July 3, 2005

We got to sleep in some today, as our departure time was not until 9:30. Just down the road from our lodge we stopped to visit a couple named Daniel and Elizabeth.

They gave us a lecture on the traditional beaded goatskin skirts used at weddings and for dances.

We then saw a typical house for this tribe who were enemies of the Maasai until a treaty in 1987. The houses were made into the earth with an earthen top. The inside was really quite large and tall enough to stand up in. We later learned that as many as 15 cows would also share this dwelling space. The milking would occur inside. We were shown the spear and cowhide shield used for defense.

Our final discovery at this place was Daniel's invention of creating methane gas (used for cooking and lighting) by combining cow dung, urine and water. This mixture ferments and the resulting gas is captured and somehow piped into the home. It was a bit technical for me.

We soon arrived at the Ngorongoro Conservation Park and our first glimpse into the crater was a fantastic sight. It is 11 miles in diameter and filled with hundreds of thousands of animals.

Our lodge for the next two nights is the nicest we've had thus far. The construction is of large round volcanic rocks. When we entered our room we were greeted by deluxe, spacious accommodations. There was even a plate of fresh fruit. Our balcony overlooked the entire crater where we could peer with binoculars to the scenery below. I just cannot wait until tomorrow when we take an all day game drive down there.

We had a slide show and lecture on the area after lunch and Phebe went on a nature walk. While she was gone I used the time to catch up on the diary and enjoyed watching the cows and goats being herded up the crater wall. They had bells on and it reminded me of the Swiss Alps sounds.

After dinner we watched a 1 our program on the migration of the wildebeest.