Heading into the Crater

Today we drove from Arusha to Karatu to stay at a lodge near the crater.  Millions of years ago a volcano stopped erupting and caved in to form a giant crater that is apparently often included in the top hundred places to see in the world.

Here is Kilimanjaro--it had been there all along but too cloudy to see.

On the way we stopped at Lake Manyara.  It is very dry now and it was very very hot.  We saw lots of monkeys, elephants and flamingos, buffalo and others from a far.

Black-faced monkey.

Sausage tree.

Black-faced monkey.

Baboons

We had lunch in the park and were surrounded by colorful birds.

The lake from a far.

A bird called the weaver made this.  The males each make one and the female lays an egg in the nicest one.

Blue monkey.

Identifiable by the blue scrotum.

Giraffes

A large tree, I forget the name, that people used to pray to for rain.

Flamingos very far away.

Mother and baby blue monkey.

Then we continued toward the hotel in Karatu near the crater and we saw a few things on the way.

Mining clay for bricks.

Coffee plantations.

Shop selling Hillary Clinton stuff.

And one of many Obama shops.

We passed a wedding on the way.  Parades are common during a wedding here.

After that we drove to the Plantation Lodge in Karatu near the crater and surrounded by coffee plantations.  You'd think after so many hotels, we'd seen it all but this place is incredible.  We'll post pictures tomorrow.