Maasai boma in the Ngorogoro conservation area on the way to Serengeti, Tanzania.
We knew Day 6 was going to be a long drive. From Gibbs Farm we had to climb back up to the rim of Ngorogoro crater, around the rim, and through the dry highlands of the extended Ngorogoro Conservation Area (where the Maasai graze their herds and live in isolated boma, clusters of mud/stick homes) to reach the grasslands of Serengeti. Although the map indeed indicates this is a main road, and signs refer to it as a highway, it is a dusty two-lane dirt road that treats you to 100km of washboards. I was glad to have skilled drivers at the wheel; Robert and Freddy zipped along at a steady pace as we rounded steep corners and avoided oncoming overstuffed public buses or transport trucks, skillfully avoiding the worst of the potholes and boulders that pop-up in the road from place to place. The sight of four dejected men sitting beside a new rover that had, perhaps an hour before, rolled over and over after they had misjudged a turn, reaffirmed the challenges one could face if one attempted to self-drive a safari through this countryside. Continue reading “Serengeti”
After another stop at a souvenir shop we ended our day at Gibbs Farm, a working coffee plantation with a delightful bed-and-breakfast nestled in the lush greenery along the hillside. Like the RiverTrees, it is structured as a set of individual cottages, each sleeping two or four, each with large sitting areas, luxurious porches, and individual fireplaces. Lush gardens of greenery and flowers line the paths and bushbabies scamper among the trees overhead. The main lodge houses an outstanding restaurant – easily the best food we had on the whole trip, and that’s really saying something because we had delicious food at every meal. More than 90% of the food they serve is grown on their own farm, from the vegetables to the eggs and meat, and the chef is outstanding. This was our base for exploring Ngorogoro crater, although Gibbs has its own series of activities (watch the bread-making operation, tour the farms, help pick the vegies for the evening dinner, or listen to a local church choir sing) that made the place a truly fun place to stay. Continue reading “Ngorogoro”
At the entrance to Tarangire National Park we settled in for a picnic lunch while Robert took care of the paperwork. (This would become a regular routine, as there seem to be plenty of fees and paperwork to enter each of the parks.) I have to say, the facilities at the parks we visited were generally excellent, with well-maintained picnic sites and flush restrooms available here and there.
We spent the afternoon driving slowly into the park, stopping to view and photograph all manner of wildlife. There seemed to be a maze of narrow dirt tracks criss-crossing the park, through open scrub on the higher elevations and some along the brushy tree-lined shores of the Tarangire river and its tributaries. Most intersections were well marked, but Robert and Freddy clearly know this place like the back of their hands, and they knew particular locations where one might have a good opportunity to view elephants or lions or birds. Continue reading “Tarangire and Manyara”
I awoke at dawn, despite seven hours of jetlag, to the sounds of the morning call to prayer at a nearby mosque and to the pre-sunrise chorus of birds in the surrounding trees. These sounds – and the mosquito netting hanging from the four-posted bed in this B&B cottage – quickly reminded me of our late-night arrival in East Africa. Barely three degrees south of the equator, and nearly in sight of Mount Kilimanjaro, we were nestled into the delightfully lush greenery of the RiverTrees Hotel outside Arusha, Tanzania. Today would begin our ten-person ten-day family safari with Thomson Safaris. Four of us had taken very nearly the same trip 18 years earlier, and were now back with the next generation along for the ride. The weather was dry and slightly cool and our aim for the day was to explore the highlands of Arusha National Park in the foothills of Mount Meru, one of several volcanic neighbors of Kilimanjaro.
View of the Duomo from the tower at Palazzo Vecchio
I had the pleasure of visiting Florence, Italy — my first time to this beautiful city. I was there to attend the International Conference on Mobile Systems, Applications, and Services (MobiSys), but built in an extra day for exploring the sights and smells of Florence. The weather was beautiful and sunny, most of the time, leading to many wonderful photographs.
Despite attending most of the sessions of the conference, I had enough time to hike around town and see the highlights of the most interesting or significant museums, all within about 72 hours:
Basilica of Santa Croce – a grand cathedral with interior memorials to notable scientists like Galileo, Fermi, Marconi, and Leonardo da Vinci… and some lesser-known guys like Michelangelo, Dante, and Machiavelli.
Museo Galileo – with incredible scientific instruments and artifacts, including Galileo’s finger.
Ponte Vecchio – a bridge with gold and jewelry shops cantilevered off either side and hundreds of pedestrians strolling up the middle.
Forte Belvedere – with great sunset views of the city from across the River Arno.
Fortezza da Basso – the largest fortress in the city and now the site of a conference center where MobiSys and WWW were being held.
A particularly decorative lantern-holder on Via de Tornabuoni.
There were thousands of other tourists (mostly American college students beginning their summer travel); long lines and crowded museums seemed inevitable. I purchased the Firenze Card – 72 euros for 72 hours of free access to nearly all the important sites and museums in Florence. Totally worthwhile if you’re going to visit more than two or three museums. Plus, the card gives you priority entry – meaning you might wait only 5-30 minutes in line instead of two hours!
Although I took over 700 photos, most are of famous pieces of art you’ve already seen; so my photo gallery tries to explore the little things and capture the scenic views from the towers I climbed.
A delicious lunch from one of the Shops in Mercato Centrale
I was also able to enjoy dining in several wonderful restaurants – mostly little Trattoria with delightful pasta and house wines from Tuscany. Perhaps my favorite meals, though, were the simple lunches assembled from sliced sausage, cheese, and bread.
I stayed in the lovely Hotel Tornabuonio Beacci, an elegant old hotel with a beautiful terrace for sunset views with afternoon drinks, in a convenient location just a few blocks from the Duomo or Ponte Vecchio. Highly recommended!
Last week I returned to Bangalore for my annual visit to the NetHealth workshop, which is always a fascinating combination of academic research and real-world insights from Indian health-care and public-health experts. Unfortunately my visit was constrained by other commitments so I was in India for 72 hours (at the cost of 54 hours to get there and back).
David, Pam, Mara, Andy, and John, at Bryce Canyon National Park in July.
Another busy and exciting year for us, with lots of travel. David traveled to India in January, Andy toured the Galapagos with his grandparents, Pam spoke at a medical conference in Hyderabad (India), John sang with his quartet at Harmony University, and the whole family paddled for four days on the Connecticut River. The big family trip, though, was to raft the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon, then explore some of the beautiful National Parks in that region (read the posts beginning here, and check out the photos and an exciting nine-minute video). We spent lots of time outdoors in both New Hampshire and South Carolina. I hope you enjoy the year-end slideshow of highlights, including some of my favorite photos from 2014.
David pauses on his hike around the Bryce Canyon Amphitheatre, at some point between Sunset and Inspiration Point.
It’s not many days that I realize, before lunch, that I’ve just completed one of the most beautiful hikes ever. Even more amazing to have that experience at the end of two weeks hiking in spectacular canyons around the Four Corners region.
Today was such a day. Bryce Canyon at sunrise is so spectacular that I snapped hundreds of photos and found it difficult to select only a few favorites. Read on.
It’s not a long drive to Zion Canyon National Park from the north rim of the Grand Canyon, but it’s a different world – the typical visitor to Zion visits the park from the floor of the canyon along the shores of the Virgin River, whereas the typical visitor to the Grand Canyon views the canyon from the top, either the north or south rim. Having come recently from a trip along the river in the Grand Canyon, winding down through eons of geologic time and with a different vista around every bend of the river, Zion at first seemed less than ‘grand’. Nonetheless, it’s a stunningly beautiful place – check out the photo gallery, and read on for more.
Andy leans on the railing overlooking Zion Canyon, along the trail to Angels Landing, Zion NP.
We returned to the Grand Canyon to visit the North Rim for one night in the cabins at Grand Canyon Lodge. This gorgeous mountain lodge sits right on the rim of the canyon with a fine dining room and outstanding views from the nearby Bright Angel Point. This visit gave us a totally different perspective on the Grand Canyon, as we stopped by each of the roadside viewpoints. Just three days earlier we bobbed down the Colorado River at the canyon bottom, rarely able to see farther than the adjacent canyon walls or the next bend in the meandering river. Now we had sweeping views across the canyon, and could only catch glimpses of the river far below. Read on for more about our visit, and check the photo album.
David watches the sunrise from Bright Angel Point, North Rim, Grand Canyon.
David Kotz 