Wildlife Whisperer

Believing we should make the most out of our trip to Africa, we signed up for a five day safari to follow our Mt Kilimanjaro climb.  We assumed we would be in a Land Cruiser with people we didn’t know so imagine our surprise when we learned we would have our own vehicle and guide.  We were the last of our climbing group to get in a vehicle and I’m telling you, they saved the best for last.  We quickly learned that our driver/guide, Deo, was amazing.  After proper introductions, Deo suggested we start a “species list”, promising that it would exceed 100 different species. Lucky us!!

Deo is from Tanzania and lives in Arusha, a bustling city about 45 minutes away from Moshi, where we stayed before and after our climb.  He’s 27 years old, married, and the father of a three-year-old daughter.  He is very smart and well-spoken, and his love of all things safari is infectious.  He attended the College of African Wildlife Management (http://www.mwekawildlife.org) in Moshi for a year, so he is very knowledgeable about wildlife.  He knew the answer to every question we asked and offered so many interesting facts about animals and birds we saw.

Our safari was to begin at Lake Manyara National Park, a 3.5 to 4 hour drive away from the Springlands Hotel.  To reach the paved road, we had to travel about a mile or so on a road that remains unpaved for political reasons, much like the pot-holed road leading to the Mt Diablo south gate.  As we bounced around like popcorn kernels over high heat, Deo just laughed and said, “Enjoy your African massage!”

To an outsider, driving in Tanzania appears to be completely chaotic.  For example, in Moshi, a town with a population of over 140,000 people, we saw no stop signs or street lights!  There were cars, motorcycles, bicycles, push carts, and pedestrians everywhere!  Arusha, a much bigger city of over one million residents, had few traffic management signs/signals.  And, I never saw any police officers, except for one standing by the road outside of Arusha.

At first, I was white knuckling the drive in the back seat, wondering if my sorry excuse for a seat belt would save me if we crashed.  However, as the drive (and my life) continued, I realized Deo was navigating the traffic by communicating with other drivers using his turn signals, headlights, horn, brake lights, and hand signals.  It was a complex language and I’m still not sure how the turn signals factored in, but it was a language of cooperation.  No one seemed to have the “me first” attitude we find over here in the US.  It seemed to be universally recognized that everyone had to work together to keep from having a major pileup.  Still, the drive was akin to riding a heart-stopping roller coaster for hours, so I was glad to finally arrive at Lake Manyara National Park.

Thanks, Deo Earnhardt, for getting us there safely!

Our first introduction to Deo’s bionic eyes, was on day one of the safari in the Lake Manyara National Park.  He stopped the Land Cruiser and pointed to a pile of rocks to our right.  He said, “See it?  See the klipspringer?”  Um, no.  All I saw was a bunch of grey rocks.  And, then something moved ever so slightly and I spotted one of Africa’s small antelopes on the kopje.  Wow!  How did he ever see that, especially while the vehicle was moving?

On day two of the safari, while in transit between parks, Deo showed us his home town of Karatu (http://www.tanzaniatouristboard.com/places-to-go/towns-and-cities/karatu/).  He grew up in the valley, on a coffee plantation, where his father worked.  Deo swears it is why he loves coffee so much today.  The area was so beautiful; lush greenery against the red-orange lava soil ground.

 

Poor Deo had to change a tire on the Land Cruiser three separate times over five days.  In the heat of Africa.  In the dust of Africa.  With a wobbly, uncooperative jack.  The final flat came while we were heading into the Ngorongoro Conservation Area from the Serengeti.  A young Maasai boy (http://www.maasai-association.org/maasai.html), about 12 to 13 years old, ambled over from his goat herd and watched in silence as Deo fought with the jack.  This young boy was so skinny and his clothing (robes/sheets) was drab and dirty.  He wore no jewelry.

A second safari jeep pulled up and a tourist waved his lunch box at the boy, who ran over and grabbed it in the blink of an eye before the jeep sped away.  We watched as the boy ripped open the box and hid the contents (juice box, chicken breast, cheese, etc) deep in his robes.  I then noticed three males, who had been relaxing in the shade of a tree about 200 yards away, suddenly on the move.  When the boy noticed they were walking towards him, he stuffed an entire dinner roll in his mouth and ran back to his herd, as though nothing had happened.  Yeah, that didn’t work….the three older boys (17 to 19 years old) cut him off, roughly frisked him, and removed the hidden food.  It quickly disappeared into their robes.

The three older boys then came over to watch Deo work on the tire.  They wore similar beautiful, brightly colored clothing and a lot of jewelry.  All three had short hair dyed dark red.  They carried knives in sheaths across their chests.  Maasai punks, apparently.  The younger boy stayed away, defeated.  Poor kid – a victim of bullying here in the middle of nowhere.

Deo was definitely of the opinion that tourists should not give the Maasai people water or food, as it disrupts their traditional way of life.  Still, it was difficult to see very thin children and not want to give them my food, water, and money.  I had to check myself so I didn’t go all Angelina Jolie and bring home a brood of adorable children.

On the long drive from Ngorongoro to the Kilimanjaro International Airport, we saw village after village of poor people.  We saw kids as young as 5, doing chores such as lugging water in buckets, collecting firewood, and running cattle.  So many of them cheerfully smiled and waved as we zoomed past in the Land Cruiser.

It made me wonder what they dream of becoming when they grow up.  With no access to television or other media, and few, if any, years of schooling, are they exposed to ideas that fire their imagination?  American kids want to be astronauts, fire fighters, sport figures, or vets…what about Tanzanian children?

I asked Deo what he wanted to be when he was little.  He remembered being able to identify 35 different species of wildlife at age 7.  He remembered seeing the safari jeeps drive through his town on their way to Ngorongoro.  He dreamed of becoming a safari guide and owning his own business.  Now, as a grown man, he’s working his way towards his dream.  He has worked for three years as a guide for established companies and is saving to buy his own jeep.  Once he owns a jeep, he will start his own guide company.  He wants to keep it small so he can control the quality of the safari experience.

What an amazing young man.  I will never forget him and how he excitedly pointed out animals and passed on information about them to us.  I won’t forget how he leafed through his well-worn Serengeti guidebook to check a fact he’d told us.  I won’t forget his big smile, goofy jokes, and ready laugh.  I wish him great success and have no doubt that he will reach his career goal.  How lucky were we to have met Deo?