Lake Natron

The Drive

After spending the night in Mto Wa Mbumosquito river. We had a long drive to get back on track with our planned itinerary. The drive was exciting! We drove on rough unpaved roads, forded a few small rivers and did a bit of “adventure” driving off of the road. On the way, we kept our windows open to provide a reprieve from the heat and give us a better view. However, we remained vigilant to close the windows when approaching an oncoming vehicle or going through a particularly dusty area.

On the way, we saw our first giraffes. Even at a distance, we were excited to see them. They were one of the animals Katie was most excited about seeing on our safari

The Lake Hike

Although the conditions were hot, windy and very dusty. We still had an enjoyable time walking to see the flamingo breeding grounds. On the walk to the lake, we admired the sea birds, dried salt formations and wildebeest tracks. Then on the walk back we stopped to watch the sun set behind the ridge line and saw a giraffe silhouetted in the distance. We were so excited to see a giraffe twice that day. Then on the way back to the hotel, we drove right up next to a herd of giraffes eating by the side of the road. We stopped and admired them up close. It provided a wonderful bookend to the day and cemented it as the day of the giraffe.

The Stay

Fittingly that night we stayed at the Maasai Giraffe Eco Lodge. From our room, we looked out on a well-manicured lawn dotted with acacia trees with a stunning backdrop of Mt. Ol Doinyo Lengai. Also known as the mountain of the gods.

When Katherine and I walked into our room we both immediately fell in love with the bedspread. One piece of advice I had received from a coworker before this trip. Is that when you see something you love buy it. This advise has been cemented into my thinking from my conversations with Katherine about her travels before we meet and the things that she regrets not purchasing.

The Negotiation

In the morning Katherine and I set out to purchase the quilt. Most of the hotel staff spoke Swahili with a little English. Because of this Katherine asked our guide to ask the hotel if we could buy the quilt and two pillows. Our guide was uncomfortable with the uncommon request and instead asked the staff where we could buy our own. When realizing the difference Katherine stepped in and ask herself.

The woman we were talking with came back with an embarrassed chuckle and a quick no. Katherine, knowing that this staff member couldn’t sell us the quilt asked them to ask their manager. So she then went to ask.

A blink of an eye later the manager had agreed and we were walking to our room with the same staff member to get the quilt and 2 pillowcases to purchase. We sent the staff member back to the cafeteria with the blanket and packed up our things preparing to leave for the day. As we packed we talked about what we were willing to pay and agreed that we were willing to pay $120 USD and for anything under that we wouldn’t haggle. Our thinking is that the quilt would go for a much higher price in the US and we are happy to pay a higher than the local market price given how little business they have been receiving over the past two years due to COVID.

When we got to the cafeteria to negotiate with the manager had swapped the blanket we requested with a different one. This new one had a different set of pattern squares that we were less thrilled about. So we had to explain that we had gotten the one off of our bed because we wanted that specific blanket not one of its style. After getting the right blanket the manager went on to tell us that the blanket cost them 150,000 TZS (~64 USD) and that he would cut us a deal and give it to us for 100 USD. We happily agreed but were slightly confused by the logic. Our guess now is that he assumed we didn’t know the conversion rate between Tanzanian Shillings and US dollars.

With this, we went to get our money with a bounce in our step excited about our new purchase. When we got back to pay the manager he told us the price was now 120 USD because of the two pillow cases. Without hesitation Katherine touched his shoulder, looked him directly in the eye and said, “No. You know how this works. You gave us a price. And we agreed. No changing it now”. He accepted that. I walked away respecting his hustle.

I think the whole staff and our guide had never seen this type of interaction before and were amused and fascinated. I am sure they all will go home to tell their families the story of the tourist the brought the quilt right off the bed.

Reflections

Overall, we enjoyed our stop at Lake Natron. However, it seemed like a place that was quite different in the past and has changed a lot with the rising global temperature. The area was quite warm but in talking to the locals it is colder than it should have been during this time of year. In addition, it was also far windier. We experienced incredible winds that kicked up so much dust. It was unpleasant to be outside for any length of time. Leaving us with windburn, a cough and a nasal drip. If we knew what we know now when planning our trip we would have skipped Lake Natron for a second game drive in Ngorongoro Crater.