Ngoronogoro Crater Part 1

Depart in the dark at six, register to enter the game reserve and arrive above the crater.  We are all shocked at the size of this immense crater and the height of this mountain.

By the time we drive to the top of the rim and descend, we'll have travelled from a peak altitude of 7858 feet to the crater floor at 5438 feet.  How do we know this.  CJ turned on his Ski Tracks program. At the base of the crater surrounded by mountains he had 4-bar cell phone service.

Who knew the habitat of these animals was a mile high?  The crater provides a safe habitat with year round food and water.  The natural state of the animals plays out here without the dramas of chasing the food and water supply like in the Serengeti and Masa Mari.

 

 

Before our breakfast stop at just before ten, we've spotted wildebeest, gazelle, ostrich, zebra, Cape buffalo, two types of birds, warthog, hyena, elephant and hippo.

KIllamanjaro

We fly a Dash propeller aircraft flight to Killamanjaro.  Clouds unfortunately obscure the tallest mountain in Africa. By the time we arrive at our lodge, the long drive has us famished. The drive has presented constant new experiences and contrasts.  The are oxen drawn carts vying for space among buses and motorcycles.  Maasai tribespeople are moving herds of cattle and goats along the entire route. Woman carry goods on their heads.

 

 

We climb high into the mountains along winding roads before coming to the Neptune Ngorongoro Lodge.  Our first African animals are a huge mob of baboons.

It's a beautiful place with marvelous service.  Our personal log cabin is spacious with a large living room with fireplace, large bedroom with sitting area and fireplace, huge patio with views of the surrounding forest and gorge and manicured grounds with flowers, flowers and more flowers.

 The food and beverage service have been superb.

Off to Africa

The Emirates driver was right on time.  The ticket counters were open early. The flight was on time and within minutes of boarding, we sent this picture to Bronwyn informing her we were starting without her.

Having flown Qatar last year, we're having trouble understanding Emirates rated over them.  Food was better, seat cubes better but the service wasn't as good and they don't give out jammies for the 13 hour flight.  We were counting on using them during the safari. At one point CJ had four drinks going.

The scallop and prawn appetizer was very good.

Midflight CJ hooked up to the wifi and sent his mom the picture of him drinking at the bar.  At the time the bar was flying over Romania at 37,000 feet.

Now we have eight hours to kill in the Dubai lounge waiting for our next flight and Bronwyn and Neil. That eight hours was a hard slog even with access to food and drink continuously. The lounge runs the entire length of the terminal by leaps and bounds the largest lounge in the world.

Bronwyn and Neil arrive just in time to board.  The service on the flight to Nairobi is much better than our first flight.  We sleep through most of that flight.

On the ride from the airport, we see zebras running wild.  We're safely in the hotel 31 hours after leaving our Arlington hotel.

Trip Prologue - The Return of Sushi

With CJ’s inane work situation (he doesn’t work), there’s no reason not to leave for Northern Virginia a day early, but we do. Following a long drive we dine at Hama Sushi.  CJ sent an email to Yong announcing our intent. It turns out to be a magical evening.

When we lived in Northern Virginia, once we discovered sushi, we were regulars at this place dining there every Friday evening and often twice a week.  Since we moved four hours south, we return when we can.  Yong appreciates our loyalty and if he knows we’re coming to dinner, arranges to be in residence.

When we moved and spent the last few days in a hotel after the packers emptied our kitchen and bedroom, we dined there three nights in a row.  On our last evening, knowing we were overnighting in a local hotel, they packed us a Japanese breakfast to go.

Yong is on the phone when we arrive.  We hear him tell the person he must go.  He guides us to the sushi bar where he takes up a seat on the other side of Carol.  He will remain there most of our dinner.  On our last visit, he suited up (donned his sushi head gear) and personally prepared our meal.  This time he announces he’s going to enjoy our company.  He orders a sake to drink while we enjoy ours.  personnally d up (donned his sushi  a killer hot tuna roll. We chat throughout the meal.

When Carol remarks that he’s drinking a filtered sake and while we drink an unfiltered  sake. He responds that he can’t afford the unfiltered version and we have a good laugh.  At one point Carol tells him he must compliment his new sushi chefs but CJ interrupts and tell Yong “but not until after he gives them their next raises”.  Another good laugh is shared; and so goes the entire evening.  The time spent with him is magical.

The ‘fresh’ board is loaded with goodies this evening.  How special are we? There is uni from Japan and only two orders remain and Yong has saved them for us.  He knows how much CJ craves uni. There is fresh tuna, fresh fatty tuna and the rarely available ankimo, the Japanese version of fois gras.

 

When Yong indicates its Japanese fois gras a conversation ensues that ends with a promise by us to return and introduce him to the pairing of Sauternes with French fois gras.

His new sushi chefs are even better than the previous pair.  Kenny hails from Korea and is a master at presentation.  The other makes a killer hot tuna roll. We find this out when the discussion turns to spicy food.  When Yong discovers CJ likes spicy he makes a last minute change to the order and the next thing that appears is a beautiful and delicious roll. 

Yong knows what we like and we never place an order here.  He orders for us.  We are never disappointed.

We're off to a good start!

At one point when he leaves to check on other customers, the sushi chef informs us that he arrived at 4pm even though we told him we’d arrive around six.  Various computer foibles delayed our arrival.  The chefs told him he should to home and his response to them was, “I can’t leave, my friends are coming for dinner.”  That’s special!

Yong escorts us from the restaurant and outside there is great 60’s music blaring.  The three of us dance on the sidewalk before hugs and kisses announce our departure.

New Computer Pre Trip Test

This blog tests the ability of CJ's new computer to complete a blog

Maine and Niece's Wedding

We can really cram a lot into a few days.  This time it was a visit with friends, satisfying our lobster and whole belly clam cravings, Chinese food cravings and a wedding.

We began with a lobster dinner just outside of Portmouth, NH.

 

CJ took the long way to our hotel traversing the island of New Castle, NH.  It is a quaint and beautiful place and we were treated to a beautiful sunset.

 

We had the fried whole belly clams at Bob's Clam Shack.  We've been there previously.

We visited with the Meltzer's whose home can only be called a stunning mansion on an even more stunning piece of property. CJ and Larry went kayaking with the seals and bald eagles.  Sunsets across the Kennebec River were equally stunning. With the exception of the Midnight Ride of CJ and Larry (with apologies to Henry Wadsworth Longfellow) the visit was a lot of fun.  The "Ride" was CJ following Larry to the nearest hospital (not so near) at 0100 to solve Carol's mega-severe neck pain.  By the time we returned at 0400, a marvelous hospital staff had her drugged up sufficiently to start bringing down the pain level.

 

Between Bath, ME and Andover, MA in Ogunquit, ME is Rococo ice cream.  Some of the weirdest flavors ever seen.  In fact its only rival is an obscure little place in the middle of nowhere in Queensland, Australia.  They are so similar that when we mentioned it to the server, he indicated we were not the first to draw the parallel. We sampled the Horchata Rumcake, Guava Maria Cookie and Dark Chocolate before settling on Strawberry Habanero, Honey Vanilla, Triple Ginger and Goat Cheese Blackberry Chambord (the best of them all). ...And they didn't have two of the flavors we wanted to try.  One had just gone out of season and the other only is available in the fall.

On the way to the wedding we enjoyed a lobster redo down in Massachusetts.

 

 

CJ ran Skype off of Carol's Iphone of the wedding ceremony allowing grandma to watch in absence. The reception was a fun affair with CJ's deaf brother and father of the bride making one of the four speeches.  Since it was a mixed crowd there were three or four interpreters for the ceremony and reception.

Our table was next to the marriage table.  That is CJ with his brother in the background giving a speech in sign language.  Ken is standing next to the seated bride.

 

 

 

 

 The three male Warso's: Ken, CJ and Ken's son Seth.



 We managed Dim Sum for breakfast.

 

Over 30 years ago when Carol was on the company credit card, we dined at a place in the Bostonian Hotel called Seasons. The chef was one of America's best.  In fact she was so good that CJ made it his goal to order the worst sounding thing on the menu so that he could send it back.  He was never able to return any of those incredibly delicious offerings.

 

Lydia Shire now has a new restaurant in the Liberty Hotel called Scampo. It is Italian for "escape" and is so named since the hotel occupies the former city jail. We shared three courses including carpaccio, lobster pasta, and scallop.

 

 

Following lunch we visited the USS Constitution Museum.  The ship is normally open but for the last three years has been undergoing its twenty year over hall where they replace rotting word and reclad the hull with new copper sheathing. It's a rare opportunity to view her in America's first and obviously therefore oldest dry dock.  We were fortunate.  She's going to be refloated this coming Sunday and will reopen to the public in the fall.

 

Told you we can cram a lot into a little time.

 



July Trip to Atlanta

We managed another visit to spend time with mom in July. We tried something new on the old girl and she came through with flying colors.  How about a visit to Ponce Market and a fine Szechuan lunch of spicy Chinese at Jai Restaurant.

 

 

Yes, those are huge Hunan chilis. 

 

It was a culinary weekend with handmade ice cream again at Frozen Cow, a fine breakfast at Another Broken Egg, not one but two fine pizzas from Zucca Bar & Pizzeria compliments of a botched delivery by Grubhub.

 

She passed her second culinary test of the weekend when she enjoyed the takeout meal of West Indies food (from da islands man) Chris' Caribbean Bistro.

 

During downtime, CJ was organizing beer tastings.

On our way out of town we decided to ship two pair of shoes home.  The post office doesn't accept liquor boxes for shipment.  The wonderful postal lady peppered the box with priority stickers and sent it along for us.