Ngorongoro Crater Camp, Tanzania:
So this would be our last leg of this trip. From Kichakani Serengeti Camp, we moved to a fairly land. A small aircraft from Lamai to Manyara airstrip. Sanctuary Ngorongoro Crater Camp sent a driver with picnic lunch. It was noon, but we were not heading to the camp. We would be spending our afternoon in Lake Manyara National park.
At the very end of the day, we arrived to the crater, Ngorongoro. Don’t try to pronounce the name “Ngorongoro”. It actually very simple, and I would forget it for long. Remember the sound of cowbell (grong grong). Yes, that’s how you suppose to the name. Just ignore the “N” and try it. Goron-goro.
The creator is about 2 million years old. Volcano collapsed and created a volcanic floor about 260 sq. km. and later become the heaven for many animal. The creator ring is at high elevation. At the upper end of the right, its rains a lot, covered with thick fog, turned into a rainforest. Long ago, some animals came from outside of the creator, decedent to its floor and made their home. Most animals are local here, they do not leave the creator floor. Their numbers multitudes over year, now it has become one of the easiest place to see many animals within a very area compared to Serengeti or Massai Mara.
Up in the volcano ring, there is a tree named Acacia. In the rainforest surrounded by Acacia made it felt like we were in Avatar (movie) land. We checked in to Sanctuary Ngorongoro Creator Camp located in the creater rim, stayed in a tent, surrounded by Acacia, it was a fairyland. Of course we descended to creator floor, enjoyed safari watching wildlife all around us. But the part we would remember her isn’t the wildlife. It was story of a village girl.
One afternoon, I asked Sarmin (my wife) –let’s go, take a walk in the wild through rainforest. Of course it isn’t very safe, after speaking to the camp manager, one security guard and another staff escorted us through forest walk. There is a village nearby, when we were walking, we saw a young village girl dressed in color walking through the forest alongside with her dog. She was carrying firewood on her back, heavy I can tell. I wouldn’t be able to carry half of what was on her back. I asked the guard and staff to talk to her and asked her permission if Sarmin (my wife) could take a photo with her. There were speaking Swahili, native language in many parts of Africa. I didn’t see any response from the girl, and thought she is shy and unwilling to take photos. I asked the guard and staff to leave her alone, it’s ok. We must respect her will and stay away from her path. But that wasn’t the case, the guard informed that the girl is deaf. She didn’t what he said. Then they helped her using hands and signs that Sarmin wants to take a photo with her. She agreed. The dog stayed around. I took few photos. Later when I saw the photos, I saw beautiful innocent colorful face who risks her life collecting fire woods in the jungle filled will wild ferocious wild animals. Her trust is her friend, the dog. It was a moment of something unexplainable. It was a moment of life, how it fits in nature.
Every living things belongs to nature. We, man stepped out from it. We made nature belongs to us, we shaped it to serve us in our way. At the end, we wouldn’t be control nature. It will control us. Nature will revenge and revive to protect what truly belongs to it. We, man may not see it. We will be long gone.
Comments