The way back to Arusha.... After deciding we didn't want to drive back the way we came, the only option was to leave the car in mwanza and change the tickets to fly to Dar. Which after going to the fast jet office isn't an option, so we think the best way is the expensive way and to pay to drive back through the Serengeti and out of kleins gate in the north. It is virtually next to Kenya but that's next year... We set off and halfway to the gate monty starts to overheat and make a funny noise. After stopping to have a look Ben thinks the antifreeze is leaking on the engine so fiddles with the pipe and recuts a small piece that has a slit in it to make sure it can't leak. We carry on and still a funny noise but think it's because it's wet..... We reach the Serengeti stopover camp we are aiming for just outside the gates and make camp. Ben goes off to fill up with fuel so we can make it all the way across and gets a new pipe to use. All fitted and we watch the local councillors meeting in the park while we wait for their spot to camp in under the biggest tree. There's a lot of shouting and gesticulating and then they all tuck in to food cooked for them for a group of women. Lots of beer and apparently it's the local elections so a lot at stake for them. The security guard makes us a fire and there is only an unfriendly German couple camping here with a safari company. So lots of space and there is a lovely puppy here that the guard goes to kick and pull with one of its legs. I shout at him and say no !! He looks at me as if I'm mad, but I can't put up with watching that.....I've cooked a beef stew and used smash for mash.... Feel bad but it was so easy and just reminiscing from my childhood. The boys all go for a walk and as it is literally next to the Serengeti literally anything could come through!!! There is a fence but it's fallen down and I'm sure it wouldn't stop anything if it wanted to come through. Early to bed as up early again to drive through the park, but to be honest we haven't had one late night yet! Up at 6.30am as it is just getting light...just.... I take the candle to the loo as I did last night to have a shower, there was a bat just hanging in the straw roof... Funny how you just get used to the bad conditions, you just feel so dusty and sweaty any shower is better than no shower! Oh for a bath...... We are at the gate at 7am and off in as soon as we can after paying... $200 to get through.. But a beautiful drive and a chance to see all the animals again. We have a route that we need to stick too, but once again I'm blown away with the views. The open grasslands are just amazing, I wonder what it looks like in the dry season. I can't believe this is classed as the wet season! But most of the rivers are dry and you can just see the line of green trees running where it should be. Ben realises as soon as we are in the gates that he forgot to let the tyres down... I refuse to get out and let him and keep watch out for animals... But no problem and no animals apart from zebra and wildebeest nearby. The roads not to bad as we set off but soon deteriorates and poor monty is being shake,, rattled and rolled once again. I can see Ben is slightly concerned as one of the bearings isn't right on the shock absorber but it seems to be holding up. We see elephants, giraffes, mongoose, hyenas, jackals and zebras, wildebeest, buffalo once again. The road gets really bad in some sections and others are relatively good, we make it through the park in 6 hours, not bad! We drive on out and we know that there is no camp for at least another 4 hours so none of us are up for that right now and we decide to camp wild in the bush. Ben loves it and we all feel slightly unnerved every time.... But I have to admit it is the perfect spot and looks hidden and out of the way. We make camp and I cook dinner... Well heat up beans on toast! We have 3 Maasai ladies come over and I introduce them to all of us, we give them water and. They drink cup after cup like they haven't drank for days.... I love looking at them with all their jewellery as they are just out picking up firewood and yet dressed up to the nines, I meanwhile look like a mad cave woman and they put me to shame... They go and as we are eating we hear the bells of the cattle getting closer and closer.... We know we are about to be found out where we are and then we are surrounded by cows, goats, sheep and a group of kids who are out looking after them.thats the kids jobs here and they are literally out all day with no food or water. No packed lunch for them! They come and stare and giggle at us, they are always amazed by the boys as I just don't think they ever see white kids. It makes Gabriel feel uncomfortable sometimes but Gabe is getting much better now and smiles back. Theo has always been good at it though. I give all the kids a pen each and a slice of bread and a secret seven book the boys have read while here. The kids can go to school if there families let them and I've found out that If you are educated then your ears aren't cut and stretched and it's there sign of being educated. I start to wash up and I get some great pictures of them and then they wander off. We are sure we will get more visitors later once word gets to the village we are there, but we go to bed as soon as dark falls, 7.30pm and no one comes. We lay watching a thunder storm out over the Serengeti and I have never seen one like it, it is deep in the clouds and looks like fire exploding inside the cloud. Must be along way away as I can't hear it at all. I wake during the night hearing howling screeches that I have no idea what they are.... But drift off again after...Next morning we are off extra early as it is just so hot later on to drive. We set off and immediately the road gets really bad quickly, it is in some places just a rock face and monty climbs up and up... Then in others we are are lucky there is no rain as we would not have got through had it been. We go through river after river bed that is dry and you can see where the roads have just been washed away. One road was so far gone it was impossible to drive so we found another track we had to take. I saw a Maasai lady that had so much jewellery on that looked amazing so I made Ben back up to get a picture of her. But she wanted money and what I offered wasn't enough. So we drove away, you don't want to upset them by just taking it. But understand why they ask for money, I mean it must be annoying to have tourists asking. But we are so far off the tourist trail I'm sure she didn't get asked often. No sane people take this route! Everyone else takes the main route, you can tell as everyone is looking at us like we are mad. But the views are just worth it, we climb to 2000m and we get out when we see lake natron in the distance to go for a walk. It looks like a great canyon to me, it is the Rift Valley and it is just as far as the eye can see endless plains and cliff faces, it was volcanic so the stones are like we have never seen. The lava here is different to normal volcanic lava and is full of salt and flows like water, it's cooler too but still 500deg! . We look down into one and walk along to get some great pictures, it is so so hot we are melting..... The lake itself is up to 1m deep and full of salt so it glimmers like diamonds in the distance. It's famous for its flamingos and you can see zebra and giraffe in the distance. The volcano ole deingu Leinge is still active and you can see it in the distance. It last erupted in 2009 and the Maasai believe their God lives in it and only erupts when God is angry with them. They had to move their cattle out for miles and miles as the ash spewed out contaminates all the grass and the cattle die. But it's looking safe to me and very beautiful with the top looking like it has snow but it's ash just sitting on top. There is a cloud formed that just sits on top of it and makes a perfect picture. We drive down and down and finally reach the small town of engesaro. We find a campsite called miyuku river camp and settled in for the day. We are inundated by Maasai guys wanting our attention so they can be the ones to help and get a tip from us. We realise we have a flat tyre and Ben changes it and we have many offers of help to take the wheel into town. The showers leave a lot to be desired but it's water and we are filthy after a night without in the bush. We meet a Canadian staying at the posh lodge next door and pop in their later for a drink at the bar. How the other half live!! Their driver took Bono for safari recently.... The guys wife was in slight horror we were camping