Ngorongoro Rhino Lodge Ngorongoro Conservation Area

... t figure out what they were looking for and then Gabe spotted it, a leopard! We urged the driver forward pointing urgently at the leopard, who was not far away. But the driver didn’t see her and so he moved in slow motion. Everyone was ready to scream as they patiently urged him to go faster telling him we could see the leopard! As we made our way forward slowly the leopard began walking away from the road. Finally ...

... how the hippos got in is anyones guess!<br>We've just arrived back at Kudu Camp, we were supposed to head off to a different camp but due to being a little late (our truck- breaking fault mainly... oh, and our replacement truck broke for a short while too once in the Crater just to add!) but it means we've already been showered and got our sh!t into gear again ready for tomorrow. I just feel sorry for whoever has to clean the dust - now mud - out of the showers!

... and was consulted on all the joint pains and did the odd steroid injection and Kirsty was consulted on the medical stuff. When we weren't seeing patients there was a lot of behind the scenes stuff to get on with because they're planning to build a 14 bed hospital on the site with theatres for major and minor surgery. We helped with the some of the aspects of planning it and the organisation of the clinic itself. It was pretty good cos it's not the kind ...

... to relax. I went and bought items from the Maasai people in the lobby area &#8230; a colorful shuka (red tribal cloth) which I intend to use as a table cloth in Florida, a necklace and a beaded Christmas ornament.<br><br> Early evening, Rachel did a briefing on Olduvai Gorge, the cradle of mankind, which we will visit tomorrow. It is a steep-sided ravine in the Great Rift Valley, and is one of the most important ...

... world together. <br><br>Food is underwhelming. I am trying to be adventuresome, tasting the local stuff where possible. But parrot fish is not something I&#8217;ll order again &#8211; it&#8217;s for the birds (har, har). Luckily, dinner included a salad and dessert bar so I compensated myself.<br><br>When we left the restaurant, we stopped at a lobby stall the Maasai run. We inspected jewelry, shukas (Maasai cloth), wall hangings, baskets ...

... we see is greatly reduced to the occasional Thompson's gazelle, an ostrich, a secretary bird, and warthog. The grass is short and gradually diminishes to nothing but a swirl of dust.<br><br> We reach the park gate and the park officers quickly recognize that Ahmed is an Kenyan. He is asked to provide his papers several times and other vehicles that arrived after us are processed quickly and dispatched while we are still waiting. This does not seem normal ...

Ngorongoro crater was created by the collapse of a massive volcano. The result is a large basin that is kind of sealed off from the rest of the world. On the drive up the hills were covered in thick green foliage and surrounded in mist, quite different than what I'd been expecting but really cool, like a lost world or something. The crater ...

... and sometimes has difficult days, was especially thin skinned and I felt awful when I realized she began to cry. After multiple discussions with the park attendant and multiple decision changes among the girls, we decided to continue to the crater but cut our visit short by a day. <br><br>Two hours after arriving at the eastern gate we passed into the Conservation Area and were welcomed by waving Maasai young males. Last year, the drive through this area was one of the ...

... black rhino as there are only 26 of them left in the crater. But we did! We were so lucky. It was quite far away but even so we could tell that they're an absolutly magnificent beast. The entire trip was fantastic. I can't explain how wonderful it was. Especially with the amazing food and comfy beds. It also means though that my trip ius almost over which is very sad. Although I am looking forward to being back in England. Anyway, must dash. Much love to you all xxx

... two things that day - sit in the middle seat and always wear a hat. Oh well - Still a great day. We ran long looking for the rhino which we never found and Jenn and I decided to pass on the Maasai village as I had seen one when I was here two years ago. We had a nice dinner and a great camp fire that night. The next day we would be off on our all day journey to our next camp... in the Serengeti! BJ &amp; Jenn