A lot has happened since the last post. We shopped at the Maasai market in Arusha and saw the tourist economy there – not my favorite part. Then we went on a safari in Ngorongoro crater. Kudos to our drivers – nothing like African back roads. We saw 4 of the ‘big 5’ – no leopard this time. The lions were very entertaining – sleep was their number one concern. National Geographic has nothing on this one.

We also hike up to Engare Sare river gorge and waterfall. It was amazing. Apparently, Dr. Koti finds pirates wherever he goes – well ok, this time it was just bandits. It was ok this time because there were no broken bones. After a short break we decided to learn more about volcanoes; so we took a night hike of Ol Donyo Lengai.  All I can really say about this hike was that we survived!! I don’t think anyone in the group will ever forget this. Make sure when you see one of us to ask about all the ash. I think it will take a week to get it all washed off, but following the Southern Cross and seeing the sunrise was well worth all the effort.

Smith, Amanda

Hello everyone, this is Amanda. I am a graduate student in the Geography Department’s Geo-Spatial Science Program and an assistant for the Physical Geography field labs. I am from the ‘big town’ of Lutts, TN (you may have seen one of the numerous signs pointing to there, but probably never actually been there.) I graduated from Waterloo High School. I have a long background at UNA. I received my BA in Sociology and my MA Ed in Secondary Education from UNA. I am also a firefighter/EMT. I love helping people and teaching all ages. I enjoy anything to do with the outdoors - from gardening to kayaking, to camping and hiking.

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