Maasai Mara

This past weekend was a holiday in Kenya - December 12th (Sunday) was Independence Day (the day that Kenya was released from British rule).  Since the actual day fell on a Sunday, Monday was the official vacation day - so we decided to take advantage of the long weekend by going on safari to the Maasai Mara.  

The Maasai Mara is the largest and most celebrated game reserve in Kenya.  It’s located west of Nairobi, across the Great Rift Valley.  It’s approximately 580 square miles, and the amount of wildlife is astounding -  everything from your ‘standard’ safari animals (gazelle, giraffe, zebra, warthogs, eagles, birds, hyenas, etc) to the “big five”, which includes lions, leopards, rhinos, elephants, and buffalo.  These were called the “big five” because in earlier days, when hunting of big game was allowed, these creatures were the toughest and most feared animals to hunt.

This was my first safari, so I had to learn the ropes.  The way it works is - you rent a van (with a driver) that seats approximately 7 people.  The vans have a roof that pops open so that you can stand up and take pictures. That van is your best friend for the trip as you will be spending lots of time in it.  Our group got picked up EARLY on Saturday morning (6am) and drove to the Mara.  Once we got to the Mara, we checked in to the lodge (we had a lodge) and then settled into a routine - game drives in the early morning (6-9) and late afternoon (4-7) with time to relax (and recharge your camera) in between.  

We stayed at Keekerok Lodge, the oldest lodge on the Mara.  The hotel was very nice - there was a swimming pool, and a bar that overlooked a hippo pond.  After our evening drives we would head to the bar to watch the hippos come out of the water to graze.  On our second night, we even saw an elephant that came to the watering hole - that was simply incredible.  The lodge grounds were open (no fence around it) and there were signs warning that animals might enter - I kind of scoffed at the idea, but I took it all back when I walked to my room that night and saw a pack of zebras behind our cabin!  

I’m having trouble finding the right words to describe the Mara - beautiful and wild are the first two that come to my mind.  It’s definitely something that should be experienced by everyone - if anyone comes to visit me in Kenya, this is definitely something we’ll do.  The best I can do to explain is show pictures - I’ve tried to select some representative ones, and I have a LOT more on my hard drive!

My favorite animal is definitely the elephant - they are so intelligent looking, and seem to see right through you.   We saw a LOT of elephants on the Mara - this tusker was one of our closer encounters.

On our first game drive, we came across a group of ~15 lions.  There were 10 or so cubs (young ones, not babies, but definitely not fully grown) and two males - one was sleeping in what I would call a 'normal' pose - and this guy was just sprawled out everywhere.  He seriously looked dead.  Look how HUGE he is!

 This is called a sausage tree - it has seed pods that look like sausages dangling all over it.  I took this shot b/c it shows some of the many colors of the Mara - breathtaking views in every direction.

 This is another shot of the pack of lions I described above - we were there when the two older lionesses came back to the pack.  They walked up from across the plain - and the ~10 cubs ran to greet them, nuzzling and wagging their tails - really an incredible sight to see so many lions up and moving around. 

 This is the view from the hippo bar at our hotel - every night we'd get drinks and watch the hippos (who are nocturnal) come out of the pond to start grazing.  One night, an elephant even came to the watering hole to drink!  It took us by surprise - quiet one minute, elephant the next!  

 This is a buffalo - one of the "big five" and a dangerous creature.  They are very aggressive and even lions prefer not to hunt them. We saw many of these in herds on the plains.  This one was literally 5 feet from the car - and seemed to not like us much, as he stomped as made as if to charge!  We definitely got moving quickly after that!

 On our first morning, we tracked two male lions cutting across the plain - they were marking territory and moving FAST - our driver said that he had not seen lions moving that fast in quite some time.  They seemed not to mind us at all, and walked very near (see below) the vans.

 Wildebeast crossing the road in front of us - the migration lasts from October to early December as the animals head to Tanzania for the season.  Still, we saw plenty around.  These are really ugly creatures!

 This was a pretty rare sight - a hippo out of water, not yet back to the watering hole after his evening snacks.  I could not believe how massive he was.  Hippos are actually some of the most dangerous animals to humans - I believe they are in the top three 'killers' of man.

 Everyones favorite - the mischievous baboons!

 More elephants - I loved that the young one was holding on to his mom's tail...

 Pumba!  Not in front of the kids!

 This was a great find - we happened upon 3 cheetahs with a fresh kill.  They were brothers.  One was eating while the other two kept lookout - there was actually a lion about 50 yards away, waiting to finish what the cheetahs didn't eat!  They all had red faces - and when they were finished eating, they licked each other clean (see below).   Lots of folks want to see a kill when they come to the Mara - this was enough for me.

 Here I am hanging out of the safari van, looking for animals!  I was loving my safari gear!

We found another group of lions on our second day - there were many in the group, but these two lionesses caught my eye - I loved how they were sleeping all cuddled up. 

 Here is one of the (3) males from the second group of lions we spotted.  The males were lying here, and the females (pictured above) were probably about 100 yards away.  Now for the fun part - there was a safari van STUCK in between them.  That's right - it's the rainy season, so many of the 'roads' through the land are wet and muddy, and vehicles can get stuck, especially when drivers (who are working for tips and want to show their customers a good time) get overzealous and reckless.  There were several safari vans there to help - we formed a type of a barrier so that the males would not see what was going on as men were OUTSIDE hooking up the van to tow.  In the end, they had to tow from the front, and push the car from the back - and it was all engineered by one of they guys in our group!

 This may have been our most rare spot - a black rhino.  Endangered, there are fewer than 50 in the park.  Very shy animals, and aggressive.  I was struck by how prehistoric they look.

 Giraffe and baby overlooking the plains....

 On our way out of the Mara, we stopped by a traditional Maasai village - this was the welcome dance performed by the men.

 The women also did a welcome dance - and Vicks, Lydia and I all joined in!

 Hyena - very ugly creatures!

 Ooops....we got stuck...right next to a huge herd of elephants!  I think were were in more danger than our driver let on, but it seemed like good fun at the time.

 Lydia, Aras, and I in the safari van - behind us is the entrance to our lodge.

 We came across this mother and baby on our second morning - they were amazing, nothing else to say.  Elephants...definitely my favorite.

Hilary makes fire with the Maasai!

The Carnivore (aka Exotic Meat Snacks)

Last week was a bit of an off-routine week - I worked on my project Monday-Wednesday, and then Thursday and Friday I went to an ADP training course here in Nairobi.  It was very useful and informative - I learned a lot about the developing world and its history.  Five ADP-ers from Tanzania also came in for the training session, so it was fun to meet new folks.  See below for a picture from one of our lunches together - the hotel where the training was held was beautiful!

On Friday, we went to The Carnivore for dinner - this is another all you can eat meat place, but it definitely has more of an “experience” flair to it.  The restaurant specializes in exotic and game animals - some of the more interesting things I tried were ox heart, camel, and ostrich meatballs.  The ostrich meatballs were definitely the best - I do not recommend camel!  For an animal that stores so much water, the meat sure is tough!

The pictures are of the inside of the restaurant - very fancy - and of me with the “Doctor”.  One of the popular drinks in Kenya is the dawa - honey, vodka and lime.  It literally translates to ‘medicine’, which of course, you get from the Doctor.  Hilarious.

After dinner, we went dancing at the Simba Saloon - more chances to hear all my new favorite tunes.  Called it a semi-early night around 1 or so, because Saturday we leave for....Maasi Mara!!

Harry Potter, Ostrich Riding, Nyama Choma, and Hell's Gate

This was (yet another) packed weekend in Nairobi.  Friday night I went to the Village Market - it’s an open air mall - actually, it’s the nicest mall I’ve been to here.  On Fridays, the Maasi Market is at the Village Market, and I wanted to check it out.  The Maasi Market is a traveling market that goes from location to location across Nairobi.  There are lots of things for sale - bags, wooden carvings, beaded necklaces - and you bargain (haggle) for everything.  It’s like a sport :)  Often the first price quoted is up to eight times (or more) the price of the item.  I’m not a terribly good haggler, but I managed to get a couple of items - and I know I’ll be back for a few more before the holidays, now that I have a better idea of how the price structure works.  After shopping, V, Lidia, Jill and I sat and had tapas at one of the outdoor bars at Village Market (LOVE all the outside seating here) and then went to see Harry Potter.  

Saturday was - interesting.  A group of us took a drive out to an ostrich farm and resort about an hour and a half outside of Nairobi.  We spent the early afternoon relaxing and having a beer or two - there was also a buffet lunch (yes, there was ostrich on the buffet - I felt really guilty).  Then came the main event - ostrich riding.  Terrifying.  Those birds are really big - and they can MOVE!!  As most folks know, I’m a bit of a “marked target” in the bird community - we just don’t seem to get along.  Therefore, I was a bit nervous.  I was surprised to see that they actually put saddles on the birds!  You get on the ostrich’s back, and hold onto a handle on the saddle.  I have to admit, it was a bit “forced” - you (and the bird) get walked around the rink by the handlers, so you are never in too much danger - but it was still scary - you can definitely tell how strong those birds are.  Saturday night, we went out for a proper Kenyan dinner - one of the main foods here is called nyama choma.  Basically, you go to a restaurant/buchery (yes, that’s what they call them - it sounds like a place people get murdered) with raw meat (usually goat) hanging in the windows.  You order enough meat for your party, and they cut it off right in front of you and throw it on the coals - which is pretty much 10 feet from where the meat was hanging.  About an hour later, you’ve got dinner - you just tear into it with your hands.  The place we went was called the Citrus Inn, and it was definitely local - we were the only white folks in there.  There was live music, and the band definitely noticed our group...nothing bad, just joking and saying hi to all the folks that “definitely aren’t from Nairobi”.  Good to know that we’re noticed wherever we go!

Sunday was an outdoorsy day - we travelled outside Nairobi to a place called Hell’s Gate.  On the way, we passed the Great Rift Valley - stunning.  It’s so interesting to be driving on a highway surrounded by lush greenery - and look down into a very desolate landscape.  I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again - I don’t know that I’ll ever get tired of just looking at all the amazing things to see here.  Hell’s Gate was very nice - it’s a combination of safari land an a gorge that you can hike through.  It is unique in the fact that there are no large predators, so you can bike through part of the park, but we chose to drive so that we would have more time to hike the gorge.  We did see some animals on the way though!  Warthogs, zebras, baboons, giraffes - still trying to get used to seeing them just out walking around like they own the place...wait...they do own the place :)  The hike was fun - definitely glad we had a guide though, as I’m quite sure we would have been lost on our own.  Saw the hot springs (water and air vents), views to die for, and so much more.  I’m not a huge hiker but it’s safe to say that I’ll be doing lots more outdoorsy stuff after the New Year.