Wow, this is definitely the part of the trip that I had been waiting for the most…going on a mini-safari to Maasai Mara, the most famous Kenyan National Park and home to the Maasai people, a tribe spanning southern Kenya and northern Tanzania and famous for its proud and somewhat secluded people. However, before meeting the Maasai and hanging out with all the animals, I had to board yet another puddle jumper (I thought I had already fulfilled my quota of tiny airplanes for the year---see www.heleninmexico.blogspot.com). Despite the fact that this one only had 1 pilot (btw, what happens if he suddenly has a heart attack?) and that we stopped several times to drop off/pick up more passengers at various dirt-road airstrips in the actual Mara, I managed to survive the flight and even have fun when I got to sit right next to the pilot after we picked up some more people at one of the airstrips. The coolest thing was that since the plain was flying low, you could see animals on the ground: herds of wildebeests and antelopes, groups of lions and zebras, and even crowds of hippos sunbathing on the banks of the Mara River.
Needless to say, I couldn’t wait to get off the plane and see the creatures at shorter distances. Before even entering the park, I was able to hang out with some zebras (from the vehicle, of course), take pictures of buffalos and antelopes, and even see an elephant at a distance hanging out by a ballantyne tree. Maasai Mara is famous for the big 5: elephants, lions, leopards, rhinos, and buffaloes. Well, God is good; I managed to see all 5 in the duration of 1 day, which is basically unheard of. I had 2 game drives: one before lunch and one in the afternoon.
During the fist one, in addition to the regulars (zebras, giraffes, and the animals I put into the “deer” class, i.e. antelopes, waterbucks, wildebeests, impalas, and some other kind of “beest”), I saw a mama elephant with a baby elephant, a group of female lions chilling in the shade, a husband and wife lion chilling separately from the big group, and, to the absolute astonishment of my guide and everyone I talked to, a leopard. Oh my, that gorgeous creature was chilling on top of a tree…Im absolutely amazed at the agility of that animal since the tree had no branches it could use to climb up. My guide mentioned that leopards can even drag an antelope they kill up there so that the lions, who are their competitors and enemies, wouldn’t get a hold of it. I was also very happy to see many baboons (both adults and babies) running around (An animal watching excursion for me wouldn’t be quite complete without seeing some kind of a monkey).
During the second game drive, in addition to getting close to a group of giraffes, I managed to see a mama and a baby black rhino (!!!). Considering the fact that there are only 3 rhinos in the whole park and I saw 2 of them, I have to say that it was definitely a gift from above. Almost at dusk, we found a hippo pool and saw about 20 hippos just hanging out in the water. The sound they make startled me…I just wasn’t sure if they were not telling each other to get out of the water and run for the people standing on the bank! (apparently, the big fatsoes are quite fast runners). Anyway, that was definitely an amazing sight and made me think of the poor lonely hippo at the DC Zoo that swims in a tiny indoor pool all by his lonesome self. I also saw a decent size crocodile and a ton of cool-looking birds along the way.
For those of you who know me well and know how crazy I go over wild animals will understand the general elevated emotional state that I was in all day. The poor driver had to bear all my “wows” and “oh my goshes” all day long. He also had to remind me several times to stay in the vehicle as I was about to jump out of the car every time we stopped to take pictures. It seems like the whole experience was somewhat surreal…I could really tell a story about my impressions of “meeting” each type of animals, but it will take too long. I will try to say a few things when I post pictures. One thing before I quit rambling about the animals…you definitely get the chills driving around the park at dusk and seeing all the carcasses laying around the grassland. It makes you realize: 1) you are in the wild, not at the Zoo anymore; 2) those cats (lions, leopards) are not that cute and purry after all, but ruthless predators that hunt the cute zebras and antelopes.
About the camp: even though Mara Siria, the bush camp where Im staying, is not mentioned in any of the travel books, it is undoubtedly one of the best places I have ever stayed in (www.mara-siria-camp.com). It has a very unique character which offers you a safari experience (i.e. you sleep in a tent), but with all the comforts (beds, showers, flushing toilets). In addition, everything is decorated in a cozy rustic-looking style, with every detail carefully considered. The camp is also eco-friendly, operating on solar-power, and community friendly, employing the local Maasai people.
One of the Maasai workers gave me a brief tour around the camp, pointing out different aspects of the Maasai culture. I found out that these people still live in small polygamous villages, don’t interact much with the outside world (except for the Indian traders), and have a diet that consists of only milk, cow blood, and meat (no rice or greens) that come from the animals that they herd. The Kenyan government is now making all Maasai boys go to school for free, so the village chiefs go around encouraging parents to send their children to school. My Maasai guide, Lishao, went to a boarding school in Nairobi; he was next in line to become the village chief after his father, the current chief, would retire. The reason that he would “inherit” the title, and not his three brothers, is because he was “learned.” Even in this traditional culture, the importance of education is highly valued and recognized. By the way, Maasai also have arranged marriages based on the size of the groom’s herd.
At night, I actually had a hot shower and a delicious 3-course dinner at a lovely candle-lit tent dining hall with…the actual owners of both the safari tour company (www.phoenix-safaris.com) and the owners of the camp (same people). They are German, which explains the immaculate order and style of the lodgings, and very friendly. I, of course, asked them a hundred questions, which helped me to better understand how safaris operate in general. Now Im off to sleep in my cozy tent and a king-size bed, resting before an early morning game drive. My goal for tomorrow: see a cheetah!
P.S. New favorite phrase: When we were at a hippo pool, we saw some crocodiles lying on the banks of the river. In response to my question about who would win in a fight between the croc and the hippo, my driver said in a sort of a matter-of-fact way: “Hippo always wins.” So, there you go: “Hippo always wins.”
