A Sabbatical in Three Acts

This was the best day in the Serengeti.  Gorgeous weather -- two different cheetah sightings, lots of lions, and we witnessed a huge river crossing (20-30,000 wildebeest).  Magical! It was a long day though.  We left camp around 7:30am and we didn't return until 7:00pm.  But it was well worth it! We had to wait two hours for the river crossing.  When we first arrived, it looked like they were going to cross immediately - and then they didn't.  More and more wildebeests showed up -- and still no crossing.  The jeeps all stay back from the wildebeest so as to not spook them -- although once one wildebeest decides to cross (and that's all it takes -- just one) -- nothing will stop them. So we waited.  After two hours, we decided to return to camp (the wildebeest will only cross in the daylight).  Just as we started driving away -- the wildebeest decided to go for it -- and we quickly turned around and witnessed a fantastic crossing -- i...

A rather quiet safari day - lions, hippos, and crocodiles (plus all of the antelope).  Weather-wise -- it was just a stunning day! We did have an interesting time when our jeep refused to start when we were up by the Kenyan border (the guides turn off the jeeps when we stop to look at animals).  Fortunately, another jeep came to our rescue; unfortunately, it took them one hour to reach us -- and we were surrounded by three lions (at times, they were less than 5 feet away). All of my guides have insisted that lions don't really see us when we are in the jeep -- they just see a big blob.  And they are used to the jeeps and know that we mean them no harm.  So they don't view us as threats or prey.  Now -- if you were to step out of the jeep -- that would be an entirely different story -- then they would see us as prey! It's still a bit unnerving to have them walk around the jeep and know that you are trapped. Video alert:  more lions mating! ...

Today's drive was awesome -- elephants, cheetah, leopard, lions & some "mini" river crossings.  It did start raining in the afternoon, but we were already on our way back to the camp (and then it really started pouring!). The Serengeti is the setting for one of the world's greatest natural spectacles:  the Great Migration of herds of over two million wildebeest as well as hundreds of thousands of other hoofed animals (zebras, gazelles, etc.).  Now this event could also be termed the Great Misconception -- as people (including myself) seem to think the migration consists of just a single event (river crossing) or happens over a short timeframe -- in fact, it is a cyclical event that essentially never ends! January - March:  the wildebeest are concentrated in the northern Ngorongoro Conservation Area and souther Serengeti area grazing and calving April - May:  the herds begin to head in a northwest direction in search of green grass and May is generall...

The Serengeti National Park  is a wildlife refuge on the Serengeti Plain in north-central Tanzania.  It is partly adjacent to the Kenya border and is northwest of the adjoining Ngorongoro Conservation Area.  It is the only place in Africa where vast land-animal migrations still take place. The park was established in 1951 and covers 5,700 square miles of some of the best grassland range in Africa, as well as extensive acacia woodland savanna.  Elevations range from 3,020 to 6,070 feet. I stayed at Sanctuary's Kichakani Serengeti Camp .  It's a mobile camp -- they move 3x a year to follow the migration.  I stayed in a platform tent with a flush loo.  No running water though -- so they provide hot & cold water for the bathroom sink -- and my introduction to bucket showers (which I found quite satisfying -- and at this camp, quite luxurious -- lots of hot water and the shower was inside the tent -- with the bucket outside the tent). I loved ...

Wonderful safari drive today in the Ngorongoro Crater .  Although the day started off cold and foggy, the fog burned off and the day turned sunny & gorgeous. I do have mixed feelings about the crater -- fantastic animal viewings -- but way too many people.  At times, there were 30 jeeps lined up along the road.  You are also not allowed to go off-road in the park (to get closer to the animals) --- so binoculars are required! Approximately 25,000 large animals, mostly ungulates , live in the crater.  There are no giraffes, crocodiles, topi, or impala in the park (there are elephants and leopards up higher along the crater rim).  During the day I encountered: african golden wolf black-backed jackal black rhinoceros blue wildebeest cape buffalo flamingo grant's gazelle grant's zebra gray crowned crane great white pelican hippopotamus lion spotted hyena superb starling thomson's gazelle warthog Highlights of the day were watching the z...

Today was mostly about driving from Tarangire National Park to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area .  Along the way we stopped in at Lake Manyara National Park . This part of my trip was a bit wonky --- mostly my fault: I had originally asked the travel company to put together a trip that was mostly on the road and to minimize air travel.  For some reason, I had a fear of the small Cessna planes.  The planes are actually bigger than I thought (mostly 12 seaters) -- and they are a great way to get around a country like Tanzania (it's a big country & there aren't a lot of great roads).   I was originally booked to spend 3 nights at the Sanctuary Ngorongoro Crater Camp.  I was reading up on lodges/camps around the crater -- and I got it into my head that I wanted to stay at The Highlands lodge -- so the travel company changed my trip to 2 nights at The Highlands lodge and 1 night at the Sanctuary camp.  What I didn't realize is that The Highlands ...

One thing in common at all of the camps that I stayed at in Tanzania --- no fences.  So wild animals can (and do) wander freely through camp -- especially at night.  I wasn't allowed to wander around by myself at night at any of the camps (not that I was really tempted) -- and a guard always walked me back to my tent at night (at Swala -- it was a local Maasai dude with a flashlight & a spear). At Swala, we were also instructed on what to do if we encountered elephants during the day (walk backwards from wherever you came).  Hippos are the most dangerous thing to encounter (that would only have happened at Selous) -- with the next dangerous animal being the cape buffalo. On my second day at Swala we did have a small herd of elephants come through camp (fortunately I was sitting outside on the deck in front of my tent).  At dinner -- we had a visit from a genet (see photo -- looks a bit like a cat).  We also had two leopards walk through the camp in ...

I spent my first night in Tanzania at a lovely lodge on a coffee plantation outside of Arusha -- about an hour drive from the airport.  Although my plan landed on-time at 8pm -- the visa process took forever -- so I didn't get to my room until 10pm -- and then left at 7:30am the next morning for the drive to Tarangire National Park . Tarangire has the second-highest concentration of wildlife of any Tanzanian national park (after the Serengeti) and, during the dry season, reportedly the largest concentration of elephants in the world.    It's a bit off of the safari circuit (although only two hours from Arusha) -- so lots of day-trippers -- but not a lot of people who venture far into the park. I stayed at Sanctuary's Swala Safari Camp (it's in the park) for two nights.  I think it might have been my favorite camp. The park is also famous for its  baobab trees  -- their thick, sturdy trunk and stunted root-like branches make up an instantly recogn...

Tanzania is an East African country situated just south of the Equator.  Tanzania was formed as a sovereign state in 1964 through the union of the theretofore separate states of Tanganyika and Zanzibar. It's the largest country in East Africa, bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. Tanzania is probably one of the oldest known continuously inhabited areas on Earth; fossil remains of humans and pre-human hominids have been found dating back over two million years. Interesting facts: Tanzania has the largest concentration of wildlife animals per square mile, with more than 4 million wild animals and representatives of 430 species and subspecies. More than 120 languages are spoken in Tanzania.  The official languages are Swahili and English. The world's earliest human skull was found in the Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania (a bit north of the Ngorongoro...

Tallinn was my last stop in the Baltics -- such a beautiful city, I definitely could have spent more time there.  The only negative -- way too many tourists!  There were at least three cruise ships at port while I was there.  The weather was mostly gorgeous during my visit -- so I didn't spend much time indoors -- just spent my time walking around the Old Town of Tallinn (and a fair amount of time basking in the sun at outdoor cafes -- drinking coffee & wine). I stayed at the Three Sisters Hotel and quite happy about that choice.  The hotel is located within the Old Town (in the city's most famous medieval merchant houses built in 1362, renovated and turned into a hotel in 2003)-- so great location, made it very easy to get around to all of the sights.  My room was also really comfortable -- although strangely I had a bathtub in my room (instead of in the bathroom) -- fortunately there was a shower in the bathroom.  And the hotel had a lovely i...

Just three-courses for tonight's dinner ☺ -- and like the previous night -- the food, wine, and service were all fantastic!

I spent two nights at Pädaste Manor -- and had dinner there both nights at Restaurant Alexander. At the restaurant, only seasonal ingredients are used -- and they are primarily sourced from farmers on Muhu Island or from the hotel's own garden. First night was the tasting menu with wine pairing.  The food was fantastic, as were the wines!  And fortunately my room was only 25 feet from the dining room ☺. Foundation Principles of the Nordic Islands' Cuisine The Menu #1: Crunchy flatbreads with herb butter #1:  Potato & Kilu fried potato, dill, fish kilu = Baltic sprat (a small fish similar to the European sprat ) #3:  Kala = fish air-dried flounder with tomato jam very delicious - although I had to ask about how to eat it  #2:  Muhu Ostrich  tartar of ostrich with flowers from the garden very good, from a farm right down the road ...

One of the Baltic's most alluring regions, the west coast of Estonia encompasses forest-covered islands, verdant countryside, and seaside villages slumbering beneath the shadows of picturesque ruins left behind by pagan Estonian warriors, German knights, and Soviet military planners. I stayed at the Pädaste Manor on Muhu island.  There isn't much on the island -- I think that there is only one other restaurant beyond the two at Pädaste Manor.  I spent two nights at Pädaste -- and absolutely loved it.  I had a beautiful room in the manor house -- just a 30-second walk from the restaurant (very convenient given the amount of wine that I drank at dinner!)  And the manor grounds are just gorgeous -- I really enjoyed walking around and exploring the area. I spent the 14th on Muhu -- and then all of the 15th driving around  Saaremaa  (Muhu is connected to Saaremaa by a 2.5 km causeway).  On the 16th I took the ferry back to mainland and drove up to...