Tanzania: Work and the journey home April 3rd-7th

Work was a series of seminars and helping with the drafgting of soem documents. The location was a  brand new headquarters on the outskirts of Arusha in a  rcently released sub-diviion. This meant that there were few neighbours  but the road has not yet been completed and so it was a rather tough track still. This is the wet season so earth roads are easily damaged. The workplace was less than 10km from the hotel and the journey through the rural areas and the urban fringe was always interesting - and at the end of the trip the new building................

We worked every day but on Wednesday there was a power failure and so we stopped early and I was taken to see  the Arusha National Park which was fortunately on the way to the airport where I had a evening flight to catch - so that all fitted in nicely, apart from the power cut.  On the way to the PArk whihc lies near the foot of Mount Meru, we pased through extensive coffee plantations; many with electric fences and permanent guards.

 The entry to the park is small and quite attractive...

 Once inside I paid my US$35 fee and off we went.
Immediately we saw  some interesting birds outside the office as we walked back to the car........

..............then almost as soonas we drove off a giraffe appeared, the only one we saw as it happened.

There was also a zebra walking along with the giraffe but it did not show up through the bush in this picture.
Soon we found an open swampy area with  hreds of Zebra and buffalo and a few warthogs................

 Then we came across a troop of baboons walking along the road...............

........then more buffalo, this time a bit closer and with tick birds clearly working on their backs...

..........and water buck.................

.............other antelopes and baboons again..................

We drove on to see the collection of three lakes; two are salty, alkaline lakes but one is  fresh and contains hippos. I saw them in the distance but even with the long lens and the digital enhancement you need good imagination to believe that tale............................

...see  what I mean?

Then it was on to the other Momella lakes which are alkaline. There are no hippos ..........but what a lot of flamingos!

A really splendid sight. We drove on and saw many of the flamingos at other parts of the lakes and then  some ducks............

and then we passed by the small museum which is out in the park

 on our way to the rim of an old volcano. Quite a climb in the car and then again on foot but the view at the top was great - even if I was rather out of breath

............a sort of miniature Ngorogoro.
Anyway time was  moving on and we had to turn round and head off to the Kilimanjiro Airport for me to catch the KLM flight home. The plane was on time but it seemed to be arather old B747-400 with poor quality seating in Business Class, very average food and some quite indifferent service at times. But Asterdam airport was OK and the last flight to Vienna was  also KLM and went off OK. So another mission was over.