Masai-Mara, Kenya

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July 7, 8, 2008

Masai Mara

Our trip in Africa continued today with our drive from Nakuru Park to the Masai Mara, Kenya and some “ big game hunting” ( with cameras ). This is really a beautiful place but the poverty becomes more evident as you get away from the cities.

The Masai Mara is a large area of Kenya that includes a large, 2000 squ. KM preserve that is home to a huge variety of wildlife and birds as well as numerous lodges and camps for the tourists that come to visit East Africa. Our accommodation for the next 6 nights is at tent facilities that are in 3 different parks ( Kensington Camps are operated by Kensington Travel who put together this part of our trip ). This is hardly roughing it as we have 2 rooms, showers, flush toilets, 2 Queen size beds, lights etc.. ( a little fresh in the morning !! )

We met a young couple from Canada who are visiting the same parks in Kenya and Tanzania and they will stop in Egypt on there way home to the frozen Arctic in northern Canada. Quite a change from Africa to Northern Canada.

Our first afternoon in the park, on our way to the camp, we did our first game drive to see some of the local wildlife. No lions today but we did see lots of elephants, giraffe, a lot of different antelope, zebras, wildebeest, hyenas and warthogs.

Our camp is a great place right next to a river with Nile Crocodiles, a few hippos a little ways away and a very annoying, and loud, troop of baboons that live right at the camp. This first night we were visited by leopards that came around the camp. Some of the African night sounds are a little unnerving.

Tuesday morning we were up early for another game drive looking for lions and whatever else we might see. After lunch we visited a Masai village to see how the Masai live. This puts a whole new perspective on POOR. Alice found it a little depressing to say the least. The houses are about 1.5 meters high, 3 meters X 4 meters made off sticks, mud and cow manure ( apparently it’s waterproof !! ). Inside is sleeping room for several children, a father, a mother, and at least 2 baby goats, cows or sheep. Cooking is done on the dirt floor with wood. The only ventilation is one or maybe 2 very small holes ( windows ). This village has about 20 of these homes and in the center a large corral for about 500 animals. The more cows you have the richer you are and the more wives you can have !! The women do all the real work and the men watch the livestock and do a lot of sitting around. Good gig if you can get it !

We finished the day with another game drive and saw our first lions. 2 females and 3 cubs. We have seen all of the “Big 5 “except the elusive leopards that visit us at night.

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