Maasai Mara

 AJP and BLP at the entrance to the reserve

 The Land Cruisers we used for the safaris.

The view outside the car as we drove to the Maasi Mara.

When we went to the Amazon a few years ago, I felt like we were visiting a very special part of the world.  I had that feeling again when we visited the Maasi Mara before Christmas.  It was fantastic.  In so many ways it is difficult to describe in words.  It is such a visual experience – we took about 800 pictures.  This area with its broad plains and pervasive wildlife is what one thinks of when they think of East Africa.  While we were there, more than one person commented that this is where so many of the shows on Africa are filmed.

 

BLP on the escarpment overlooking the rift valley with a beautiful rainbow behind her.

 

Sunset in the Mara

The Wednesday before Christmas we were picked up at our house by our tour guides.  We were driven to the Maasi Mara in those cool safari Land Cruisers that you see on TV.  They were surprisingly comfortable.  Our first stop was a panoramic view of the Great Rift Valley.  As we looked out over the valley, there were plenty of vendors ready to sell us souvenirs if we wanted.  We next stopped for lunch right before the road got very dusty and bumpy.  We were all so excited none of us complained about the lunch or the road – not even the baby.  At this point we started to see some wild life but not much.  Once we were closer to where we staying, the guide slowed down and we started to see some exciting things.  We saw two lions, elephants and zebra.  AIP (our niece) was eagle-eyed and saw a hyena.  I was so excited after our afternoon sightings that I felt like we could go home.  Little did I know that we had just scratched the surface!  In the following days, we saw so much wildlife that I can only share the highlights.

 Up close and personal with an elephant.

One of the many lions we saw

 We saw so many zebras that we almost stopped appreciating them.

That evening around seven, we arrived at our hotel with just enough time to check in, make plans for the next day, have dinner, and go to bed. We woke up the next morning and headed out after breakfast.  We ran into so many animals I can’t name them all – gazelles, warthogs, zebras, giraffe. . .  My favorite was the two families of elephants we saw.  They were so close I felt like I could reach out and touch them.  Their size and presence were incredible.  Also amazing to me was that they couldn’t have cared less that we were there.  They barely even noticed us.  

After a few hours of intense game viewing, we went to a Maasi village.  I feel like these are always pretty canned and made up for the tourist but I am still glad we went.  We saw the men dance, the women dance, their houses, and could shop at their market for trinkets.  When the men dance, the man that jumps the highest is the most desired of all the men.  The women’s dance was just a bit of rocking back and forth.  I wouldn’t even call it a dance really.  Their homes are small and dark with places for their goats and sheep to sleep.  There is a small room (space) for the parents and a one for the children each had a cow hide that was used as a mattress.  They were really good at using the resources they had.  The fuel for their fires was cow dung.  They also used the cow dung mixed with a few other ingredients to cover their houses.

JTP, AJP and our visitors dancing with the Maasi men. (Sorry the resolution is terrible - I chose low resolution for a faster upload!)

There were two things that stuck out to me at the village.  First, our nephew, WFP, was incredibly grateful for his house in Mississippi.  It was great to see him express that.  Second, the women in the Maasi village do all the work.  It seemed that all the men do is learn how to jump higher to attract more women.  That fact was upsetting but not surprising.  The final thing we did at the Maasi village was to get completely ripped off buying some of their trinkets.  We could have bought them much cheaper in Nairobi at a Maasi market but the village kept insisting that we are helping to support their school.  I hope that is true and that the school educates girls as well as boys.
 

The zebras crossing the Mara river as crocodiles look on.

Hippos at the Hippo pool.

 Before we headed back for lunch we took a trip to see hippopotamus and crocodiles.  We saw the hippos in the slow waters of the Mara River that makes a kind of pool for them to splash around in.  There were maybe 20 hippos in a couple of different groups.  They were lying around on top of each other in the water only moving occasionally to get wet or fight a bit.  We saw one small crocodile on the shore by the hippos but our guide assured us we would go to a spot and see many more.  He was right, of course.  Our next stop was where the wildebeest cross during their annual migration.  It is a bit shallower with rocks to make crossing easier.  We saw a number of crocodiles.  They were watching a group of zebras cross the river.  It looked like we may see a kill because one of the zebras decided to hesitate when the others ran across.  That hesitation caused the crocodiles to move in closer.  In the end the crocodiles decided that the water was too shallow and backed off.  It was intense for a moment, though.  

 Our elusive cheetahs

 One of the many hyenas we saw.

 A Cape buffalo.

That afternoon we returned to the hotel for a leisurely lunch and swim in the pool.  Our hotel was on the top of a ridge so we could swim in the pool and look out on the vast plain.  It was beautiful.  Late afternoon, we went on another game drive and saw even more animals.  Our quest was to see a cheetah.  We didn’t end up seeing one but we saw plenty of zebra, giraffe, gazelles, and cape buffalo.  My favorite was the bat eared fox that we saw.  It was my favorite because I actually spotted it.  I am usually pretty clueless with spotting wildlife so I was super excited to actually point something out.

The next morning we started out early and saw some of our most exciting wildlife.  We first saw a pack of about ten hyenas roaming along the road.  We then saw two rhinoceros.  They were at quite a distance so we were happy to have binoculars.  After that we saw more elephants, giraffes and a plentiful array of gazelles and zebra.  We also saw a pride of 11 lions sunning themselves around a group of trees. We finally saw our elusive friend the cheetah.  They were hiding in some brush.  Our guide had been on the lookout all morning for us – even asking other guide if they had spotted a cheetah.  It was well worth the trouble!  Cheetahs are very beautiful.  I wanted to see one during an attack but our guide assured me that it was best to see them sunning themselves rather than hunting.  He was probably right.  I got sick to my stomach just seeing the cape buffalo leg at the Nairobi National Park.  I may have vomited if I had actually seen a kill.  After this we saw more wildlife as we made our way back to the hotel for breakfast, check out, and the drive home.  One of the best moments for me was on the way home.  We saw about fifteen giraffes lumbering along a small rise.  It was so picturesque and breathtaking.  I suppose that is what I would say about the whole trip – picturesque and breathtaking.     

The best part of the trip was sharing it with these guys.