Travels with Tam

The Serengeti

October 3, 2013 By Tam Warner 1 Comment

June 11

Serengeti: THIS IS AFRICA! The Serengeti is what you picture when you think “African Safari”. The Savannah (Swahili for “endless plain”) with its umbrella acacia trees, waving golden grass as far as you can see, and HERDS of animals. I have never seen so many animals! It is the “Great Migration”, and Wildebeast and Zebras in thousands and thousands dot the landscape. THIS is Africa.

We have seen just everything here, from herds of elephants touching our car with their trunks to giraffes looking at us curiously from the side of the road, baboons in the trees, herds of zebra and wildebeest (they are almost always together, they apparently get along fine, and there is safety in numbers.) We have seen bat eared foxes (they are adorable), hyenas who were 5 feet away in the dark as we were escorted to our tent on the Savannah, eagles, dikdiks (the most incredible tiny little gazelle type of animals who always travel in mated pairs), a Cerval which is a smaller cat and a night hunter rarely seen in the day, we were lucky enough to see it just as the sun was rising this morning.

Yesterday we came upon a pride of lions….we counted 19 of them! They were relaxing at a creek, lapping up the water and hanging out. We found a wildebeest half eaten in a tree, but we didn’t find the leopard who must have put it there. The kill wasn’t fresh, but it wasn’t old. We have seen lions and lions and lions. Males who hang out on the rock outcrops (kropjes) and amazingly, lions in trees. I have heard that the lions of Serengeti and Ngorogoro are famous for their tree climbing, and now we have seen it firsthand. The Great Migration brings food a plenty to the lions.

We found 5 separate lions in trees yesterday, one was with a pride, and we even saw a male in the tree (unusual since the males are too lazy to climb trees). Randy took photos of each lion, and one of them had a belly so big he had to photograph just the tummy. These lions are fat and happy, their hunts are paying off and it seems they are eating every day. We did see a leopard in a tree as well, but too far away to even photograph it.

A very full belly! Time for a nap. On every safari drive in Tanzania I have been searching for the elusive cheetah. We never saw one in Sabi Sands (Kruger in South Africa), Botswana or Zimbabwe. The Serengeti and the crater are the prime spots for cheetahs, the endless flat plains of golden grass are perfect hunting grounds.

Samson, our wonderful guide, has been searching endlessly. He knows the name of every animal in Tanzania. He has been terrific. Samson met us at the airport in Kilimanjaro, and he has been with us ever since. We ride in our game vehicle, a four wheel drive, and he is our scout and ranger. He has also been an interpreter and has added greatly to our knowledge of the history of Tanzania and of the animals who live here. There are still tribes here, mainly the Maasai and the Suduku, and Samson tells us about their lives. As in Mozambique the life span of these people who live a rural or tribal life is short: about 45 for men, 55 for women. As I said, Samson has been a fountain of knowledge.

The cheetah is the only animal I have never seen in Africa so Samson has been driving endlessly through the plains, the prime hunting grounds for cheetahs. Tonight, on our last game drive, during our last hour, I had my wish granted. Two cheetahs in a field surrounded by honking Wildebeest with a kill (a small Wildebeest). We did not see the chase but we saw the aftermath. I have never, ever, seen anything like it. The cheetahs took turns ripping at the kill, gorging as fast as they possibly could. Samson drove off road and put us within 10 feet of the cheetahs and their kill! One would rest, the other would eat. Then they would trade places. Samson informed us that cheetahs have to eat fast because lions, hyenas and even leopards will steal the kill from them as soon as they get a whiff of it. Cheetahs are absolutely beautiful, elegant animals. These cheetah’s faces were covered in blood. I filmed them until it started to get dark. The safari guides are supposed to be out of the park by 630p. It was 620p and we were 40 minutes from camp. We left the cheetahs dazed and ecstatic and around the next corner: LION. Lying in the middle of the road with no intention of moving. She did finally move, and came around to the back of the vehicle. She did look as though she might find us a tasty treat. A lovely couple from Canada, staying at our lodge, also was with us at the kill and were following us back to camp when we saw the lion. They must be in their 70s, and I certainly hope I am as curious and active and sharp when I am their age (which won’t be long, 20 years?). They have been delightful. We also ran into our pals from the camp of Lake Manyara here, along with an Australian couple and an aunt with two teenage boys. It has been a fun group to be with for lunch and dinner, excitedly discussing our game drives. It is like being with divers, always excited about the last dive, talking about what you’ve seen and how deep you’ve been and where you have gone diving. I LOVE safari. I can’t wait to post this blog and publish a few pictures of the cheetahs!

Eating…I guess this is what they mean when they say “you’ve got your head up someone’s ass?”

Tomorrow begins the journey home. Serengeti to Arusha. Arusha to Nairobi to spend the night (again). Then fly to Joburg, then fly to London, then fly to Dallas. 2 ½ days traveling, but fortunately we are in Club World on British Airways, the loveliest “business” class around. Club World is more like first class, you have your own “pod” with a private tv, drawers and a seat which turns into a bed. They do everything for you except tuck you in, and if you asked, I think they would do that. Anyway, I am very keyed up tonight from all of the exhilarating animal encounters. I will blog more on the long journey home.

Tanzania’s Lake Manyara and Ngorogoro Crater

September 22, 2013 By Tam Warner 1 Comment

June 8

The Massai Giraffe — A Tower of Massai Giraffes

Tanzania’s national animal is the giraffe, and they are EVERYWHERE, which suits me fine since they are one of my very favorites. I’ve seen them in zoos, but nothing compares to giraffes in the wild. The Maasai giraffe is the national symbol of Tanzania and it is much darker than the other subspecies. The pattern is also a bit different, almost more geometrical than spotted. They are the epitome of gracefulness, and they seem gracious about allowing one close to take photos. Ah. So beautiful! Randy is taking a lot of photos of them. He has to admit they are incredibly elegant, and he also likes the gasp I make whenever I see one. I try not to do it, but whenever one comes or I sight one, it is “ahhh”.

Lake Manyara has its share of elephants! They, too, are everywhere. Some of them have incredibly huge tusks. Unlike the Indian elephant, the African elephants, male and female, have tusks. We’ve seen tons of elephants! Very close!

Bird life is spectacular…it is the time of year for Yellow Stork breeding, so they are all over the place, making a lot of noise. HUGE bird.

We met a nice couple at our lodge which was lovely, it is fun to share experiences with one another. Sadly, the second morning I came down with some sort of sore throat and fever, so I took off an afternoon of game driving. I hate doing that! It is like scuba diving, I just hate to miss it, you never know what you might see! And Randy saw, and took photos, of lions!

On our way back from dinner the Massai Warrior walks us to our tents. He carries a wooden tool for attacking lions, but when he took his flashlight and shone it into the tall grass next to the small path…and at least six pairs of eyes were watching us….my heart went into my throat. Hyenas! Just a few feet away. Once we were in our tent, we were told to zip up, because lions had been sighted nearby. Hardly a surprise, I do have to say that the wildebeest is a complete idiot of an animal, bleating all night long, “hey lion, here we are, come and eat us”. They are sadly rather unattractive as well. Poor things.

June 9

Ngorogoro Crater Hotel View from our Balcony at 7000 ft.

The Ngorogoro Crater is spectacular. It sits about 7000 ft above sea level, at least the rim does. Our hotel balcony overlooks the crater, it almost looks like a satellite map or that you are looking at it from the plane. It is a LONG way down. The Maasai, a famous African tribe, live on the craters edge and often graze their cattle in the nutrient rich grass. Actually, Ran was on the balcony today when he heard bells and talking. The Maasai warriors were bringing their cattle by the hotel. The crater is so rich because of its history, millions of years ago it was a huge volcano, but it erupted and collapsed upon itself, creating the crater. Almost all of the animals in the crater are born and die there, the bull elephants are the exception as they leave to mate with females. There are 7 lion prides here. The animals have no reason to leave, the grass is rich and endless on the savannah, water is available, there is plenty of space! The endangered black rhino is here, missing, for some reason, are impala and giraffes. The savannah is flat grasslands with occasional purple flowers here and there. I could not believe how wonderful it smells as you go into the crater. The animals are used to the vehicles and seem fairly unconcerned with them.

Randy took photos today with lions walking around the vehicle, not because they were hostile, just because they needed to go around it. What does Simba (the name for lion in Swahili) need to worry about? Absolutely nothing.

I saw my first jackal, and I was surprised at how beautiful it was. We saw a male and a female. Also the hyena made a few appearances. Everyone says how ugly they are, but I don’t know, they can look kind of cute in the flesh. Obviously, this is African animal heaven in northern Tanzania. It seems as if we are in a documentary! Tomorrow we leave the crater and head for the Serengeti! We are excited to see it, we are spending an entire day game driving. Two more days of safari!

Check out my African photo page for more pictures!

An “In Transit” Adventure in Nairobi!

September 11, 2013 By Tam Warner 1 Comment

This happened on June 7, 2012 after my first citizen science adventure with ALL OUT AFRICA in Tofo, Mozambique! My husband joined me in Tofo), (we love Africa!) then …..

after a nice few days together in Tofo, it was time to move on to new adventures and safaris in Tanzania (*Tan Zain ya). We left Inhambane (In Hahm Bahn ay) for Johannesburg, then the next morning we boarded a Kenya Airways flight for Kiliminjaro with a connection in Nairobi. Kenya Airways was quite nice, it is on the approved European list of African airlines. We landed in Nairobi and headed for the connecting gate to Kiliminjaro, where I quickly learned my passport was missing. I am always very paranoid about making sure I have my passport, so Randy and I were both in shock. And so the saga began…. [Read more…] about An “In Transit” Adventure in Nairobi!

A Summary of my Volunteer Trip to Tofo Mozambique

September 1, 2013 By Tam Warner Leave a Comment

June 2

Ah, I now have to time to catch up on my blog as I fly over Mozambique, headed to Joburg. On Monday I came down with a stomach bug. It must have been the stomach bug of all time, because I have never felt so sick in my life. I was sick enough to call upstairs for a doctor, and the owner of Peri Peri was at the guesthouse with his wife. I think I have already blogged about how he tested me for malaria, and no, I don’t have it. My CPAP was out, and most people here seem to think it is some kind of oxygen or ventilator, I guess people in the rest of the world don’t have CPAPs or sleep apnea, mine gives me a solid night of sleep but isn’t a big deal. Where did I get the bug? Who knows, but for a month I shared regulators, fins, wetsuits, shower and bath facilities, water, and various other things. I also spent several hours with little children. It would be easy to pick something up. Either that, or I ate something. I slept the next day, and then Randy arrived. By Thursday I felt 110%, better than I have felt for years. However, the owner of Peri Peri saw me ill, and even though I feel great, I was not allowed to dive on my last day. I was quite upset, but I have put it in perspective. As I have already written here, the diving was extremely challenging, and the first two dives were very poorly done on my part. I did adjust, and dove for the rest of the 3 weeks without issues. My last dive would have been no problem at all and a wonderful finish to my trip, but I didn’t argue although I was deeply upset. I did everything on the trip I was scheduled or asked to do and more.

The dive conditions varied tremendously, from the worst current and visibility I have ever been in to maybe 30 ft visibility with surge. Not easy. The diving turned out to be a great disappointment as I did not see any mantas while diving, no whale sharks, leopard sharks, bowmouth guitar sharks, leatherback turtles…. I came on this trip for many reasons, but one of them was to see these animals. I have seen documentaries and read that Tofo is the epicenter of mantas and year round whale sharks. Perhaps it used to be, but I was there for one month, and the only one of these creatures I saw was a manta while snorkeling. I saw more dead sharks and rays than live ones, sadly enough.

My first manta! — One of two mantas I saw in month!

In summary, I am quite pleased with my trip in most ways, and I really enjoyed being there, the scientific community is terrific, but I doubt I will return to Tofo. My son Wes would love it and do great there, and his girlfriend Carisa (who is an organic farmer) could teach or start farming in Mozambique. As for me, I’m thinking Thailand or Egypt or Indonesia…..on a luxury live aboard, haha.

This trip was a challenge I set for myself. Never in my life had I travelled so far, alone, never have I volunteered on such a project. I wasn’t trying to prove anything, not even to myself, but I was challenging myself and my lifestyle, and the fact that I have hit midlife. My youngest is a senior in college, and I am done raising my family (well, as finished as a mother can ever be). I enjoy my career immensely as I care about, and like, my students. I do not want to just “age gracefully” now and wait for grandchildren so I can bake cookies (hardly my style), this is the time of life for me and my interests.

Many of us do not really know who we are until we are older, and in some respects it is true of me. I have never really fit anywhere. When I was a child and a teen I tried to fit in. In my twenties I appeared to blend in, and by my 30s I was comfortable. All of my life I have admired those people who seem to have it all together, who seem to fit into groups with ease: everything is in its right place, it is all organized and planned ahead, things are not left behind, forgotten, or broken, they don’t forget their weight belt or to put the jacket on the tank before hooking up the regulator. Shit, I just remembered I forgot my prescription mask at the dive center. Sometimes I make myself crazy! I’ll ask Ben to bring it back to the US and mail it to me. Anyway, I do so admire those got-it-all-together people, but I have come to full acceptance that I will never be one of them, no matter what I do or how hard I try. I leave things, forget items, drop and break things. I trip on flat surfaces and go flying, I fall down on boats and buses as well as off of boats and buses. I am accident prone, ever since I can remember I have had cuts and bruises with no concept of how I got them. I am the true version of the absent minded professor of the old Walt Disney movie (it is an old one, I really cannot remember it except for the professor who barely knew where he was most of the time). We are who we are. All of those things about me anger me, embarrass me, and frustrate me, but really, I need to just accept it. I’m better when I take my Focalin for ADHD, but I didn’t know if it would be okay while diving so I didn’t take it. I do have many redeeming qualities. One of those is a commitment to service, to giving back, to helping others. My volunteer mission in Mozambique served 3 purposes: to challenge myself physically and test my endurance, to give my time and energy to a worthwhile project, and to learn even more about my passion for marine animals (any animals, really). So how did I do?

Stairs of Death, a challenge met and mastered.

I was successful meeting physical challenges I thought were beyond me. After the 10 year debacle of my back surgery, MRSA infection, and other various health nuisances (nothing serious or fatal, thanks be) which included this awful weight gain, I doubted my physical endurance and capability. I have just spent a month walking miles a day, climbing up steep hills or stairs, pushing a zodiac into the water, diving in tough conditions, snorkeling in a sometimes choppy sea, and here is what I have to say: bring it on, I am ready to do anything. I have lost weight, gained strength, and found more confidence in myself than I have ever known. I’m ready to go anywhere, and I am really looking forward to my girl’s trip to Lake Tahoe in August, because I have no qualms now about climbing, hiking, or rafting. Of course, I’ll probably fall on my face doing it, but that’s ok, situation normal. I have always wanted to go sky diving….I wonder if it is as fun as jumping off a cliff to handglide or cage dive with Great Whites? I think I’ll put it on my to-do list.

I wish I could have contributed more to the whale shark project. I actually do more surveys and logging for REEF on my own than I did at this project. I enjoyed learning about the databases for whale sharks and other animals, and I always have confidence in my mental ability to do those kinds of things well and in a very thorough manner. Once you learn the old Scientific Method in grad school, you never lose it. I did learn some new information, but really, not a whole lot, and that was a bit disappointing too. I had hoped for more real research activity.

So, the success of my trip was personal success, and I am happy with that. I didn’t complain about anything, though a few times I wanted to. I kept my mouth shut, another amazing feat for me since my foot is usually stuck in my mouth (or as my dad used to say, “don’t let your mouth get your ass in trouble”.) The other major success of this trip is due to my housemates and fellow volunteers. They were wonderful to me, and I enjoyed my time with them very much. It is amazing how quickly bonding takes place! I am old enough to be the parent of some of them, but I will consider them as friends for the rest of my life. I hope they all come and visit me in Cozumel or Dallas! I’d love to dive with them in a relaxed holiday environment. Of course, I am always planning a trip to Europe, and now I have even more reason: Daniela in Munich, Leslie in Basel, Marcel in Zurich, Felix in London…..) Age is really just a number, it does not define who you are or what you can do. Besides, 50 is the new 40!

SO. I am on my way to Joburg with Randy, who had a bit of trouble with the walking and hills in Tofo, and tomorrow we will set out for Arusha, Tanzania and a new adventure! BRING IT ON.

Dives and Casa do Mar in Tofo, Mozambique

August 27, 2013 By Tam Warner Leave a Comment

May 28

I spent a miserable night last night. On my way to bed I discovered that our electrical outlet quit working, so I had to go downstairs and sleep in the middle, airless, windowless, storeroom/bedroom. The mattress (if you can even call it that) was so thin I could feel the bed slats, so I decided to put the mattress on the floor. I did get a fan and had it on all night. I woke up aching. I then changed, went upstairs and turned on the faucet…no water. Shit. So I decided to check into Casa Do Mar a day early. I then did a two tank dive this morning. The ocean was a bit rough, with swells. The first reef was 30 minutes out, called Outback. No mantas, leopard sharks, bowmouth guitar sharks, leatherbacks or whale sharks. Sigh. But I did get some nice photos. The dive went quickly, there were only 4 divers, the leader and the “sweeper”, but one of the men blew through his air quickly and had to go up, then the other guy had an equipment problem, so after 20 minutes we were ascending. It is a deep dive, maybe 90 feet. After the dive we cruised around looking for whale sharks, but no luck. Second dive was called Giant, also deep. We were headed up after 20 minutes. You can’t stay on those deep dives very long, especially after you’ve already done a deep dive.

After we returned I went directly to Casa Do Mar and checked in. I went to the house and packed up quickly, had one of the guys from the guesthouse come and get my bags, then I spent a glorious 15 minutes under a hot shower. Ahhhh. The bed is heaven…it even has more than one pillow, and the mattress is great. I fell asleep pretty quickly, then Leslie knocked at my door to tell me they were having a barbeque at 630p. I am having electrical plug issues here, they don’t have an adapter for a 3 prong US plug. I’ll have to figure that one out.

Right now I am sitting on the balcony of the guesthouse, listening to the surf, and enjoying the breeze. The volunteer house is always hot and stuffy, so this is a treat. I am so happy to be back in the land of amenities.

I have learned so much from this trip, although not what I thought I would learn. I have done some small amount of research, but there have been no whale sharks to id or tag, and only two manta rays on an ocean safari. I have added to my knowledge of humanity. I have come late to the realization that life goes on no matter what you do and what you try to do. People are born, they suffer, and some suffer more than others. Happiness is a moment here and there, it is not a stable state of mind. I have seen cruelty in Mozambique, but there is cruelty everywhere. I have seen terrible poverty and ignorance, but again, it exists everywhere. For as long as there is no general will among people or nations to change the conditions of poverty, ignorance and cruelty, there will be no change. What can we do as individuals to alleviate some of the pain in the world? Well, I know what I can do, though it is small. I plan to give money to Suzanne and Martina, volunteers at the orphanage in Inhambane, so they can buy fruit for the children. The children eat rice and water, no fresh vegetables, no fresh fruit, no milk. So, those children will receive fresh fruit. The money donated to the orphanage seems to disappear into the pockets of the employees, and there is a “chef” who prepares the rice, but we don’t want the fruit to go into their hands. It will be purchased daily from the market and given to the children during lunchtime. It is a small thing, but it will help those malnourished children. I can also bring awareness to the plight of our ocean, and our marine ecosystem.

I cannot fix it myself, but I can tell others about it. I am seeing the result of overfishing, of targeting sharks and rays on this coast…there are few left. DON’T EAT SHARK FIN SOUP. It is so disgusting, anyway. Shark fins should stay on sharks, and sharks should stay in the ocean where they belong.

Parties, babies and owls

August 25, 2013 By Tam Warner Leave a Comment

May 26

Travels with Tam — Suzanne and I at Tofo Tofo

Well, I missed my dive this morning. No, I wasn’t hung over, I felt ill during the night, as did my roomie, Leslie. After imbibing a lot of alcoholic substances, the group went to Tofo Tofo, a restaurant in the village. Dinner was delicious, I think it was the ice that made me ill. Ice can be a danger as we all know. I should have stuck with the bottle. I managed to “sneak” away after dinner, Daniela had quite a few cocktails and insisted I go to Fatimas with them to dance with her.

I asked Patty to distract her, which wasn’t a problem, and I headed home, taking the shortcut through the woods. Leslie insisted on walking me to the fork, and it is good that she did, because I would have missed it. It was a fun evening! Some of them cannot remember much about it today, though. LOL.

Suzanne is the only housemate who is not on the ocean project, she is volunteering at the orphanage in Inhambane. She has told some very sad stories, and today the children came to Casa Barry for a day by the ocean. I watched the children play for while, and then held and fed a little girl named Denicea. She has bedsores from not being turned over often enough in her crib, and her nappy (diaper) was basically a dishcloth. At 8 months old she can barely hold her head up. There were 4 or 5 babies there, and they did not cry or react at all, they just sat there. They have learned that crying or cooing gets them no attention, so they don’t make a peep.

By the end Denicea and the 7 month old baby (who was no bigger than a 2 month old) Katie was holding were reacting a bit, smiling a little, and cooing. They want the food just shoveled into their mouths they are so hungry. The other, older, children, who live on rice and water, enjoyed hamburgers and chips with soda and ice cream. I’m sure a few of them will be ill tomorrow, but they really enjoyed it today. Many of them did not know what the vegetables were on their plates. Needless to say, it was a sobering event, although it is not helpful to be sad around these children….I saved that for after they left. I took a long walk on the beach. I plan to give money to Martina, a volunteer at the orphanage who is married to Steve, the dive shop owner here, so she can buy fresh fruits for the children.

Donations directly to the orphanage do not get to the children, sadly enough, so it has to go in a roundabout fashion. How can anything ever change here, or anywhere else? There just seems to be so little will to make improvements, for anyone or anything. I admire the volunteers and scientists so much, whether they are working for the environment, the animals, the children, or education, they work against impossible odds.

A salad for dinner, made by Daniela, followed by exhaustion and the desire for early bed. However, the electrical outlet has stopped working in our room, so I am moving downstairs. GRRRR. I am certainly not moving all of my stuff, and I will ask at Casa Do Mar if they have a room for tomorrow night. I’m ready for some pampering, a washing machine and an air conditioner!

This evening Leslie came in to tell me there was an owl in the yard. Sure enough, an owl was sitting on one of the fence posts. It makes me terribly sad. Owls are highly emotional birds, and are very, very bonded to their mate. Often they can be monogamous and have been known to die of melancholy when their mate is lost. I’m sure the owl of tonight is wondering why his mate’s scent ends at our yard. It just kills me, and the memory of what happened serves to make me angry and sad at the same time.

Tomorrow, I dive.

Travel Adventures!

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