My Favorite Videos - Part Three

More interesting videos from my African adventures:

The incredible voice of a worker at the spice plantation, who cut down coconuts for us:

The frenzy at a local children's soccer tournament during penalty kicks:

A lioness walking down the road in the Serengeti:

The middle of the wildebeest migration from the Maasai Mara through the Serengeti:

The Serengeti National Park

Some of my favorite moments from our safaris through the Serengeti:

Our fabulous group for the drive:

Sunset through an umbrella acai tree:

Our campground in the Serengeti, with no fences!

Two lionesses sharing a kill by the side of the road:

The wildebeest migration where we were surrounded by thousands of them:

A lioness and her nursing cubs:

Two lionesses surveying the grassland:

A lioness scratching her nails:

A male lion in a pride of 20+ we came across at the end of the day:

A lioness in the large pride:

Giraffes enjoying a munch of an umbrella acai tree:

Baby baboons playing:

Maasai Life...

The Maasai tribe live around the Serengeti and here are some pictures of one of their markets we walked through, taking care of their cattle in the grasslands and some huts in a village:

My Favorite Videos - Part Two

More videos (10-15 secs. each) to capture a better sense of these spectacular countries in Africa:

Some traditional singing at a final dinner our first group attended:

Affectionate pumbaas:

A giraffe carefully plucking leaves from a thorny tree:

An elephant, walking through our bar area at one of the campgrounds:

A mother elephant and tiny baby, crossing the street:

Hippos fighting for space in the river:

Hippos at night, calling to one another:

Ngorongoro Crater Safari

Spectacular day of game driving through the Ngorongoro Crater - Here are some of the highlights:

View of the crater, before we drove into it:

 Our safari jeep for the day:

 One of the "Ugly 5," a warthog or affectionately known as Pumbaa:

 A serval, walking through the tall grass:

 Another of the "Ugly 5," a wildebeest:

 More of the "Ugly 5," hyenas skulking:

 A male lion who walked in between our jeeps!

The wide open grassland of the crater:

The Chagga People

Did another hike with our group through one village of the Chagga tribe and we ended at a hidden waterfall.  It was heart-breaking to hear about the class system set in place at the village, which segmented it's members into lower, middle and upper class, according to our Chagga member tour guide.  There was virtually no way to escape what group you were born into and the differences in resources was appalling.  For example, the lower class had their own bar which was a decrepit shack where women weren't even allowed inside, but had to sit outside under a tarp.  Lower-class members aren't allowed to speak about anything other than the farm work they are allowed to do and the upper class sends little children around to eavesdrop to ensure they do.

As in many African countries, women do a majority of the work, from raising the kids, to housework, to agricultural work in the fields, etc., yet are relegated to the background..  My big hope is that as access to the Internet increases, women will see how other women in the world are treated and can begin to demand change within their families, communities and culture...

 The view of Mt. Kilimanjaro, at sunrise, the day we left this region:

Usambara Mountains, Tanzania

We traveled to the Usambara Mountains, up winding roads, to finally arrive at one of the oldest hotels in Tanzania for our next camping base, surrounded by agricultural fields cut into the side of the mountains.  The next day, we awoke early to hike to the Irente viewpoint and for a walk through a local village.  There, some women of the village were pressing sugar cane to gather the nectar juice from the stalks.  Two women had to walk in circles around a well-worn path, while a seated woman inserted the cane stalks into the press.  I ended the day with a walk through town, where a friend and I discovered a school soccer tournament.  We felt like the Pied Piper as children followed us everywhere around the soccer field, giggling and practicing their English with us...

The game we watched ended in a tie, so they had to do a penalty kick shootout.  Kids streamed onto the field and surrounded the goal on all sides while each kicker took their turn!

Spice Plantation on Zanzibar

At another excursion on Zanzibar, we stopped by for a tour and lunch at a local spice plantation.  There were growing dozens of fruits, vegetables and herbs across acres and acres of land...

Our group, with our handmade banana leaf crowns, ties and bracelets:

An almond:

Pepper (grows in trees):

Pineapple (growing on the ground):

Jack fruit (grows in trees):

Birds of Africa

Some of the most interesting birds I have seen in the national parks we have visited...

Secretary Bird (walks gracefully through the grass, hunting snakes and bugs):

Helmeted Guineafowl:

Saddle-Billed Stork:

Heron, hanging by a hippo pool:

Kingfisher: