April 25, 2013 - Masai Mara (day 3)

We got up even earlier this morning, at 4:30am. Apparently I have to get up even earlier on vacation than when I am on rotation in the PICU... But, the reason for getting up so early this morning was much more exciting than a day in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. We were scheduled to go on a balloon safari!

After a bumpy ride through the park, we arrived at the launching site for our balloon safari. We were supposed to try to be up in the air around sunrise (which is at 6:30); however, we were functioning on "African time," and, therefore, did not take off until around 7:00 or so.

This was not a romantic balloon ride, but instead an enormous balloon with 14 other people plus the pilot, but it was an amazing experience nonetheless. To see the Mara from the air is completely different than seeing the park from the back of a safari vehicle. Whereas the vehicles are restricted to traveling on the roads, the balloon can pretty much go wherever it wants. Though we did not get close-up views of the animals, there was still amazing scenery and a great variety of wildlife on view.

After about an hour in the air, we landed safely (although we took out at least a few termite hills in the process...). Our vehicles were waiting for us, and took us to a delicious breakfast set up in the middle of the bush - complete with champagne! En route to our breakfast, however, we were able to see some wildlife up close, including the Jackson's hartebeest and hyenas who had just killed a baby buffalo and were in the process of eating (interesting, but definitely didn't help my appetite...).

Our champagne breakfast was quite the production and very impressive. And the champagne helped, too! When we first arrived at our breakfast site, we noticed that there was a male elephant in the far distance. As we were eating, the bull walked closer and closer to our breakfast site, attracted by the smells and loud noises.

While this was interesting, it was also a bit scary as elephants can be completely unpredictable and can charge at any time. As the elephant continued our way, our guide instructed us that, if he should tell us to move, we should move as quickly as possible behind a very large truck. Great. The elephant got within 30 meters of our breakfast site before it was scared off by one of the trucks. Crises averted, breakfast resumed.

 

After breakfast, we took a safari drive back to our guest house (where we saw a pregnant female lion very close)!  

We then relaxed for the afternoon. We went out for our final game drive in the Mara around 4:00 (as the animals are very inactive during the early afternoon). Although the evening drive was pretty quiet, we were able to see a male lion in the brush. Just when we were about to leave (as the lion wasn't doing anything), we noticed a female lion nearby; therefore, we stopped to watch for a while.

It seemed that the female lion was in heat and was trying to seduce the male lion. Just when she was about to complete her seduction, three other male lions appeared out of nowhere! It was pretty incredible. Daniel informed us that the male lions would likely fight for the right to the female. We stuck around for a while, but weren't able to see the fight. For the most part, the lions were all just lying down and sleeping in the brush. Boring... Just kidding. It was quite amazing.

As we drove back to our guest house, we were able to catch a beautiful sunset over the Mara. Great way to end our time here!

April 24, 2013 - Masai Mara (day 2)

Today was our first full day in Masai Mara National Park, and Daniel wanted to make sure that we took full advantage of our day.

Therefore, we got up around 5:30am (who ever said vacation was supposed to be restful?!?) so we could start our day in the park before sunrise. As the saying goes, "the early bird catches the first worm," and this was definitely true for us today. Because we made it in to the park very early in the morning, we were able to see some amazing animals before they napped away the hot late morning and afternoon.

Our drive started with your run-of-the mill antelopes and gazelles. Interesting, but not what we were hoping for. We were slowly driving along, looking at the sights and hoping to see animals when, all of a sudden, Daniel heard something on the radio, and took off like a bat out of hell. (All of the safari guides and drivers have radios installed in their vehicles, so they communicate with each other within the park to let them know when there is an animal sighting).

We saw a group of vehicles in the near distance, and arrived just in time to see a lion's butt disappearing in to the bush. Awesome. But have no fear. Daniel was committed to getting us a good look. Essentially we (and at least 8 or 9 other vehicles) followed the lions around, darting from one location to the next based on where the animals might go. This payed off, however, when we ended up with up-close and amazing views of a male and female lion who were (in Daniel's words) "honeymooning." We were even able to view this so-called "honeymooning," which was an interesting sight to see, to say the least.

After watching the lions for a while, we again headed off our separate directions to see what we could see. Not too far after, Mike and I were the first people in the park to spot a family of black rhinos. Daniel immediately tried to find a back road to get us closer to the rhinos, while at the same time getting on his radio and informing all of the other drivers that the rhinos had been spotted. (The rhinos were located near a type of tree called a sausage tree; therefore, as Daniel was talking on the radio, the only words were understood were "Roger, roger" and "sausage tree." We found it quite amusing...) Within a few minutes, there were at least 4 or 5 other vehicles watching the rhinos.

From here, we headed back out again and saw some giraffe and elephants.

Then, without any notice whatsoever, Daniel quickly turned the van around, turned around and told us "you might want to sit down for this" (as we were standing up and looking around in our pop-up-top van), and then took off like he was Dale Earnhart Junior. We asked what had been spotted, but Daniel remained quiet about the subject. After about 10 minutes driving at top speed on bumpy, dirt roads, we arrived at our goal destination, where at least 7-8 other vehicles were already there (it made us wonder how crazy the park becomes during high season...). And in the near distance? A cheetah. It was amazing. Totally worth the terrifying ride in the back of the van...

Soon after we arrived, the cheetah decided to head on it's way. But, again, Daniel (and the rest of the drivers) followed it's path and we had amazing views.

At one point, the cheetah even took off at full speed to try to catch a small antelope, but had no success. Daniel said this was because the cheetah was young and "an amateur," as the cheetah is much faster than any other animal in the park. While the fastest antelope can run at speeds up to 65kph (that's kilometers per hour), a cheetah can run at speeds of up to 105kph. That is fast..

Following this exciting part of our day, I told Mike that even if we didn't see any other animals for the rest of the day, I would be a happy camper. =) But, much to our luck, we did see many other animals, including elephants, giraffes, hippos, crocodiles (we traveled to the Mara river to see the crocodiles and hippos) and a few other less common animals, including the monitor lizard and a tree hyrax (which, apparently, is a distant relative of the elephant - though you definitely would not know by looking at them!.)

When on safari, there is a group of animals known as the "big five." These are considered the most dangerous and fierce animals in Africa. The big five are composed of: lion, cheetah, rhino, elephant, and cape buffalo (yes, buffalo confuses us as well, but apparently they are much more dangerous than we have been taught to believe). Of the big five, we were able to see four of the animals today. Overall, I'd say it was a very good day!

April 23, 2013 - Masai Mara, Kenya

After two very pleasant days in Lake Naivasha, we headed southwest to begin our three-day adventure in Masai Mara National Reserve. The first half of the journey was very smooth; however, the second half was on a very rough and bumpy road, and I was very grateful when we arrived at our destination for the next three nights, the Mara Bush House. The name pretty much says it all. The house is most definitely in the bush, and quite a downgrade from our previous lodge experience, but has beautiful views (as it is located on a small hill overlooking the entire Mara) and the staff is incredibly friendly.

We are the only guests at the House, as it is currently low season, so we have the run of the entire place. Additionally, they have a few tents outside of the house, with built-in beds, so we may ask if we can sleep in one of the tents for a night, to experience the "real Kenya" (haha, not really...).

We sat out on the lovely terrace for lunch, then had a short nap, and headed back down in to the valley for a visit to a local Maasai village, also known as a manyatta. The Maasai tribe is one of the largest tribes in Kenya, and are the traditional tribesman that people think of when they think of Kenyan warriors. They are recognizable by their bright red cloaks and incredibly colorful outfits. We had to do some bargaining with the chief of the village regarding the "admission donation," but eventually agreed on a price and were led a tour through the manyatta.

During our tour, the young warriors performed a dance/chant for us, as well as performed a jumping competition. Apparently, the warrior who can jump the highest is considered the strongest and will attract the most beautiful woman in the village to be his wife. It seemed an interesting way to show strength, but it was definitely quite impressive how high the warriors could jump.

During this time, we also learned about the right-of-passage for the Maasai warriors. In order for boys to be initiated as warriors, they are required to kill a lion and bring back its mane to the elders of their village. Despite much push from the government and various conservation groups to do away with this tradition, as it poses great threats to the lion population in Kenya, the Maasai still stick to this as essential for becoming a man. The chief did instruct us, however, that the group of initiates is only required to kill a single lion, as opposed to each initiate killing their own lion. I guess that's an improvement...

Next, the women performed a song for us and did more swaying than actual dancing. They had these silver medals attached to their jewelry that made beautiful tinkling sounds as they moved.

We learned a lot about the Maasai women, most of which was incredibly disturbing to myself and to Mike. Essentially, women are seen as property and of little to no value in the Maasai culture except to give birth to male offspring. Men can take as many wives as they choose and, in some Maasai tribes, women can be traded and used among various men within the community, not just their own husbands. Women are "purchased" from their fathers for a price of 10-15 cows. I would like to think that I am worth more than 10-15 cows...

Speaking of cows, however, the Maasai value their cows above all else. Since they don't use paper or coin currency, their wealth status is determined by the number of cows in which they own. Cows are treated as gold, yet never sold. The constant drive is to procure more and more cows. It is an interesting and incredibly foreign concept to us. While one warrior may own hundreds of cows (valued at around US$400 each), they live in huts composed of cow dung and dirt. The huts are small, dark, and quite stinky (from the combined cow dung and internal cooking fires). A hut the size of about 14' by 12' houses parents and children (often up to five children), alongside calves and baby goats/sheep (in their own small rooms within the hut).

Their children may lack clothing or shoes, but the cows are never sold to feed or clothe the family. And any money obtained from working outside the village is immediately converted to purchasing more cows. It is all-consuming.

Overall, the experience was very eye-opening. Mike and I both left feeling incredibly lucky for various reasons. But, as we discussed afterwards, it is a completely different and foreign culture, and incredibly difficult to evaluate from an outsider's perspective.