We’re going to have to wait a minute
Our final stop on this whirlwind safari was Ngorongoro Crater, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We were excited about this park for a few reasons: first because we would have the opportunity to see the camera-shy black rhino, and second because the crater has one of the highest densities of wild animals in the world. Statistically, we were going to see SOMETHING. After a few hours on the road we arrived to our accommodation, Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge.
We enjoyed our Welcome Facecloth/Fruit Juice before being shown to our room. This beautiful lodge was perched right on the ridge, offering spectacular views of the crater (when fog allows). All of the walkways were elevated on stilts, which meant for the first time in a week we would be trusted to get to and from our room on our own. Our suite was all stone and leather, decorated with cave paintings, Maasai carvings, and a private balcony with a panoramic view of the crater. This was also our first lodge where we could use wifi in our room - joy!
After a shower to remove the layers of accumulated dust on my body, I sat out on our balcony to soak in the view and journal a bit. Eventually we headed back to the main lodge for a sundowner and some dinner.
We found a table in the bar and ordered some wine and plantain chips. There was a group of young men that came to perform a combination of singing, dancing and acrobatics. The acro-tricks were a precursor to some serious gymnastics that we were going to see on the beaches (and streets) of Zanzibar. After the performance, we went in for dinner and then turned in for the night.
The next morning we woke up in a dense fog - not from drinking. Actual fog. It was also quite cold here so we took great comfort in the fleece pullovers that we had been hauling around since the flight over.
We went to the main lodge and had our last safari breakfast before heading out to our vehicle that had been pulled up front. Our early (6:30am) departure was delayed by factors outside of our control; a giraffe had selected the middle of the road as his breakfast buffet so we had no choice but to wait. Again, no urgency here. The Ngorongoro Crater is home to all of the creatures you’d expect to see on safari except for one - the giraffe! While they can be seen outside of the crater, you won’t see them inside because the walls are too steep for them to walk down. Having our first sighting before even leaving the lodge seemed like a good omen for our last day.
We were eventually able to sneak past and make our way down into the crater for our game drive. The scenery during the descent was beyond imagination. The sunrise slowly burning through the fog made for a very dramatic entrance (which honestly is my preferred way of entry anywhere). I took about 27 pictures only to be disappointed with the result each time - it was a view that you really had to be there for (sorry).
Asaria took us to an elevated viewpoint, obviously for us to take in the expansive views but also for him to glass the plains to see if we could find the final member of The Big 5 - the rhino. As someone who had dreamed of a safari for her entire life, I was not actually desperate to collect The Big 5; while it would be wonderful, I was more excited and grateful to just see anything! Asaria’s view on the topic was “either we see The Big 5 or we do not leave until we do.” Which I can appreciate. The good news was that he thought he saw a rhino through the binoculars! The bad news was that Lindsay and I have never looked for a rhino on the plains through binoculars (or at all really) and so we could not locate it no matter how many times Asaria attempted to help us. He took note of where he saw it, and said we would try to get closer.
We came down off the viewpoint and stumbled across a big male lion strolling through the grassland. Up to this point the male lions we had seen were quite young so didn’t have that notorious mane, but this guy definitely checked that box. He was huge! He was confidently strolling along while zebra and wildebeest stood on edge, watching to see if he was looking for breakfast or simply passing through.
It is during this sighting that I made my first humiliating safari faux pas, bringing shame and dishonour to my family (had they been there). We followed this lion for awhile, staying parallel to him as he wandered through the plains. Asaria noted where he was headed, pulled forward along the road, and turned off the engine to watch and wait. There were other vehicles that were here as well, so we were all sort of lined up along the side of the trail. The lion, in all his massive glory, was walking directly at us.
He was just a few feet away when I suddenly lost all grip on my body/reality as I was trying to take video on my phone and photos with my Canon and then my iPhone was flying out of my hands in slow motion, out of the vehicle, and onto the earth right in front of the lion. He spooked and ducked into the long grass before shaking it off and continuing on his way (in a different direction). I was mortified. When we later watched the video from Lindsay’s phone, she can be heard loudly whispering “Meghaaaaan” in disbelief - the whisper heard around Ngorongoro Crater.
Throughout this entire episode, Asaria had remained blissfully unaware that anything was amiss. When he noticed the lion changing course, he simply started the vehicle again and began pulling away to follow him. This is when I was forced to say, “we’re going to have to wait a minute, I’ve dropped my phone out.” I think he was embarrassed, but to his credit he didn’t make me feel any more foolish than I already did. We waited while the other safari go-ers drove around us and I sheepishly pointed at my phone each time they looked at us curiously. When the lion had moved a distance away, Asaria felt safe enough to leave his seat, creep around the vehicle, collect my dusty phone from the dirt and shuffle back to safety.
I was crying with laughter by this point. We saw ourselves as seasoned safari experts by this time, so unlike other tourists that we were probably about to be invited to stay on as guides ourselves. We had learned a lot over the last week! However with that move alone, I advertised our inexperience to those around us and surely the entire crater over the radio later, and any clout we had accrued during our time with Asaria evaporated (along with any career opportunities).
We drove on a little as I reflected on my behaviour and tried to shake off the shame. Asaria found two more male lions laying together a short distance from the path. I remained seated with my hands and arms inside the vehicle. After the excitement of the morning we all needed a moment to regroup, so Asaria took us to this lakeside spot for toilet breaks, photo opps and randomly, a cappuccino.
The eventful morning would continue as I experienced a marriage proposal from a man here (neither my first nor last of the trip). While sipping my cappuccino we chatted together during which time he asked if I would marry him. Thinking he was joking I awkwardly tried to laugh it off, but he then tried to seal the deal by asking me to feed him a spoonful of his ice cream. You have to be cautious with those seemingly playful asks; one minute you’re laughing at this funny exchange and the next minute you’re the 4th wife with many new and unfamiliar responsibilities. Asaria, surely regretting his decision to let me out of the vehicle, quickly rounded us up and continued our afternoon drive.
The rest of the afternoon was a leisurely viewing experience. We saw a few birds, a few ungulates, and a hyena. Nearly reaching the edge of the crater, we saw a female lion eating her kill near a large muddy puddle. To our absolute delight, there were cubs playing around in the bush behind her! They were very cute, and one of them came out to see what Mom was doing before scampering back to playtime.
Finally we were exiting the plains and entering the treeline that would lead us up and out of the crater. We were given a beautiful farewell by an elephant that was casually strolling through, surrounded by wildebeest, zebra and blue skies - truly a goodbye given by the African wilderness gods.
The slow ascent up and out of Ngorongoro Crater was really emotional for me. It was the last day of our Tanzanian safari and we were leaving our last park. I was overcome by panic - the kind of panic you have when you are saying goodbye to something big and are unsure if or when you will cross paths again. I felt I was saying a heartbreaking goodbye.
I tried to quell my hysteria at the thought that I may never do something like this again. I had just been through a whirlwind, week-long safari with Inner Child Meghan (and real life Lindsay obviously) where I experienced things that I had been dreaming of since I was 5 years old. What happens after that? What if I don’t do something like this again? What if…I’ve peaked and it’s nothing but downhill from here? At the time I didn’t have the capacity to talk myself down, so I kept my face firmly directed out the window, hungrily taking in every last moment of the African savannah that for so long had only existed in my head. I also kept my face firmly directed out the window so Asaria could not see me sobbing.
From Ngorongoro, we began our journey back to Arusha to catch our domestic flight to Zanzibar (and say goodbye to Asaria). It was a quiet drive - everyone deep in their own thoughts, processing everything that had transpired over the previous 8 days. We made a final pitstop for lunch at a roadside spot where we were the only patrons there. We shared our last meal together while laughing and reminiscing about all of the amazing moments we had shared. It was unexpectedly emotional. Asaria truly was more than just our guide - he was a wonderful person that played a massive part in this trip for us, not only as a knowledgable guide but also as a friend. This time, we all cried.
For me, when an experience or chapter starts nearing an end I tend to start measuring the time left in “lasts.” My last breakfast. My last lion sighting. My last night hearing the wild sounds of the savannah. My last time getting into the vehicle. My last marriage proposal. My last baby banana passed back to me from Asaria who learned early on that I loved them, and made sure that we always had a bunch in the truck for snacks. My last, my last, my last.
After our last lunch together, we arrived at the airport with forced smiles and lumps in our throats. As we unloaded our luggage for the last time and did a final sweep of the truck, a heavy cloud of big feelings was suffocating us, but nobody seemed able to pluck them down to share. Asaria helped us get our luggage to the check-in area, gave us each one last hug with a promise to stay in touch, and then suddenly we were without him. Just like that, the safari was over.
In all of my daydreams of my first safari, not once had I imagined who would be there to navigate the journey. I guess I was so granularly focused on myself and what I was going to be doing that I hadn’t stepped back to think about the people I would meet along the way. My first safari exceeded my expectations, and we all know how high those were. A massive part of that is because of Asaria. I cannot say enough positive things about him, not just as a safari guide but as a human. All I can say is if you ever find yourself looking to explore the Tanzanian wilderness, let me know and I will send you in his direction.
I love the idea that whatever is meant for you will be. If the universe deems something is for you, there isn’t a way for you to avoid it. When we left that Arusha hotel after our first night, the woman who came to do a final review of our schedule had handed us a printed itinerary. At the very top, two names were written. One had a dash through and a different name was written next to it: Asaria. At the time I didn’t think anything of it, but looking back now it brings a smile to my face. Asaria was not the guide originally matched to us, but he was a person we were meant to know; he was the person we needed to guide us through so many monumental firsts. This thought helps me to relax into the reality that try as I might, I cannot control everything, but I can trust the universe to know what I need. Can I carry this trust into other aspects of my life? Maybe - check in again in a few months.