Laetoli

Our Campsite at the Crater



Unpacking Camp



The Laetoli Footprints (now covered in order to be preserved)

Carla with a fossil

Today we left Karatu and headed to Ngorogoro Crater, where we stopped at our campsite and dropped our stuff. The scenery is so much different here!  Tons of acacia trees, lots of green, and beautiful views of the mountains.  The air feels so much more humid compared to Tarangire.  I can already tell that my body doesn't need to drink as much water.  When we got to camp, there were several zebras roaming the campsite and chomping on grass.  It was really neat to see!  So far, the crater is much cooler and wetter than Tarangire.  Average temps are probably 60 degrees, and it has been raining off and on all day.  The clouds hang low over the mountains and it's sometimes difficult to see very far into the distance. 
After we dropped our stuff, we headed to Laetoli, the site where the first hominid footprints were found.  The footprints were made 3.6 million years ago by Australopithecus Afarensis.  3.6 million years ago, there were a series of volcanic eruptions.  It rained on the ash and the ground turned into a mud-like cement, on which the hominids walked.  Then, another volcanic eruption occured, covering the footprings and preserving them.  The footprints were discovered in the 1970's and have since been covered back up to prevent erosion and deterioration.  We also got to see where they uncovered remains of two hominid species.  Littering the ground were hundreds of fossils and bones, and it was really neat to guess what each fossil was a part of.  After seeing the Laetoli site, we headed up to the museum.  There, we ate our boxed lunches (do you know how much we have come to despise boxed lunches?).  The lunches include a butter, cucmber, tomato sandwich on white bread, a hard boiled egg, cold leftover fried chicken, a half an orange, a banana, and a little pack of cookies. We have all decided that Tanzania has a sandwich problem.  They do not understand the concept of a sandwich.  If they would just make us peanut butter and jelly we would be so much happier!
Anyway, we made our way back to the campsite and claimed our tents.  I am typing this, curled up in my sleeping bag because it is quite chilly outside.  It just poured rain and now everything is wet.  Oh how it will be so nice to finallly have a bed again...
Oh, I almost forgot another highlight of the day: finding the Tang store.  Ever since stopping in Karatu 4 weeks ago, we have been in search of powdered Tang since we found it in a store there.  However, not even the western grocery stores in Arusha have it.  So after searching everywhere, we finally returned to the Tang store in Karatu and bought some.  There were some happy students after that!
Anyway, tomorrow is Olduvai Gorge and camping at this campsite again. If I'm lucky, I'll get to post again tomorrow!
Erin
Swahili Word of the Day: Baridi [bar-ee-dee] = cold (used to describe weather, drinks, etc..)