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We had been to soooo many other National Parks on this adventure, how
could we miss out the amazing Maasai Mara in South-Western Kenya! Sure,
the price would be high, but the thoughts of what we might see overcame
the price issue. Besides, this could theoretically be our last chance
at animals and game drives on our trip. And when would we next be back
in Africa? Why not!!!
The Maasai people had first migrated to this part of Africa from the
Sudan. Once the British gazetted the Maasai Mara National Reserve in
the 60's, the Maasai people were displaced and over time more and more
of their land was lost to the reserve. One of Africa's continuing
struggles is juggling the
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Topi antelope and some beautiful clouds
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needs of the people - land to live off to grow crops and graze cattle,
but also to preserve wilderness for endangered wildlife and for them to
live in safety.
The Safari group that we joined were mostly made up of Americans: Angela
and Kristin from California, Wayne from Texas, and one South Korean
'Gabbi', in a 4WD mini-van driven by our relaxed guide Simon. Derek was
especially jealous of us going to the Mara, as it is one of his
favourite parts of Kenya. Too bad we couldn't visit with them, our new
Nairobi 'family'!!
The journey to the Maasai Mara was a bit of an adventure. We drove down
into the Rift Valley (the same way we had gone to Naivasha), past
Longonot and Susua volcanoes. Bumpy dirt roads, and many washed out
from recent rains and some areas still flooded out. We had to tip a
couple of local Maasai for digging out a section of road so that we
could pass!
Quickly checking in to our permanent tented accommodation, Rhino Camp,
we hurried back out to start an evening game drive in the park.
Surprisingly, we had already seen quite a lot of game on the drive to
the Mara itself, but nothing was quite like being in the Mara. After we
got our early fix of antelope, zebra, wildebeest, gazelles (for some in
our group this was their first safari), we heard on the CB radio about a
leopard sighting. I managed to spot this leopard lying up in a tree,
and we
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Big buffalo at sunset light in the grasslands
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watched for quite sometime, hoping it would do more than just twitch its
tail once in awhile! We convinced the group that this was quite a RARE
experience, and to stay longer to watch. In our many months in this
part of Africa, we had only spotted three leopards, and two were not
very clear sightings. This was special for us, and we wanted to
experience it for longer!
Some more game on the open plains, but the beauty of the scenery was
stunning. Rolling hills of grasslands, dotted with some acacia, and all
in the glowing light of sunset. We were graced with a close up
sighting of three male lions resting in the grasses, and our vehicle was
able to drive around them quite close. They barely raised an eyebrow!
Little did we know at the time, these would be the only lion we would
see on our three drives in to the park. Peculiar, as the Mara is well
known for it's large lion population. Because of this late sighting, we
were about 20 minutes late leaving the park, and could conceivably be
fined, but Simon, quick on his feet, gave a story about getting stuck in
mud and having to be towed out……sneaky!
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Our fabulous leopard in the tree
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We enjoyed a mediocre dinner of the usual local meat and bone stew, rice
and decimated bland veg with two other groups of safari-ers. Good
conversation, and good laughs, especially about Kristin, (being away
from her baby) having to pump her breast milk. We all decided that the
noise the pump made was identical to a wildebeest's grunt!!! S2uddenly
during dinner Michelle started experiencing stomach pains, then feeling
faint, and before I knew it, her eyes rolled back into her head, arms
began shaking, and she passed-out briefly. Not falling to the floor,
she was OK, but I had some serious concerns. Walking her to the tent,
she felt much better after lying down, but I feared that she was quite
ill, or in the least her following day would be lost.
Thankfully, a miraculous recovery for Michelle, and we were up earlier
than expected as the other groups left for a sunrise drive. Staying in
tents, I don't think others realize how much sound travels and easily
penetrates mesh! Michelle felt fine, and we were off on an all-day
safari deeper into the park. Similar animals greeted us at the gate,
but we went straight in search of our leopard again. Sure enough, I
spotted him in the neighbouring 'comfy' tree, but this time we were able
to get much closer thanks to Simon turning his minivan into a 4x4!
Again we watched for a good length of time, but still no action.
Amazing patterns on his coat though, and we were the only ones there
watching in peace.
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The storm-a-brewing
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In our search for more big cats, we heard on the radio of a possible
cheetah sighting. In technical game-speak the word 'cheetah' is not
pluralised. Once again, I had the eagle-eyes, and found them under a
tiny little tree - the only shade around for a long distance. Two
cheetah, just occasionally poking their heads up, and us only being able
to see the outline of the heads through the grasses. Then, just as a
couple other vehicles pulled up, Simon gave us a great surprise.
Apparently, he had called one of the head rangers, and had been given
permission to drive off-road close to the cheetah. We excitedly circled
within about 20 feet of them, snapping off some photos quickly. They
are so elegant, and sleek looking - beautiful creatures. I would love
to see them run at speed!! After a quick couple of minutes with the
cheetah, we gleefully returned to the road, where we passed the other
vehicles who were probably wondering why they had not been allowed to
get that close - lucky us indeed!
Not too much wildlife, but stunning vistas greeted us on our way to the
Mara River. This is the sight of THE Great Migration, where thousands of
wildebeest struggle across the river on their way North or South in
search of water and lush food between the Mara and neighbouring
Serengeti following the raining seasons. Many don't survive the
perilous journey, dying from various causes, one such being the
crocodiles that line the shore awaiting the wildebeests' arrival. In
the river, the hippos seemed to be doing some rafting and frolicking of
their own and drifting downstream.
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New for us - Bat Eared Foxes
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On the drive back through the park, the weather started changing. It
was amazing looking up at the sky and seeing a vertical line separating
blue sky, from grey, gloomy rain clouds. Bizarre skies, and then the
rains hit, and hit hard. Dirt roads turned to rivers, and Simon had to
use all his driving skills to keep the van on the road. As quickly as
the storm came, it passed, and we popped up the viewing-top again to
continue our game watching. It's pretty amazing that although we have
done so many drives, we still see something new each time. This time,
we found two groups of bat-eared foxes. Super large ears to go with
their small bodies - yet another highlight of the day for Michelle and
I. Plenty of elephants in the park, and lots of tiny little babies
hiding behind mums' flanks. We never get tired of seeing them. The
only animal missing was the rhinoceros - apparently the hardest to find
in the Mara.
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Martin hanging with the local Maasai men
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Back at camp and in the village of Oloolomutia, we saw mostly male
Maasai, and they were dressed in their checked shuka (blanket), and
carried a ball-ended heavy wooden club. The Maasai were really nice
guys, and some of them had good English. On closer inspection, we
noticed that many have elongated ear lobes with the lower bit of
cartilage cut out, stretching what's left of the ear lobe over time
(sometimes hooking the loop over the top of their ears). They also have
burn mark tattoos on their bodies, which are also considered a form of
beautification. An American traveler at camp - Graysen - actually
visited with a local family and got the burn tattoo himself on top of
the local mountain. Graysen was quite a character who was attending UNC
in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. He was trying to visit as many tribes
as he could in the Kenya/Ethiopia area to learn more about their culture
and traditions. The Maasai in particular are known as pastoralists and
are dependant on their livestock for many things. Blood and milk are a
mainstay of their diet, and at the age of 14, males become warriors and
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Local Maasai men
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build a small livestock camp of their own after their circumcision
ceremony. They can live alone for up to 8 years before they return to
the village to marry. They are also very athletic and are famous for
their 'jumping', which looks almost effortless, as they reach great
heights. The villages are also built in a circular pattern, and often
circled by spiky acacia bushes to keep cattle protected in the middle,
and predators out.
On the third day, it was back to Nairobi for us. Getting dropped off at
Dianna and Derek's again, we said goodbye to the crew, and excitedly
recounted our trip to the envious Dianna and Derek. We followed this
with a dinner party with a lovely couple they knew, and Dianna had
organized tacos and fajitas for dinner. One more treat for us - Mexican
food - and it was delicious!! *Stub
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