It is our first full day in Africa, and a wonderful opportunity to explore on our own the local culture, history and art prior to the arrival of our organized safari group.  Therefore we decided to play golf.  On our way into Arusha the day before, Ronald had kindly stopped by the local golf course and made sure we would be able to play a round today.  (He said that in all his years of doing this job the question of golf had never before come up.  Apparently pasture/jungle golf is not a major pursuit of most safari clients.)  The lodge arranged a taxi for us (actually an incredibly beat up 20+ year-old car) and we set off at 9:30 to check out golfing in Africa.

The Arusha Gymkhana and Golf Club is a 9-hole course and it was a warm enough day that just playing one round was sufficient.  Mondays are “caddies play free” day, so there were quite a few teenagers around, two of whom served as our caddies.  Craig’s caddie was more talkative than Phyllis’, but we both had a fun round (defined by Phyllis as one in which she does not lose a single golf ball and by Craig as one in which he has the chance to visit beautiful wooded areas).  Despite being in dry season the course was quite green throughout.  We would never have found our way around without the caddies, as the tee boxes are wedged in all over the place and the directions of some of the fairways are completely obscured by trees and bushes.  A beer afterwards on the veranda completed the experience as we awaited our taxi back to the Lodge.

In the evening, about half of our safari group had arrived and we had dinner together at the Lodge’s buffet.  The entire group will total sixteen including twelve other Americans, two Canadians, and us.  We will enjoy getting acquainted with our companions for the next two weeks.