Don't judge a book by it's cover or a destination by it's name...this time REALLY rambling thoughts...

It's a silly thing to be annoyed with but the name of one of the most unique and amazing places on earth is...cow bell. This park is commonly referred to as the Garden of Eden but the English name for it is literally cow bell - as in the bell that hangs from the neck of a cow. The entire park spans 8,200 square kilometres and is home to some of the most unique creatures on earth...it is also home to several cows - hence the Swahili name: Ngorongoro.

Ngorongoro Conversation Area became number 94 on my list (still trying to see 100 or the 1000 places to see before I die) and unlike some others - it truly deserves to be there. I did not realize that there was a park area in addition to the infamous crater. Unlike their popular neighbour, the Serengeti, Ngorogoro is not a National Park, it is a conservation area. I am sure there are several miniscule differences that I have chosen not to acquaint myself with but the main one...people cannot reside in a National Park. This means that the traditional nomadic Masais are forced to wander around Nogrogoro, rather than the Serengeti, in search of fresh grass for their cattle. So a trip to this park is an all encompassing look at 'old Africa', tourists take as many photos of the colourful Masaii people as they do of the animals.

We drove through the plain area of the park at record speeds, intent on arriving at as early as possible at the crown jewel of the park...the crater itself. Once again my experiences will not be adequately communicated to you - I cannot type an true portrayal of standing on the edge and peering down to the crater floor some 2000 feet below to a world of mysterious and endangered animals.

This actually brings me to my next diatribe of sorts. It doesn't matter much to me if you believe in creationism or evolution - one look at African wildlife and you must agree...someone/thing has a sense of humour. How did the same environment generate at 17 foot tall yellow and brown polka dotted animal, a massive blubber ball with stumpy legs that needs to be in the water whenever there is sun or a giant flightless bird that is pink, white and black? Where in the grand scheme of plotting out African plains animals did a creator/evolution sit back and say….hmmm you know what’s missing – a massive grey animal with tusks…and make his nose prehensile – yeah that’s the ticket! Throw in some tough looking animals such as the rhino and buffalo….hmmm for the girls…let’s make some cute little cheetahs! And the list of examples could go on and on…

But overall, whatever the grand scheme may be…I am enjoying watching them at present. So after a steep descent into the crater, we enjoyed a leisurely day…Fred at the helm, driving aimlessly, stopping to snap a few photos of an old elephant or some grazing wildebeests. We watched zebras frolic in their dirt baths. We stumbled across a pride of lions…and guess what…they were sleeping (but there was some occasional yawning). Again, it was that zoo like feel of constantly being guaranteed and animal sighting – a hyena would trot by just a few minutes before an ostrich would amble next to you with a disgusted look in their eye. I am very fortunate to say that I spent my day with warthogs, jackels, vultures, antelope and a large number of Kori Bustards (Africa’s largest flying bird).

Whew. And I still haven’t told you about my favourite part of the whole place…the hippo pool. It was simply marvellous. A large pond filled with dozens and dozens of hippos…all surfacing; snorting and yawning for my astounded gaze, (well that and air).

Sorry this is such a rambling entry…for once I am almost speechless. For an animal lover, it is truly like driving through paradise. It is so easy to forget about the little…hitches that tend to crop up in an enclosed little mini environment. The crater is home to the big 5 (lion, elephant, rhino, buffalo, leopard) as well as some migrating herds of zebra and wildebeests. It also houses the densest population of lions in the world; these lions however suffer many genetic problems from inbreeding. The abundant food sources in the crater ensure that the male lions are large and can easily run off any new blood that tries to enter the enclosed crater and change up the gene pool. The elephants are all retirement age, and if I understand correctly, only males remain. There has been a significant decline in the populations of elephants, rhinos and hippos over the past 20 years. The African Wild Dog is gone from the area all together. The steep walls of the crater mean that other East African staples such as the giraffe, crocodile and impalas are not present. Scientists are now taking some steps to intervene and ensure that this unique world lives on, with the complete cooperation of the Tanzanian government.

So I encourage you all...go now while the elphants still roam and before the lions get any bigger - for that would be a truly frightening sight. This entry is a convoluted jumble of thoughts but before you judge me too harshly...go...see for yourself - I am fairly confident that you too will be impressed into a state of nonsensical prattle...