Tanzania – Tarangire / Serengeti / Ngorongoro 坦桑尼亚 – 塔兰吉雷 / 塞伦盖地 / 恩戈罗恩戈罗 11/2018 Stop 6 站

15-18/11/2018. I could not drive myself to the Serengeti National Park. I did not want the wild animals to be looking for me while I was trying to look for them. So I joined a group of like-minded timid tourists from different countries in a Landcruiser led by a safari guide. We started driving toward the Serengeti the next morning.

On the way, we stopped at a viewpoint to peek at the famous Ngorongoro Crater. The view was spectacular, picture-perfect of a harmonious animal kingdom. Stretching 20 kilometers across, it is a huge crater, like a flat-bottom bowl—painted with the greens and tans of vegetation sprinkled with a variety of grazing animals. I could not make out what these animals were from this vantage point, but this is only a sneak preview; we will have another opportunity to see them close up on the way back from the Serengeti safari. From here, we continued, arriving at the entrance of Serengeti National Park, then on to the park’s base camp. Let the safari begin.

Somewhere along the vast grassland, the driver-guide exited the car to kick the tires, to check any was flat. Just two minutes down the road, we drove past an adult lion resting in the shade of a big rock beside the gravel path. No big deal—it was only a cat, just bigger. We then came face-to-face with a big family of elephants, a group of young and mature lions dozing off in the afternoon heat, a couple of leopards, some vultures that had just torn up a dead carcass, and, to end the day, a stunning grassland sunset.

We returned to pitch camp inside the park. As we reached the gate, a hyena scurried away into the bush, much like a stray dog back home running away from you. No one told me I was going to spend a night in a zoo with all the cages wide open. I sat in my tent the whole evening, listening to the eerie calls of hyenas (and I imagined hearing Whoopi Goldberg’s voice, that rascal of a hyena voice in The Lion King). I did not bring any torchlight like those seasoned Europeans in our group; I only had my phones that shone as far as my toes. I could only count on a tiny bottle of mosquito repellent, a repulsive stinky body that had not bathed after the long dusty and sweaty day to repulse the hungry animals, and comfort myself with the thought that at least I was not the juicy type. The tents all huddled together in the center of an open field, while the toilet was tucked away near the bush tens of meters away, next to the thick bush. Should we have the urge to pee in the middle of the night, the guides told us to do it just outside the tent. I think I might just try to hold it in all night, or just let go. I am not messing around with these ravenous guys at their dinner time.

15-18/11/2018 第二早往塞伦盖地奔，路经恩戈罗恩戈罗火山口的瞭望台先一睹这火山口。这口比我的还大，直径大约20公里，状如一个平底盘的超大球场, 可依稀看到各类野兽在草地吃草晒太阳。一个和谐和隔离的动物王国，非常壮观。大约下午两点抵达塞伦盖地入口。到营地卸下帐篷等物后开始塞伦第一猎游。

走了一段路后，导游司机下车查看是否爆胎，之后再继续前进，几分钟后看见路旁一只大狮躺着懒睡。只是只猫，只是大了点，不用大惊小怪。接着看到一群大象和小象就我们面前啃草， 另一群懒散的狮子在休息，一群秃鹰在处理死尸, 最后以草原的夕阳美景收关。

到营地入口处时一只鬣狗正仓皇往营地周围树丛逃串。没人事先告知我们会在笼子全开的动物园过夜；这些导游以为我们都活得不耐烦了。整晚在帐篷听着的鬣狗叫声， 我问导游三更半夜要上厕怎么办， 因为厕所的确是在几十米外靠着黑乎乎的丛林。他说帐篷外随意就可，而我防身的只有驱蚊油。如起不了作用， 希望一整天没洗澡的体臭会让他们反胃。其实其他老外看来更长肉，且我的口感也没那么好，狮子该不会对我垂涎。到时如想上厕我只能硬憋到天亮了，不然只能顺其自然的水到渠成了事。