FIFINONO – a blog about cultural exploration

“Karibu! Welcome!”

“Sister from a different mother!”

As we entered the local market, the local hugged me as we passed by their shops. I could get used to this. I loved their smile, laughter, and sense of gratitude, and community bonding.

Here we are, Tanzania!

Serengeti

By the time we get to Serengeti, we had developed the habit of sticking our head out of the window for animal spotting. The road almost bumped my guts out, but I couldn’t hide the excitement to be in a 5695 square meter national park. As cliche as it sounds, I felt I was in the live version of Lion King: A close encounter with the big lion family, the father roamed majestically to protect his territory, he approached our jeeps and crossed the road without looking at us. If he wanted lunch, we would have no chance to escape. 

 The lioness is usually responsible for hunting and feeding. We watched the cubs following their mother, as she laid down, the babies squeezed in and started suckling. Then one of the most ferocious animals unveiled her nurturing and soft side. 

We set up our tent in the middle of Serengeti where the tsetse flies were prevalent. Blue clothes were hanging around to attract the catch them. There was no electricity, no signal, completely disconnected from civilization, and I loved it. The sky was even more starry than the one in Masai Mara, which I didn’t think was possible. I stared at the sky and got lost in a milky way. In Chinese we called it the “Silver River”, I loved it for its romantic and poetic interpretation. We sat around the fire drinking the “Tall Horse” wine from the supermarket on the road and talking about the possibility of an animal encounters at night.

“Once a girl was taking pictures of the sky and fell asleep.” Our driver Isa shared an almost horror story. “Then a Hyena came and started eating her arm, we had to drive her all the way to the hospital in Arusha.”

The story made everyone go to bed quite early. But it didn’t scare or worry me. Instead, the thought that we were so integrated into the wildlife was exhilarating. As I reluctantly dozed off, I felt a few thrusts on my tent several times at night, I resisted my temptation to go out and greet the visitor.

Ngorongoro

Driving into Ngorongoro, the landscape changed dramatically. Volcanic craters formed stunning backdrops, wildebeests roaming on the rich grazing grounds. I stuck my heads out of the Land Cruiser rooftop, feeling the chilly wind on my face, the sweet air mixed with the refreshing smell of grass. The breathtaking view was amplified by the abundant wildlife. No matter how many animals we had seen in the past few days, I was still amazed at each encounter; fascinated by how free, relaxed, and joyful they were. This is the way animals are supposed to live and I hope that would never change.

Lake Victoria

After another long day of driving, we have arrived at the largest lake in Africa – Lake Victoria. It’s still strange to hear so many of the landscapes in Africa are still named after their colonizers today. Hearing the waves washing the sand was calming and healing. I walked along the beach around the lake, overhearing local’s conversation. To me, Swahili is a very lyrical and cheerful language. While I was able to pick out English words in Kenyan’s Swahili, that trick no longer worked in Tanzania. I was told that Tanzania’s Swahili is more pure and polite, perhaps due to the British colonization in Kenya. I stopped to take a few shots of the storks, they glared at me for a second, then stuck their long beaks in the lake searching for dinner. I was again amazed and relieved by how unbothered they were by my intrusion. The last sunray of the day shone through the thick clouds, leaving a layer of pink before darkness prevailed. We sat by the campfire and enjoyed another delicious meal and my first Serengeti beer.

Africa, the magical land of Africa… She is raw, rough, and wild. The chaos is tangled with possibilities, the risks dance with potential. It made my heart race and blood pump, and there are still so many mysteries here waiting for me to discover.