Into the wild: Ruaha National Park

The Cessna Caravan flight from the Selous Game Reserve to Ruaha National Park on Feb. 3 was one of the most interesting safari flights we have undertaken in several years. Just as we were gaining altitude coming out of the airstrip at Selous, the pilot pointed out the location of Sand Rivers Camp to us. We would return to this property a couple of days later. It has an ideal location right on the bank of the Rufiji River, overlooking a wide expanse of water.

En route from the Selous to Ruaha, we had some great views over the Rufiji River. We would return to this area (Sand Rivers Camp) a couple of days later

Somewhat further along the flight, we reached the Uzungwa escarpment which separates the coastal plain and central plateau

Further along the way to Ruaha, we flew over some massive sugar cane plantations. Next was an impressive mountainous area which demarcates the escarpment. From the air I could clearly identify some prominent gorges, cliffs and waterfalls. Our pilot put the more than willing Caravan into a gentle climb as the ground was now 3,000 feet closer to us than when we were flying over the Selous. Finally, we descended into the Jongomero Airstrip for a rather tricky uphill landing. The Canadian pilot handled it with skill and confidence. I'd fly with her again anytime.

Jongomero had arranged a very nice welcoming ceremony for us with what appeared to be the entire camp staff complement bidding us a warm welcome, complete with damp towels and a refreshing drink. Our hosts Greg and Isabel introduced us to the camp, gave us the usual briefing (don't go walkabout at night, watch out for Kingo the 'camp' elephant, by all means drink the water but there's bottled mineral water at extra cost if you prefer) etc. and then left us alone to unpack and settle in.

Interior of our very comfortable room at Jongomero

The bathroom at our Jongomero tent; the shower is in the far right hand corner of the room; there is also ample space to store clothing and other stuff

Kathleen looking out from our verandah, over the dry riverbed of the Jongomero River. The Jongomero would not be this dry for much longer

Soon after, we were treated to a splendid lunch on the riverbank of the dry Jongomero River, a tributary of the Ruaha which in turn spills into the Rufiji. Yeah it took me a while to get it too. How vegan can you be in a place like this where people have to drive for 9 hours one way for a fresh tomato? Very. Jenny's Noodle House here in Houston would have been thrilled to serve such a nice spread including cellophane noodles, a fresh green salad, and an excellent aubergine side dish. The omnivores had some chicken satay.

A partial view of the airy lounge area at Jongomero

Another area of the lounge as well as the bar


On this day, lunch was served al fresco, on the banks of the Jongomero

At 1530 that afternoon, over tea, we met with our guide Kim for a safari briefing and then set out on our first game drive in Ruaha National Park, which is just about as remote an area as you can get to, nowadays. Remote, beautiful and very atmospheric. This is the Africa of old, when the word 'safari' did not immediately conjure up images of massive designer rooms, fresh cut flowers in the room and spa treatments. Ruaha is the real deal where you don't see many other vehicles. How about NO other vehicles! It might not be the best destination for people going on safari for the very first time. For them, Northern Tanzania's Serengeti and Kenya's Maasai Mara would be a better bet, with their wide-open spaces where the animals are essentially just waiting for you to clap your eyes on them. At Ruaha, you have to work a little harder to gain your game-viewing spurs. And certainly at this time of the year (February, after the first rains had fallen & many of the animals had dispersed) the game-viewing can be challenging, as the bush is exceedingly thick and you have to be persistent - and get lucky - to see some of the more elusive mammals. For example, we had a tough time finding buffalo, even though there are several thousand of them resident in the park.

However, if you are a real safari aficionado who had been to a few other places already, and if you appreciate Africa's truly wild and unspoiled places and everything they offer, then Ruaha is for you. By all means stay for a few days. Certainly no less than three nights, four would be even better. This place is made for slow travel. Put aside the Blackberry, banish thoughts of spreadsheets from your mind, and embrace the relaxed pace of the bush. Look at the stars, wake up with the light and enjoy the cleanest air you might breathe all year. Ruaha's climate is about as good as it gets on safari. This was mid-summer and we had to wear wind-breakers on the early morning and later afternoon game drives. There were some pesky tsetse flies here and there on game drives, but we found Mossi Guard (it is available for sale at the camp) to be practically 100% effective against these persistent pests.

On this late afternoon, we did pretty well by finding a couple of male lions, many dik-dik (superb tiny little antelope, bring your binocs!), some zebra (they just would not stand still for a pic!), a couple of elephants on the move, a few waterbuck and giraffe everywhere. I also picked up several new life birds, always a thrill. Ruaha is simply a dazzling birding destination, so if you also happen to be a birder, you'd be in heaven. Our guide Kim was an expert on the local birds so it was great to have him around.

We spotted this diminutive dik-dik antelope on our first game drive. It was involved in some kind of interaction, probably a territorial dispute, with another individual.

The raised crest on this dik-dik is indicative of its state of agitation

The next morning, I was up very early and tried to do some ab and core exercises, but my heart wasn't in it. Even with the best of intentions, it is difficult to remain in an 'exercise' mode when you are on safari. However I think even camps without mains electricity would do well to make a stationary bike and a rowing machine (a Concept2 of course) available to their guests. But I digress. Breakfast was 'a la carte' with eggs to order, and sides of bacon, sausage, beans and mushrooms. I settled for a very creamy porridge of oatmeal cooked with soy milk, some toast and more of the lovely fresh fruit which turned out be a staple item at every meal we had in Tanzania. While enjoying breakfast, a dark shrike-type bird hopped out of the bush on my right hand side, and starting calling quite prominently, duetting with another bird not far away. Setting aside the marmalade, I picked up the binoculars, had a good look, checked out Birds of Africa and voila, a life bird (almost) before breakfast! Slaty-coloured Boubou.

The morning game drive (it starts at 0800A at Ruaha) was somewhat on the quiet side, although we got some excellent looks at giraffe, which seemed to be abundant in the area. Other sightings included Defassa waterbuck, some very elegant kudu (my favorite antelope I think), the ever entertaining warthogs, ubiquitous impala, zebra (skittish!), several troops of yellow baboons, vervet monkeys, and dik-dik around every corner. We were back in camp around 1200 noon.

Giraffes have very long tongues (up to a foot and half) which are covered with hard bumps (papillae) which protect them from thorns. Combined with their prehensile upperlip, they can select individual clumps of leaves or just strip an entire twig.

Another shot of a giraffe chomping away.

Giraffe are most vulnerable while drinking

This lion was not interested in us and clearly not in the mood for photography. It was nap time

I would return to this camp just for the food. Lunch consisted of a delightful local white bean salad, fresh green tossed salad, a potato and green bean salad and beer bread. Dessert was chocolate tart for everybody else, fruit salad for yours truly. Apple, granadilla, watermelon and the sweetest pineapple you can imagine. After lunch I caught up on a few e-mails on one of the camp laptops. It was great to have access to the internet (wireless at that!) here in the middle of nowhere but at the same time frustrating due to the slow speed of the connection. We are so spoiled with broadband nowadays. Does anybody even remember the pioneer days of commercial internet usage when e-mails trickled in and out at a snails pace of 1200 bps? Positively antediluvian.

The afternoon game drive initially started out slow but picked up later when we saw a nice herd of elephants with two young babies, in a very relaxed mood in the middle of the road. We stopped and observed them from far away, so as not to spoil their almost contemplative mood or cause them any stress. The elephants remained in the road for quite a while, peacefully milling about, browsing here and there and just totally in control of the space. Finally, they slowly drifted into the bush and disappeared from view.

There were lots of these Defassa waterbuck to be seen at Ruaha. Unlike the Common waterbuck, they do not have the 'target' ring around the tail

Ruaha seemed to be overrun with giraffes. They were everywhere!

We kept our distance from this relaxed elephant herd, who dawdled in the road for a while before slipping quietly into the bush

At the conclusion of our sundowner stop on the banks of the Ruaha River, where we had been observing some waterbuck and a few marabou storks staring at the water in their usual desultory fashion, Kim started to pack away the fold-up table and other paraphernalia when Kathleen spotted something on the other side of the river. More lions, six of them in fact, standing and moving around in what appeared to be an agitated state. They were just a bit too far for a useful photograph but we had some good looks through the binoculars. Anticipating some action, Kim skillfully maneuvered the truck closer. Maybe the lions had some designs on the waterbuck? It was not to be and we returned to camp.

In the middle of the night Kathleen and I woke up to the sound of running water, of the 'babbling brook' variety. I immediately realized what had happened. Sometime the previous day, heavy rain had fallen in the catchment area of the Jongomero well upstream from the camp and this was essentially a flash flood. This was confirmed the next morning at first light. The Jongomero had turned into a real river overnight, having been a river of sand until then. Apparently this usually happens a little earlier every year, but we were happy to be there to observe the phenomenon. The water flowed quite shallow but more than 30 meters wide, the advancing rush of water carrying large chunks of foam with it. Some of the animals in the area must have been just as excited as were were to witness this welcome event. At around 0500A I had heard heavy splashing noises, no doubt caused by some hippo getting their feet wet.

The Jongomero turned into a real river overnight

Another view of the Jongomero in flood

Our last morning game drive at Ruaha was one of the best yet with some great close-up views of an elephant, a most relaxed bull who stood just meters from the vehicle, contentedly selecting mouthfuls of fresh green shoots. We also spotted several black-backed jackals, grey duiker, and naturally more giraffe.

All too soon we had to say farewell to the friendly people of Jongomero Camp. We hope to return here someday perhaps in the dry season and we will be sure to go out on a walk with Molly if he is still there. Next stop: Sand Rivers Camp on the mighty Rufiji River.

Mangroves, monkeys and a spice tour

On February 2, still jet lagged, we were up at 0445A just in time to watch the second half of the Superbowl, broadcast live in Zanzibar on ESPN - without the commercials. What a game! Breakfast at the Serena dining room overlooking the ocean, consisted almost totally of local items, such as pigeon peas, fried banana, sweet potato, rice cake, Swahili donuts (mandazi), and sesame bread. Just after 0700A we departed with Fauz via a couple of small towns, en route to Jozani Forest. Driving in Zanzibar is an otherworldly experience, especially early on a weekday morning, when everyone seems to be on the road at the same time. At any stage, the narrow road would be replete with dozens if not hundreds of bikes, many with passengers and other loaded to the hilt, swarms of overloaded matatus (minibuses), and hundreds of pedestrians all seemingly hell-bent on crossing the road as soon as possible and in the most unpredictable manner. The effect is a ballet of traffic mayhem, performed in double quick time, with bandits flying at you from every angle. The impact is somewhere between frightening and hilarious, comical and suicidal, insane and inane.

At Jozani Forest our plus minus 3 hour outing included a stroll to the Mangrove Forest, some excellent Red Colobus monkey sightings, and a walk through an astonishing mahogany gallery forest. Our guide was an accomplished herbalist, and provided us with detailed information about a dizzying array of plants and their medicinal uses. The Mangrove Forest was particularly interesting with many species of tiny crabs, fish, and plants adapted to the saline water environment. The journey to Jozani is definitely worth the effort just to experience the lovely walk along an elevated boardwalk through the thick mangrove forest.

This elevated boardwalk winds through a portion of the mangrove forest at Jozani Forest Reserve in Zanzibar

Another view of the mangrove forest showing the peculiarly adapted tree roots, typical of mangrove forests throughout the world. These trees are keenly sought for all types of construction, boats, furniture and a myriad other uses, making them (and the forests themselves) a very threatened habitat type

At the Jozani Forest Reserve, the 'must see' mammal is the endemic Red Colobus monkey. There were many of them moving low down in the brushy vegetation between the mahogany forest and the mangroves.

I took quite a few pics of these attractive and very relaxed animals

This particular specimen did not seem to mind getting quite close to me and the camera

The colobus never stopped feeding on what seemed to be berries and flowers.

One last monkey shot...

From there, we took a short detour to a small local ocean village resort, with rustic bandas overlooking a simply gorgeous and semi-deserted beach. If this were Miami, there would be hundreds of beach goers spread out on the sand. Here, there was barely a handful of people strolling along the soft white sand.

The beaches on Zanzibar's east coast are wide and clean with soft white sand.

It wasn't the best time of the day (near noon) for a photograph but the beach looked pretty good nonetheless

Kathleen strolling along the beach. The glare was blinding - take your darkest dark glasses

Close-up of some colorful bougainvillea flowers in the resort garden

The highlight of this day was a Spice Tour. I didn't know quite what to make of the Spice Tour idea in advance of going. It sounded rather touristy, and I anticipated a visit to a factory or spice outlet, looking at different types of packaged spices. The tour instead turned into a fun and highly educational experience, with two young, enthusiastic local guides showing us where spices really come from. For example, we saw a pepper tree with green, red and black berries all on the same tree. We were treated to handling and smelling fresh turmeric root, lemongrass, cinnamon tree bark, some roots with a menthol (Vicks) flavor and several others. And of course the tour would not have been complete without Zanzibar's signature spice – cloves. We saw it right on the tree in three stages: immature, green with a small bulb (best for picking), and reddish mature. Along the way there were many kinds of fruits which we got to sample, including lychees, mango (green), banana, the weird Jack fruit, and fresh young coconut, from which we enjoyed both the juice and soft pulp. Finally, there were some vanilla beans on the vine and then a nutmeg demonstration. This was really amazing. You are shown a nondescript fruit, somewhat like an apricot in appearance. When split in half, it reveals a hard nutmeg kernel (the way you and I would buy it in a bottle), but here still surrounded by a red plastic-like sheath.

It is quite a feat, if you'll pardon the pun, to tie one's feet together and clamber up a coconut tree to retrieve a few coconuts for the tourists

The local guide peeled and then split the top off this fresh young coconut

The young guides worked hard to earn their tips; even here in remote Zanzibar the worldwide economic recession has had an impact. There were more guides sitting around than there were ones with clients to guide.

The Queen of Spice Island

This is where a nutmeg kernel comes from before it goes into a 'Spice Island' bottle and gets slapped with a $6.95 price tag...

Dhows like this one and a variety of other small ocean-going vessels are a common sight along the beaches of Zanzibar

We were sad to say farewell to Zanzibar. Next time we will spend a few days in one of the coastal resorts on the East or Northern part of the island.

For dinner that evening, Kathleen and I wandered down a narrow alley in Stone Town (it is quite safe) to the Al Johari Restaurant, where she enjoyed some grilled prawns while I had a herb perfumed vegetable medley with a side order of spicy couscous. It was altogether quite pleasant, in an attractive room which was air-conditioned, an important consideration in Zanzibar at this time of the year.

Malaria is definitely an issue in Zanzibar: our driver-guide Fauz and the Jozani forest guide both mentioned multiple bouts with malaria; even their children have had to deal with this scourge.

The next morning (February 3) we had an early breakfast, and were then driven to Zanzibar Airport (like so many things in Zanzibar it really needs some work!) for the short 25 minute flight to Dar Es Salaam. From there, a friendly Canadian lady pilot flew us by Caravn (30 minutes) to Selous Game Reserve, where she dropped off a couple of passengers and picked up two more for the 1 hr 15 minute flight to Jongomero in the Ruaha National Park. Our Tanzania safari adventure was about to begin.

Stone Town, Zanzibar Island

It is a very long way from Houston to Dar Es Salaam in southern Tanzania. Getting there entailed two long back to back flights from IAH/Houston Intercontinental to AMS/Amsterdam, then AMS to JRO/Kilimanjaro, followed by a final hop of about 45 minutes to Dar, as Dar Es Salaam is commonly referred to. The first leg was pleasant enough with a good cabin crew making up for the extremely limited legroom in the Boeing 747 Combi. Candy and cookies in the galley between meals helped to relieve the unbelievable tedium of spending so much time in so little space. Our dogs have more room in their crates.

The second leg was on a relatively much roomier Boeing 777 but by then we were starting to get very fatigued. When we finally arrived in Dar, it was already 1145P. And a day later. And we still had to get visas. Should have done this before we left the USA! So we completed a visa application form, and handed over a C-note each for the privilege of entering Tanzania. The official scrutinized the bills and handed them back to me. Only ‘new’ US money is acceptable - my ‘vintage’ $100 bills (printed in 1996) were no good. They could buy you a nice dinner for two in the USA, but not even a loaf of bread, never mind a visa, in Tanzania… Thinking but not verbalizing a few choice expletives, I handed over some crisp new 20’s instead. Much scrutiny of the ‘born by’ dates later, the currency was given the thumbs up. Swell. Then followed a 20 minute wait while four other officials seemed to be taking turns handing off our passports to each other for additional scrutiny. Eventually we were off to the Kempinski Kilimanjaro Hotel in lovely downtown Dar. Even at night we could tell the place was a dump. The hotel was first class though. We were in a zombie-like state by then, but we did enjoy the huge big bath with scalding hot water. Otherwise the room was so-so. The highlight of our short overnight stay was watching the end of the last one-day cricket match between South Africa and Australia. The South African Proteas humiliated Australia by a 4 to 1 margin in the 1-day series having already clinched the test series.

Dar Es Salaam Harbor as seen from our room in the Kempinski Kilimanjaro Hotel

Towards the end of our trip, we would take this ferry across Dar Es Salaam Harbor to the South Beach area

Breakfast at the Kempinski was amazing. The array of fresh fruit was stunning, including excellent papaya, honeydew, bananas, apples, mango, watermelon, pineapple and granadilla (aka passion fruit). There were several types of bread, a dozen varieties of jams and preserves, sweet cakes, pastries, croissants, apple fritters etc. I was very happy with the choice of cereals with soy milk. For those people wanting a ‘real’ breakfast, you could have eggs to order, three types of sausage (beef, chicken and pork), fish cakes, roasted vegetables, bacon, beans, and Belgian waffles. Not enough for you? Well then try the yoghurt, wild honey, dried fruit, three kinds of smoothies, cured ham, beef stew, or the large variety of cold meats and cheeses.

Part of the breakfast display at the Kempinski Hotel in Dar Es Salaam

It is a short 25 minute flight on a Caravan from Dar to Zanzibar Island. At the tiny and rather dismal airport our guide Fauz picked us up and drove us to the Zanzibar Serena Inn where we would spend the next two nights. It was an excellent choice: a well-run property right on the beach with great views over the placid, clear water of the Indian Ocean. We ended up in one of the best rooms in the place, a corner ‘prime room’, with stunning views. I unpacked, laced on my running shoes and went for a 5-mile jaunt along the beach, staying just on the edge of Stone Town. For lunch I enjoyed a spicy Zanzibar pilaf, and Kathleen had some locally caught cobia, also known as ling.

The pool at the Serena Inn

The view from the pool at the Serena Inn

Another view from the pool at the Serena Inn

A view over Stone Town Harbor, from the patio at the Serena Inn

Another view of the pool at the Serena Inn

The view from our room at the Serena Inn

Another view from our balcony

Our first activity was a tour of Stone Town with our private guide Fauz, walking through the maze of narrow alleys, gawking at a bewildering array of old, decaying buildings of several different styles, mostly Indian and Arabic but also Portuguese. The place was somewhat reminiscent of Lisbon’s Alfama district with its narrow streets. Stone Town is a fascinating place where an unrivaled cultural experience awaits visitors who cannot fail to be bowled over by the impact of this place. Stone Town hits you on many levels. Of course there’s the dazzling visual impact of the place. Beyond what is visible, the sense of history and of bygone times is palpable. I would not have been surprised in the least, if a real Sultan appeared around the next corner. There is just so much to see: the ornate doors, the plethora of balconies, both exterior and interior, the beautifully designed and often quite ornate lobbies of several building which are now hotels such as the Al Johari, the Dhow Palace, the Tembo Hotel and many others. There are houses of worship galore; some 48 mosques, a magnificent yet sadly dilapidated Catholic Church and many others.

Narrow alleys such as this one is typical of Stone Town. There is no vehicular traffic, only pedestrians, bikes and motorbikes.

Kathleen in a fine carved chair in the Al Johari Hotel in Stone Town

The entrance to Tippu Tip's former residence in Stone Town. He was a notorious slave master who amassed a fortune in the slave trade

A building in the Portuguese style make for an interesting view from the edge of Stone Town

An interior courtyard and pool at a Stone Town hotel

Another view of the courtyard at the same Stone Town hotel

Yet another interior courtyard in one of Stone Town's interesting buildings

This Catholic cathedral has fallen into a terrible state of disrepair; unfortunately not an uncommon sight in Stone Town.

A colorful display outside a curio shop in Stone Town

Some interesting masks at one of the many shops in Stone Town

The Wednesday and Sunday market adds an olfactory level to the Stone Town experience. Squeamish visitors beware: the fish market flat out stinks, at least on a hot Sunday in early February. But what a place! It would last about a week in any major US cities by which time the health authorities would shut it down. Refrigeration? Don’t need no stinking refrigeration… And then there’s the people of Stone Town. One is often hard pressed to even guess at their ethnic background. African, Turkish, Indian, Arabic, the diversity is astonishing. One thing that most of them do have in common is the Islamic faith, and the Swahili language.

Fresh (or maybe not so fresh) squid for sale at the Stone Town market. There is no refrigeration.

Fresh vegetables at the Stone Town market

A variety of spices on sale at the Stone Town market

A partial view of the former Sultan's Palace on the Stone Town waterfront; it now houses a museum which we did not have time to visit.

Kids swimming in the ocean just off the beach at the Tembo Hotel in Stone Town.

Barack Obama is very popular in Zanzibar - this sign in the small square in front of our hotel was a popular backdrop for several TV reporters.

Late afternoon scene from the patio at the Serena Inn

Back from Tanzania

We are back from a 2-week trip to Southern Tanzania and Zanzibar. It was great - a little hot at times but beautiful places, friendly people, some good animal and bird viewing, lots of cultural experiences and excellent food. Unfortunately not too many opportunities for running, except once in Stone Town in Zanzibar and then a few times at Ras Kutani, a coastal resort south of Dar Es Salaam on the Indian Ocean. This photograph was taken on the track from the lodge to the 'main' road. I ran there on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday last week, and then an hour on the treadmill at the Kempinski Kilimanjaro Hotel in Dar Es Salaam on Thursday afternoon. On Thursday night at around 1100P we boarded our KLM flight from DAR to Amsterdam, where we arrived at 0700A on Friday, after about 9 hours in the air. Then we spent 3 hours at Schiphol Airport cooling our heels before a 9-hour 40-minute flight non-stop to Houston. It was nice to see the boys and the dogs again - and our house had a new roof. Jet-lagged or not, I took Daisy for an easy 4-mile run which she probably enjoyed more than me. Kath and I went out for a quick vegan BBQ sandwhich at Field of Greens and pretty much crashed around 900P. I was feeling very close to my expiration date.

Feeling a lot better this morning; very pleasant 6-mile run along the Bayou - Daisy again in tow. She is loving the running, but is still so distracted when there are other people or dogs around, that she refuses to drink any water along the way. Hopefully when it gets warmer that won't be a problem.

I've left myself preciously little time to prepare properly for Boston, but at least I am healthy. The knee injury seems to be a thing of the past. I guess I will have to lower my expectations from trying to re-qualify to just finishing under 4 hours. It is Boston after all: enjoying the experience and soaking it all in is part of the experience.