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Serengeti strikes back (after Mara kicks sand in her face)


pault

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They are god-awful, nauseating, headache producing, peripheral blurring, reality distorting.

 

You talking glasses or Acid? :wacko:

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Lynn and Acid? Nawwww, don't think so ..... :rolleyes:

 

On the glasses dilemma, I bought at great expense, a pair of Hoodman photographer's frames. They are hinged at the top so that you can flick one or both sides of glass up. You can wear them most of the time when out on safari with the lenses flipped up so you can use binoculars and then flip one or both down to check the camera settings. The biggest downside is that they do get covered with finger prints.

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Glad you are reading, Lynn and twaffle.

 

Glasses are an interesting subject so I want to say discussion of them is welcome here and likely to be uiseful to me personally in the near future. I also think it is nicely appropriate since so far Mara is still dusting Serengeti's face with sand and threatening a wedgie if he reacts..... the fightback begins very soon, though.

Edited by pault
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This is the last section I'll post for a few days as I finally got my data storage rearranged to make enough space for all the new photos. So I need to process those photos (or a selection) in order to continue hte report. I'll be back to posting when I have 4-5 days' worth of story to tell, since there is less need to go "drive-by-drive" given that the next 7 nights are basically spent in the same general area.

 

The next morning we had a late wake up (5.30) and after coffee packed our bags and were at breakfast by 6.30. We were heading to the Lamai Wedge and the question of the day was would the bridge over the Mara River be open? If it wasn't we would need to take a 2 hour (at least) detour. The latest news had been promising - the bridge had been open the day before - but there was heavy cloud to the north and a big storm in Kenya could easily result in the bridge being impassable by the time we got there. So I was told there would be limited stops until we got to the bridge or were able to confirm that there had been no heavy rain upstream overnight.

 

Bibi had a bombshell question for my wife first thing in the morning. She wanted to know why my wife had been singing and then making a screaming sound the night before. She said she was quite worried and had considered blowing the whistle or even going out herself to investigate, except that she couldn't work out how to open the tent in the dark. However, my wife had soon stopped so she thought it must be okay, as it was highly unlikely I had murdered her.

 

My wife was very puzzled by this and because her native language isn't English thought maybe there was some part she had misunderstood. So she made Mum tell the story again to me at breakfast and, keeping a straight face (with great difficulty) I asked her to repeat the sound she had heard to an impartial expert - the camp manager - since I might not be believed. "Ah, Bibi.... it was a hyena you heard."

 

"There was a hyena outside my tent?" exclaimed Bibi. "But it was right next to the tent." She had obviously taken my warning that there might be hyenas and lions in camp at night with a pinch too much salt, assuming that "in camp" meant "in the vicinity of camp".

 

"You thought a hyena was me?" asked my wife, not best pleased. She had guessed it might be a bushbaby or some nighttime bird she had been mistaken for and though a hyena was way too much.

 

Mystery solved we we set off, traveling along the Seronera Valley (so pretty and relatively quiet in the morning, with no leopard sightings blocking the way) and then out towards the Ikoma Gate, where we exited the park. It was fairly quiet in this part of the park, with nothing to really distract us from our goal of not stopping too much. General game and nice, but not special, Serengeti landscapes. It is not actually all that far from Ikoma Gate to the Seronera Valley - further than I would like to drive each day - especially with park formalities to do both ways, but if I had no budget for more, I might consider somewhere near the Ikoma Gate more favorably now, having actually done the drive. Immediately outside the gate we were among houses and people, and the road deteriorated badly. It's not the worst highway in East Aftica by any means, but it might be in contention for a place in the top 20, given its fame. Certainly people would ideally be required to drive it for a few hours before calling the Tanzanian government names over the Serengeti Highway plan (even if they deserve to be called names).. The highway plan (or a version of it) seems to involve tarring the road outside the park, as ironically this is the section that makes travel difficult/impossible, and not the generally reasonably nice road inside the park. I was slightly surprised by this.

 

Outside the gate there are a lot of acccommodation options, most of which I had never heard of and probably never will again. The area is a "controlled" area, with no legal hunting or poaching now, generally with the cooperation of the locals (who are numerous) so a nice buffer for the Serengeti. Deo is of the opinion that it generally works as such, especially in terms of poaching and despite incidents. At the right time of year (as the migration passes through or nearby) it can apparently be a very good area. Of course we saw nothing from the highway except for some Marabou Storks, a few wildebeest and the odd zebra/

 

Living with Wildlife

 

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After a couple of hours (from the gate) bumping along over, through and around potholes and the like, we reached Mugumu, a fair-sized town, where we stopped to buy a torch (my wife had forgotten hers). We also stopped off for a coke/ coffee at the Leopard Inn, where Deo sometimes stays the night befoire picking up fly-in guests. He said he wouldn't recommend it to western travelers - especially since they would likely be charged 3x what he pays. :) There was an African soap opera on TV - music and acting reminded me of the Bold and the Beautiful but of course it was in Swahili. After 5 minutes they switched to an English-language channel which we didn't really want. Lastr time I caught a glimpse of TV on safari the Thai Prime Minister had resigned and Lehman Brothers had collapsed, so I turned away and "hummed like a hyena" until they brought the Afrcian soap back.

 

After our break we set off on the last leg and to cut a long story short, arrived in the Northern Serengeti well before 2pm, which was actually on schedule and so felt really early in Africa. I thought we should do something to waste some time until we got comfortably behind schedule again - it just didn't feel right. Bibi didn't agree - she liked this "on time" thing. Babu confirmed at the gate that the bridge was "very probably" open, so we slowed down and lifted the roof..

 

I was pretty excited to finally get here and it certainly an attractive part of teh Serengeti, but now we had to deal with "the other question of the day". Would hte wildebeest still be here in any numbers? First signs were that it was a very pretty area, with "as-advertised" rolling hills, kopjes and pockets of trees. However, it had apparently been completely cleared of animals - not even a zebra!

 

A bleak outlook?

 

i-wPxCqRS-XL.jpg

 

We did find two hyenas and about 60 vultures on a relatively fresh wildebeest carcass (so the wildebeest were clearly not long gone) and watched them for 45 minutes until the hyenas got a leg and left the rest of the carcass to the squabbling vultures and Marabou Storks. Quite a melee ensued, especially when one of the hyenas returned for seconds after the other hyena took the leg away.

 

Still, there was a chance some were left north of the river, and anyway we hadn't planned on relying on their presence - the predators and resident game would do us. Except that after 45 minutes of driving there didn't appear to be any resident game other than the two hyenas and pursuant vultures. We arrived at the bridge about 3.30 (I guess) and it was clearly crossable, so we stopped at the airstrip next to it to use the clean toiilets (by now my wife was getting sick of clean toilets and told Deo he didn't need to find any more of these clean toilets - Bibi would survive. Deo told her that was just as well, since there wouldn't be any more after today).

 

The bridge had trapped a dead wildebeest underneath and stank, but was nowhere near being flooded so we didn't need to worry about that for at least the next day or two. It looked likey that rain would come - as it had since we arrived in Tanzania - but that rain never did quite fall. Two small showers over the next four days and that was it.

 

Having crossed the bridge we passed through some light woodland and it was immediately clear that both normal flies and tsetses were in abundant supply at the moment. Bibi seemed bissfully unaware that there were a number of tsetses in the vehicle and so we decided to tell her later, after seeing if all her insect bite protection measures would actually work. This turned out to be a good move because, when she realised we were being attacked by tsetses she would start slapping around with a rolled up newspaper and annoying the hell out of everyone. The breaking point was when she hit herself on the head with the newspaper and was told that if she did that to the person sitting next to her she would be having a time out in camp next day. <_<

 

And to cut another long story short, Babu decided we should head up towards Kenya before going into camp, to have a look, and eventually we came over the brow of a slope and there they all were - miles and miles and miles of wildebeest left and right. Not quite as far as the eye could see in this flat land (that would come later because, as Deo told Bibi as she gasped in awe, "this is nothing yet" - correctly deducing that since none appeared to be south of the river, this was likely just the first wave) but most definitely still all here north of the river and moving slowly south in a very promising manner. Of course I have seen "the migration" before, but what we saw in the next few days made what I have seen before seem relatively insignificant.

 

Spotted Plains

 

i-fXRGgVQ-XL.jpg

 

Not quite as far as the eye can see (yes, that is the Maasai Mara in the background if you are thinking it looks familiar)

 

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By the evening, after a short game drive before dinner, when we were driving back to camp (which is between where we had seen the 'vanguard' at 3.30 and the river) therough the woodland, there were wildebeest in every open space. We drove for 40 minutes and there was barely a moment when we didn't have them on all sides, and with no end in sight. They were definitely moving south and more and more were coming down from Kenya to fill the space they vacated as they did.

 

For every flower a wildebeest or two....

 

i-sWgpQ9c-XL.jpg

 

 

 

"You thought a hyena was me?"

 

i-qgHDthb-XL.jpg

 

We're staying 4 nights at Serengeti North Wilderness Camp - sister camp of the one at Turner's Springs, by the way.

 

I'll continue in a few days... or as soon as I can.

Edited by pault
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"You thought a hyena was me?"

I'm wondering if this can be topped, and how. :P

You thought a kookaburra was me?

For the fellas, I suppose "You thought a hippo was me?"

Nah - can't be topped :D

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"Thought a buffalo was me" .... "Thought a buffalo was the camp askari".......both happened at the same camp, with the same buffalo! :P

 

 

Edit: But you're right - they are not in the same class.

Edited by pault
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madaboutcheetah

Lovely additions!!! Can hardly wait to get to the Serengeti.........

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Funny as! Travelling with wife and mother you would need a good sense of humour.

 

Great selection of photos, the b&w work very well.

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The dueling Mara and Serengeti is becoming intense. They are in close proximity to each other now with wildes all over the place. That wedgie can't be far off.

 

I hope there have been no additional references to hyena and your wife from you Paul.

 

Will look forward to the rest of your humorous report in several weeks. Some bats are calling me. Will we ever be privy to Bibi's version of the trip in The Bibi Report?

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Bat time already Lynn, have a wonderful time.

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They are god-awful, nauseating, headache producing, peripheral blurring, reality distorting.

You talking glasses or Acid? :wacko:

 

Bat time already Lynn, have a wonderful time.

 

Taking my reading glasses. Leaving the acid behind. With all the reports I'll have to catch up on, Bibi's next adventures, Madagascar, etc. and some year-end deadlines of my own, I may have to wish you Happy New Year now and check back in in 2013.

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Enjoy the bats Lynn. I am not sure we are ready for the Bibi Report!

 

References to a hyena are tempting but I haven't dared.

 

..... If you aren't going to do a report this year post your picture here. I am sure it is not only me who would like to see it.

 

Thanks MAC and twaffle - the funny stories are mostly (but far from completely) done now and we are about to get a bit harder core - well, until Bibi tells the boys that's enough and grounds us!

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On 11/22/2012 at 12:51 AM, pault said:
 

 

".. I am not sure we are ready for the Bibi Report!"

>> But we are Paul, we are. In fact, we demand it. Bibi should get equal air time at the very least. We don't need to gather in numbers on the streets in red shirts (or would that be yellow), do we? :)

 

"References to a hyena are tempting but I haven't dared."

>> And here you show you are one wise man. Live long and prosper.

 

"..... If you aren't going to do a report this year post your picture here. I am sure it is not only me who would like to see it."

>> Hear hear. But do I detect a faint whiff of sly psychology here? :D

 

".. the funny stories are mostly (but far from completely) done now and we are about to get a bit harder core"

>> I do hope not Paul. Your humourous tone is what sets you apart in your story telling. Well, in any case, I don't take myself too seriously :P

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On 11/22/2012 at 3:19 AM, johnkok said:

[".... If you aren't going to do a report this year post your picture here. I am sure it is not only me who would like to see it."

>> Hear hear. But do I detect a faint whiff of sly psychology here? :D

 

I don't know what you are talking about. Are you suggesting I am pressuring .... with this simple thought? I wouldn't do that. She is perfectly entitled to carry on reading other people's reports without contributing one. ZaminOZ too for that matter - they are busy people. We plebs who have nothing better to do with our time understand.

 

Completely unrelated, have a look at your own thread. :P

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On 11/22/2012 at 6:40 AM, pault said:

.. Are you suggesting I am pressuring .... with this simple thought?

 

I knew making the decisions about a safari itinerary were stressful.

 

I knew listening to a first timer who witnessed that once-in-a-lifetime event that I myself narrowly missed makes me harbour thoughts about my fellow man that I ought not to.

 

I knew looking through the only images I did manage to capture of that never before seen event to find one to show the camp and finding that all of them are a blurry mess makes me think the safari gods have it in for me.

 

But who knew that there could be so much pressure after the safari was over? It's enough to make me break out in a cold sweat before even thinking of what colour socks to pack for my next safari! Or maybe I should just pack it all in and call it a day.

 

Mercy :wacko:

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John, there is an 12-month grace period. You are safe for now. .... and ZA have "previous"'as they say in the UK.

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".. I am not sure we are ready for the Bibi Report!"

>> But we are Paul, we are. In fact, we demand it. Bibi should get equal air time at the very least. We don't need to gather in numbers on the streets in red shirts (or would that be yellow), do we? :)

 

 

Bi-Bi! Bi-Bi! Bi-Bi! Bi-Bi! Bi-Bi! Bi-Bi! Bi-Bi! Bi-Bi! Bi-Bi! Bi-Bi! Bi-Bi! Bi-Bi!

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Oh no!

Go and see the bats Lynn. I'll ask her if has any photos in focus and if she can read any of the notes she took now she is home.

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pault my husband and I will be with Deo next year in the northern Serengeti so I'm really enjoying this for several reasons.

 

How do you like the pop up vehicles as opposed to open sided ones? Did you find you shot more from the top or windows and did you use bean bags? Any suggestions? Thanks for taking the time to entertain us.

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PCNW.... Actually it is more to do with the vehicles in Tanzania as a whole, but the situation is not ideal for me (others will find it perfect). I rarely shoot from the top in any vehicle - it is my preference to shoot at shorter focal lengths and lower angles (although of course that means more grass in the way and more shots that miss focus! :P). Nearly all Tanzanian Landcruisers adapted for safari use have sliding windows and when dust gets in between the rubber and the glass they stick. That makes things tough for me, especially because the ladies would sit in the front and when they closed their windows to keep dust out of their faces, they could not get them fully open again. So my advice would be to not close the windows during game drives at all - a tough choice if you meet a 10-wheeler coming the other way, and impossible if others are with you in the vehicle. Another thing about leaving the windows open is that of course this means you get a lot of dust around your gear, which is not good for it. Actually this is 100% the same as with the minibuses in Kenya - Landcruisers have no photographic advantage. Having said that, by Tanzanian standards you will be very well off with Deo.

 

I use bean bags on the window frame (use a big one so that it does not fall out! ;)). But because the Landcruisers have high floors (of course this is normal and pretty necessary) you have to bend into impossible angles or hit the floor to use the beanbag successfully like that. The windows are also relatively small (Deo's are better than some but still on the small side) because only one of two panes opens. Limited angles. So, to save my neck (I was out of action for six months after Botswana in 2010 because of trapped nerves in my vertebrae - ouch!) I mount one camera on a fully retracted monopod so that I can shoot from the seat or kneeling on the floor, and then I slowly get into the more difficult position for the beanbag. I have a small gimbal head (Jobu make them) on top of the monopod so that I can rotate without moving my body too much, and so that I can put the combo down hard on a beanbag but still move everything around. The gimbal head is overkill for this set up as it does not really add much stability to just using a beanbag - but for me it is worth it, and you take a lot more shots if you can shoot from the seat without going into full commando mode. On my longer lens I have a ground pod, which offers some extra stability on the bean bag. Ideally I would have a gimbal head on this too, but you have to say "enough" to the gear at some point. When I know I am going to be using the longer lens most of the time, I switch the gimbal head to this set up. If I shoot from the top (and sometimes it is necessary) I use a bean bag. Whatever you use should be able to be placed on a beanbag - and allow for full movement when there. For example, if choosing between a monopod with a normal head and nothing, I would often use nothing. But if you are not so bothered about being a bit lower - and actually the "improvements" are marginal, especially at longer focal lengths, so it is arguable whether it is worthwhile - it is much easier to use a monopod (if you have the technique already - there is a technique) or shoot off a bean bag out of the top. Do panning shots out of the top - otherwise you will smash your lens into the window frame! ;)

 

I personally don't like vehicles completely without doors as I don't have the set-up for them ans sometimes the seats are rather high. My ideal is a vehicle with normal doors but no windows. Tanzanian Landcruisers are far, far from ideal for me but you can work with them and it seems I am in a tiny minority in disliking them and completely open vehicles equally (although of course many photographers who love open vehicles have a private vehicle, which I rarely do at camps, so clearly mileage is going to vary).

 

That was waaaaaaaaaaaaay more than you wanted to know, but I was going to add a bit about bloody Landcruisers in my trip report and now I don't have to! Most people are perfectly happy shooting out of the top most of the time, and then you have no problems.

 

Get in the right position if you want to shoot out of the window and it's a lot better - you will need to be quite precise ..... Okay Deo.... here (he slows to almost zero)... aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand....STOP! He's good at positioning you anyway compared to most guides and will suggest (sometimes very good) ideas as long as you don't completely demotivate him by rejecting the all of the first 10 - that is worth quite a lot in itself and offsets any restrictions for me.

Edited by pault
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Wow, thank you pault for this info and unfortunately it confirmed what my gut was telling me about the disadvantages of this type of vehicle.

 

I believe Bill said he already had bean bags in the vehicles but I'm wondering if the skimmer sac which is shaped like a molar tooth would be better than the standard bags for window use? Do you have a thought about that?

 

Thanks again, Patsy

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Maybe - definitely if you are using a ground pod of some kind as it has a flat top. I use a smaller version with a similar concept, because I think the really big ones would be too heavy to move around with one hand, while holding the camera and lens in the other. But I know that other people don't shoot like me, so I am a bit reluctant to say "yes" or "no". My biggest lens is a 400/4.5 too, so I am light and mobile and behave like a chimpanzee (hence my neck problems). I don't know what you shoot with, but, for example, a 500/4 either requires Popeye forearms or an approach less built around mobility. Start a new topic... I am sure other regulars have input. Definitely ask Rainbirder.

 

But don't worry - just shoot like mad the first couple of days (zebra asses in horrible light - everything! :P) and you'll work out something that works for you.

Edited by pault
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And I realise above I said that a ground pod adds some extra stability on the bean bag. That is misleading as what it actually does is give you extra mobility since the bean bag has a friction drag and a bigger lens creates more friction, making it difficult to move the lens without lifting it up. So I find I get less contorted and stressed with that on when there are multiple things happening or animals are moving, and so am myself more steady - and that is what makes it "more stable" for me.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Oh yes, 'r pault's got a TR out too. Not read a word yet mate, but just wanted to let you know I'll be on it soon. Only pointing this out since you were so supportive on my TR :)

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OK, read it all and my only disappointment is that it's not complete!

 

Great read and the pics are out of this world too.

 

I think I'd love to double-safari-date with you - our senses of humour seem pretty similar :D obviously, our camera skills aren't.....

 

Glad the cougars was a Bibi-ism and not what I was thinking. Especially with the missus around, eh?! P.S. Bibi, in Punjabi, means kind of the same. Its a term used for a lady who is 'slightly older' :) normally used for your or someone's gran.

 

Shame about the leopard kill but I would have done the same with all that hustle and bustle.

 

Have we come across that new predator for you? I thought it would have been the serval but since there was a lack of excitement, I take it you've already seen one of those. Caracal perhaps?!

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