The Snorkeling Trip (Ashagre)

We got up and ate early because we were going on Blue Safari. We got snorkels, masks, and flippers. We got on a boat and stopped at this beach where I saw a starfish and white and black fish. We ate fresh fruit. We went to a snorkeling spot. I got in and saw lots of black and white fish, puffer fish and a sculpin. 

Then we went to another island for food. I was hungry. This is what we ate rice and coconut sauce, salad, octopus, shrimp, lobsters and fruit. When we had lobster I didn’t want it but then I tried it and it was awesome. After lunch we went and climbed a tree. 

We got back on the boat which was crowded. They put the sails up and the boat rocked a lot but that was awesome. Not for an Israeli person. She got seasick. They sang songs when were going back to where we started from. When we got back we had a big dinner and also dessert. Then we went back to our house and went to bed. 

Blue Safari (Elsa)

On the 3rd of November 2016, my family and I went on a Blue Safari. There was 6 people from Isreal, 1 lady from Germany, 1 lady from Russia, 1 man from Latvia and a bunch of people from Tanzania on our boat. First we had snack and got to swim in the warmish coldish Indian Ocean at a sandbar island. Then we got in the boat and stopped for snorkeling. In the water we got to see fish going under the boat. My parents went out far and then they got on the boat. 

We had lunch. My mom, dad, and Ashagre ate rice with sauce, octopus, fish, salad and lobster. I had the same food but no lobster. The octopus was good. It was chewy and you had to chew it for several minutes, but it was delicious. We went to a tree that you can climb. 

On the way back to the shore where we started our trip everybody in the boat was singing Tanzania songs. The Tanzanian men were drumming on things in the boat like the cooler, a plastic bucket and a water jug. Each Tanzanian man took turns singing and leading the songs. I felt really happy listening to the music and singing. The trip was fun, cool, amazing, and good. When we got back to our hotel we rinsed off and then swam in the pool. Then we had dinner and went to bed.

The Walk (Ashagre)

We woke up and ate. We walked down the beach. The tide was low so we could walk on the rocks. When we were walking I went on the rocks and saw a crab. I ran like a bolt. A guy asked us if we wanted to go to The Rock which was a restaurant. Our dad said no thank you but the guy convinced him into got to The Rock for dinner. If you walk on the rocks then get on the sand sometimes you sink in the sand. It went deep sometimes. Dad and I went to where some women and children were doing something. We walked out far. When we arrived we saw that they were farming seaweed. They use seaweed in lots of stuff like toothpaste, makeup and ice cream. We went back and walked down the beach a little ways and on the way there we saw some boys playing with homemade boats that they made. Then we headed back to our beach hotel. 

We played in the pool for a long time. Then we got out of the pool and did homework. Elsa and dad played a darts game. Then we went to The Rock. We got on a boat and got on the rock which was an actual rock with a restaurant on top. We should have made a reservation but the guy didn’t tell us that. Some people came to the restaurant with fancy clothes and I had swim trunks. The food was good. We got back and played darts. Then we went to our house and got ready for bed. 

Barbecue (Elsa)

In Stone Town at night time there was a bunch of people selling seafood, pizza, sugar cane juice and other food. My brother and my dad had seafood. My mom and I had pizza. I had my pizza with no cheese because I am allergic to dairy. Then some cats came to us. “You have to watch your food or the cats will come and get it,” my dad said. One time one of the 7 cats was about to get my food but I shooed the cat away. 

Then I starting talking to Elias for a long time. Elias is from Tanzania and was probably in his twenties. Elias was asking me about my life and he was also talking about his life. A couple hours later my mom said that it was time to go and Elias had to go also. I finished my sentence and said goodnight. When you meet someone from outside the USA its a big change because they have such a different life than you.

Spices (Ashagre)

We got up and ate. We got dressed and we packed our bags. We went downstairs to put our bags in a car. We found our driver so we handed the bags to him because he was going to put them in the car. We drove to the spice tour. When we were slowing down I saw a sign that said the spice tour or something else. We walked down a trail to a farmlike place. We sat down on a bench and our guide was telling us what we were doing. The first thing we saw was breadfruit. The second was a tree that had jackfruit. We walked down the trail and stopped. He asked us if we knew what a fruit was called. I said papaya. He said yes. On the tour this is what we saw breadfruit, jackfruit, papaya, turmeric, natural lipstick, and lots more spices. Tanzanians use natural lipstick on their face and hair. Turmeric is used to spice food and for health. We got to drink fresh coconut juice and watch somebody climb a coconut tree and sing a Tanzanian song. We got hats made from leaves from the trees on the farm. After we finished the spice tour we got to eat fruit. I loved all the fruit. It was so good! We got seconds. We went to our new hotel at Jambiani. 

Stone Town and Spice Tour (Elsa)

In Stone Town my family went to our hotel then we ate lunch. Right after lunch we went back to our hotel. Ashagre and I were playing a game. In our game we were pretending there was a customer that didn’t like the food and the waiter was messing up the order. At dinner we had Ethiopian food. The Ethiopian food was good. 

The next morning we had breakfast and we went on a walking tour. We learned about the slave cage. There were 50 men in the men’s cage and there were 75 women in the women’s cage. Then we saw in a museum how slavery started and how the slave trade ended. Right after the tour we went to eat lunch and had chill time in our hotel. While Ashagre and I were playing a game my parents were setting up a trip to Jambiani. When you are in Zanzibar Stone Town their will be a lot of clothes and jewelry for sale.

The next day we went on spice tour then to Jambiani. On the spice we learned about spices and fruit grown in Zanzibar. Some of the fruit we saw were breadfruit, papaya, and jack fruit. There is a spice called turmeric that turns your skin yellow when you touch it. Tumeric is used in food and staying healthy. We also saw natural lipstick. Natural lipstick is a seed that is crushed up and turns orangish reddish. People use it to turn their hair, lips and cheeks red. Some of the other spices we learned about were peppercorn, cinnamon, ginger, and Arabia coffee. At the end of the spice tour we got to drink fresh coconut juice and try some fruit. My favorite fruit was the pineapple.

Stone Town (Ashagre)

We got up and got some food. We walked out of our hotel and walked all over Stone Town as part of a walking tour with our guide Alex. Then we got some tickets for a museum and a church. We went in the church and our guide told a story about Dr. Livingston dying and they got his heart and buried it under a tree. Then we went into a slave prison. The men were on one side that had two breathing holes and about 50 men were put in there. On the other side there were three breathing holes and there were about 75 people that could fit in there which were children and their moms. They had chains on their around their necks and their legs. If they tried to escape they would get tortured. We went in the museum. It talked about slaves working and how they would prepare the slaves for the slave market. The British came and freed the slaves because Dr. Livingston convinced them to. Before they were free the slaves had to get a license from the British. Some of them didn’t become free because they didn’t know they had other choices and some made that choice because they get food and water. I would be hard to find those things if they were free. Then we got out of the museum. 

We got some lunch at the same place we had lunch the day before. Then we went back to our hotel and relaxed. Then we went and walked around town again. Then we went to a park where they cooked food. We walked around and saw some boys jumping into the water. They did flips and other stuff. We went far and saw more boys jumping into the water. We sat down and I saw a park for little kids. We went back and saw that there was people cooking food and some were eating. We got an explanation of what the food was. My dad and I ordered calamari and octopus and some bread. We sat down and waited. There were lots of cats there because they liked seafood. We got our food. Then some cats came close to us. Them mom’s food arrived and more cats came. We ate. Then our drinks arrived. They were sugar cane juices. Elsa was talking to some guy she met. Our dad asked how much it was for our food. They guy said one hundred eighteen shillings which was expensive. Dad and the guy were having fun bargaining. Finally they made a decision. My dad didn’t get a very good deal. He paid 90 schillings which is about $45. We got in a taxi and the taxi driver was crazy. We got to our hotel and got ready for bed. 

The Red Boat (Ashagre)

On Sunday I awoke to the sound of the TV blaring. I got up and changed and walked outside and saw my dad watching the news. We got our bags and put them in the trunk. We went to the ferry terminal. We got on the boat. The ferry can carry more people than the Catalina Express. It can carry about 500 people. When we got to Zanzibar we had to wait until our bags came in the cart. The people would push the cart fast and a man would hop over a rope so he didn’t trip. The rope is supposed to slow down the cart. It felt like he was going to trip over the rope any moment and get smashed by the heavy cart. The boat terminal was crazy. People were rushing and people pushing carts would make a lot of noise. People pulling carts would drop the handle and that would make a lot of noise because it echoed. 

Finally we got out of the boat terminal and went to our hotel. When we entered our room I went to the bathroom which stunk because the plumbing wasn’t that good in Zanzibar so smells come from the sewer. We checked into our hotel and walked down to the Ethiopian restaurant but I checked the sign it said they were open for lunch from 12:00 - 3:00. It was past 3 o’clock so we had to go back for dinner. We walked to this place where they had a lot of meat and less vegetables. I got spinach and white rice. We sat outside because it was hot in there. They gave me a lot of rice so I ate a lot of that first. We walked back to our hotel and did nothing until we got hungry. So we walked down to the Ethiopian restaurant and we ate. The tibbs could have been a lot better at the Ethiopian restaurant. We got back to our hotel and got ready for bed. 

This is me riding on the ferry VIP class.

This is where we ate lunch in Stone Town.

The Honey Badger Lodge (Ashagre)

On Saturday we got up and ate. After we ate Elsa and I went back to our hotel and brushed our teeth. We started to pack our bags. Then our dad came into the room. We asked him for our medicine. If you don’t know why we have to take the medicine its because it prevents us from getting sick from malaria. After we were done packing our bags we put our bags behind a corner of the hotel’s front desk. 

Elsa said I am going to change clothes so I can go swimming in the pool and she asked me if I was going into the pool. I said maybe. It got too hot to sit around so I changed so I could go in the pool. Elsa and I played in the pool for a couple of hours. I got out of the water and relaxed. Elsa was still in the pool. When Elsa was out of the water we had lunch. Our mom said we can swim until 4:00. We played in the pool for a while. I got out of the pool and changed. One of the font desk people told us that your driver is waiting outside. So we got our bags and put them in the trunk. We drove to dinner. 

Then we were at the airport. We looked at a sign. We were delayed 2 hours. We kept getting bit by the mosquitos. Finally we checked our bags in. Then we boarded the plane. We went outside to get on the plane. We landed at Dar Es Salaam at 2:00 in the morning. Finally we got in our room and got ready for bed. 

Safari Ngorongoro (Elsa)

On 26th October 2016 my family and I went to Ngorongoro Crater National Park. It took the whole day to drive from Serengeti to Ngorongoro. We had to check out of Serengeti at the visitor’s center so we can go to Ngorongoro. When we got there it was about dinner time, but lot of cars filled with people were coming to sleep in their tents. When it was bed time it was really cold so that I could not go to sleep. At midnight I heard zebras walking and passing my family’s tent. 

At 5 o’clock we woke up to go in the crater so we can see a Black Rhino. As we were going to eat our breakfast someone yelled, “Rhino, rhino, rhino!” so we hopped in the car and we drove fast to see the Black Rhino. The rhino was running away from people taking pictures of it. The Black Rhino was cool to see. We got lucky and got to see a Black Rhino in the wild. People pretty much never get to see them. On safari you can see animals you haven’t ever seen before, unlike the zoo. 

This is the Black Rhino.

Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater National Parks (Ashagre)

On Wednesday we awoke and had breakfast. We drove and saw lions walking in the middle of nowhere. Then we got on a different path that took us to the lions. The lions sat under a tree that was too small for them. This was the closest lion picture I got. I slept on the way to our next campsite. The camp was not what I was thinking it would be. We did our homework and had dinner. We got ready for bed.

On Thursday we were driving to have a picnic in Ngorongoro Crater. We were getting the breakfast ready so we could eat but somebody shouted, “rhino!” So we put the food back and got in the car. We raced to see the rhino. Dad took a picture of mom holding the plates with food on it. We saw the rhino hiding. I took two pictures until my tablet was low on batteries so I couldn’t take anymore pictures. After that we went back to the picnic spot. When we were heading back I thought I saw a rhino but it was buffalo. Then we had a peaceful breakfast.

Serengeti National Park (Ashagre)

On Tuesday we awoke and got ready for the day. We had breakfast. In Tanzania they eat a lot of meat. The new animals that we saw were a crocodile and hippopotamus. Then we saw a whole bunch of cars looking at something. When we got close the people were looking at lions. There were a lot of female lions and cubs. Then we saw a male lion eating something which we couldn’t tell what it was. The female lions came close to people’s cars. I took a lot of pictures. Then there was a female lion and her cubs walking to where the male lion was because they were hungry. We went back to the campsite and had lunch. When lunch was done we did our homework. 

We got back to where the lions were. I tried to take a picture of the male lion but there was too much shadow. The female lion and some cubs tried to get some of the zebra but the male wouldn’t let them. If they tried he would make noise. We went away for a while. When we came back the meat was almost done. An elephant came and made the male lion get up. I took advantage and took pictures because it wasn’t too shadowy. The cubs and females went away. Then the cubs and lions came back. The male lion got up and walked a little ways. One of the females ate a little before the male saw. He ran toward her and she backed away. I took a video of of the lion peeing and one of the cubs came up to him and sniffed his butt. Then lion grabbed the zebra that was almost done and the cubs grabbed the leg too. The male lion stopped and pulled on it. Then it snapped and the lion walked away with with the zebra’s head. The female grabbed the bone that had meat on it and sat down. 

Safari Serengeti 2 (Elsa)

On 25 October 2016, my family, driver and the cook were in Serengeti National Park. We hopped in the car right after breakfast. We saw zebras, impalas and gazelles. A couple minutes later we saw a lion eating an animal, but there were a lot of cars with people. Then we moved on to see other types of animals and we saw a leopard on a tree with meat on the branch. Then we saw a hyena, elephants, giraffes, a crocodile, hippos, buffalos, zebras and other types of animals. Right after lunch we had a resting time until four o’clock and we went down to do our homework. Ashagre did his math while I did my writing homework. We put my writing down in my mom’s computer and edited. 

We went back to do more safari, and we saw the same lions from the morning eating a zebra. When the male lion was going to the bathroom the female lion was going to eat the zebra. A cub was eating the zebra when the male lion ran back to the female lion and the cub so he could get the food all to himself. The female and the male lion split the zebra apart so they each got a piece. The female and the male lion went in different directions. A cub grabbed the zebra’s tail and yanked it and got some meat from the male lion. When you have a meat do not act like the lions did. 

This is the leopard sleeping in a tree. 

This is the male lion chasing the female lion away from the food. Look at the cub's face.

This is the male lion taking the zebra away and the cub biting the tail to get a piece of zebra.

To Serengeti National Park (Ashagre)

On our way to Serengeti National Park we stopped at Ngorongoro Crater for lunch. We had a picnic lunch. There was a large bird flying around the tree that we sat under. I was eating when I saw the African Black Kite fly down and grab my mom’s sandwich. He dropped it and a large stork got it. Then the bird did it a second time and got my mom’s chicken. The bird scratched my mom’s face and lip. I said, “I don’t want to eat outside anymore,” so we went in the car to eat. 

We were driving when our guide Maluta stopped the vehicle and looked at the tire and said, “Ah, it’s a flat tire.” I said, “I want to see.” We all got out of the car and saw that there was a flat tire. Maluta and our cook used a jack a wrench to put a new tire on it. Dad found where the hole was in the tire. When you touched the hole it hissed. There was one car who stopped and joked with our guide. Finally, we were on the road again. We stopped when we saw two cars stopped. When we got closer we saw that one had the hood up. The alternator was broken they said and they were trying to fix it. One of them said they saw cheetahs. So we went off-road and saw three cubs and the mama cheetah. I took lots of pictures because I was really excited to see cheetahs. We arrived at our campsite in the evening on Monday. The campsite had two kitchens and two bathrooms. We had dinner and got ready for bed. 

Trip to Serengeti (Elsa)

Mom, dad, Ashagre and I packed our bags for Serengeti. The drive from Tarangire to Serengeti is 5 to 6 hours. So I got in the car with my dad, my mom, my brother, driver and cook and got on the road. We did a lot of stopping and a lot of Maasai people were selling stuff like Tanzania t-shirts, bracelets and necklaces by our window. We said no thanks, but they kept trying to sell us stuff. 

We were driving fast on a very bumpy road and suddenly we got a flat tire. We had to get out of the car and our driver and our cook fixed the tire. They took the screws out, got the spare tire, and jacked up the car to fix the tire. My mom, Ashagre and I were standing out and looking everywhere. Everywhere we looked we saw animals. My dad helped the cook and our driver with the flat tire. A couple hours later we got to Serengeti and we saw giraffes, zebras, and other types of animals. We got to see a mama cheetah and her cubs, and we saw another cheetah a little while later. A long road trip can be tiring, but when you get there it will be cool. 

This is when we got a flat tire in the middle of nowhere in Serengeti.

This is the mama cheetah with her cubs.

Tarangire National Park 2 (Ashagre)

On Sunday we awoke and had breakfast. We got in the safari car and drove. We stopped when we saw a whole bunch of cars look at something. We got closer and saw lions sitting under a tree next to an important watering hole. We parked the car and watch excitedly. We all wanted to see the lions and the lions hunt. We saw a warthog and the warthog went around the watering hole instead of going where the lions were. The warthog got a drink of water and the lions saw it. The zebra came to get a drink of water but they were scared going down there because they thought the lions were going to attack them when they were getting a drink of water. There was a different warthog and this one went the opposite of the other warthog. When it was drinking water one of the lions got up and walked slowly and was ready to run and bite it. Suddenly the zebra made a noise that was warning the warthog to run away because there was something dangerous coming. Then the warthog looked up and saw the lion coming toward it so the warthog ran away fast. Right before the warthog ran the lion started to run but missed it. If the zebra wasn’t there it would have got the warthog. The lion moved to a new spot on a hill and two more did too. Nothing happened for a long time. Two warthogs came back to the river bed to drink. Then the lions went to get the two warthogs but went too early and the warthogs saw the lion so they ran. The zebra moved to the other side and the warthogs too. Some zebra and warthogs went down and drank for about a minute and the lion ran too early still. The zebra couldn’t decide to go get a drink when the elephants came. The elephant moved the lions to a different spot. Then the elephants left so the warthogs came back and the lions moved to their same spot. When the warthogs were done the lions tried to trap them but failed. So the lions got a drink and moved to new spot under tree. They kept trying all day.

On Monday we saw the lions again but this time they were eating something. I said they are eating wildebeest. We watched the lions eat until the elephants came. The elephants drank water and one elephant was staring at the lions. Then all the elephants were staring at the lions. Then the big elephant walked to the lions and some of the lions ran away. Three stayed behind. Then all of the lions went away. When the elephants left the lions came back. 

Tarangire National Park (Ashagre)

Saturday we saw impalas, wildebeest, monkeys and giraffes when we arrived at Tarangire National Park. When we were on safari there were a lot of bumps and I could stand on a seat and look out the pop up roof. After we set up our campsite we went back out on safari. We saw impalas, wildebeest, monkeys, baboons, zebras, warthogs, giraffes, elephants, and dik diks. On Saturday night I heard a lion roar and a hyena howl. On safari you have a cook and a driver and you get dinner, breakfast and lunch.