Amani and Pangani fun with Grandfather...

Surprisingly, our adventure began in heavy rain. Normally, mid October should be fairly dry, but this year we've had rain for several weeks, most days already. So having met Grandfather off the plane on Thursday evening, we got him up and out promptly Friday morning for the long drive down to the coast. In the rain. Which was sufficiently heavy to have washed many of the temporary pot-hole fillings out of the road, making the whole trip rather more traumatic than necessary. And although it had switched to showers by the time we hit the turn-off from the tarmac road for the final 40kms up to the Amani Nature Reserve, the road was still more than a bit sticky and what could probalby be an hour or so drive in the dry, turned into a three-hour ordeal as we waited for lorries to be dug out of the mud and took things very gingerly ourselves, having decided the Suzuki would be fine for a quick coast trip...

Did cause us a bit of delay. The rescue vehicle on the left was still there, even further down the side on our return on Monday!

Rivers were full though...

And the forest rotting quietly...

Grandfather was brave...

When the sun came out in the end, so did the butterflies - here a glden-banded forester

We rested on logs occassionally...

And spotted strangly behaving birds at times too - this a Shelley's Greenbul, doing what they do...

Even looked at plants - these are wild African Violets

Trees are fun!

Juvenile Usambara Bush Viper - I'm fairly sure, but no-one seems to have a pic to compare with...

Walks are great!

Cute seeping prinias on our night walk

Usambara 3-horned Chameleon (wonder why they call it that?)

Still, the waterfalls were spectacular and our three days in the hills were filled with interesting birds and other beasts. The sun even came out on the last day for a bit! Lots of wet walks and muddy fun though, with the highlight for me a night walk to hunt for chameleons. I was very pleased to see not just one, but 5 of the endemic Usambara Pygmy Chameleon, as well as two other species of larger jobs (also endemic to the mountains here). And a night walk in the mud also allowed us to see some sleeping birds - very cute! We stayed at Emau Hill Forest Camp, which was very rustic (and quite damp!), but very good fun!

I like these guys! Usambara Pygmy Chameleon

Tree frog of some kind...

Still, after all that hard work it was down to the beach for four days to play in the sun, with the rain holding off until we woke yesterday morning to begin our drive back. All very good. Much fun was had by all - Kitty was even persuaded into a mask to enjoy seeing the fish when we headed out to Maziwe Island for some snorkling, which was a first for her. Dolphins on the way back were a treat too.

Fun in the sand for all - bury your brother..

Grandfather's wave machine

Daddy's multi-coloured sandcastle.

To the sea!

A selection of terns and noddies were awaiting us on Maziwe

Kitty and Grandather hunt fish...

Now we're back in Arusha for a bit, though I'm making an overnight trip to Dar tomorrow for what I'm told will be a final interview on Monday morning to end the (now nearly 2 year old!) immigration fiaso. We shall see whether that happens or not! I'll be back Monday night in time to take over family duties whilst Mama abd Grandfather head up Meru (hopefully with the rain still holding off...) on Tuesday morning until Friday.