Reminiscing about Tanzania

Just doing some reminiscing about an old Tanzanian adventure, while stuck at home during Covid. So as not to embarrass anyone, my friends' names are redacted. In no particular order:

We were adventurers!

• It was the start of the rain season- our car almost got stuck in a river bed that was refilling with water.
• We also got stuck in mud just 5 min after seeing lions, and had to get out of the car to push. It was easily 30+min of pushing, staring at the long grass, and planning my course of action in case a lion leaps out of the grass.
• F changed the direction of the great gnu migration.
• Deciding one wants to get out of the car to pee == a potentially life or death decision. I once peed close to hippos, because I have a small bladder? It can be strenuous enough that it merits a dance and a photograph to commemorate the moment afterwards!
• We heard a lion chewing meat and the cracking of the bones. Chills.
• A wanted to feed a banana to the lions, and to give them water.
• We went to Zanzibar and swam with dolphins- I destroy A's hat.
• We discover ostrich eggs; albino rhinos; cheetahs.
• The guide got stuck in the bathroom with a leopard.
• I thought I had left my luggage and we almost had to make a 3hr drive back to retrieve it; instead we finally find that it had gotten crammed into a crack in the car; perhaps I should have brought a hard shell luggage!
  

We were photographers!

• We discover D's photography talent; but that apparently iPad photos are better and we should use iPads instead (according to M)
• D realizes that 5am lions look the same as midday lions.
• We make D take portraits for us for the whole trip.
• This is also where I really first played around with a dslr camera- this is part of my artist/photographer origin story!

We enjoyed ourselves, perhaps too much!

• V went back and fell asleep while we were drinking- I am rooming with him and end up being locked out of our treehouse and almost had to sleep with elephants. I had to get guards in the middle of the night to bring guns and escort me. I then guess at which other treehouse D was at to go sleep there. There was an elephant pooping underneath our treehouse the next morning when we wake up.
• A had a huge hangover and almost opened the door to throw up on a group of lion cubs.
• Mid-autumn festival celebration with local Tanzanian beer:
• "Is the moon the same size in Africa?" 
• "D you are malnourished, you should eat more"
• Pili pili hot sauce was a godsend for some of us, less so for others

We were impressed by some local customs, less impressed by others

• Tire shoes!
• Jumping with the Maasai!
• We withdrew ~usd 100 from the bank and almost had to get escorted out / it really seemed like we were in danger of getting robbed.
• We learnt to be a gemologist, bought some Tanzanites, and then our stones got confiscated. D may or may not have needed to save V.
• Hunting already dead birds with arrows, at these "indigenous" tribes who were still "keeping the traditional ways".
  

If you enjoyed reading about my trip and my sense of humour, check out my Brazil trip here!