After Breakfast we again packed our bags and headed off to Masai Mara – A large game reserve nestled in the Narok County of Kenya; that stretches all the way to Serengeti National Park in Mara Region, Tazania. On the way to our final destination, we stopped by small shack called George’s while we waited for the rest of the team to meet us there. Initially there was my friend Hazel Faith and I and our new friend Mikhail – A Sales Training Manager from Moscow, Russia who speaks fairly good English and has traveled to many countries. He is also a professional photographer check him out on instagram (@m12345mike) Mikhail was with us when we got attacked by the Baboons.
George's Shack
We were then joined by three more people:
Ashelene Ojiambo and Mutaz Faylon – Ashelene and Mutaz are residents of Sydney, Austrailia. Ashelene is a Kenyan who came back to Nairobi to visit her family and show Mutaz - her fiancé - what Kenya is known for. This is also Ashelene and Mutaz’ first time in Masai Mara and I bet it won’t be their last. Mutaz is from Syria and has been living in Australia for 9 years.
(L-R) Mutaz, Ashelene, Zack, Mike, Arj, Me, Faith #TEAMUNITEDNATIONS
Lastly, is Mr. Arj Mukherjee Canadian with Brazilian and Indian descent who has traveled in about 150 countries or destinations and is still counting. He has lived in different countries including France, Peru and Ukraine and speaks four languages not including Russian which he speaks fluently with Mikhail. He is an Engineer by profession and has written a book called “The Carbon Sequestor”. This man has accomplished a lot and got me thinking of what I can do with my life. Kudos to you Mr. Arj!
Going back to our safari adventure, the road to Masai Mara wasn’t all soft and smooth, we were given a heads up that it will be slightly rough and dusty it was indeed rough and dusty, but it was all worth it! We arrived at the Miti Mingi Eco Camp and got freshened up before heading to our late afternoon game drive at Masai Mara.
Wildebeests - I always thought it was wilderbeasts for some reason then I found out it wasn't even a word
Wake - the collective term for vultures
Our first encounter at Masai Mara was the Wildebeests and the Wake of Vultures. In my head the song "Circle of Life" was playing. LOL. We saw different animals for the first time on this day like the Topi also called "Blue Jeans" its legs exhibit a different hue from its body.
Topi also known as Blue Jeans
Watching these animals in their natural habitat away from enclosed spaces amazes me. Well I bet it will amaze you too specially if it was your first time, but a lot of things fascinate me; like how a warthog kneels to eat grass from the ground.
When I was a young warthog!
As we cruised along the savannahs we saw a group of vehicles parked not far from where we were and found out that a cheetah was resting on an open field. We drove off to check it out and watched it walk gracefully and stand on a slope. That view was stunning! We watched it stalk a prey but couldn't wait till it caught up to it as the park closes at 18:30.
The Cheetaaaaah!
We were just a few kilometers from the gate when our guide Zack took a turn and drove to one of the most stunning sites I've seen! It was a Tower of Giraffes - a collective term for giraffes. Zack himself was impressed as he mentioned it was a rare opportunity to witness these many gathering all at once. We saw more than 15 Giraffes and this usually entails that they have an occasion of some sort, it could be a wedding or a different social event. This was definitely a sight I will never forget!
Tower of Giraffes - I counted 20 how many can you count?
After our late afternoon adventure we headed back to our camp. Miti Mingi Eco Camp is conveniently located a few minutes away from Masai Mara's Olootaimutia Gate and just a few steps away from a few Maasai Villages. The camp consists of a Main Dining area and several tents (you maybe thinking, tents? small ones?), each tent consists of two to three beds, hot and cold showers, toilet and a sink. Now this is what we call Glamping - Glamorous Camping.
No fancy room keys or air conditioning needed just zippers.
During dinner we caught up with other tourists and shared some photos, we met another Russian, her name is Tatyana and she's a professional photographer, her photos are amazing! Go check her on instagram (@t.budochka). We shared so much about each other and didn't notice it was late. Lights were out at 10 pm because the camp was powered by generators. Once the lights were out the camp was still bright from the night sky. We headed back to our tents and rested for another game drive tomorrow.
(to be continued)
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