Monkeys, elephants everywhere!

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Today was amazing! After breakfast, a visit to a Masai village or Boma. First, I don't believe in many Masai customs, and Seth aluded to female circumcision as a topic we all agree upon, so it wasn't touched upon. I am reading "Facing the Lion, Growing Up Masai" which delves into the reasons why Masai do as they do. But it can't explain it until you see it. It is so primitive, yet such a lively culture. The physical adornments, the bead work, the colorful clothing gleaming in the sun. This group lives in the shadow of Kilimanjaro, herding cattle. The children are precious. Only the very young were in the boma today, the older children were in the school supported by the Serena for this and another village. There was a demonstration of how they make fire with dried sticks and.dung. Then a medicine man showed his herbs for curing everything from malaria to impotence. Then a cow was bled, we were offered the blood to drink, only Gary took them up on the offer. He said it was like licking a cut. Then we walked along a series of stalls to purchase trinkets, then bargain for them. Got a lot of shopping done swiftly. On the drive back we passed hundreds of elephants wallowing in or headed to or from a swamp. Saw a tiny little elephant dozing, try to stand up, falling back to sleep. After the rough drive to get here, and leaving the Serengeti, we wondered if we would be disappointed by everything else on the tour, Amboseli did not disappoint! At the Serena Amboseli Lodge, the beautifully kept grounds were full of vervet monkeys, who greeted us each time we arrived back from a game drive. Carol was tired after the long trip and didn't go on the game drive tonight. Too bad, there were seemingly thousands of elephants roaming, lumbering giants, unaware that our vehicles contained photo-hungry tourists. As they went from the watering hole, more of a swamp really, to the safety of the forest, we sat in their direct path and watched as they did what elephants do, eat, drink, play in the mud, interact with their group, protect the young.

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