An Uncanny Safari in the Ngoromgoro Crater!

We had been excitedly anticipating a safari into the Ngoromgoro Crater, because everyone had told us it was the best in Africa.  We pre-paid for the adventure, and planned the date for Wednesday, February 21st.  We met our driver and were headed out into the African bush for a three to four hour drive towards our destination.  We got about an hour in when I started smelling strong fumes, oil burning, a smell that is usually a bad sign.  We pushed through to a town about two hours outside of our home in Arusha.  We got some breakfast while our driver assessed the vehicle.  We kept going.  

After about two and a half hours, he pulled in to a repair shop, and told us that they fan needed to be fixed. It would be probably be a two hour repair.  Well, four hours later, after it had been 'fixed,' we were finally discussing what we would do – our driver was insisting on us staying the night since we were so close to the crater. We were insisting on going back home and trying agin tomorrow.  We were three hours from home in an African town we were unfamiliar with, and we all felt that staying the night here with our random safari driver would not be a good plan.  So, we finally made the trip home, after much pleading.  

Day #2, we wake up – same driver, same truck comes to meet him. The night before upon finally being home, we had requested he take one of the company's other trucks, we just didn't trust this one was going to be faithful to get us all the way into the crater and back home. But, yet again, our driver insisted it would be fine. We repeated day one, stopped at the same breakfast place, then made the drive out to the crater. It was gorgeous. Overview was breathtaking. We drove down the edge of the crater into it's depths, and saw a multitude of animals: zebra, giraffe, water buffalo, hippo, elephant, lion, many different kinds of birds, hyena, wildebeest, flamingo. It was so much fun, we pushed up the top of the vehicle and could shoot photographs out of the top. We were nervous we wouldn't make it through the crater, but we made it through with a lot of prayers – as we were all anticipating getting out and walking, or… who knows what option B would have been. He jokingly said we would "sleep with the animals." I did not think that was so funny!  We made it up and out of the crater, and on the drive home, the engine started really overheating. He brought it to the same repair shop from the day before, and they poured some water over it. For some reason, that took an hour.  Then we drove for about an hour and he stopped, yet again. More water.

We continued our drive through the barren African plain, and by this time, it was dark. A storm loomed on the horizon, and pretty soon, we were in the thick of it. Lighting streaked across the sky in a miraculous show, and thunder boomed while rain poured down.  The headlights shone a man in a bright vest flagging us to stop. Security check. A police officer warned our driver that we should not be out this late at night because of thieves. Yes. I agreed. I had to choke back feelings of anger and frustration towards this man, this company, who seemed unwilling to budge when we had requested a different vehicle. But, nonetheless, I kept my mouth shut and kept praying.  Soon, the rain was coming down in sheets. We were the only ones on this bumpy African road in the middle of the night. I was scared, but calm at the same time; planning in my head what I would do were the vehicle to get jumped by thieves. I stuck my credit cards in my bra, and prepared myself for the inevitable. "Okay, whatever happens…" I said to myself, "I know I will be okay, You will protect us God." Engine overheats, yet again. This time the rain is as strong as it could possibly be, and our driver pulls off to the side. "Why are we stopping?" We all think, and Monica actually says out loud. "Engine's overheated, I need to pour more water on it." Hmmm. "Can't we make it home?" Monica asks, as the words come out, he is already outside of the vehicle, dumping water over the engine. He is getting soaked by the heavy rainfall, and we are all inside the car in the dark, some of us frustrated, some of us scared, some of us just praying.  

We eventually made it home. I am safe, and nothing happened. We didn't even spot one person as we were all scanning the peripherals for 'thieves' on that wet road. I have to wonder if God brought that rain both to prevent thieves from being out and to cool off that engine. All that to say, our safari adventure was definitely more of an adventure than we bargained for. But I feel like God really used it to show me a lot of stuff – about myself, about trusting Him – as all the different emotions moved in and out through me throughout those two days – He did some really neat things. On Wednesday night, when we had to turn back in resignation from a lack of safari, a distant rainfall against the setting sun created a rainbow over the African savannah like I have never seen in my life. "God's promise," we all thought aloud. "A better tomorrow." 

All that to say, God had some very important lessons to teach me through this two-day adventure: patience, trust, how to enjoy him despite circumstances, and really see that He is in control…. Here are some pics!