Every person that lives in a boma is a close relative of the Chief. The boma we visited consisted of the Chief, 20 of his wives, and 60 of his children.

Some bomas are open to tourists, who provide badly needed revenue. A dance of welcome greets new arrivals.

Young Masai men compete to see who can jump the highest. The tribe sings while the jumping competition takes place.

Young men critique the performance of the jumpers.

Sandals are made from hide and from old tires.

The bulk of the work done in a boma is done by the women. Like the lions that are their kindred spirits, Masai men are content to let their wives (and mothers) support them.

A Masai man may have as many wives as he can afford. Each one costs him one cow.

Each of the Chief's wives lives in her own hut made from sticks, mud and dung.

Masai children grow up fast. Boys as young as 6 guard the family's herds while they graze in the predator rich countryside - a huge responsibility for the little boys.

Few Masai children go to school, although missionary schools exist. We saw one Masai child (in school uniform) walking home more than 20 km from his school.

Shadrach owes his education to the fact that his Masai grandfather gave Shadrach's mother to missionaries for their school - so that the missionaries would leave his sons alone.

A demonstration of fire making. This fellow is shaving a stick to expose fresh wood, and to create wood shavings.

After a few minutes, friction has produced a hot spot. Smoke starts to rise. Wood shavings are placed near the heat.

They take turns rapidly spinning a pointed stick against the shaved stick.

The hot spot and wood shavings have produced an ember that is carefully transferred to a handful of dry grass.

Blowing on the ember spreads its heat to the dry grass. Smoke begins to rise as the grass catches.

The grass become fully engulfed. Voila - fire!

This guy knows exactly how cool he looks.

Ngorongoro Crater is a collapsed volcanic caldera formed when a giant volcano exploded some two to three million years ago. It is 610 meters deep and its floor covers 260 square kilometers (about 100 square miles).

The rich grazing land of the Serengeti is the direct result of the explosion of Ngorongoro, which deposited millions of tons of phosphate rich volcanic ash across thousands of square kilometers of East Africa.

Leaving the plains, we climb through forests of Acacia to the rim of Ngorongoro.

Local legend has it that the Garden of Eden was located in the Ngorongoro Crater. To be sure, Olduvai Gorge - where the oldest fossilized remains of man were discovered - is just a few kilometers away.

Ngorongoro Crater boasts the highest density of large animals in Africa. Its bowl shape makes it a natural gathering place - except for giraffes - who cannot descend the steep sides of the Crater.

Many of Ngorongoro's animals do not migrate. Once they arrive, they never leave.

At the center of Ngorongoro is Lake Magadi, the largest source of fresh water in the Crater, and home to countless flamingos.

Hippos relax in a wallow. Nearby birds keep the backs of the hippos free of insects.

One of the Safari vehicles got stuck in deep mud, and the sound of its revving engine disturbed this big fellow.

The hippo decided to abandon the wallow for somewhere more peaceful. Hippos are far from slow, and this fellow was moving at a pace that I would describe as a brisk walk.

The hippo disappeared from sight within minutes - pausing only briefly for a quick dip in a nearby pool. Last we saw him, he was moving steadily like a man on a mission.

A herd of Cape Buffalo (and a few Elephants) look on.

Warthog

Young wildebeest rough house while grazing on the lush vegetation of the Crater.

This is my road. Go around me.

A group of 3 lions - this fellow and a pair of lionesses - curled up in the shade of our vehicle to beat the mid day heat.

Black rhinos are almost extinct because of poaching. The protected Ngorongoro Crater is one of the few places in Africa that they can still be seen.

Although they are not the most dangerous animal in Africa (hippos kill the most people), the Cape Buffalo is the most ill tempered, and Safari guides are extremely careful when they get this close.

Zebras

Leaving the Crater

Exploreans Bedroom

Our last night in Africa finds us at the Exploreans.

Its a dirty job, but somebody has to do it.

On the western edge of the Great Rift Valley lies Lake Manyara - home to large populations of baboons and monkeys.

Lake Manyara is one of the few places where lions can be observed resting in trees - draping their bodies over limbs and hanging all 4 paws downwards (like a towel drying on a rack).

The Great Rift Valley is a netwotk of deep canyons in East Africa formed as the direct result of plate tectonics.

The African and Arabian plates are separating here, and a massive piece of the Earth's crust is falling away to create the Valley.

The Great Rift Valley is over 5000 km long, running from Tanzania to Lebanon. The escarpment wall varies in depth from a few hundred to a few thousand meters.

Blue Monkey

Lonesome Cowpoke

Baboon with baby.

I don't have a clever comment for this one. It probably doesn't need one.

These pumpkin like gourds are the fruit of the Sausage Tree. Locals are careful not to sit beneath these trees, as the gourds are heavy and can seriously injure you when they fall.

Impalas

Last day of the Safari, and after Lake Manyara, we are faced with a four hour dash to Kilimanjaro International Airport to catch our flight to Amsterdam.

Trust me on this - four continuous hours of fast driving on Africa's back roads can in no way be compared to 4 hours driving at home. By the end of this run, we were pretty much shaken to jelly.

Heading for the Airport

The local saying is that these busses are never full. What that actually means is that they will always squeeze in more people and cargo, no matter how full they already are.

Many of the busses are given names like "Enthusiasm", "God's Word", and "Soft Cotton".

The people make a living however they can. This street vendor is selling fruit.

She is wearing a kanga, a traditional garment made from 2 large pieces of wrapped fabric. A kanga typically has a phrase or folk saying printed on its fabric.

Photography, GPS Tracks, and Words copyright © Robert Will - All Rights Reserved