Eurafrika Pt 7 - Around the Lodge

I was awoken early in the morning by the crow of a rooster. Outside, I heard all kinds of bird cries and cricket chirps. Before going to breakfast, I turn on the TV and flip through a few channels. There's a soccer reality show about 8 African players trying to make it big; a reality show where there's something actually life-changing at stake.

I leave our room for the main lodge for breakfast with my dad. We walk by a tree with woven birds nests hanging from it like lanterns. My dad remarks that the main lodge looks a lot something our of Jurassic Park and I concur.

We get to the breakfast buffet. There's plenty of food variety: salad, tropical fruits, cereals and breads. The hot breakfast is English breakfast fare and doesn't look too appetizing. It tastes even less so. I eat little as my stomach struggles to adjust to the foreign food. This would, unfortunately, be just the beginning.

With nothing left to do in the morning, I decide to wander and explore the lodge's environs. The lodge is surrounding by a coffee plantation and I hear some kid's voices coming from the other side of a hedge wall. I climb up a nearby hill to see what's going on. The kids see me and I give them a friendly 'Hujambo' ('Hi' in Swahili). Some of the kids smile back at me, some of the run away.

I have an idea to entertain the kids. I go back into my room and try to find things I can juggle. I end up using a little water container and two folded socks. I go back to the kids and start juggling; they're amused. They leave to continue picking berries; I leave to explore the grounds some more.

I walk through some of the coffee plantation. I had never seen a coffee plant before - essentially, they're bushes. I then walk back to the main lodge, testing the little Swahili I know on the locals I walk by. I meet up with my dad and he's talking with one of the workers there. His name is Benson.

There are a bunch of Marabou Storks lurking around the lodge, completely unafraid of the humans that live there. I walk right up to one and it doesn't respond at all. They look like flying death Benson tells us that the storks feed on bones and have special stomach juices to digest them. I'm not surprised: things that eat death tend to look like death. He then grabs some scraps from the kitchen and throws them at the storks; they go crazy.

After feeding the storks, the conversation then switches to football (soccer). Benson says that Tanzania is the strongest team in East Africa (I find out later that East Africa is the weakest region in all of Africa). I find out that be both have quite a bit in common in that we both like Chelsea and that our favorite player is Frank Lampard. I mention a Tanzanian player, Nizar Khalfan, who plays for my cousin's team and he recognizes the name. Football truly is the world's language!

After a quiet morning, we headed to lunch. In the afternoon, we would be getting our first taste of wildlife: Arusha National Park.