Just as you are starting to feel right at home and have made new friends it's time to say kwaheri (tl: Swahili for goodbye)....
We're heading towards the central Serengeti when we come across a few stray wildebeest...clearly the rest of the herds have left them behind or they've elected to stay...apparently the migration has skipped the Western corridor this year and they are making their way straight up to the Maasai Mara....that is until it started raining in the south again....maybe they'll turn back....who knows....
Another picnic lunch on the plains - Edward, the chef from SSC has really spoilt us...
It's round about this time that I notice the reappearance of an old foe - the dreaded tsetse fly!! There hasn't been a case of sleeping sickness diagnosed in Tanzania for at least twenty years but this is not my primary concern.....if you ever need to know if you have a single tsetse fly around all you need do is call on me....I'm a magnet for the little suckers!! Not only is their bite extremely painful - if you've ever been bitten by a horse fly you'll know what I'm talking about - but a small percentage of people are HIGHLY allergic to said bites and swell up alarmingly....yep, I'm in that lucky group. I did take a photo of my cankles (an anatomical term for when there is no discernable difference between one's calf & ankle) but can't bear to show it to you - this is not a medical blog after all & you might have just had a meal...
Moving on swiftly (with the windows shut for good measure..) we make our way up through the Tagora Plains to Kleins gate where we sign in to the Loliondo Conservancy. The landscape has changed from flat plains to beautiful hills dotted with small trees...
A short drive up & over the mountain & suddenly we come to Nduara Loliondo, a dramatic camp reflecting nomadic cultures & consisting of six Mongolian styled yurts that have been given an African makeover....never seen anything like it before....fantastic....what do you think?
First we have the main yurts - one lounge area & the other a dining area..
All through our travels in Tanzania these napkin birds have caught my eye but the ones at NL are particularly fine specimens....I dismantled one so now I can reproduce them for my next dinner party too...
Next we are shown the 'bedroom' yurts..which come complete with Maasai askari (tl: Swahili for guard) at night...
The interiors are gorgeous....I'm now seriously in love with the kanga....
In the bathroom, as it has been since we've been on safari, we have long drop toilets & bucket showers..
As in the other camps, all paths seem to lead back to the sundowner spot....nothing wrong with that!!
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