Africa: 13 Hours on the Road to Ruaha

Up at 5:30 a.m. after a scant three hours of sleep. None of us were moving very fast, so we were about half an hour late meeting Mwanga. Got all seven of us crammed into the Nissan Patrol. I am glad that we are down one and not trying to squeeze eight into the truck.

We are headed out on the same road we took to Mikumi last week. I noticed some of the same mini-buses, including one with a full sized portrait of the Pope on the back. We stopped at the junction for breakfast. The shop we patronized before is closed and the one we end up at was not nearly as good. Alex was all ready in his Star Wars Episode I ILM VFX Crew shirt, but his friend at the junction was having his Star Wars shirt washed that day, so there was no photo op.

At the Morogoro BP station Alex bought some cushions to use on the top of the truck when we get into Ruaha Natl Park. He is immediately pegged as sucker and every tout within 100 meters comes running up with something to sell.

We keep on travelling along the same road all the way up through Mikumi Natl Park and on beyond the town of Mikumi. Around 1 p.m., we are finally into new territory. We wind our way up through some low hills and into more mountainous terrain. We catch sight of the Great Ruaha River cutting its way through a fairly deep channel.

Our forward movement is slowed to a halt periodically by road work. On one particularly hairy stretch of road that Mwanga said was very dangerous, they are busily laying in a foot of concrete as a road bed. It is a world of difference compared to the old tarmac which looked like a squishy mess.

The next stop was Iringa, which is the last bit civilization before we enter the park. We gas up and grab some lunch. Lunch is brought out in a rather hap-hazard manner. The waitress only has six of our seven orders and she comes back with not enough mugs of tea. Alex has gotten hooked on the Indian Chai we have been getting in Dar for breakfast. Today he has been determined to get some of it out in the countryside. This is the second time he has failed and ended up with a mug of hot milk. He does not make a good impression on the waitress by changing his tea order. Mwanga and I both have ugali and beans. Ugali is a sticky meal made from maize. It is similar in consistancy to a steamed dumpling.

We all grab some shots as we head out the backside of Iringa on our way to the park. They are busily making road improvements here as well. Very substantial culverts are being laid in under the road and the surface is being groomed and graded.

We opt for the scenic fork of the road which takes us through a number of villages. We all try to get some photos in the failing light. On one particularly desolate stretch of road we pass a Masai on a bicycle. We stop to ask him if we are headed in the right direction. Mwanga asks him if he is afraid of the animals in the area. He says that he isn’t and that after all, he is an animal. He is carrying a long stick with a nasty looking burl on the end so he should be able to fend for himself pretty well. Mwanga informs us that a male Masai must kill a lion to become a man. Just before sunset we have a blowout. While we are stopped to change the tire, we get in some shots of the sunset before starting in to work. We are all a little wary of predators and are contantly looking over our shoulders. Sunset is hunting time and none of us have an illlusions about outrunning a lion or faring as well as a Masai in the event of an attack.

We pass the chief ranger who gives us intructions for getting into the park after dark. Our interaction at the park gate guard is punctuated by his omnipresent AK47 assault rifle. We get through without too much trouble and finally get into the Ruaha River Camp around 7:45 p.m. As we pull into camp we spot a hyaena. None of the rest of the folks are very excited about getting out of the vehicle. We drive around to the two bandas we will stay in and drop our things. Back to the dining hall for a scrumptuous dinner. None of us last much past the end of dinner and the comfy beds are most welcome.