JAMBO JAMBO! Hello hello, today I am writing to you from the Serengeti in Tanzania, one of the most beautiful places on earth. If I had been at home I would have been writing about the Europa League Final, and you would have gotten some awesome pictures of India celebrating. However, soccer or as most Europeans call it football is not on the top of my list here in the middle of nothing.

The Serengeti, which means “endless plains” in Masaai, is what most would consider the middle of nowhere. No matter where you look, all you can see is trees, grasslands, and maybe another lodge about 50 kilometers away. Even though we are in the middle of nothing, there is Wi-Fi here, conveniently enough for me because now I can send this blog.

Being in Tanzania is one of the most amazing trips I have taken in my life. Every morning when I wake up for breakfast I get to see the most amazing landscapes and sunrises from my window. Then there is breakfast, usually a buffet style, where there is Tanzanian and their best imitation of American foods. The waiters here are extremely kind and love to know where you are from; in conversation they usually teach us the Swahili word in exchange for the Dutch version. I must say Swahili and Masaai are both hard languages but fun ones to practice. After breakfast, we go on safari, either for a whole day or two shorter ones.

Safari or Game Drives are very exciting! Because hunting is not allowed in the National Parks many animals roam freely across the endless plains. The Big 5 is what most people hope to see in their time in Tanzania. These 5 animals, Buffalos/Leopards/Elephants/Lions/Rhinos, are classified this way because they are the hardest to hunt and catch according to the natives. Just a few days in I have managed to see all but a rhino. According to our guide Paul the chances of seeing one are very low in the Serengeti, but they will increase when we head to the Ngorongoro Crater.

Paul, our guide, knows about everything there is to know about the area. So when he asks me each morning what animals I have dreamt of seeing the night before he tries his best to make that happen. He calls them prophecies, but I am almost 100% sure he knows exactly where to go when I mention certain animals. Yesterday I mentioned a Cheetah, one of my favorite animals. Sure enough after 2 hours of our drive, Paul starts speeding up; we even pass by a hippo pool without stopping. He tells us not to ask why but I already figured out that we were heading toward a cheetah sighting; I had heard the Swahili word for it on the radio. 20-minutes later we stop, and there they are one mother with 6 young cubs sitting in the middle of a field. I am sure we stood there watching for about 15 minutes before they where on the move again. My adventure is complete, no need for a rhino!

Now I must go to bed, because checkout is at 4 am. Sunrise in an air balloon is up next for tomorrow morning!

Talk soon,

- Elena