Today we got packed up once again to head out, only this time we would be leaving our safari adventures behind, and heading to the city of Arusha for one last night in Africa. It’s very sad to be leaving our safari adventures behind and we will miss our guide David very much! He has taken us to parts unknown, never failed to outdo each and everyday. His deep knowledge of the animals and birds was invaluable, and his driving skills were amazing!

We started our day once again with a breakfast al fresco. Our servers and chefs had a small buffet of fruits, cereals, yogurt as well as toast, bacon or sausage and made eggs to order. Another lovely start to our day. After breakfast, we loaded up the car and said our farewells to the staff and HoneyGuide Camp.

As we headed out of the park we saw yet more animals and birds to add to our list. A dik dik, the smallest of the antelope family was by the side of the road feasting on the short bushes.

We also saw a number of birds including a cardinal woodpecker, red-billed hornbill, and a white browed coucal.

We soon came to the entrance gates to the park, and exited. Just a short trip outside the park, we came to a Maasai village and decided to make a stop to explore and learn more about their culture and ways of life.

We met the chief, and gave him a contribution for his village (all money’s were held by an elder to be used for the good of the entire village). Dan and I were then dressed in Maasai blankets, and proceeded with our tour. One of the fascinating demonstrations was the making of fire!

After this, the Chief took us into one of his homes and explained about their day to day living. They are herders, and their diet consists mainly of milk, animal blood, and meat. They occasionally supplement with a type of ground dried corn, but this is only during times of shortages. We also learned that they make a number of medicines using plants such as aloe and many others.

The small homes are built by the women. They consist of one room and a small entrance area. Cooking, eating and sleeping is done in that room. All other time is spent outside. The Maasai practice polygamy, but the number of wives is limited to the size of herd ( you need more people to care for more animals!

We were then treated to some singing and dancing. And yes, we even participated!

After the dancing, we walked around the village and saw other homes as well as the central animal enclosure (animals are brought in every night to protect them from lions and other predators). From there we went to see the crafts created by the many women of this village.

It was soon time to leave, and we headed back into the truck and set our sights on Arusha. While traveling on a paved road, there were still lots to look out for: large very slow moving trucks, Maasai herders taking their herd along the sides of the road to graze; children heading home from school etc. All in all, it made for an exciting journey back to Arusha.

Once in town we ventured to the African Cultural centre where they had crafts and jewelry from many different sources. The carvings were incredible, but far too large for us to consider. It was interesting looking to see what they had. From there we went to the Tanzanite Experience where we learned about the discovery of tanzanite and how this precious stone was first seen as being significant. Until then, the Maasai had been using rough stones to play mankala! All very educational!

We then got back into the car and headed off to our hotel. Another long day of travel and exploring, and we were ready to get out of the car and start organizing our things for the trip home.

Dan and I were bushed and had our dinner in the hotel. We’re both looking forward to a good night’s sleep before we start our very long journey home tomorrow. We begin at Kilimanjaro Airport and fly to Nairobi where we get on an overnight flight to Frankfurt and from there change once again to our flight to Montreal. Wish us luck!