The search for the Big Five continues, So far we’ve seen the Rhino and Buffalo at Lake Nakuru and are looking forward to complete the list on this day. We arrived at the park and preceded on our journey, Zebras, Cheetahs and Impalas were at large. Then we stumbled upon a Crash of Hippos swimming along a small river. We saw a couple of Jackals along the way and our guide Zack rushed to what seems to be another rare find, hidden behind the bushes were Rhino’s – they weren’t easy to find during that time in Masai Mara and although we’ve already seen them in Lake Nakuru it was a first for Ashelene, Mutaz and Arj.
At about 10:00 AM we’ve already seen four out of five of the Big Five. Simba in Swahili means Lion and seeing him pass right in front of our vehicle was both alarming and fascinating, but he wasn’t at all interested with us, he didn’t even mind that we were in his way. We then came across a parade of elephants and were in awe seeing the baby elephant with its mother. As we were cruising along the riverside of Bologonja Springs in search for the elusive Leopard, we saw Hyenas, a rare Serval – one of the big cats known to roam the plains of Masai Mara, Thompson’s Gazelle and Warthogs.
Before heading for lunch we spent a few minutes gazing at a spectacular view at the Mara River, A Crash of 60 to 70 Hippos! Flabbergasted, we couldn’t take our eyes from these majestic animals as we watch them play, swim, fight and dive (well sink away) in to the water. It was truly an amazing view! Our guide Zack heard (on the radio) that a pack of Cheetahs were relaxing under a bush, so we sped off to check them out. There were three Cheetahs and they were indeed just there looking back at us as we took photos of them. They were like models holding a pose, cheeky not-so-little Cheetahs.
Lunch was quite a unique experience, after warding off a Thompson’s Gazelle we set up our picnic blankets and relaxed for a few minutes, our meals consists of a Fried Chicken, a Banana, an Apple, a Juice Box and Club Sandwich (forgot to take a photo, I was so hungry), all prepared by the staff at Miti Mingi Eco Camp.
We then packed our picnic blankets and headed off to search for the elusive Leopard. After seeing a pack of Cheetahs, we headed off to an area where a lot of trucks and vans were parked. Apparently there were three Lioness and three Cubs having their siesta after their meal – we saw a carcass of a wildebeest just around the corner. And just a few meters away was a young Lion, he didn’t mind the amount of cars that passed beside him eager to take photos. We managed to catch him yawning and flashing a smile.
After several hours of searching for the Leopard, Zack came to a conclusion that it’ll be very tough to find, so instead we headed back to camp and were asked if we wanted to have a tour at one of the Maasai Villages. It was an extra cost of US $10 per person, the proceeds went to the school as agreed by all Maasai Villages, to support and aid their children’s education.
Now, our Maasai Guide William took us to his village, we were then greeted with a dance usually performed during weddings. A little background on Maasai Villages; each village comes from one Grandfather, and being polygamists they are allowed to marry as much women as they can provided that they can pay the father of the bride a dowry of 10 cows or he is given a wife when he has speared a lion in their hunt. The Maasai men can not marry women from the same village – go figure.
Going back, William’s Grandfather married seven women and fathered 42 children, each women must build a house for their husband and their family, and the husband cannot sleep at the same house two days in a row. The village is strategically constructed by having the houses built in a circular pattern to provide space for their livestock in the middle of the village, this gives them the opportunity to take their livestock and hide them in their houses when a lion attacks their village.
We were then ushered to one of the houses by Allan, one of the villagers and was ready to answer all of our questions. It was amazing how their houses are as good as concrete, although small and intact, it consists of 4 rooms and a fire pit where they cook their food and having no electricity and all the light comes from their windows as small as a saucer, this is to avoid mosquitoes from entering their houses.
It was indeed a humbling experience hearing about their everyday lives and learning more about their culture first hand. This is definitely one for the books. It was very easy to learn their culture because they speak very good English. After the tour, was a trip to their souvenir shops, where they sell handicrafts made by the women of the tribe. All proceeds go to their tribe which helps them send their kids to school. The prices of their products are certainly cheaper than that off the ones from the airport.
Our trip to Kenya was one of those experiences that I will definitely remember for the rest of my life. Learning different cultures, meeting new people and appreciating what the world has to offer. “The only trip you will regret, is the one you don’t take”
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