On route to Safari

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Early 7 am start as we had a six hour journey to get to the Masai Mara Game Reserve travelling through the Rift Valey. The vistas are vast and the sky plays a dominant role in the landscape. The loo stops consisted of never ending emporiums selling every conceivable shape of carved animal and tribal person backed up by amiable sales man who was your very best friend with a very good price! The road was straight and bumpy and we spotted the odd animal as we entered the Masai Mara region. As we passed through Narok the main Masai town you began to get a feeling for the people as well as the countryside. The herders and their flocks peppered the landscape from now on and their lean bodies silhouetted the horizon wrapped in the various red blankets they wear with such style. Steve our driver wouldn't stop to let us take any photographs as the Masai don't like it or else like to be paid. At the gate of the reserve the women flocked round opening the van windows and in a very friendly way tried to sell us brightly coloured beaded jewellery which looked great on them. It is at times like this that you have the quandry of being a tourist in an area where these local people have been displaced to create a game reserve. They adapt and survive and might even florish, but their traditions and way of life are for ever compromised by the decisions of others.
(Guilt trip over!!)we drove to our lodge which was beautiful and open to the animals to wander near. We had an hour's rest then went on our first safari. As we were here just after the main rainy season the grass was long meaning that we might not always see the animals so clearly. All the vans are in radio contact so sightings are shared. We saw Impala which Tamsin told me are known as MacDonalds on legs then a radio call went up to say that the migration had arrived early and we drove to the Sand River which is virtually the border between Kenya and Tanzania and saw drifts of zebra coming across. It gets dark by 7 and you have to return to the Lodge by 6.30. As we returned an elephant was silhouetted on the skyline.

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Photos

Steve
Our driver who was a really nice bloke.

Sky

loo stop
could you get away without buying anything!!

The long bumpy road

Masai

Masai
Their red blankets

I spy safari
something beginning with.......

Impala
MacDonalds on legs. Look at their bottoms!!Ready stamped!!

Migration has started
spot the zebra

Spot the zebra
or should it be stripe the zebra?!