Day 63

Simply put, today was a fantastic day. After the Isimila hotel treated us to a farewell free breakfast (after all, we have been living there for over a month), we hit the road bright and early. At about 10:30, we stopped at a gas station outside of Mbuyuni to pick up some snacks and inadvertently discovered a brand of chips that tastes exactly like Kraft Dinner. I think they must use the same chemical cheese. KD Mac n’ Cheese is a very special food group for Canadians, students, and especially Canadian students. The first time I visited my sister in England, I brought a couple boxes in my suitcase and was mystified when her boyfriend and flat mate didn’t immediately take to it. After 63 days without KD, finding a comparable replacement really made my day.

We arrived in the town of Mikumi just before noon, where we checked into our hotel and grabbed a quick bite to eat. Then we drove into the park and spent the next five and half glorious hours driving around and watching animals to our hearts’ content. I think going on safari was the perfect way to conclude our time in interior Tanzania. We’ve been so preoccupied with our research lately that was nice to stop and look around, and remember how beautiful this place really is. Seeing a compendium of baby animals didn’t hurt either. Today we saw giraffes, wildebeest, buffalo, impala, warthogs, zebras, all sorts of birds, hippos, and my perpetual favourite, elephants. Not only were the animals much closer this time, but they certainly knew how to pose for pictures. We also had several hilarious run-ins with warthogs, an accidental tomato injury, and a guide who wasn’t afraid to climb onto to the roof of our car and hang on to the roof rack looking for animals while we drove around. After a full afternoon of sightseeing, we left the park right at sunset. I think the image of the sun setting over the savannah was worth coming all the way to Africa, even without everything else that has happened over the past 9 weeks.

Two things stand out about my experiences inside the national park. First of all, I was surprised that the animals interact with one another so much. I suppose zoos and television gave me the notion that different animals tend to keep to themselves. However, that’s really not how the ecosystem works. Instead, elephants cavort with giraffes, birds sit on water buffalo, and zebras share shade with impala. I found it really interesting to watch all these large mammals interact with one another in their environment. It adds a whole other dimension to seeing and appreciating wild animals. Secondly, it was hard to get used to noticing flies again. For the last few months, we’ve put up with flies in and around our food, in our rooms, and constantly buzzing around our heads. When we don’t eat outside, the windows and doors of restaurants are always open which makes it impossible to control the insects. Throw in the conditions of a tropical climate and you get ubiquitous flies. Most of the time, I don’t even remember to brush them off. However, the situation radically changes in the national parks due to the presence of Tse Tse flies that spread sleeping sickness. All of a sudden, our guide Anderson was brushing flies off people and warning us to be careful. And trust me, once you start to notice the flies again, they’re absolutely everywhere. Furthermore, what I thought was a completely safe purple sweater turned out to be the exact colour to which they are attracted. Consequently, I spent most of the day in just a tank top, paranoid about the flies. Just another Tanzanian adventure.



We are staying in Mikumi tonight at a place called the Genesis Inn. Pam likes this hotel because the beds are huge, the restaurant serves pork, and you get free admission to the snake park next door with your booking. This is the first “tourist hotel” we’ve stayed at and objectively, it’s very nice. However, it’s almost too nice. Suddenly we have queen sized beds, a shower curtain, and a ceiling fan. Tonight at dinner, our food came within half an hour and all the orders were correct. Also, we were served carrot soup and rolls before dinner and crepes with jam afterwards. The staff speaks English to us, even when we know the correct Swahili words. Worst of all, this place is crawling with other wazungus. We’ve been spending so much time with each other and our Tanzanian colleagues that apparently we’ve become somewhat territorial around other white people. It doesn’t help that we are staying next door to a rowdy group of Americans who refuse to speak Kiswahili and come off as just a little culturally insensitive. We have had such a different experience here compared to most safari travellers that it’s legitimately hard to relate. Whose country is this anyway? Still, the combination of going on safari and staying at this magnificent hotel has made for quite the mini-vacation. Best of all, we’ve been told to expect a proper English breakfast before we set out for Dar es Salaam tomorrow morning. I don’t know if I could get used to this, but I sure appreciate it right now.