Up, up and away!

Hello from the Masai Mara! We arrived in southern Kenya Tuesday morning and immediately began our off road game drive - and in doing so, we have officially given "off road" a new definition to include driving through river beds! These have by far been the bumpiest roads, if you can even call them that, but it has allowed us to get much closer to the animals than we ever have before. So close in fact, that we actually were able to see a mama ostrich sitting on her eggs! We also stopped by the "hippo highway" on our way to our lodge - here we saw at least 30 or 40 hippos sun bathing who had all made it down into the Mara River via a bumpy little hippo highway, pointed out to us by our drivers.

We then checked into our "elegant tents" at the Mara Safari Club - and I must say, we really were roughing it! :) From the outside, our lodging does look like a big tent with a zipper "front door" and all, but as you open the zipper you find 2 four post beds, beautiful seating, dressing tables and yes, even my favorite rainfall shower head! This is certainly my kind of camping!

Wednesday morning was the big day - we were told that the previous day, Tuesday, the hot air balloon ride had to be cancelled due to strong winds, so we were hesitant as to whether or not it would actually happen. Admittedly, this was one of the things I was most looking forward to in Africa, so I had my fingers crossed that all would work out. And it did. When we woke up to our 4:30am wake up call, we hoped out of bed, grabbed from coffee and hit the road to find a silent and quite still Masai Mara! By 6:45am, we were in the hot air balloons and gliding over the endless plains. To say it was gorgeous is a huge understatement. For the past week or so, we had visited various national parks and were able t view the animals relatively closely, but we had never experienced this aerial view which simply put everything into perspective. It was great to see the wildebeest, zebras, and yes, even a male lion, walk around the Masia Mara Conservancy. Amazingly, the height of the balloon didn't bother anyone and we all thoroughly enjoyed ourselves - the champagne brunch in the bush afterward was the perfect way to end this great experience!

After the balloon ride, it was decided that we would head into the Masia Mara National Park's southern most point to try to see the Great Migration in action. This was a hike - about 2 1/2 hours driving through legitimate river beds, but well worth the trip. Within minutes after entering the park, we found a mama lion with her two babies walk across the road and set up camp below a tree. Shortly thereafter, another mama lion came walking by with her 4 little cubs. It was great watching these animals protect their kin with such love and care - we certainly do have a thing or two to learn from these animals, even if they rule the land!

We then found a spot along the Mara River and immediately saw the wildebeest - not only were they lining the edge of the riverbank contemplating who would take the first plunge into the waters below, but the amazing sight was the miles and miles of wildebeest who were simply filing in one after another. Wherever you turned, you could see the faint outline of the animals that looked more like ants, all gathering down by the Mara River to take part in the 8th wonder of the world, the Great Migration! Now unfortunately, we missed the actual crossing of the 500 or so wildebeest we saw lining up as the group needed a lunch break (after all, food is priority #1 with Tauck!) but to me, it was more important to see the before and after - and know that thousands of wildebeest were on their way to make the trek! Our drivers told us that apparently this year's migration is a bit later than usual - ordinarily the migration takes place June through August, but this year it had just begun because there has been so much rain in Tanzania and the grass has been so good, there has been no need for the animals to move on to greener pastures - literally! Now the million dollar question - how do they know when to migrate?! Simply put, there is no rhyme or reason. They just do. Go figure.

In the afternoon, we headed out of the Masai Mara and said one last goodbye to all of or favorite animals - including an elephant who apparently thought our safari truck was a bit too close and decided to send us a warning sign by charging toward us with a loud elephant roar. And we certainly heard his warning, loud and clear! As a final goodbye, we met as a group one last time out in the bush for cocktails around the campfire where we all went around telling everyone what our favorite memories are from the trip. It was a great way to end the perfect day - not only did we have a wonderful itinerary for the trip, but we had an amazing tour director, drivers, staff and other group members. We could not have asked for anything more!

Thursday morning we head to Nairobi where we will decompress for a few hours before heading out to the airport. Once we return stateside, I will write a wrap up post for the entire trip, which truly has been life changing! So stay tuned!

Headed off to the Masai Mara this morning where we will be lodged in "elegant tents" - so don't worry if you don't hear from us until Wednesday!

Fingers crossed the balloon ride goes well tomorrow morning and we are able to see part of the great migration!

There are always lessons to be learned, even among the poorest of the poor. 

And today we experienced just that. 

This morning, we started off with a great breakfast and after a lecture from Debra, our tour director, about the history of Kenya over the years, we headed toward the town of Nanyuki. In general, I would say based off of what we have seen of Kenya, the country is much more advanced compared to Tanzania. Yes, there are still the very poor homes built of wood logs and cement blogs, little children running around barefoot, and  families walking miles and miles for fresh water. But overall, the quality of life seems to be higher as families often own property, as opposed to the government owning the property which the Tanzanians use to plant crops, etc. Every few meters or so, you see a large, elaborate gate which leads to the private property of the families - may it be their home, or simply  their land which they use for animals/crops or have simply purchased to build on later. This was the most striking difference between the two countries - not the mention the fact that we saw actual strip malls (though very bare bones - not at all like what we see in America), parking lots, butcher shops/huts, and more. 

We then arrived at a private Spinners and Weavers shop in Nanyuki which was originally developed by the government as a way for women to hep sustain themselves. Here, the facilities have sheep they sheer, then the women, clean, dye, and make the wool into beautiful pieces including rugs, shawls, place mats and more. The women do not have to provide their own materials, and anything that they make which is sold, goes directly to them. This facility allows these women to learn a trade and thrive. Interestingly enough, t hey also allow the women to work from home when they have small children to take care of, which is a universal concept, but one I did not expect here. The women were so kind and welcoming - you could tell, they truly took pride in their work. 

From there, we traveled to a local school which was home to over 70 boys and girls of all ages. These children were all orphans, either abandoned by their parents, or simply brought to the shelter because the parents were no longer able to care for them. The younger children go to school on campus, while the older students go to primary school then return back to the orphanage to sleep. As you can imagine, this school was absolutely heart breaking, but felt very warm and loving all at the same time. Before we headed in, the tour director purchased boxes and boxes of food and other materials she knew the facility needed (Tauck regularly visits this school every two weeks). The group also brought along some things we purchased from home - Aunt Kathy and I gave 6 pairs of flip flops, pencils, pens, crayons, coloring books and a yo-yo. When we entered the property, the younger students immediately started singing for us - everything from the ABCs to Farajaqua. We then had the opportunity to actually hand the gifts we brought and sweets to the students ourselves, which was amazing. I sat down at a table with 4 boys who immediately started to play with the yo-yo. One little girl came up to me and picked her favorite crayon color and began drawing. They were so unbelievable sweet and had such a kind demeanour - even the poorest of the poor and the youngest in the world know the power of giving. Though I would have loved to spend the afternoon with them, we had to let them get back to their studies (though I wonder how they could possibly get anything done after the sweets we gave them!). We toured their dorms which were old bunk beds, some with mattresses and some without. This was very difficult to see and really made your heart ache for these children. You could tell though that these kids really saw this place as their home, as above their beds they drew their names, painted a flower border along the ceiling, and wrote "God is our protector"on the wall. For as little as they have, these children truly are rich in spirit.

While we may be leaving Africa soon, I think it is fair to say that these countries have left lasting impressions on me and I hope to be able to continue to give back to these communities for years to come. 

Rhinos, Chimps, Horses, and Albino Zebras Galore!

Yesterday was a great day here in Kenya! We woke up LATE (for once!) and headed out to the Ol Pejeta Conservancy around 8:30am to drive through the grounds and search for new animals we have not yet seen! First on our list was the Rhino and within a few minutes, we saw a mama and baby rhino hanging out and munching on the grass with some warthog families in the background. It was a great sighting and we were so happy to check it off our list, as rhinos are very difficult to find (they are protected animals and have maybe only 100 or so in the entire conservancy). We also saw some Hartebeest which are appropriately named, as their antlers go back from their head and almost form a heart shape. In addition to these, we also came across the standard Thomson and Grant Gazelles and an abundance of zebra (I was in heaven!)

We then headed down to Jane Goodall's Chimpanzee Sanctuary. Now admittedly, this was not my favorite, as chimps are not exactly the nicest animals in the world and our visit was no different. However, it was nice to see them in their natural environment (with a huge stream separating us from them - luckily they cannot swim!). I caught some video of them "talking" to each other, which basically just sounds like loud and crazy squeals! The part I did enjoy, however, was learning about Jane Goodall and her mission to save the chimps. There were 28 chimps in the sanctuary who have been rescued from all over the world - mainly in Cameron and the Sudan where the chimps are sold on the street corner, even though this is illegal. It is absolutely horrible how these chimps are treated, and so it was reassuring to learn about how they are making a home for them here in Kenya...even though this is not their natural habitat.

After our game drive and trip to see the chimps, we returned to the Mt Kenya Safari Club where we were privy to the most amazing brunch I have ever seen in my entire life! From roasting pigs, to hand tossed salads and make your own cupcakes, this hotel definitely knows how to do things right! We are absolutely spoiled!

In the afternoon, I went on my first ever horse ride - I am not going to lie, I was absolutely terrified! I wouldn't say I am scared of horses, but I have a healthy respect for them and would not want to cross them. Nevertheless, a group of 6 of us, hoped on the horses (with English saddles aka nothing to hold on to!) and went on a walk through the Mt Kenya conservancy. Overall, it was great, though I got nervous when my horse, Rida Vista, who was the oldest (12 years old) yet the fastest, decided he wanted to gallop up the hill we were going toward. I held on tight and somehow managed to not fall off! We had 3 guides with us and I was second in line (the guide was first), though Rida Vista was hard pressed to lead the pack! On our walk, we also came across some baboons, zebra, and even ALBINO zebra, which was a real treat - and apparently is a sign of good luck! The guide was kind enough to take a few pictures with my camera, as I refused to let go of the reigns to do so myself, so I will certainly share them with everyone looking for a good laugh! After about an hour, we headed back to the Club just as the skies were opening up with rain! This morning my rump is a bit sore, but no muscle pain, which is a good sign - I guess those spinning classes have not gone to waste! :)

Today we are headed out to see a spinners and weavers shop and visit and local school, so I will report back tonight!

So this is how the other side lives!

We have officially arrived at the Fairmont Mt Kenya Safari Club in Kenya. This morning, we left Amboseli, boarded a plane and stepped into the world of luxury. I kid you not, this place is out of the movies - literally! The former retreat for William Holden, Mt Kenya Safari Club has had many impressive guests over the years including Winston Churchill and Bing Crosby. The grounds are absolutely gorgeous - included are vegetable gardens where the produce grown is directly served on the dining rooms, rose gardens, a beautiful pool, front and back patios, and even a little maze (this was the first thing we did when we arrived - made it from start to finish in 10 minutes flat... with just a little help from a friendly hedge trimmer we bumped into while roaming in circles!). We will be staying here for 3 nights in total and will have the afternoons free to do as we please with mornings full of fun different activities.

This morning, when we arrived we we privileged to a fun little equator ceremony. Because the hotel is built along the equator line, we can switch back between the two hemispheres. We watched a great demonstration where there were two bowls - one on the left and one on the right. They poured water into the bowls and watched the leaves circle based on which hemisphere the bowl was placed. Literally, the two bowls were less than 25 meters apart, yet drained in different directions - magic! (or just a little magnetic force!). We then had to dance across the equator line to receive our certificate signifying that we have walked across the ine. It was a lot of fun and everyone got into the ceremony!

Afterward, we went to visit the animal orphanage, which is home to many injured animals. Here, we saw many of the animals we have seen out in the wild - just up close and personal! We were able to feed the monkeys, pet a dik-dik, and see leopards up close and personal! We also came across a sweet little buffalo that was only a few weeks old. It was abandoned by it's mother and the orphanage took it in to care for it. It was so attached to the animal keeper who was showing us around - we quickly 'adopted" the little guy as our mascot, both literally and figuratively! Everyone decided to chip in a few dollars to formally adopt the buffalo and we will name her Debra, after our tour director. The orphanage will send updates and pictures until they release her into the wild. What a cool thing, right?!

Tonight we are going to have a nice dinner and relax - finally! Tomorrow morning we will have a game drive and hopefully will see some rhinos and a new type of zebra and giraffe we have not ye seen. Then in the afternoon, I am going to go horse back riding for the FIRST time ever (I am officially crazy, but hey, when in Africa right?!) and Aunt Kathy is going to take a nature tour of the grounds. Overall, should be a great day!

Hope everyone is doing well and will send updates after our adventures tomorrow! Until then, we will continue living the high life, in the shadows of Mr. William Holden himself!

Don't be deceived, the Masai people are tough businessmen!

We are now officially in Kenya and have witnessed first hand, the persistent nature of the Masai people. Imagine the street solicitors we have for different nonprofits collecting signatures on the street back home in the States; then multiply that "assertiveness," we can call, it by a thousand, add in a few adorable babies and you have the Masai people. They are very kind people, but man, I was not prepared for our encounters with them yesterday or this morning!

So let's catch up! Yesterday morning, we woke bright and early to head out of the Serengeti to Kenya. We left our gorgeous Bilila Lodge around 6:15am and headed through the plains to a teeny tiny airstrip in the middle of the park. All 25 of us hopped on two planes - the largest being ours, an 18 seater - and headed back to Arusha. Admittedly, the flight was not as bad as I thought it would be, but I did have the feeling that the plane was not exactly flying level. Nevertheless, our pilot who was female and could not have been more than 25 years old or so, got us to Arusha in one piece. Phew, one step down. Then, we boarded the buses and headed to the Tanzania/Kenyan border. This was an interesting experience, as we had to "check out" of Tanzania and file exit papers before crossing over a "no man's land," which was literally about 50 meters wide of land that was neither Tanzania or Kenya. We then went through customs in Kenya. Seemingly simple, right? Well, remember, this is a HUGE border crossing. So there were tons of trucks carrying cargo that literally had to be taken off of each bed and inspected. Then there were the Masai. For those of you not familiar with the Masai, they are local tribe warriors in east Africa who wear red fabrics which they once thought would keep the lions away. More on their traditions later, but essentially, wherever you see the Masai they immediately bombard you and try to sell you their jewelry, carvings and other "homemade" goods (jury is still out as to whether or not they actually make these items). So at the border, they literally were banging on our windows, screaming "ten for ten" which meant ten bracelets for $10. I did try to grab some, but unfortunately my bartering skills were not up to pair - I tried to get ten bracelets for $10 but they kept giving me 7, or 8. So they either thought I couldn't count... or have no idea how many ten actually is!

After we finally made it over, we traveled into Amboseli National Park, which is where we are now. The area is much different than any of the other parks we have been to, as there are very little trees (so unfortunately no giraffe) and miles and miles of swamps. Elephants are in abundance here, as are the standard wildebeest, lions, gazelle, etc. It was interesting driving around because this was the first time when it felt like we were surrounded by other safari vehicles - it is MUCH more crowded in this area! Both yesterday and today we are doing afternoon game drives, so while there are not as many animals out and about, the sunsets are absolutely gorgeous. I caught a few pictures of the sunset last night, but hope to get the quintessential shot with an acacia tree tonight.

Now this morning was an entirely different experience - since arriving,  the majority of our time has been spent on game drives, but today we went to see a boma, which is another word for a Masai village. This village was made up of 4 families, and included 119 people. Now you do the math :) The Masai culture is polygamist, so man can have many, many wives. Though interestingly enough, they are smart enough to keep the wives separate. So each woman has a house (do not call it a hut, as they WILL correct you!) where her children live. Her husband then moves around from home to home "visiting" his various wives. The houses are made out of straw and elephant dung, though amazingly do not smell. We actually were able to go in and see what it was like in the houses - they were very short (which I found odd because the Masai people are quite tall!), and they had "mattresses" made out of cowhide. Now admittedly, I do not know if these houses were authentic or not, as this was an organized tour, but it was very interesting to see how they live. We learned about their diet, as well, which includes milk and cow blood, and met the "medicine man" who has different natural prescriptions for various aliments, including a root based Viagra - I guess something had to be done to keep all the wives happy! We then were able to "shop" their goods. And by this I mean they set completely insane prices for items and they we had to bargain down. I've learned I am no expert at bargaining - I had one bracelet, one necklace, a cow horn bowl and a beaded bowl - and the medicine man (who was my group's guide through the village) had a starting price of $80. I started at $25, which is more likely what everything was worth. In the end, I only walked away with one bowl and one necklace for $25, which honestly was a bit more than the two pieces were worth, but hey, maybe my $25 will help those little children buy some school books, right?! As we drove away in our cars, we estimated that the little boma of 4 families probably came away with over $2,000 from us - both in the money Tauck paid for us to visit and the money we paid for our goods. Not a bad day for the Masai people!

Tomorrow we head out for our next stop - hopefully will be able to access the internet there for a more timely update! Hope everyone is enjoying these posts, even though they are few and  far between!

(we've had some shoddy internet connections, so post below was written on Wednesday, 25 July 2012, not today!) 


Lions and cheetahs and leopards, oh my!

Yes folks, we have officially seen it all! Of the "Big Five" animals we have here in Africa - the African elephant, leopard, lion, and Cape Buffalo - we have now seen all but one. We are still on the lookout for an African Rhino, but seeing as we spotted all three major cats - male and female lions, a sleeping leopard, and two brother cheetahs all in a span of 3 days - I think we're pretty set!

So where have we seen all of these animals, you ask!? Well, after we left the Ngorongora crater Tuesday morning, we headed Olduvai Gorge where the Leakey archeologists discovered fossilized remains of some of the earliest know human species. We then continued to the Serengeti National Park, which means vast plains in Swahili. Imagine seeing miles and miles of endless fields - multiply that times a bajillion and that is what it looks like. The roads are even less than what I would consider "dirt roads" and by the end of the day on Wednesday we
were absolutely filthy. But it was completely worth it! All day, we spent driving around, jumping up and down on our seats snapping pictures of zebras (my new favorite animal - they are absolutely gorgeous and look as though their stripes have literally been painted on), gazelle (imagine as tiny/medium sized deer, but they come in two different breeds - thomson and grant - one has thick black stripe along its sides and the other has an "M" in black on its rear end. Both breeds are by far the happiest animals in the entire world, as their tails NEVER stopping wagging!), and giraffe, elephants, and cats among others!

In the Serengeti, we saw all three of the big cats - lions, a leopard, and cheetahs. The lions are the easiest to spot, as they usually come in pairs. The females stick together with the babies, while the men do what men do (some things are universal across species!). Yesterday, we saw two female lions and a baby under a tree, though they were quickly pushed aside when a large pack of elephants decided they needed some shade from the heat. Oddly enough, the lions and elephants respect each other, so it was a natural move for the lions to the next shaded area...which happened to be where a completely oblivious warthog stood all alone. He could've been wrapped with a bow in his hair the way he was standing, entirely unaware that he was about to be eaten. So one lion laid down as the decoy while the nearby gazelle started to run off (smart little things they are!), which made the warthog aware of what was going on. Meanwhile, the other lion began to circle around the tree to narrow in on her kill. Unfortunately, the lion must have been a bit too lazy because the warthog quickly scampered off and the
excitement was gone. The lion barely even put up a chase. Though I'm not sure how much we would have liked to have actually SEEN the live kill, especially after seeing the dead wildebeest in shreds at Ngorongora. Later in the day, we found two cheetah brothers laying in the grass (the exact opposite of the lions, as you never see a female cheetah out, only the men) and then we found a leopard literally twisting itself around a tree branch and sleeping. To say that it was rare for us to see all of these cats in one day is certainly an understatement! We've been so lucky - even our tour guide was impressed!

Today was another game drive in the morning. This is when we came up with the “Ugly Five” for Africa, which include: the wildebeest, warthogs, buffalo, baboon, and hyena. I guess Mother Nature cannot always be fair. These are honestly hideous creatures and once I can figure out how, I will post pictures (really, I promise!). Because we went out in the morning, the ride was not as dusty and was much more enjoyable. One interesting thing they do here in the Serengeti is that they start controlled fires to preserve the land. So for instance, if
they notice that the animals have destroyed/eaten all of the vegetation in a certain area, they will burn this section so that they seeds can regrow. As you drive by, you see (and smell!) patches of burnt land with baby grasses sprouting up. This is also done to help get rid of some of the insects in the area (and it actually does work!). It’s a bit odd looking and sometimes I think the fires quickly become uncontrolled as in parts it looks as though the black ash continues on for miles and miles, but it certainly makes sense!

This afternoon was great – we actually had some free time! So we all had lunch back at the lodge where we are staying. This place is absolutely gorgeous and is rumored to be purchased by the Four Seasons in the future, so that should  tell you a little bit about the caliber of this place. Unfortunately, Aunt Kathy was feeling a bit under the weather, but the rest of us spent the afternoon laying by the pool…and swimming with the elephants. Yes, you read that right. Here at the Bilila Lodge, they have an infinity pool which looks right out to a little watering hole and the rest of the Serengeti plains. So naturally, animals frequently come up for a quick drink. When we first arrived last night, we saw herds of elephants from our room coming up to the water and today was just the same – then came the zebras, then the buffalos, and finally the giraffe – all less than 50 meters from the pool deck! We truly felt as though we were in the middle of the wilderness all afternoon and it was absolutely amazing!

Tomorrow we head out and leave the Serengeti to Arusha en route to Kenya. With any luck, we’ll be able to see Mt Kilimanjaro (though I’m wondering whether or not this mountain is actually there as we can only see clouds!). We’ll arrive in Amboseli for lunch and will continue on for a game drive in the afternoon. It should be a great day for pictures – so send your requests now for any specific animals you’d like to see!

And finally, some Swahili for your vocab – assante (thank you), jambo (hello), sowa sowa (okay, okay), hakuna matata (no worries… what a wonderful phrase!)