Exciting Black Rhino sighting in the Crater

It's peak season during an afternoon in the Crater- and it's half as busy as it is in the mornings

Life on the Crater floor

Saw a couple of animals on our trip to the Crater floor yesterday

Golf Cart

Jackson loves the fact that we travel around in the golf cart at Crater. He gets very upset if he has to get out of it. When he sees one parked he races up to it, climbs in and starts "driving". He calls it a .......Gar.

GOAL!!!!!

Jackson showing off his soccer prowess with his goal scoring abilities

Bibi

Jackson spending some quality time with his new found granny 'Tent Peg' aka 'BIBI' - the lady who beads and sells Maasai goods outside the safari shop here at Ngorongoro Crater Lodge

Jackson's big hands

Jackson showing off some acting and ball skills

Working at Crater

We have been working at the Ngorongoro Crater Lodge for the last 2 weeks. It is icy cold, misty and windy.

We haven't had too much to do in the way of work, as it is a bit difficult to step into other manager's shoes for only a short while.

First day had to hand out a verbal warning to a ranger for leaving a guest at the Manyara Airport. The one of five receptionists (at Klein's we only have who is also our storeman) went awol after he made a massive mistake with the same issue.

Been hosting guests most nights; had Maasai guard of honour (200 people) performing for guests;

Had many a braai with Nick (Lodge Administrator, who has been an absolutely brilliant host). Yesterday we went down onto the Crater floor. It was so dry and dusty, a completey different place to when we last went down in November. We saw some big tuskers, a hyena, about 11 lions and few zebra and the other usual suspects.

Tiff leaves for Kleins today with Jackson and Sakaine. I will stay till the 30th then head back to Kleins for month end. Then we have a meeting with 2 of our directors before going on holiday on the 2nd after a (far too long) 4 month stint of not seeing any civilisation and/or having a proper break from the stresses of this job.

Too many problems with our neighbours that I did not sign up for and I definitely don't get paid enough for. Hunters, guns pointed at guests, bullying, poaching, bribery, back-stabbing and the list goes on........

Anyway, wtf. I/we just need a good solid holiday now, as we are a bit jaded and despondent.

Next blog will have some videos of Jackson at 20 months old and hopefully the next entry after that will be made up of holiday pics and a happier family.

Outta here!

Times are a bit tough at the moment

Having a hectic time at the moment. I have been to so many meetings about land issues, village issues and now poaching issues. All meetings are in Swahili and all so long (upto 8 hrs) - I am really frustrated and tired.

Some bloody bastard is killing elephants and buffalo's in and around Klein's. I can't wait to catch that guy.............

We have a full camp till the end of June - then it is year end financials. Tiff and I are alone here at the moment, so very busy. In July we go to Ngorongoro Crater Lodge for a 2 weeks to run it while the managers there are away.

Will only get a break in August - so really need some inspiration to get through the next 6 weeks............

A sundowner drink on our concession and the Kenyan Border

We decided to take Rob (the Director of Tanzania Operations) and his wife Trish for a drive to see a part of Klein's they hadn't seen before.

So the two of them, Tawanda (our assistant manager), Tiff and I were driven out there by Erasto (our head ranger). After about 3hrs we stopped on the Kenyan border, which borders our concession.

Here we had a sundowner drink on the Kenyan border - in the middle of absolutely nowhere.

We had the full regalia of drinks on hand, so I opted for a "small" vodka/coke. After my first sip I was dying for a cigarette.

So Erasto (knowing all about guest -and now staff - delight) drove our vehicle to find a Maasai warrior for a light. After about 15 minutes he literally raced back from 2km away with a dog madly chasing the car. Sitting next to him in the front seat was a Maasai warrior holding his milk-boiling tin which contained some ash and a very small - barely alight coal, which was dug up from under the ground.

The coal was hardly alight by the time it got to me and only lasted for about 20 seconds before it died.

After that I chained a couple of smokes and we all had a great laugh, knowing that the border may have been crossed (unsure - so as not to incriminate myself) to source a light for the manager's smoking habit.

Awesomeness x10!

The coal was so cold that Erasto could hold it by hand

Myself, Rob, Trish, Tawanda, Erasto and the Hero of the day

Maasai Dude with his dog 'Simba' 

3 Days at Serengeti Under Canvas

Sunrise From the camp looking towards the Maasai Hills

Jackson enjoying his morning bush breakfast

Jackson having a cup of "coffee"







Bush Breakfast - eggs, bacon, sausage, chapatis and oh yes cereal, yoghurt & fruit

Following Dad

Kittlitz's Plover

Checking out the Maasai paintings

Showing Jackson the White-rumped Swifts nesting in the cave

Not quite Bushman paintings - check out the shields and bicycles

In the middle of the migration

MacDonalds - fast food for those on the run

A female Von der Dicken's hornbill having a juicy breakfast

Grey-crested Helmet-shrike

White-bellied Bustard

A lone wildebeest calf lost in the confusion

A sequence of photos where a pair of Secretary Birds were building a nest and dancing in appreciation of each other - it was truly amazing.

Tiff trying to take photos of me with my Dovvie outfit on - I look like a spaz I know, but all my clothes were in the laundry. She finally got full frontal after hours of persistance and the ranger Mohammed thinking we were a bunch of twits.

Busted!

A lot of the Zebra have already made it to Kleins, and we hear them calling every night now along with the lions which have come back

The wildebeest run in a long line before settling down to feed for a few hours before heading off again in all directions. Here you can see a herd running in an S-shape to where they have stopped and are now feeding in the top of the picture

There were only 11 cars at this sighting - I will still put a video of it on the blog

A lone lioness escaping the sun and the flies

His, hers and his

A series of photos of Jackson playing soccer in the Serengeti and achieving his first sports injury, which involved some tears for a few minutes before carrying on

Jackson's first Sports injury - A head rostie

Eating through the pain

Jackson blowing us a kiss

All finished now!!

Our verandah

The lounge with bar and safari shop incorporated