Foundation Art and Design: Tanzania Trip: 22nd February

WOW!! Tanzania was amazing. I can honestly say that it was the best experience I've ever had. Tanzania is completely different than England. Even though I expected this, it was still a culture shock when we arrived. I'm not sure which was more of a shock, being five feet away from lions or seeing how the people live from the Masai to the people walking around.

The people
The people were amazing, from the staff at the hotels to the Masai. Everyone was so friendly and happy. This was definitely a shock. The way they live is completely different from the way we live. They have a lot less than us but are always smiling. We have a lot less than them and compared to them we never smile. I felt a but awkward when we were going to a new hotel and the staff would carry my bags. I never got used to this.

The Masai
When we went to visit the Masai village we went into their huts. They were so small. Two beds for about ten people. Males and Females sleep separately no matter their age. Men can have up to 25 wives. One man had Hundreds of Grandchildren. Even though the Masai were friendly, it appeared that they were desperate. Always pushing things on you, which made me feel uncomfortable, but I also understood this. It felt so surreal to be there. Talking to them, learning their way of life was something that I never would have thought I would have done.

The Animals
I enjoyed the wildlife the most. It's a dream come true for any animal lover. We were five feet away from Lions, Cheetahs, Leopards and Elephants. We saw loads of Zebras, buffalo and Wildebeest among many other animals. We saw a Hyena being chased off by a Lion. We asked the guide if that happened a lot, he said that he had never seen it before. There were some really memorable moments involving the wildlife of Tanzania. The Lion chasing the Hyena being one. One of the Guides who didn't like following the rules played a song from the movie, The Lion King, to the Lions. My driver stopped in the middle of the Serengeti so that we could all go to the toilet (There were no actual toilets, we had to use bushes) when this was done we drove for 20 seconds and found a pack of Lions. It was very scary realising how close we were to the Lions when we were out of the vehicle. When we were at the Ngorongoro crater Becki came out of the bathroom and and screamed at me that there was a Elephant right outside our window. I didn't notice this because I was turned the other way. The elephant was literally two feet away from the window. Me and Becki ran through the hotel in no shoes and a turban on our heads trying to get a really good shot of the Elephant because it moved away from out window. People thought we were insane.

I could probably write about Tanzania for a long time, but I don't think it would do it justice. Tanzania was an amazing filming opportunity and an incredible life opportunity. From this trip there are many things that can be done with the footage. When we get back at college we need to look at the footage as a group and then I will be able to decided what I want to make in terms of documentaries.

This trip has cemented that I want to work in the film and television industry. I want to keep upping my game and making my work better.

The following photos are photos that I took whilst in Tanzania

Day 1(22nd February 2013) - Set of from England

Day 2 (23rd February 2013) - Arrived in Arusha. Stayed at the Arumera River Lodge for 1 night.
We had been travelling for over 24 hours so we decided that we would spend the day relaxing. Us film students didn't want to waste most of the day so we had a production meeting about everything we had previously discussed, just to refresh us. Then me and Becki went to film some things around the Hotel.

Day 3 (24th February 2013) - Ngorongora Sopa Lodge and the Masai tribe.
On the third day we traveled from Arusha to Ngorongora Sopa Lodge. This took about 6 hours. Once there we went to meet the Masai tribe. The tribe live in a small village , with small huts as houses. Today was the first real chance that we had to film as there wasn't much of a change the day before because there wasn't much to film at the first hotel. I was really nervous about the start of filming because we can't exactly go back and re film. However there was nothing to worry about because once we started it was just like being back in England. We were very lucky because we got to film the son of the leader of the tribe.

Day 4 (25th February 2013) - Ngorongoro Crater Drive and the Crater Walk.

Today we were still staying at the Ngorongora Sopa Lodg. In the morning we drove down into the crater to see the animals. In the afternoon we went on a walk around the edge of the crater. This was scary because we had a guy with a rifle showing guiding us. At time we were also literally a centimeter from the edge of the crater. and we were walking up steep hills. There was no fence to stop us falling into the crater.

Day 5 (26th February 2013) - Serengeti Sopa Lodge and a late Game Drive

Today we drove from Serengeti Sopa Lodge to Serengeti Sopa Lodge. This again was another long drive, about five hours. When we got to the lodge we went on a late game drive.

Day 6 (27th February 2013) - Full Day Safari

Today was the 2nd day at Serengeti Sopa Lodge. We went on a full day safari in the Serengeti. When we stopped to have lunch we also got to watch an Elephant making its way over to us. It's not every day you get to do this. Today was the day that we saw the Hyena being chased of by a Lion. This was also the day that me and Becki got attacked by biting ants.

Day 7 (28th February 2013) - Ndutu Lodge and Game Drive

We drove to Ndutu lodge today. This lodge wasn't higher up or like the other hotels. This meant that anything could come on the porch of your bungalow. There were small signs around the grounds telling you not to go beyond that point DANGER. When we woke in the morning there had obviously been something on mine and Becki's porch because here was left over food on it.

Day 8 (1st March 2013) - Lake Manyara Serena Safari Lodge and Lake Manyara

Today we traveled to Lake Manyara Serena Safari Lodge. In the afternoon we visited a part of Lake Manyara. We also got to witness a sand storm from our hotel. It went just as quickly as it came.