on strength but rather, intelligence and networking. They care for each other and each others young (we met one chimp who lost his mother at an early age and was then raised by the group). They share resources and teach each other how to fish termites with sticks. They are very peaceful creatures and their eyes show their feelings and thoughts. Spending a short time among the chimps was one of the top things I have every been able to experience in my life.

Here is a short video of one of my favorite moments watching these magnificent animals: