5.1.2023: Drive back from the Serengeti.
Elias, my driver, suggested to get up early and drive down to the lake to enjoy the sunrise.
So, we sit in the car at the shore and wait for the sun to come out.
Getting lighter ...
... und erste Sonnenstrahlen auf den Flamingos.
The houses and tents in the background are not our camp, there are several along the lake.
Flamingos looking for food in the bank mud. They often prefer water containing much salt and minerals where only few fish can exist - these would be are competitors for their food.
Bye bye, Lake Ndutu!
For check through the Ngorongoro reservation area, we have to do this short detour to the air strip; the Ndutu aistrip is one of several airstrips in the Serengeti - no wonder regarding the huge size of the area with very long access roads.
Parked plane.
Airport house
Informationa on rules for the airport.
Water tank ...
... and electric supply.
A plane´s just landed.
On the road again, and I ask Elias for a short stop to take a picture of these beautiful flowers. They are called "pyjama flowers", Androcymbium melanthioides ssp. striatum (Androcymbium striatum or Colchicum striatum) from the familiy of Colchicaceae, thus related to our autumn crocus. Tanks for help in identification from experts of the facebook group "Flora of tropical Africa"
Back at the Serengeti "gate"
We have to stop another time, in the "midst of nowhere", outside of the National park ranger radio and without mobils telephone connection: out car has a breakdown. The front one of the two tanks (each with 60 litres of Diesel) has esxaped its anchoring andis hanging down. The diesel tube is intact, however. We cannot drive further. Elias has used the rear tank till now, so the front one is still full - impossible to lift it up to re-mount it (at least provisionally). A car jack would be needed for this. However, this Landrover´s car jack is huge, it lifts the car from the front or rear side, and its long pole does not fit under the car. Every few minutes, another car passes by, and Elias stops them all to ask for a small, low car jack. About the 15th car has one. But not only the driver gets out, but also the guest, who turns out to be a car mechanic with his own garage in spain. Immediatley, he takes over the command. Together they manage to lift up the tank. Gemeinsam schaffen sie es, den Tank wieder anzuheben. Looking for the lost bolt is in vain, but Elias finds a piece of a steel rope. With the aid of a combination pliers attached top my pocket knife (a heritage of my father-in-law) the rope is mounted to hold the tank in position. If the very unprobable occurs that the spanish tourist reads this page: a heartily thank you!
Elias with the spaniard at work.
At the further drive, Elias first stops every 15 or 20 minutes to control, if the tank stays in position - it does, we can even drive back to the lodge without another breakdown.