Day 44 2/27/99: Lake Manyara Serena Safari Lodge

Here is the link to the Serena Hotel: ( http://www.serenahotels.com/main.html )

This is the ceiling of the lobby. Interesting weaving.

Our room was at the top of one these circular buildings, which sit on top of the Rift Valley Escarpment. We also had a nice view of Lake Manyara below.

Here was Theresa posing for a photo sitting on top of the bed.

The bathroom was very nice. I always appreciated a hot shower and flush toilet after our adventure on top of Mt Kilimanjaro.

One of the most impressive features of this Lodge was the swimming pool, which has a gorgeous view of Lake Manyara below. We wanted to go swimming but did not have time. Why?

Because we would rather spend the one hour free time before dinner doing some power shopping! We saw some souvenir shacks at the entrance to this hotel; we decided to check them out. Some of the items that we bought were a mask and an Ebony wood carving of a Masai warrior. Theresa had a fun time doing some power shopping and heavy-duty bargaining. It was definitely a win-win situation that the vendors and us all had a good time exchanging money for souvenirs. Believe me,  prices were a lot lower here than at the tourist trap we were at that morning.

Theresa and Liza.

Theresa enjoyed a beer at the bar prior to dinner. Behind Theresa were interesting lamps made with gourds and spears.

After a nice dinner, we turned in. The maid pulled the mosquito net.

Another great thing was that this lodge was connected to the Internet via a radio link. Since I woke up at 4 a.m. in the morning to a thunderstorm I decided to write a rough draft of the e-mail postcard summarizing our adventure on top of Mt. Kilimanjaro. I then went to the office at 6 a.m. and typed it in. You can read my e-mail postcard by clicking here.