Ashish in East Africa Part 2

Dear Advisor Partners,

Dorothy was right when she proclaimed, “Oh My!” in the Wizard of Oz. Since my last dispatch, I have now seamlessly crossed from Kenya into Tanzania. A friendly medical technician visited me in my hotel to conduct my PCR test. The crossing into Tanzania was effortless as I had my e-visa in hand, arrival and health forms that were printed out ahead of time, and the fast travel service at Kilimanjaro airport in hand in the FBO terminal.

After picking up the two travel advisors who would journey with me, I immediately went back to the land of Oz and the yellow brick road. It was Dorothy, the courageous lion and me (I am not sure if I was the Scarecrow or the Tin Man) off to see the wizard, in this case, named Ngorongoro.

After seeing a full range of wildlife in the crater floor and spending the night at my second home, Gibbs Farm, I flew to the Serengeti to explore the newly rebuilt Namiri Plains. I loved this camp in its original form when it first opened, however, seeing old friends from other camps now at Namiri made me feel right at home. On that first afternoon, a herd of big bull elephants ambled into camp. Stylishly late as I always am for afternoon tea, as I walked to the main entrance of the camp one of the bulls began eyeing me and moving towards me. Either he was scolding me for being late or was intrigued by my sharp fashion sense…  I like to think it was the latter. By the second day, the only sighting missing was a leopard.

Now as I write this, I confess to eagerly sabotaging the camp menu, showing the camp chef my favorite recipe for Maru Na Bhajia, crisp potato fritters or pakoras, a comfort food from my childhood in East Africa.

What started as a simple request from one of the advisors turned into a cooking experiment that either will solidify my legend as the bhajia king of Namiri or confirm that I still don’t know a thing about making good food. It’s likely the latter, however, I can dream, right?

Enjoy the latest video of my journey through East Africa. I am happy to share any input for anyone wondering about the entry and departure protocols in Kenya and Tanzania. I proudly share that our team has it down pat in both countries, including employing the newly utilized testing clinic in central Serengeti.

Stay tuned for Part 3 as the bhajia king… er… as I complete my safari with a visit to our ongoing foundation project at Ereto Primary School outside Arusha.

In the meantime, consider creating your own adventure in Tanzania such as on our Tanzania Highlights of the Northern Safari Circuit