To continue on from the post I did a couple of days ago about the tented safari camp we stayed at last weekend, here are a few more photo's taken in and around the camp. The photo above was the view from the veranda of my mother-in-law's tent, out over Lake Manyara. Lake Manyara is a fresh water lake around 231 square km's in size (127 square miles). I was surprised to see that the lake is a lot lower than she has been in previous years. 
Unfortunately, none of the photographs I took inside our tent came out. I really should have taken photo's the afternoon we arrived - but I didn't, & when I finally got around to taking some on the last afternoon before we left, it was in the middle of a rainstorm hence the poor natural light & bad quality photo's. (Oh, I forgot - I did get a fairly decent one of hubby lying on the bed reading - but I didn't think you'd really want to see that !) Anyway, the photo above was taken from our en suite bathroom shower area .... the beige netting is the 'window' where you look out on the thorn trees beyond. There is a green canvas flap below this that you can zip up for privacy, but we only closed ours at night. 
This is the main entrance to the camp - actually this is reception, where you check in. (The red, highly polished cement floors are typical of many homes, hotels, hospitals and offices in Tanzania.) We were greeted on arrival with glasses of freshly squeezed orange juice, and heated white face cloths for freshening up. A welcome treat after a long, hot & dusty car trip ! 
This was the main dining room, where we ate all our meals. It had a thatched roof, completely open sides, cement floors and an inbuilt stone buffet table. The food was very good & I photographed the courses served on our first night there (much to my husband's embarrassment !), but they didn't come out well which is why there are no photo's of them on the blog. An unusual starter which was served on our first night there was melon & pineapple in an orange & fresh ginger syrup, which I really enjoyed & might try to replicate sometime !
Each evening during dinner the camp provided a different group of traditional singers and dancers which performed in the dining area whilst we were eating. This was a really nice touch, I thought. African people are very talented musically and are also amazing dancers with an incredible sense of rhythm. Have you ever heard the expression "White men can't dance ?" Well it is 100% correct - white men really can't dance when compared to natural dancers like these pictured above ! You will note that the ladies are all dressed from head to toe in traditional Tanzanina Kitenge cloths, and the men in red Maasai "shukka's" or blankets. Their singing voices - accompanied by nothing else than a couple of drums - were also incredible.
The following day we headed out towards Lake Manyara for an incredible Sunday lunch served underneath the yellow fever trees, on the lawns of a hotel which is positioned even closer to the lake. But more of that to follow in Wednesday's post ....
