Saturday, August 8, 2015

August 1 to 8 & Africa, here we come!

Happy 21st Birthday Erika! (Aug 2) and Happy Birthday Greg! (August 6)

Walking home from Picasso I was carrying my prescription sunglasses and one of the temples fell off. The screw just fell out. So, we went to one of the local optical places and for a $1.50 they repaired it and we were on our way.
We were invited to a dinner party at Rick & Francine’s house. Our usual “lunch bunch” friends were there plus a lovely couple here to check out Panama for possible retirement. A former colleague of Francine’s daughter in Nicaragua asked if friends of his from the States could contact them about retiring in Panama. So, they decided to throw a dinner party so they could talk to all of us and get different perspectives. Rick & Francine outdid themselves with a lovely salmon mouse for the appetizer, a starter of Potato Leek soup and kebabs of bacon wrapped shrimp and veggies. Jennifer brought her homemade chocolate candies/cookies. Chocolate covered macaroons, chocolate dipped dried mango and my personal favorite, her Almond Joy knockoffs. Coconut covered in chocolate. It was a very nice evening with lots of great conversation.
Once in a Blue Moon…..Here are photos from our balcony:

 
My lovely granddaughter Erika celebrated her 21t birthday on August 2. This is a “before” picture and I won’t post the “after” pic of her spending the night on the bathroom floor….hey, you only turn 21 once!
 
We got haircuts on Monday and Adam was in need of a cut so he came over and Nancy cut his as well.  Casa had their monthly meeting on Tue and we enjoyed chatting with everyone. Our friends Clyde and Terry had just gotten back from Mexico where they had been house/cat sitting and already have their next 2 gigs lined up. Next one is in Costa Rica and then to Ecuador. We're excited for them!
Group at CASA
We went to Picasso on Wednesday and it finally seems to be slowing down crowd-wise. For some reason it’s stayed pretty busy even though this is the slow season. Thursday was Greg’s birthday and we had a group lunch at Coronado Café. (it was the best day to get everyone together) Mary highly recommended the steak sandwich and mine was quite good.
I tried yet another shade of color for my hair and I like it better. Two other ones came out just too “white” instead of blonde and another came out too ashy and looked kind of greyish blonde. I like this one the best so far....
Here are a couple of shots from our daily walks:
 Orange-chinned Parakeet eating a mango



 Spotted Sandpiper
 Southern Lapwings
 Variable Seedeater

 lizard
 woodpecker
hummingbird
Finally, after all the research and planning and waiting we are off to Africa!
The packing is done and my carryon duffle & backpack weighs 28 lbs. (we can have 33 lbs for the small plane within Africa. My Kindle is loaded with books for the long flights and airport time.
Amsterdam is 7 hours later than here in Panama. Tanzania will be an hour later than Amsterdam for a total of 8 hours ahead of us. Rwanda, the same time as Amsterdam, so back to a 7 hour time difference. Really reminds us why cruising is “better” than land travel…You gain or lose time slowly (daily) whereas with flying it’s all at once to adjust to the time change.
We are visiting during Africa’s winter which means a bit cooler and no rain. So, days should be warm and mornings and evenings cool. Our 2 days at Ngorongoro Crater are at altitude and will be “cold”. The same with our 2 nights in Rwanda since it’s in the mountains. (and it can rain at any time in the mountains there) So, layers are the key for staying comfortable, peeling off layers as the day wears on and ready to put back on for later.
I probably won't be able to post until after we get back, but we'll see.
Here is our itinerary (and more info than you probably care to read):
August 9: We are taking the local bus to the main bus station at Albrook Mall. Sharon is driving us to the bus stop in the morning. We’ll grab lunch at the mall before getting a bus to Tocumen Airport. We’ll grab dinner at the airport and then depart Panama at 7:05 PM and fly 10 hours 25 minutes to Amsterdam.
August 10: Arrive Amsterdam at 12:30 in the afternoon and knock around Amsterdam for our time there and then spend the night at the Sheraton in the airport.
August 11: Depart at 10:15 in the morning and arrive Kilimanjaro Airport at 7:50 at night. It’s a 9 hour and 8 minute flight. We will be met by Duma Explorer and transferred to Arusha Coffee Lodge in Arusha.
Info on Arusha: “Arusha is near the Kenyan border and is in the foothills of Mount Meru at an altitude of about 1,500m. (just under a mile) It’s popular and convenient for starting a safari. Arusha Coffee Lodge sits on part of a large coffee plantation with beautiful gardens.”
August 12: Here we have a free day to relax after the travel. Overnight Arusha Coffee Lodge. (B&B) ****A trip could be made to the Maasai market in Arusha town.
August 13: Depart Arusha at 9am for Tarangire National Park. The drive from Arusha to the park is approximately 2 hours. After reaching the park gate, go on a game drive for the rest of the day. Proceed to Tarangire Treetops outside the park for dinner and overnight.
Info on Tarangire: “Tarangire is a lovely park between the plains of the Maasai Steppe to the south-east, and the lakes of the Great Rift Valley to the north and west. It’s known for its’ large concentrations of elephant, zebra, wildebeest, eland and oryx. It is also famous for its many baobab trees, instantly recognizable with their massive trunks. Tarangire’s hills, rivers and swamps provide a variety of vegetation zones and habitats, which attract diverse mammals and birdlife (300 species). Size: 2850 sq km (1,096 sq miles).
It is also known as endless cloudless skies which bakes the earth a dusty red. The Tarangire River shrivels in the dry season and is filled with wildlife. Herds of up to 300 elephants scratch the dry river bed for underground streams, while migratory wildebeest, zebra, buffalo, impala, gazelle, hartebeest and eland crowd the shrinking lagoons. It's the greatest concentration of wildlife outside the Serengeti ecosystem and a smorgasbord for predators – and the one place in Tanzania where dry-country antelope such as the stately fringe-eared oryx and peculiar long-necked gerenuk are regularly observed.”
Tarangire Treetops: I really wanted a treehouse experience and chose Tarangire Treetops. It is located on Masaai land in the Lolkisale Concession Area. Each of the 20 suites or treehouses at Tarangire Treetops is perched in a stand of impressive baobabs. These are raised on extraordinarily high stilts, literally in the treetops. From this elevated position, the gauze-fronted rooms and fabulous wrap-around decks afford incredible views across the surrounding bush. They are actually luxury tents in the trees.
August 14: Tarangire National Park - Morning bush walk from Tarangire Treetops. Game drive with a picnic lunch in the park. Return to Treetops. After dinner, go on a night game drive.
August 15: Tarangire to Ngorongoro Conservation Area via Lake Manyara. Tarangire game drive as you exit the park. Go to Lake Manyara for an afternoon game drive. After the game drive, proceed to Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge for dinner and overnight.
Info on Lake Manyara National Park:
 “It is set along the base of the rusty-gold 600-metre high Great Rift Valley escarpment. Lake Manyara is a scenic gem in northern Tanzania. It’s a lush green park famous for its tree-climbing lions, large elephant herds, monkeys, hippos, and its incredible birdlife, including flamingos. Despite its small size, Lake Manyara offers a diversity of habitats including open grasslands with rocky outcrops, forests, and swamps, and the lake itself.
From the entrance gate, the road winds through an expanse of lush jungle-like groundwater forest where hundred-strong baboon troops lounge nonchalantly along the roadside, blue monkeys scamper nimbly between the ancient mahogany trees, dainty bushbuck tread warily through the shadows, and outsized forest hornbills honk cacophonously in the high canopy.
Contrasting with the intimacy of the forest is the grassy floodplain and its expansive views eastward, across the alkaline lake, to the jagged blue volcanic peaks that rise from the endless Maasai Steppes. Large buffalo, wildebeest and zebra herds congregate on these grassy plains, as do giraffes.
Inland of the floodplain, a narrow belt of acacia woodland is the favored haunt of Manyara’s legendary tree-climbing lions and impressively tusked elephants. Squadrons of banded mongoose dart between the acacias, while the diminutive Kirk’s dik-dik forages in their shade. Pairs of klipspringer are often seen silhouetted on the rocks above a field of searing hot springs that steams and bubbles adjacent to the lakeshore in the far south of the park.
Manyara provides the perfect introduction to Tanzania’s birdlife, highlights include thousands of pink-hued flamingos on their perpetual migration, as well as other large water birds such as pelicans, cormorants and storks. Nearby town of Mto wa Mbu.”
Info on Ngorongoro Crater: “Ngorongoro is a self-contained “Garden of Eden” which is home to some thirty thousand large mammals: zebra, wildebeest, elephant, black rhino, waterbuck, gazelle, eland, and hartebeest, as well as predators such as lion, hyena and jackal. Birdlife is also plentiful and varied. Ngorongoro is truly one of the great wildlife wonders of the world.
In 1951, the enormous Serengeti National Park was declared, encompassing the present Serengeti, plus the Ngorongoro area and surrounding Crater Highlands. Today, this is split into the present-day Serengeti National Park, and the current Ngorongoro Conservation Area. It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1978 and is the largest intact volcanic caldera in the world. It measures about 16-19km in diameter, with walls of 400-610m in height.”
”The high numbers of herbivores supports the densest populations of predators found anywhere in Africa. The reliable presence of these predators has helped to make an Ngorongoro safari so popular. The Crater's lion population varies significantly over time, the one constant being their complete disregard of vehicles; they will hunt within yards of a vehicle, and when exhausted even seek shade beside them. Spotted hyenas are even more common here, often competing with the lion, and there's are a small but growing number of cheetah. Leopards are around, especially in the vicinity of the Lerai Forest. Side-striped and the lovely golden jackal are often seen skulking around, whilst bat-eared foxes are a rarer sight.”
Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge: This lodging is a budget hotel, but I chose it for its’ close proximity to the gate of the park. It is close to the very quiet eastern road into the crater which has less traffic than the more popular road on the western side of the crater. It also means that we start our game drive on the opposite side of the basin and, hopefully we can enjoy a few hours with relatively few other vehicles.
The bedrooms are set in large two-story rondavels, separate from the main building. There are four bedrooms in each one, two downstairs and two upstairs, each with views overlooking the crater. All are semi-circular in shape. It also has stunning views over the crater.
August 16: Depart Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge after a 6am breakfast for Ngorongoro Crater. Game drive in the Crater for several hours before returning to Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge. The Crater's resident wildlife includes lion, leopard, zebra, hippo, rhino and elephant.
August 17: Depart Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge after breakfast for Serengeti National Park. Visit Olduvai Gorge and a Maasai Village on the way to Serengeti National Park. The drive to Central Serengeti is approximately 3 hours from Ngorongoro. After reaching Serengeti, go on a game drive until the evening. Overnight Serengeti Serena Lodge.
August 18: Full day of game drives in Serengeti National Park. Meals and overnight at Serengeti Serena Lodge.
Info on Serengeti: “The Serengeti National Park itself covers a 5,600 square mile park of mostly flat or gently rolling grasslands, interspersed with the occasional rock outcrops, or kopjes. This is just the center of a whole ecosystem which covers more than double that area that includes Grumeti Reserve, Ikorongo Game Reserve, Loliondo Controlled Area, Maswa Game Reserve, part of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and also Kenya's relatively small Maasai Mara Game Reserve. This combined area is often referred to as the Greater Serengeti area, or the Serengeti-Mara ecosystem.”
“Often seen are the lion, leopard, cheetah, buffalo, elephant, giraffe, jackal, hippo, baboon, dik dik and many other animals. The Serengeti is the site of one of the greatest animal migrations in the world; however, resident populations of animals are plentiful and varied year-round. There is more to Serengeti than large mammals. Gaudy agama lizards and rock hyraxes scuffle around the surfaces of the park’s isolated granite koppies. A full 100 varieties of dung beetle have been recorded, as have 500-plus bird species, ranging from the outsized ostrich and bizarre secretary bird of the open grassland, to the black eagles that soar effortlessly above the Lobo Hills.”
Serengeti Serena Lodge: It is a Maasai Village inspired lodge that sits amongst acacia trees in the Kyabatero Hills, north-west of Seronera. From its elevated position is has lovely views across the Serengeti plains.
August 19: Full day of game drives in Serengeti National Park as you drive from Central to Northern Serengeti. Overnight Sayari Camp.  ****Bush Walks are allowed at Sayari: 1.5 to 2 hours can be booked for an additional $50.00 pp (includes park walking fees and are guided by Asilia’s experienced walking guides and an armed ranger accompanies the walks).
Info on Serengeti and the Great Migration: “A million wildebeest, each one driven by the same ancient rhythm, fulfilling its instinctive role in the inescapable cycle of life: a frenzied three-week bout of territorial conquests and mating; survival of the fittest as 40km (25 mile) long columns plunge through crocodile-infested waters on the annual exodus north; replenishing the species in a brief population explosion that produces more than 8,000 calves daily before the 1,000 km (600 mile) pilgrimage begins again.
The Serengeti is famed for its annual migration, when some six million hooves pound the open plains, as more than 200,000 zebra and 300,000 Thomson's gazelle join the wildebeest’s trek for fresh grazing. Yet even when the migration is quiet, the Serengeti offers arguably the most scintillating game-viewing in Africa: great herds of buffalo, smaller groups of elephant and giraffe, and thousands upon thousands of eland, topi, kongoni, impala and Grant’s gazelle.
The spectacle of predator versus prey dominates Tanzania’s greatest park. Golden-maned lion prides feast on the abundance of plain grazers. Solitary leopards haunt the acacia trees lining the Seronera River, while a high density of cheetahs prowls the southeastern plains. Almost uniquely, all three African jackal species occur here, alongside the spotted hyena and a host of more elusive small predators, ranging from the insectivorous aardwolf to the beautiful serval cat.”
Info on northern Serengeti and Sayari Camp: “Sayari Camp (formerly known as Sayari Mara Camp) is a luxurious permanent camp situated in the far north of the Serengeti National Park. The remote and starkly beautiful landscape forms the inspiration for Sayari, with the turret-shaped roofs on each of the 15 expansive tented suites mirroring the iconic Turner Hill to the north. Indoors, rich mahogany floors and delicate tones of sand, stone and acacia reflect the views washing in through the floor-to-ceiling windows.  En-suite bathrooms, with spacious showers and egg-shaped baths large enough for two, offer similarly impressive Serengeti views. Fine linens and safari-chic décor offset the wilderness that lies just beyond the canvas walls, with king-size beds and private verandas to complete the world-class experience.
At the main camp a peaceful lounge and romantic dining room opens up onto a generous deck where natural rock frames the rim-flow pool overlooking game-rich plains and the distant Mara River. With such superb luxury in the world’s premier wilderness reserve, we wouldn’t blame you for spending your entire safari in camp.
The undulating bush around is bisected by the Mara River and home to permanent game all year round. This part of the Serengeti is also a great place to witness the great migration: it's within the Serengeti National Park and is as remote as possible from any populated areas.
Sayari is in an area of the Serengeti National Park where the rocky hills and rolling plains make the scenery more interesting and undulating than most of this (often quite flat) park. Dividing this area, the Mara River is fairly wide, shallow and fast-flowing. It is the Serengeti's only permanent river and is home to many crocodiles and hippos.”
I chose these luxury tents since they are close (45 minutes) to the banks of the Mara River and boasts dramatic views out across the wide plains of the northern Serengeti.
August 20: Full day of game drives in Northern Serengeti. Overnight Sayari Camp.
August 21: Full day of game drives in Northern Serengeti. Overnight Sayari Camp.
August 22: Game drive in Northern Serengeti. Take the 15:20 Coastal Aviation flight to Kigali. Arrive in Kigali at 18:25. Here we will be met by Gorilla Trek Africa and transferred to Kigali Serena Hotel for overnight.
Info on Kigali, Rwanda: “Rwanda is a small country, with its modern capital, Kigali, at the center.  Perhaps the city’s best known landmark is the very insightful and moving Kigali Genocide Memorial standing amid beautiful rose gardens and fountains. The memorial sets out the history leading up to the genocide in Rwanda and also explains other genocides around the world. It includes poignant displays of victims’ photographs and belongings, bringing the realities of the atrocities to life. In the genocide of 1994 almost a million people died. “
August 23: At 9:00 AM the tour guide will meet us and take us for a Kigali city tour; visit Genocide memorial site, Nyamata church, local markets, local art and crafts among others. Later, we will transfer around 3 hours northwards to Volcanoes National Park in Ruhengeri, home to 360 Mountain Gorillas. The road climbs to the base of the majestic volcanoes with spectacular views across the five peaks. Dinner and overnight stay in Sabinyo Silverback lodge.
Info on Ruhengeri: The town of Musanze (more commonly known by its former name Ruhengeri) is the hub of Rwanda’s gorilla trekking tourism. Volcanoes National Park’s Headquarters are based in the nearby village of Kinigi, the administrative center for permits and the place where all visitors gather in the mornings for briefings before starting on their gorilla treks.
About Volcanoes National Park: “The most famous destination in Rwanda, Volcanoes National Park has become synonymous with mountain gorilla tracking safaris. This is where Dian Fossey first brought the world’s attention to the plight of these majestic primates in the late 1960s, when only around 250 survived. Today their numbers worldwide have increased to some 880, split between Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo; almost half of them live in Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park.
Several other primates have made Volcanoes National Park their home too and it’s possible to track two troops of habituated golden monkeys, a totally different experience to gorilla tracking.”
Info on Sabinyo Silverback lodge: “The lodge is situated on the edge of the Parc National des Volcans – known more commonly as the Volcanoes National Park – in north-western Rwanda. The lodge offers spectacular views of the Virunga Mountains. There are 5 cottages, 2 suites and 1 family cottage, all offering private verandas, bathrooms and sitting rooms with fireplaces.
The Virunga Mountain range spans Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Volcanoes National Park on the Rwandan side is lucky to have more than half of the world's mountain gorillas. There are five habituated families of gorillas which are generally visited, having from seven to thirty-five individuals in each family.
Spanning on a 160sqkm area in the northern part of Rwanda, Volcanoes national park is the oldest national park in Africa. Volcanoes national park is home to Mountain Gorilla, Golden Monkeys, Spotted Hyena, buffaloes, elephants, black-fronted duiker and bushbuck. The park also harbors 178 bird species.”
August 24: As the first light of dawn breaks through the curtain of mist clinging to the summits of Karisimbi, Bisoke, Sabyniyo, Gahingaand and Muhabura, we make our way into the Parc National des Volcans and prepare for today’s incredible experience of Gorilla tracking. We will assemble at Park Headquarters to attend a briefing on the Dos and Don’ts while with Gorillas. Tracking gorillas through the unique vegetation can take several hours of challenging walking in wet and muddy conditions. To see a gorilla, the trek will have been worth it! (it’s in the brochure, so it must be true….lol)Tracking gorillas takes 2-6 Hours depending on their movements. We are allowed to stay with these giant apes for 1 hour for observation and photographing. Descend to the lodge for a rest. In the evening, we will go for a cultural walk to Ibyu’wachu and learn more about the Banyarwanda tradition. Dinner and overnight stay at Sabinyo Silver back.
Info on the gorillas: Currently (subject to change), there are seven habituated groups that may be visited – Amahoro group (17 members; 1 silverback), Group 13 (21 members; 1 silverback), Sabinyo group (9 members; 1 huge silverback named Guhonda), Susa group (38 members; 4 silverbacks); Umubano (9 members; 1 silverback); Kwitonda group (16 members; 1 silverback); and Hirwa group (9 members, 1 silverback).
August 25:  In the morning we will go golden monkey tracking. We will have lunch at the lodge after golden monkeys and the guide shall arrange for a room where we can shower before our transfer back to Kigali. On return to Kigali, we will have time for any last minute shopping or an early dinner before being transferred to the airport at 17:30 to check in for our 20:15 departure flight.
Info on Golden Monkeys: “Golden monkeys tend to inhabit the bamboo forests on the lower slopes, so the walk to reach them was relatively easy. Once we found them we again only had an hour with them. They’re fast-moving little creatures, and very entertaining as they constantly swing through the bamboo or chase each other in circles all around us. They’re also very pretty, with shiny reddish-gold backs that blend in perfectly with the golden bamboo.”
August 26: Arrive in Amsterdam at 7:20 in the morning. We will have a layover here until we depart at 1:05 in the afternoon. (we have arranged for showers at the airport through one of the hotels in the airport) Then we arrive back in Panama at 4:55 in the afternoon. (after 27 hours and 35 minutes of travel time) We’ll grab the bus back to Albrook mall and have dinner and then grab a bus home. We will grab a taxi to bring us into Coronado to The Bay.
Until next time.....

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