Day 221 - Meserani Snake Park and Maasai Cultural Museum
Tuesday, February 12th, 2019.
Today we got up earlier thanks to birds tapping on our window. We think they see their reflection and they think it's another bird. We had breakfast and started deciding what to do for the day. Our host sent us a big list of things to do around Arusha and I don't want to leave everything for the last minute.
We did laundry and homework and arranged with our previous driver, Freddy, to take us to the Snake Park! We didn't know it would cost to get in, but we ended up paying $20 for adults and $10 for children. Ouch! It does include a guide and a visit to the Maasai museum as well.
The snake park is small but nice. It's not just snakes, they also have reptiles and birds. We started by seeing the crocodiles. The best part is that our guide asked us if we wanted to see them eat and we all said yes, except Daniel. The guide brought a bucket of dead chickens. He tapped the fence with the bucket and the crocodile moved surprisingly fast from his sleeping position to stand against the fence! The guide threw the chicks into the enclosure and the croc gobbled them up in record time!
After that, we saw monitor lizards, tortoises, a hawk, owls, and more. The guide explained that they keep some of the animals because they are hurt and would not survive in the wild. The guide was very knowledgeabe about every animal.
Then we moved onto the snakes. They have a collection of every species of African snake, including the black mamba, the green mamba, the Egyptian cobra, the Mozambique spitting cobra, and a few pythons. We were very impressed with the last one because they had photos of pythons that had eaten people (and the photos of the unfortunate people inside them). There were photos of a sleeping guard who had been eaten and then when the snake tried to escape under the electric gate, it got shocked and when it tried to attack it got shocked again and died. When they opened the snake, they found the whole guard inside.
When we finished the tour, our guide gave us a snake that we could hold for photos. Sunshine and Gregory were very happy and comfortable with the snake. Daniel, not so much and me, well, at least I tried to put it around my neck but I think the snake felt my tension and tensed too. We thanked our guide with a tip and took a picture with him. Afterward, we did a quick walk through the Maasai Cultural Museum since it was included with the cost.
The museum a collection of dioramas so it was light and easy for the kids to see. A Maasai guide led us through and explained about his way of living and culture. It took about ten minutes to see the whole museum. I had already read about the culture in the Iboru Lodge so I didn't learn anything new. I asked if it was true that the Maasai can have many wives? Yes, he answered. So I asked how many did he have? He said he had two but was looking for another one. I laughed and told him that I was already taken. He immediately said, "How about your daughter?" I just laughed but it was more like a nervous laugh. [Gregory's note: sorry Lili, I don't think he meant you. No offense. But wait, I can have how many wives??? Hmmm.]
Gregory tipped the guide and we left. Sunshine and I were a little sad that we couldn't stay long after the museum because there were several Maasai huts selling souvenirs and crafts. [Gregory's note: Freddy was still sitting in his car waiting for us and we didn't want to keep him waiting any longer. Not that he had anything else to do, but we wanted to be respectful.] We drove back home but we made a stop at a nice shopping center [Sable Square] to withdraw money. The kids and I ran to the store to get drinks and Gregory to get cash so we could pay Freddy, who we love. He told us much more about the daily life of the Maasais. He is always smiling and his laugh is contagious. We will definitely hire him again!
At home, I cooked a delicious dinner of chicken fajitas and Mexican rice. [Gregory's note: delicious if she says so herself! It was tasty, though.] Having time to cook makes all the difference and I definitely don't mind as long as I have time, not like at home when I have so much to do! I'm proud of myself for being up to date with the blog. [Gregory's note: which, of course, the readers will never know, but good on you.]
For pictures please click here:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/YHXs8Fvp1SEuoz6YA
Today we got up earlier thanks to birds tapping on our window. We think they see their reflection and they think it's another bird. We had breakfast and started deciding what to do for the day. Our host sent us a big list of things to do around Arusha and I don't want to leave everything for the last minute.
We did laundry and homework and arranged with our previous driver, Freddy, to take us to the Snake Park! We didn't know it would cost to get in, but we ended up paying $20 for adults and $10 for children. Ouch! It does include a guide and a visit to the Maasai museum as well.
The snake park is small but nice. It's not just snakes, they also have reptiles and birds. We started by seeing the crocodiles. The best part is that our guide asked us if we wanted to see them eat and we all said yes, except Daniel. The guide brought a bucket of dead chickens. He tapped the fence with the bucket and the crocodile moved surprisingly fast from his sleeping position to stand against the fence! The guide threw the chicks into the enclosure and the croc gobbled them up in record time!
After that, we saw monitor lizards, tortoises, a hawk, owls, and more. The guide explained that they keep some of the animals because they are hurt and would not survive in the wild. The guide was very knowledgeabe about every animal.
Then we moved onto the snakes. They have a collection of every species of African snake, including the black mamba, the green mamba, the Egyptian cobra, the Mozambique spitting cobra, and a few pythons. We were very impressed with the last one because they had photos of pythons that had eaten people (and the photos of the unfortunate people inside them). There were photos of a sleeping guard who had been eaten and then when the snake tried to escape under the electric gate, it got shocked and when it tried to attack it got shocked again and died. When they opened the snake, they found the whole guard inside.
When we finished the tour, our guide gave us a snake that we could hold for photos. Sunshine and Gregory were very happy and comfortable with the snake. Daniel, not so much and me, well, at least I tried to put it around my neck but I think the snake felt my tension and tensed too. We thanked our guide with a tip and took a picture with him. Afterward, we did a quick walk through the Maasai Cultural Museum since it was included with the cost.
The museum a collection of dioramas so it was light and easy for the kids to see. A Maasai guide led us through and explained about his way of living and culture. It took about ten minutes to see the whole museum. I had already read about the culture in the Iboru Lodge so I didn't learn anything new. I asked if it was true that the Maasai can have many wives? Yes, he answered. So I asked how many did he have? He said he had two but was looking for another one. I laughed and told him that I was already taken. He immediately said, "How about your daughter?" I just laughed but it was more like a nervous laugh. [Gregory's note: sorry Lili, I don't think he meant you. No offense. But wait, I can have how many wives??? Hmmm.]
Gregory tipped the guide and we left. Sunshine and I were a little sad that we couldn't stay long after the museum because there were several Maasai huts selling souvenirs and crafts. [Gregory's note: Freddy was still sitting in his car waiting for us and we didn't want to keep him waiting any longer. Not that he had anything else to do, but we wanted to be respectful.] We drove back home but we made a stop at a nice shopping center [Sable Square] to withdraw money. The kids and I ran to the store to get drinks and Gregory to get cash so we could pay Freddy, who we love. He told us much more about the daily life of the Maasais. He is always smiling and his laugh is contagious. We will definitely hire him again!
At home, I cooked a delicious dinner of chicken fajitas and Mexican rice. [Gregory's note: delicious if she says so herself! It was tasty, though.] Having time to cook makes all the difference and I definitely don't mind as long as I have time, not like at home when I have so much to do! I'm proud of myself for being up to date with the blog. [Gregory's note: which, of course, the readers will never know, but good on you.]
For pictures please click here:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/YHXs8Fvp1SEuoz6YA
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