Wednesday, July 8

Oldonyo Lodge (just outside Arusha National Park)

Today was just incredible! That first giraffe standing by the side of the road was an awe inspiring site. Shortly after that we saw Cape buffalo and zebras off in the distance. A troop of around 50 baboons crossed the road directly in front of us. We were able to view them eating and grooming. We also saw a group of Black and White Colobus monkeys. They have beautiful long, thick white tails. They dislike coming to the ground and are quite adept at jumping not only from branch to branch but from tree to tree. We were also able to see the Sykes Blue monkey although they were more difficult to spot.	A couple of times we passed small lakes where animals would come to get drinks of water. We were able to see giraffes, hippos, wart hogs and Egyptian Geese all existing peacefully together. We saw a male and female dik-dik and their baby. I learned that dik-diks are territorial and monogamous because of their small size. Since they are so little they need to make sure that they have enough of the right kind of food to eat. If they find a good area they mark it as their own to ensure the supply of quality food for each other and for their young.
We are spending the night at an old colonial house built by an actor during the filming of Hatari. In one direction we can see the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro and in the opposite direction we can see Mt. Meru.   How often can you just look out your bedroom window and see giraffes off in the distance? What an experience!