Tea by the Sea in the sunshine

Cornel left us on Friday morning and then had to come back again half a hour later because the road was blocked at Leckmelm for two hours due to an accident. A cyclist was air lifted to hospital; I hope that she will be ok, we haven’t heard otherwise. So the three of us all sat outside the cottage and had another coffee until we heard that the road was clear and Cornel set off homewards. We were tired after our late night, so James and I had a pretty quiet day in the sunshine.
On Saturday we had a meeting in the village and enjoyed watching a sailing race; the yachts swept by very near the shore; the loch must become deep very quickly there. We had lunch at Tea by the Sea and had a walk around the harbour. 
Today is the last day of August and we have had such a tremendous run of good weather. It’s still very warm, almost too hot to sit outdoors in the sunshine. However the rowan berries are very red and there are a few leaves gently drifting down from the trees. It feels as if autumn is just around the corner. James and I have been watching our old favourite The Great British Sewing Bee, it never disappoints. We also watched a series recommended to us by Kerry called Apple Cider Vinegar about Belle Gibson, an influencer in Australia who pretended that she had cancer in order to gain popularity and make money from her website and products. However it wasn’t just an exposé; it was very nuanced and showed different sides of the story. 

Dinner at the Shore Restaurant

Wednesday was another big day for James and Cornel; three more Munros in the Fannichs. They left early in the morning. The weather is staying dry and warm despite the dubious forecast and they had a great day. While they were away I replenished our stocks of beer and made a delicious dinner (if I do say so myself!) of chilli con carne. 
Then yesterday James and Cornel went for a walk up past the quarry to Loch Achall this morning and then over the hills to the dump road before returning to the village. It was a much less strenuous day for them than yesterday, but still a goodly walk. I walked down to the village and had a cheese scone for lunch in the Cult Café. We all had a relaxing afternoon sitting outside the cottage reading our books, drinking coffee and chatting. Cornel very kindly insisted on taking us out for dinner. We went to the Shore Restaurant at the Arch Inn and the food was absolutely delicious. We then went downstairs to the pub for a drink, and to listen to Rumac who was playing. The room at the front where he was playing was very full, so we sat in the bar area, and the music was loud enough that we could hear it fine from there. Sitting at the same table as us, there was a an Austrian couple in their 30s and we got talking to them. In fact, Cornell was talking to them in fluent German, which I found very impressive! He speaks three languages; German, Afrikaans and English. We had only intended to have a couple of drinks, but we were still there at closing time and James invited Eva and Fridolin back to the cottage to sample some whisky, specifically Raasay whisky. We continued our evening in a convivial manner, and James and the others tasted and discussed whisky among lots of other things. The cats were amazed that we had brought back strangers and stared at them at first and then paid them lots of attention. By the time they left it was late. Very late. It was really very funny because we have been going to bed at a sedate 10 p.m. all week because of all the hill-walking that James and Cornell have been doing, and then yesterday evening we blew it out of the water! 

Back to Mellon Udrigle

After their big day yesterday, James and Cornel decided a coastal walk would be appropriate to stretch their legs in a more gentle fashion. I suggested that we go to Mellon Udrigle, which we had enjoyed visiting with Kevin. We set up camp on the beach and James and Cornel went off for a walk around the Peninsula, while I read my book. The weather was fine but the breeze was brisk enough to put me off going for a swim. Instead, I paddled up and down the length of the beach, enjoying splashing through the gentle waves. There’s no feeling quite like it. The coastal walk turned out to be boggier and longer than anticipated and after a couple of hours James phoned me to ask if I could pick him and Cornel up from the road end from Slaggan Bay, which would cut about half an hour from the end of their walk. James then made us coffee on the beach before we headed back to Ullapool in glorious late afternoon sunshine. 

A Bonnie Day

James and Cornel left early this morning to climb four Munros in the Fannichs. Cornel is visiting us this week and he and James are hoping to do lots of walking despite a mixed forecast. Today is beautiful so they decided to go for a big day while they can. I went down to the estuary at 9 a.m. when there was a very high tide of 4.99 metres. The water was so far up the grass that it nearly reached the bushes. The water was quite chilly but I had a good swim, and then sat and read my book for a while on a deckchair in the sunshine. Later I went for a walk along to the village where I did some shopping. I was sitting on the sea wall drinking some refreshing chilled apple juice when I saw a group of six fit ladies walking along from the ferry, wheeling their bicycles. Heather had messaged me earlier in the day to tell me that Kathleen and a group of the Glasgow Gals cycling group would be crossing to Ullapool from Stornoway after a cycling trip in the Western Isles. I had assumed that I wouldn’t run into them since Ullapool is currently about as busy as it gets, but I spotted Kathleen straight away and hailed her. We had a brief chat and I took a photo of the group. James and Cornell arrived back at the cottage, tired but very happy after climbing all of their mountains in glorious sunshine and we had drinks outdoors before dinner. 

Erin and Hughie

We are enjoying the warm summer in Ullapool, having a peaceful time with the cats. Both of them are spending a huge amount of time outdoors and so are James and I! We were sitting on the bench today watching Flora who was rolling around on the slabs in the sunshine, and we noticed that she just rolls her shoulders and top half over, and then her lower half inevitably follows. It’s very funny and sweet. Less endearingly, Flora likes to eat the cobwebs on the wall beside the patio as if she is eating candy floss, including juicy dead flies. Disgusting. 
Yesterday we visited Alison and Hugh in Nairn for a very special reason; to meet their five month old grandson Hugh, aka Hughie. What a smiley baby he is! Whenever you catch his eye he gives a great big smile - what a friendly wee chap! His smile is very like that of his Grandpa Hugh, and I have always thought that Erin looks very like Alison. We haven’t seen Erin since she was a baby herself and now she is about to turn four years old and is a gorgeous wee girl. She is very clever; she can count to a hundred and can say the whole alphabet as well as writing her name. She is also pleased to be the big sister of Hughie and is very kind with him. Hugh and Lucy have taken to double parenthood like ducks to water, they are so calm and competent, I can remember Hugh so clearly as a wee fellow running about our garden with our boys in the 1990s, not much older than Erin is now! It was very nice to see Lynsey again, she dotes on her wee great-niece and great-nephew. After a delicious lunch we went outside so that Erin could play on her swing and discovered that she is completely fearless, liking to swing very high while trying to burst bubbles that Granny Alison was blowing for her! Having grandchildren looks like great fun. 

Walking in Strathconon

This morning, James and I gave Kevin a lift to Inverness station. We were sorry to say goodbye to him, we have had a lot of fun with him over the last few days. We were in good time and had a quick coffee in the Costa at the station before saying our farewells to Kevin and then heading for Strathconon. James had a Corbett that he wanted to bag, called Bac an Eich, which was a six hour circular trip from our parking spot near Inverchoran farm. I decided to walk along a bit of the River Meig and then walk the length of Loch Beannacharain. There was an attractive big house at the end of the loch called Scardroy and opposite it there was a steep hillock with a little cylindrical monument on top. I climbed up to take a closer look, and found it easier to take my shoes and socks off to walk up through the long grass! Apparently the monument is in memory of a 2nd World War Major-General called John Frederick Boyce Combe. There are a couple of crests on it but the plaque mentioned online is missing, so I’m not sure what was his link to the area. I walked back to the car, stopping beside the river on the way for lunch. The field was full of delicate pale blue harebells, tiny clusters of white field madder, purple field scabious and little yellow tormentil. By the time I arrived back at the car I had walked more than 12 km which pleased me. James made really good speed on his hill walk and arrived back at the car only twenty minutes after I did. We headed home via Deli-ca-Sea where we got fish suppers. The cats had been outside all day, with access to food and water in the porch, and were excited to see us. 

Appletons meet in Ullapool!

The weather in Ullapool is fantastic and we have been making the most of it. Yesterday I went swimming in the estuary and today we are at Mellon Udrigle beach where I have had another swim. The water is at its warmest at this time of year, it’s such a pleasure to be able to stride into the water without even flinching! Kevin had been staying with us for the last few days and it has been lovely to see him. He posted a few photos on Facebook about his trip and his cousin’s son contacted him to say that he now lives in Ullapool! So we invited James and his partner Cal round for drinks and we all sat in the garden in the hot sunshine and chatted. They are in their thirties, really nice and also extremely interesting. James is a photographer and film maker and hill runner and kayaker, and Cal is a vet and paddle boarder. They moved to Ullapool a couple of years ago and are renovating a boat as well as travelling and working. Last year they made a film of Cal paddle boarding around Scotland, interviewing local people on the way about their work for the environment and biodiversity. We watched the first part last night and it was fascinating; we’re going to watch part two tonight. 
On Saturday evening James, Kevin and I went to see the Lewis McLaughlin Duo at the Ceilidh Place Venue. Lewis is a talented young singer and guitarist, and he was accompanied by Chloe Bryce on the fiddle who was also great. It was an excellent evening and the sky was glowing red on the horizon as we walked home along West Terrace. We also took Kevin for a trip on the Shearwater yesterday morning, where we saw bonxies swooping about, and lots of dolphins leaping in and out of the water. It turns out that tour guide Noel Hawkins is a great friend of James and Cal - so many connections! 

Sounds of Africa

We are back in Ullapool enjoying the warm weather. We had a sunny lunch sitting outside Tea by the Sea today, and enjoyed the beautiful views along the loch. 

On the way north we played some of the music that reminds us of our Tanzanian holiday. Many lovely African songs were played in the evenings at our lodges and camps, often accompanied by dancing by the staff and sometimes us too! Three songs particularly stood out to me. 

Firstly, Jambo Bwana is a cheerful and catchy Swahili greeting song from East Africa, originally written in Kenya in the 1980s. Its famous line “Hakuna Matata”  means “no worries” and was subsequently used as a song title in the Disney film “Lion King.” We heard it (and sang it!) every evening.  
Secondly, we heard a lot of Waka Waka (This Time for Africa) which was the official anthem for the South African World Cup in 2010, written and sung by Shakira. It draws inspiration from traditional African music, and also Colombian rhythms. 
However my favourite song of all was Jerusalema, a Zulu song from South Africa. It has such a beautiful tune and is an anthem of hope, unity, and belonging; it is the song that we danced to at Lake Manyara Lodge. 

We also learned a few phrases while we were in Tanzania in addition to Hakuna Matata. 

Asante sana means thank you very much, and we had very many occasions to say that. Karibu means you’re welcome, and Pole Pole (pronounced “polay polay”) means take your time, take it easy.

For me these songs and words perfectly reflect the spirit of our trip - full of friendship, adventure and shared memories. 

Farewell to Tanzania

A quick blog from top of the garden before I go inside to make dinner. It is delightfully warm today; not as warm as the Serengeti or Zanzibar of course, but still properly summery and balmy. The sky is completely blue and the garden is in full bloom. Flora is sitting in the chair beside me, keeping me company. I have done quite a few very useful errands over the last couple of days which would be boring to relate but were satisfying to complete. I have also been swimming, visited the dental hygienist, done loads of laundry and packed for our trip to Ullapool which starts tomorrow. We had lunch with Heather and Ewan yesterday at Vin18 and then came back here for coffee and cakes. James took the car for its service and has been working hard in the garden. 

We had such a great holiday with our young folks. It’s hard to believe that we were in Africa just a couple of days ago, and its vivid colours and scenery remain with me. I am so delighted that the holiday went so well, but I’m not surprised; after all we are a family and we all share our love for adventure. 

The young people were all vocally appreciative of the accommodation and the holiday, and enthusiastic about the animals and birds. I couldn’t have asked for better companions. 

What would I do differently? Not much, however perhaps I would choose a couple of lodges rather than move around so much. We could fly between them and spend 3 or 4 days in each, going on one game drive per day early morning and relaxing at the lodge for the rest of the day. I would love to go back to Tanzania, however I’m aware that there are different countries whose safaris would offer us more and different experiences. It has been truly brilliant. 

Stone Town

We were being collected from Breezes Resort at 1 p.m. yesterday (Saturday) so we had a relaxing breakfast and morning before meeting at Reception. I had actually asked for a late checkout, however when the hotel didn’t have availability we asked Audley Travel if our airport transfer could be a couple of hours early so that we could visit Stone Town. Holly arranged this for us at no extra charge, which was a really nice gesture, and by 2.30 p.m. we had been dropped off and were heading on foot into the narrow alleyways of Stone Town. These twisting lanes were full of colourful shops selling bright fabrics, dresses, paintings, carvings and other souvenirs. There were lots of beautiful carved wood doors with brass studs in them. Ally was our excellent navigator, and guided us first to the Anglican Church. The church and the neighbouring East African Slave Trade Exhibit stand on the grounds of one of the largest and most notorious slave markets in East Africa. This exhibition was created to commemorate the abolition of slavery and preserve the legacy of the individuals who were brought here and sold. Slavery had always been a component of traditional East African society, but during the 19th century the trade grew hugely and was led by Europeans, Indians, Arabs, coastal people and

ethnic leaders of the mainland. A lot of people made a lot of money and Zanzibar was at the centre of operations. Slave trading in East Africa was abolished in 1873, however it persisted in Zanzibar well into the 20th century. We went on a tour which included the cramped cells where the slaves were kept before market, and a group of statues of chained slaves outside. The exhibition was very interesting and showed us that as well as the slave traders there were also good people who tried very hard to abolish slavery. Our very own local boy from Blantyre, David Livingstone, was one of the good guys. He spent most of his life campaigning to end the slave trade as well as exploring Africa. It was a sobering visit but I felt glad to have paid my respects to the men, women and children who were sold into slavery. 

Ally then expertly led us onwards to the Old Fort which was full of little stalls selling food and drink.  We walked right through the courtyard and some attractive gardens to the harbour and had lunch in the lovely Cape Town Fish Restaurant. It is an attractive and busy harbour with lots of little fishing boats as well as ferries. On the way back to the minibus we stopped briefly at the house where Freddie Mercury lived until he moved to the UK when he was about 20. 

And so our journey home began. It was a long haul, mainly because we had factored in significant gaps between our flights in case of delay. We said good bye to Jamie and Kerry in Addis Ababa when they headed to Dubai and thence to Bali. We said goodbye to Ally and Cat at London Gatwick, from where they had a short journey home. Davie, Chanel, James and I hung around at Gatwick rather tired, until it was time for the final leg of our journey to Glasgow. We finally arrived home at about 4.30 p.m. Tom and Flora were waiting for us and it was so very good to see them. 

Swimming in the Indian Ocean

We all met for a late breakfast at the luxurious hour of 9 a.m. instead of the 7 a.m. starts that we have been having because of the diving course. Then we all headed to the sun loungers overlooking the sea for some serious relaxation. We did set off for a low tide walk to look at the coral but my sandals were being sucked off my feet by the very soft sand and I was concerned about tripping and falling onto a sea urchin, so I retreated to the sun loungers with Cat and Chanel, while James, Ally and Davie pressed on. Ally did in fact get spiked by a sea urchin in the side of his heel but he removed it with tweezers. We had lunch in the sandy floored bar and then the young folk went off for a lively afternoon at the pool table. I hear that David was the ultimate victor. I decided to have a swim in the sea. The tide was fully in and the waves seemed quite big; there were a few other people swimming which encouraged me, and I had a fantastic time. The water was as warm as a bath, the waves tossed me up and down and I had to swim quite hard against a current that swept along northwards about 20 metres from the shore. James came and joined me and we swam out to the raft and back to the shore. 
As it was our last night, complimentary drinks and snacks were delivered to our room, where we all gathered before heading up to cocktail hour at reception. Dinner was delicious and we had a nightcap in the bar, discussing our holiday experiences. It was such a lovely evening and I will miss our group of eight intrepid explorers. 

Frangipani Spa and Tides Restaurant

This was the last day of our intrepid divers’ PADI course, so they set off to the Diving Centre after breakfast. Kerry and I relaxed and chatted over coffee and pastries, and at 10 a.m. we presented ourselves to the Frangipani Spa. We had both booked massages and thoroughly enjoyed them. The spa decor was browns and golds, with dark brown furniture. It felt very relaxing. Then we got ourselves sun beds overlooking the sea and read our books, and we went for a swim. The water in the pool was cool and refreshing. 
The divers returned happily; they had enjoyed a great morning and have all passed their PADI. We had a delightful lunch together and a relaxing afternoon. The evening was very special indeed. The young folk had clubbed together to treat James and I to a dinner for two at Tides Restaurant for our Ruby Anniversary. This is a little restaurant for two people right on the beach. It’s a carved wooden room with curtains that blow in the breeze and with doors that open out onto a tiny terrace overlooking the sea, where we had pre dinner drinks. Back inside the tiny room we had an amazing four course dinner. James had a huge lobster and I had paneer masala; there is definitely a spicy vibe about the food here. One stand out course for me was hibiscus sorbet, which is both sweet and tart, which I will attempt to reproduce at home. After we had eaten our fill and more, our waitress Hamid presented us with a big chocolate cake decorated “Happy Anniversary!” We took it to the main restaurant with us and shared it over drinks with the young folks, who had just enjoyed a slap up Gala dinner. The evening was crowned by Jamie asking Ally and Davie to be his joint Best Men at his and Kerry’s wedding, to which they both agreed with alacrity. I was so very happy. 

Scuba Diving

Yesterday we had a change of pace, we had a day at the pool at our lovely hotel. Six of us were having a scuba diving lesson; James, Jamie, Ally, Cat, Davie and Chanel. Kerry and I spent the day spectating, swimming, chatting, reading and relaxing. The friendly instructor, Emily, took the divers thoroughly through their training. It was very interesting to watch. 
Later in the afternoon we all went to the bar for pre dinner drinks, and a convivial evening followed, listening to the music from a very good Zanzibar group and having a laugh. 
This morning we had an early breakfast because the divers were heading out to sea. Kerry and I lingered on pleasantly for another coffee, then went to the sun loungers near the beach where we read our books and chatted. Our divers arrived back at lunch time rather tired but happy that they had all successfully used their skills to scuba dive in the sea. Lunch was lovely, and then I went for a walk along the beach at high tide which was spectacular; the waves reached nearly to the low wall beneath the hotel. Drinks by the pool were followed by champagne in our bedroom and then dinner, which was Swahili night with a delicious and unusual buffet. 

Travelling to Zanzibar

We left the Nyikani Migration Camp just after 7 a.m. The morning light was beautiful and lit up the long grass. 

We saw a white cuckoo sitting on a tree, plenty of zebras, and wildebeest in herds as far as the eye could see. Charles and Naftal had brought us to the air strip very early but it was quite cool with lots of shade. We said our goodbyes to them rather sadly, they have been such excellent drivers and guides to us. Ours was one of the larger planes that we saw arriving, with room for about 40 passengers in 10 rows: we watched our luggage being loaded and soon we were on board. Kerry was asked by the stewardess to help her to close the door! We made a stop at Central Serengeti airport to pick up more passengers; we could see giraffes in the distance. And then we left the Serengeti and our plane flew us south east to Zanzibar. The final leg of our journey took just over an hour by minibus to Breezes Beach Resort and Spa, which is everything we had hoped for. the attractive white-washed buildings have high Makuti roofs, made with hand woven coconut palm leaves. The resort is right beside the sea with a swimming pool and a diving centre. It’s great that the pool is very close to the beach, so you can go to either pool or beach without having to move to a different seating area. We soon settled into our beautiful rooms and then headed to the bar for a snack lunch and later to the pool for a swim and drinks. Dinner was absolutely splendid; it was Spice Night and both the variety and quality of dishes were excellent, with lots of vegetarian options. We had a fun evening with lots of laughs, and went down to the beach to look at the stars before bed time. 

The Mara River

We started the day with a refreshing bucket shower. The staff who fill them call from outside the tent to check if you are ready, so I said yes and when I heard it fill up I jumped into the cubicle. The first splash of residual water was chilly and I exclaimed aloud “Oh that’s cold!” to which a voice right beside me (just outside the tent!) replied “It will be warm in a minute!” which I thought was very funny. He was of course waiting for me to finish so that he could fill up James’s bucket. 

We set off in our Land-cruisers just after 7.30 a.m. The aim of today’s expedition was to attempt to see the wildebeest crossing the Mara River as part of the Great Migration. On the way we saw lots of wildebeest trotting along in large groups. We also saw zebras, a Secretary bird, Repelle Vultures in a tree, water buffalo and a Marshall eagle. 

Naftal positioned the landcruiser right beside the river and we waited to see what the wildebeest would do. And waited and waited. A Little bee eater entertained us by flitting around. The wildebeest moved around in their huge herd, massing near the river, but they didn’t quite dare make the move to swim through it. They made quite the racket mooing at each other. They were right to be hesitant; down on the banks of the river we could see dead wildebeest, who hadn’t made it across, being feasted on by vultures and crocodiles. Eventually we headed back to the camp for lunch, spotting lots more wildebeest, a few giraffes, zebras and a battler eagle. 
Lunch was excellent and after a chat we all went back to our nice cool rooms for an afternoon rest. 
We regrouped at 4 p.m. and headed back to the river. Alas the wildebeest had decided that today was not an auspicious time to cross, and in fact were heading away from the river for the evening. Naftal told us that while we had been able to go back to camp for a break, some jeeps had waited in vain at the river all day, because they had travelled from much further away. I’m glad that our camp was only about an hour’s drive from the river. So after a while we headed back to camp, seeing lots of wildlife on the way, such as brown snake eagles, zebras, giraffes, and really huge herds of wildebeest. As James pointed out, although we didn’t see the wildebeest actually cross the Mara River, we certainly have seen the Great Migration. After refreshing bucket showers and a rather lovely dinner, we all sat around the camp fire and chatted and looked at the moon and the stars of the southern hemisphere. A great evening in great company. And now a hyena is yipping gently outside our tent! 

Northern Serengeti

I was excited to wake early at Lahia Tented Lodge, and decided to go for a swim before breakfast. It was idyllic. A large stork accompanied me to the swimming pool which overlooks the countryside. The water was silky cool and little birds skimmed over it for a quick dip. It really was a wonderful experience. 
Breakfast was lovely and then we chose the ingredients for our packed lunches. We set off in the landcruisers, this time we decided to have girl / boy landrovers and I enjoyed a day in the delightful company of Kerry, Cat and Chanel. Among many other birds and animals we saw a Volder decken? Hornbill eating a snake! Also water buffalo, impala, lots of zebras, a spotted hyena, and a pride of lions - two male and three female, running along. So many wild animals right beside us! Fantastic. Perhaps the most exciting moment was coming across two male lions right beside the track, sheltering from the hot sun in the shade of a tree. They were not at all bothered by our presence and sat yawning quite happily. 
We had to queue for petrol at a filling station at the edge of the national park on the way north, it’s the only filling station in the area and Charles told us that it was very expensive. After a long drive (we left the Park and then went in by another entrance further north) we arrived at our final and most remote camp, Nyikani Migration Camp. This camp is a temporary one which is moved twice a year.
The bedrooms are again little huts, each with an en-suite toilet and a bucket shower. 
The bucket showers are amazing. They are filled up on request by members of staff and then you pull on a rope and 20 litres of lukewarm water descend upon you through a shower head. It’s so refreshing! We all had showers because we were quite dusty and hot, then met up for drinks and dinner in the main building, followed by more drinks and chat. At one point I needed to visit the toilet just beside the main building. They use a novel way of indicating that the toilet is occupied. There is a warrior’s spear in standing upright in a little hole to the right of the door, and when you go in you move it to another little hole in the middle of the doorway! Back at our tent James used safety pins borrowed from Jamie to hang our mosquito net from the seam in the ceiling. We had been advised to bring a mosquito net for this camp but in fact the tent already has fine mesh windows and inner nets which cover all of the walls and windows. But we decided to use our mosquito net anyway. 

Into the Serengeti

This morning we set off to the Serengeti via the Western Side of the Ngorongoro Crater. When we stopped at the gates for Charles and Naftal to complete the required paperwork, I nipped into the shop to buy a few postcards. Then I went to the toilet, and on exiting I realised that I no longer had my purse. Oh no! I rushed back in but there was no sign of it in either the toilets or the shop. The toilet attendant told me that he had seen it in the toilet and had gone to get latex gloves to retrieve it, but when he came back someone had flushed it away. We all agreed that this was a doubtful story; the purse was a bright blue so the chances are that the next person to go into the cubicle would have seen it straight away. Without meaning to cast aspersions, I think that I dropped it and it was found and stashed somewhere by someone. I was so annoyed with myself, but all the others were very understanding and I cancelled both of the cards that had been in the purse immediately, and established that the cards had not been used before cancellation. We continued into the Ngorongoro Conservation area; the western side has more open grassland and trees, which means giraffes. And sure enough it wasn’t long before we saw our first giraffe, and quite a few more during the day. It was so exciting, they are so elegant. Charles told us that when they stand still their group name is a tower of giraffes, but when they are walking along they are called a journey of giraffes.  And we saw lots and lots of zebras; James and I had thought that we would maybe see a few, but there were so many, and so very beautiful. 
Charles showed us a tree called a theorisation? which is like a thick acacia. 
At David’s request we added in a stop at Olduvai Gorge more info. We had a delightfully cool lunch sitting in the courtyard overlooking the valley. 
We entered Serengeti National Park and queued to go through the gates after Charles and Naftal did the paperwork. Serengeti means endless plain. 
Charles warned us that we were about to have an “African massage” which was a very bumpy five hour game drive on very dusty and uneven roads. Som if the potholes cause by flooding during the wet season were so huge that I thought that they would tip the landcruiser over! 
Here goes with another list:
Speckled fronted weavers, lapis faced vulture, Hildebrand starling, Southern ground hornbill. Alasdair is extremely interested in the birds that we are seeing and is learning to recognise them very well. 
We also saw a cheetah, a jackal, a cervo cat, a jackal, a topi, a Holder? (heart shaped horns), a hyena, and a couple of extremely cute dikdiks. 
More impala, elephants and finally a leopard emerging from a bush. 
At about 6.30 p.m. we arrived at Lahia Tented Lodge. This accommodation was incredible. We all had our separate double rooms but this time they have tent walls under high wooden ceilings, and the curtains move gently in the breeze! The main room of the lodge has a magnificent vaulted ceiling over a huge lounge and dining space. Outside is a swimming pool overlooking ——
On the tops of hills around us controlled fires glowed in the darkness, and the warm night was filled with the sound of crickets. We had a convivial dinner until it was time for us to be escorted back to our rooms, to protect us from wild animals. After seeing the cheetah and leopard today I was very happy to be escorted!