Calendar   Home
Previous Day August 17, 2000 Next Day
After a teeth-chattering drive in the 4x4, we arrive in Ngorongoro crater. A natural wonder, Ngorongoro is the largest caldera not filled by water. Our lodge sits on the crater rim and provides a magnificent view, but the action is 2,000 feet below. We descended into the crater. Ten miles wide, the crater floor is a perfect haven for animals; we even saw a rhinoceros here. We ate lunch outside among the animals. After eating, we strolled along tall grass and marsh that bordered our picnic area. The shock came when we almost stepped on a hippo! Hippos are African man-killers. Even though they're vegetarians, they literally bite people in half that get too close. This hippo lay submerged in a marsh, well hidden among tall reeds. We were twenty feet away when someone said, "that mud over there just moved." Male hippos weigh 6,000 lbs and can run faster than horses. This guy could have caught us easily. Dying by hippo misadventure is unique if you're interested in that sort of thing.  
   
 These guys will bite you in half if you get between them and the water. They come out to graze on the grasslands at night.
   
 Couldn't have Jill get as close as she was when we didn't know that hippo was there, but you get the idea.
   
 They won't stay this cute for long