Bwana John here...

Our last day on safari and so far I have been lucky to avoid catching the dreaded "African Belly - AB" that has plagued everyone else so far, but everyone now seems to be on the mend. We were fortunate to have Laurel, AKA Nurse Ratched, who came on the trip well prepared with medication, which was administered to all in need in liberal quantities - a big thank you, Nurse Ratched!

After a leisurely start to the day we left the Ngorongoro Farm House for a game drive to Lake Manyara. On the way down to the lake we stopped at a lookout point were Judy and Laurel helped the local economy with the purchase of trinkets from several very persistent Masai salesmen. Our second stop was the park entrance where wifi was available and after everyone "synched" we entered the park proper through a canopy of trees that were home to a variety of monkeys - these were great to watch as most had babies in tow. The lake is known for its tree climbing lions (which were missing in action) and variety of other animals including over 350 species of birds. Next stop - hippo pond, we saw approximately a dozen grazing so it was another photo opportunity.

To aid recovery from "AB" we decided to head for our diggs and lunch and rest by the pool and to seek out a doctor. We started dinner with four of us, as Elaine was very ill and Kevin was tending to her, Laurel felt sick and had to leave the table which left Judy, Nick and I, making dinner a dismal affair for our last night together as "safari game hunters".

Quote of the day - "Never go on trips with anyone you do not love" - Ernest Hemingway

Travelled 32km; Sunny 24deg; Altitude 4,150m