From the balloons' pocket...

Leonardo da Vinci once said: “ For once you have tasted flight you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skywards, for there you have been and there you will long to return.”

I would not believe this true of sitting in an airplane, but it certainly is of the hot air balloon ride I experienced on my Easter trip with Serengeti Balloon Safaris.

Waking up at 2am under a blanket of stars with the bush babies calling (…alright, I am trying to make this sound lovely, but no one likes waking up this early so fast forward the three hour drive to sunrise over the central balloon launch site…) Huddled tightly in our basket compartments the propane gas spews hot golden flames. The roar is immense. Lazily the gold and green giant fills its belly with warm air and we begin rocking, lazily tipping upright to reveal silhouetted acacias before us.

Slowly rising above the dewy grass, we stood up excitedly to look over the endless plains from our spectacular vantage point. Shadows danced behind the trees as we rose with the sun. We passed over trees by a few feet, waking a secretary bird on its perch and greeting a vulture that left its nest revealing two eggs. Further on we passed over dozens of hippos waking up in their leafy pools below, whilst a herd of impala dodged two raucous males jousting for supremacy. A little early we laughed. To the left a reedbuck raced as she thought she was being chased by our shadow.

Apart from the occasional burst of flame to lift us a few hundred feet and excited whispers, it was quite surreal.

After an exhilarating landing we were treated to champagne and then ushered to breakfast under an umbrella acacia in the middle of nowhere. The delicious food, more champagne, and chatter around the breakfast table concluded our adventure in the sky before we set of for the days driving…and I will turn my eyes skyward, where I have been, and where long to return…

Frangipani

Africa Distilled

I love a road trip! There is nothing like cruising along a seemingly endless road with good mates, specifically 80’s music and a beer or two – if you are not Designated Dirk of course! So when Hibiscus suggested we go on just such a trip to the north of Tanzania I jumped at the opportunity. Scraping together the cash included selling my couches and making more debt than I care to admit, but I have not been sorry for one minute! Our northern adventure was absolutely unforgettable!

The drive from Dar es Salaam to Arusha took us 9 hours on the dot, but all 600km’s of it was beautiful, lush and green. This is also true of the town of Arusha and more so of River Trees Lodge where we stayed for the first two nights of our trip. The lovely oasis next to the Usa River is described in more detail by Hibiscus on her post "The Green Hills of Africa" – check out.

Since I have never been up north, we took a day to potter around Arusha. I am just a LITTLE bit obsessed with Karen Blixen and Out of Africa so seeing a coffee plantation was an absolute must. Unfortunately there aren’t many working plantations close by, so I had to settle for lunch at the Plantation Lodge where a sudden thunderstorm cooled the humid air. Very Ngong farm like and I was in my element!

Bottles of red wine and a lovely dinner later, we where on our way again, this time via the sky. The flight was short and smooth – just the way I like it and suddenly the Endless Plains stretched out beneath me. I wish I could describe the feeling off looking out over the grasslands of the Serengeti but words fail me and I would just bore you with my bumbling. Having sundowners in the middle of the fields, beautiful and green from the summer rains, surrounded by thousands and thousands of grunting and coughing wildebeest and zebra is quite simply one of the most amazing moments of my life. To me this was Africa distilled to perfection.

Everywhere there are animals and no matter how many times you see a majestic lion or a giraffe with its long lashes or even the nimble gazelle, you cannot drive away untouched by its beauty and perfection. I do not know how you can visit a destination like the Serengeti and listen to a guide explain how a mother wildebeest can find her baby amongst thousand others, how the cheetah interact with her pray, or how the dung beetle find its nest on those endless stretches of land and still wonder – is there a God? The wonder of it all entrances you completely and you cannot see all of this and hear all of this and remain untouched by a sense of something Bigger than us mere mortals.

We where hosted by &Beyond, a company that in my opinion has perfected the art of safari. Look, I am used to camping 4x4 style with a bucket to wash in and a fire to cook over. &Beyond Serengeti Under Canvas blew me away! The luxury tents, the shower under the starts, the attention to detail, the food, the wine…pure bliss! On the &Beyond website they say that “you will be taken care of by extraordinary people whose only desire is to ensure that each moment you spend with us is a perfect moment”. It is not often that you find marketing jargon truthfully replayed in real life, but &Beyond was one such a gem and the staff really treated us like royalty! Special mention has to go to Mohammed our brilliant guide, a wildlife fact file on legs and Joseph, our adorable butler. Joseph attended to our every need with the biggest smile and even offered to do our 5:30 wake up call with G&T’s instead of coffee, just because we like it so much! So it was with a heavy heart that we left the Serengeti and the staff behind on our way to the NgoroNgoro Crater 2 nights later. The slight depression was short lived as Irene and her team at the &Beyond Crater Lodge settled us in before the fireplace with a glass of port and warm welcomes...TBC

Andizi

Roller Coaster Ride

I am exhausted after a week of the highest highs and two quite severe lows. I want to just pass out on my bed and sleep for days but it is too freakin hot! I wish I was back in the cool plains of the Serengti with Hibiscus, silently sipping on a G&T.

As you can imagine, the above constitutes one of my highs. Actually that was THE high of an amazing, unforgettable road trip with my friend. We were in the middle of “the endless plains”, having sundowners surrounded by tens of thousands of wildebeest. It is quite simply indescribable! The Serengti really took my breath away…

But I will bore you with all the fantastic details of our trip at a later stage, I am just too emotional to do that right now! Also look out for some reviews on the wonderful places we stayed at, made all the more memorable by the fellow guests we met as well as the excellent staff!

Life came CRASHING down, and it was back to reality upon our return to Dar Es Salaam. Obviously the one low has to do with a man! It hurts like hell, but when your friends climb onto your bed to dry your tears accompanied by a bottle of Jack Daniels you know that time heals and you WILL survive this heart break.

Secondly I had to say goodbye to one of those Jack swigging friends last night. Hibiscus is on her way to Cape Town…My friend, I will miss you so very much! I will miss 5 star dinners at your flat, your 80’s music, your laugh, endless conversation of the red soil and the men it enchants, which in turn enchant us! I will miss getting drunk on your couch, your jokes and dancing on chairs/sofas of five star lodges! I will miss you, I will miss you! Mother City, take care of this girl and until we meet again Hibiscus, leave no stone unturned!

From your friend Karen aka Andizi ;-)

Seize the day...and all that jazz!

(Image: go2safari.com)

I have no job, I have no money but I am going to the SERENGETI BABY!!! I am still not quite believing it, but it is happening and the fact that I had to close my empty investment account should be confirmation enough!

I don’t think my friends and family understand the significance of this trip for me. They recon I live in the same country as this natural phenomenon and why would I not happily meander up to the north to check out the migration. People, it’s called capitalism! The Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Crater are two of the most desirable places in Africa to visit – supply and demand. High demand + low supply (there is after all only one Ngorongoro crater and one Serengeti Park) = ridiculously expensive safaris! That is why you would often find locals (and here I group Tanzanians and ex-pats together) who has never been and will probably never go. And arguable, the south of Tanzania is also amazing! Mikumi, the infamous Selous and Ruaha game park are all teeming with wildlife and much less so with tourists. But there is just something about going to see two of the 7 natural wonders of the world that has literally got me squealing with excitement every time I think of it!

So how has a church mouse like me managed to make this possible you might rightly ask? It’s not WHAT you know, but WHO you know I say! And I happen to know a very connected individual within the safari industry and she happens to be my friend! Yeah for crazy, connected Hibiscus!

Sadly my lovely friend is leaving us to conquer the culinary world in Cape Town, but she decided to do one last curtain call in the North. She has managed to put together an amazing trip at a fraction of the normal price and carefully approached me. You see, not only is she very well connected, but sly and crafty too – a deadly combination. She knows that I have no money, no income and no inheritance waiting to be spent! But she also knew very well that I would not be able to let this opportunity pass me by! It really is one of those “once in a lifetime” scenarios!

So I have emptied out my last meager savings, I have begged and borrowed from my wonderful parents and I sold my beautiful, comfy couches back in South Africa. I really did love them, but what use is a couch when you are sitting on top of a Cruiser, sipping on a Kili, surrounded by silence and sunburned savannah?!

PS. Mom and Dad, I love you SO much and your continued support for my crazy adventures mean the world to me!

Andizi