Mikumi Park

Mikumi Park was our last stop on the safari before heading back to Dar. The drive there took the better part of the day we left Itete. As we were driving there three things worth noting happened: a) we saw that the road to the fishing village was still washed out; b) I got to try sugar cane. Its very sweet and you chew on it to get the juice and then spit out the fibers. I wasn't sure I liked it. (I since have had sugar cane juice. I am now sure that I do not like it.); c) Woody got pulled over by the police again. Woody says that this generally doesn't happen to him, but I don't know...

We were supposed to go on a game drive in the afternoon when we arrived at Mikumi, but it was raining so we got in a bit later than hoped for. Also, the roads in the park become almost impassable when wet, so alas, no game drive. On the up side, I got a chance to do my laundry and there was much discussion about ... well, you'll have to read my next entry and see... Also, for dinner we had impala. Very good. I thought that it was much better than the warthog, but I don't think that the boys agreed with me on that one.

But back to the safari. The next morning we got up early and headed out to Mikumi for a game drive. We saw zebra, giraffe, hippo, HUGE herds of buffalo, impala (are you surprised?), a lioness, a bunch of elephants (including a few really young calves), and a family of baboons. The baboons were a lot of fun to watch. We saw a baby on its mother's back, an older baboon digging for breakfast, young ones swinging frow shrubs, seeming to be playing king of the bush. Overall I liked the Selous more than Mikumi (although both were great). The animals were more used to people in Mikumi which meant that you could generally get a lot closer, but the Selous was more empty and seemed more wild.

Alas, we eventually had to leave the park in order to make it back to Dar at a decent hour, and so ended my safari. It was an amazingly wonderful experience and I hope to go again some day.