That is the feeling what I carried from Maasai Mara for many days. The trip was awesome, simply said.
Friday
If I thought the ride to St.Anthony's small home was bumpy...I knew nothing. On Friday we started the journey from Nakuru to Maasai Mara. The drive takes about 5 hours, out of which 2,5 h are 100% bumpy ride. When I say bumpy, I mean that I could feel my intestines tickling my throath during the jumps ;o)
But as I have the skill to sleep where ever, no matter what the circumstances are (my brother keeps saying that he would want to have the sleeping skills I have)..
I was worn out from the work week and felt sleepy. I slept most of the bumpy ride part and felt nice and fresh after that. Sometimes I woke up, being in the middle of the jump. Put my hand back to the handlebar and fell right back asleep.
Sugandha had negotiated a really great deal for us, I have learnt from her great negotiation skills during this trip.This is the best place to practise those skills, as everywhere the price or conditions are negotiable. Sugi's negotiation school ;o)
We stayed in a camp, our huts were partially like a big tent, but inside two proper beds. Bathroom & toilet was solid and over the tent there was a metal roof. Really nice set-up actually.
After the arrival to the camp, we unloaded the bags and jumped back to the car to get more bumpy rides...first game ride was about to start in the Maasai Mara national reserve.
We took photo of each zebra passing by, pretty much every single animal was captured to a photo...the over eagerness of first timers as the locals would say.
The park as such is beautiful and there are plenty of variety of animals.
What bothered me was the amount of safari matatus driving around in queue. It made the first evening's game drive experience feel little like in zoo, but this time the animals were staring at us. Thinking those poor people, who are stuck in those matatus. My team colleagues, who were in the same matatu as I was were laughing during the days, as I was mimicking what the animals would say if they only spoke the same language as us.
The only positive thing about the safari cars is that you can pull the roof up and have nice possibility to take photos. Back to the nature....it is beautiful. Huge area of untouched land, animals walking around knowing that this is their home.
After some hours of game drive and taking photos of every single animal ;o) we drove back to the camp for dinner. The food was really good and it was great to get something else than the hotel dinner buffet. After dinner we sat down on the grass, and enjoyed the evening. In the camp we had 3-4 Maasai warriors guarding from sun set till sun rise. This was the animals home, and the park is not fenced all around. Elephants, leopards and other animals pay their visit at times around the Maasai villages and camp villages. The Maasai warriors sat by the camp fire in the evening.
After having talked and sang enough within our circle...we moved closer to sit by the fire and got to know the Maasai warriors better. I was totally taken by what I learned during our discussions (read more about the Maasai's in its own section below).
At 10 pm the generator was turned off, which meant electrisity disappeared. So, time to go to sleep....we needed the rest for the next day.
During the night I was 100% confident that we were safe from the hyenas and other animals, which were holding up a choir in the night. Namely I had to use the bathroom in the night, and as soon as I had set a toe outside my bed and got up...there were on that same instance 2 flash lights wiping our tent and its back like a lazer beam.
Saturday
At 5.30 am wake up call...cold cement floor greeting me, once I found my way out from the blue mosquito net. The day had started and despite only some hours sleep, thanks to the hyenas and their choir practice in the night...I was ready to get out there.
The air was fresh and crisp still...but that would change soon. The difference of the temperature between night and day is amazingly high actually. I had not realized that till Maasai Mara camp nights. During the nights the temperature goes at this time of the year near zero.
When we arrived at the park, there were less matatus...yeiii! It felt now more like a safari drive. Being still rather new to the game drive and the Kenyan animals...we still took quite a load of photos of the zebras, buffaloes, wildebeest, antelopes, gazelles, elephants, giraffes etc.
The wildebeest had migrated from Tanzania, Serengeti, back to Kenya to Maasai Mara. Their migration moves take place 4 times a year. Most of those are in the area of Serengeti.
We were taught that wildebeest itself is rather simple animal and believe me, that is how they look. Their coloring and shape of head gave me the feeling that they were thinking "duhhhh" all the time ;o)
So, though the wildebeest make the migration event so massive...about 2,5 million of them , they are not the ones triggering it. Wildebeest and zebras are "hanging out" together. Zebras are the ones triggering the moves, wildebeest just follow....in masses.
The migration is of course delicacy time for crocodiles, lions and hyenas.
We went later on during the day to the Tanzanian side of the park and saw some dead wildebeest or remaining parts of them in the river or river banks. The crocodiles on the riverbank looked even still quite well fed.
The drive during that day was great...we covered a big area and saw a lot. From 7 am till 4 pm we drove around the park. After coming back we continued straight to visit the Maasai village, where the camp night guards were living. They performed us some of the dances, the traditional Maasai jumps. The son of the chief, who has been selected to be the next chief showed us around the village and told more about them and their life.
After the visit we were definitely ready for shower and dinner. Driving the full day around the park made sure that we were all covered with dust.
After dinner time to sit by the camp fire and relax. We were talking, dancing and having a good laugh. At times it was nice just to lay on the grass and stair at the stars.
Sunday
Another early morning...I think I have forgotten already how it feels like to sleep in ;o)
We left by 6.30 and got to the park the minute it opened. The whole park felt like it was still sleeping and it was chilly as well. Sun wasn't up yet...but it was starting to peek behind the hills. We drove around and saw the familiar animals...some about to start their day, some about to find a good resting place for the day. The amount of pictures taken had decreased tremendously since yesterdays game drive.
Our guides knew the park very well...and we got lucky, we saw a lion herd with 7 lionesses and 2 lions. It was amazing! One of the lions was grey haired, very senior and one was younger one. When we showed the photos to the Maasais, they said that those seemed huge from size compared to the common size of the lions in the area.
The moves of the lions were definitely giving out their grace. It did not take more than to watch them move to understand the power they have.
They had just finished eating their prey and were walking to find a resting place for the day. We followed them for a while, until they found a place to sleep. On the way, they came across a herd of bulls (with lot of young bulls in the group). The old bulls made a barrier as soon as they noticed the lions, started running and chased them away.
After that weekend I can gladly say, BIG FIVE is definitely seen and captured in photos.
Good way to close the last weekend in Kenya. After the morning game drive time for breakfast, pack and have a long jumpy ride back to Nakuru.
The final week ahead and the last push to get the final report done and present our findings.
Maasai
Maasais are probably the best known of the Kenyan tribes. They have the reputation of fearless warriors, who do not fear lion, nor white people with their guns. Maasais were pretty much the only tribe in Kenya, who did not end up as slaves.
Their daily rhythm of life still today follows the same pattern like centuries ago...herding the cattle to areas, where there is grass and securing the water for the daily consumption.
Maasai are clearly different from the average Kenyan profile; thin and tall. They walk in the nature, up the hills...with grace and zero drop of sweat.
Their cattle has such a high importance in their life...the young cows get to sleep inside the clay huts. Also when getting married, the traditional marriage arrangement is that future husband needs to pay certain amount of cows to the family of the girl, who has been agreed to marry the Maasai male.
Instead of asking how the other Maasai is, the more common greeting is: Is your cattle well? Bit like in Singapore one asks: have you eaten yet?, instead of asking "how are you?". Greeting shows in different countries what is the driving value of that culture.
The modern variation is to the marriage deal, in case the young Maasais male does not have cows, he will trade his sister. The village and family, where he or his parents find the wife candidate, will get his sister as wife to one of the son's of the family in exchange.
Maasais are incredibly tightly bond with the nature as well. They have an old belief, which explains little bit the bond to cattle and nature; God of the sky, Enkai, was once one with the earth. The day that earth and sky was separated, Enkai was forced to send all the world's cattle into safekeeping of the Maasai.
The western explorers came to learn the fearlessness of the Maasai and their fighting skills very early. Henry Stanley wrote; "take a thousand men with you, or write your will".
Maasais live mainly from milk and to certain extent from meat.If times get tough its milk and cow blood mixed. That mix is drank even when its 5 days old. I learned from my brother, who to my surprise knows quite a bit about the Maasais, the Maasai warriors don't eat during the day. While running their belief is to eat the wind.
The village where we visited had about 120 people, the adult men of the village had all the same grand-father. Wives are searched from far away villages. The neighboring villages are often related to each other.
The son of the chief showed around and we got to visit the clay huts.
The current chief has 6 wives and from his sons he has selected the one, whom he believes to be the best one to lead people after him. If I recall correctly, the chief's son had roughly 24 siblings. He had 2 watches, one in each arm. They were presents from western friends. He also used a mobile phone. We saw a kiosk not far, which sold services to charge the mobile phones. Must be a hit in that area, since hardly anyone has electricity there.
In the Maasai culture women work hard; they build the clay huts, care for children, go every day and collect the wood from the hills. Help to herd the cattle, cook, etc. To me looked like women had most of the tasks to do. They also do necklaces and other items, which can be sold to tourists or sent for selling in the shops.
Young Maasai men "go to bush", this is a time when the according to old traditions would leave their village for 5 years and stay in the nature, alone. They would get a wiser, senior Maasai to accompany for teaching about herbal medicine, about animals, nature. But the main purpose is for them mentally grow to become a warrior. You can recognize the younger Maasai men from their long hair. After returning from the bush, and after having killed a lion, their hair is shaved and they keep a short hair / bold from there onwards. The Maasai cannot return from the bush till he has killed a lion and showed his warrior skills / strength.
The Maasai are amazingly unaware of the modern life. Had nice discussions with our night guards and they asked if I also live in a clay hut and how many cows do I have. For them the idea to have a wooden house, fully equipped with electricity was a weird concept.
When we talked, I felt like there would be the past I don't know and the future they are not aware of talking to each other. It was mind opening to realize that year 2011 means to some people exactly the same thing, what it was 300 - 500 years ago. By no means do I think I would be more fortunate. At times during our discussions I thought that having some of it back, what used to be, would be rather healthy for the modern world. In Finland one is very tightly one with the nature but that is not a common thing to each country. Also the concept of time, would not hurt if the it wasn't a constant race but one would have the day...and at times, there would be time to sit down, and do nothing for a while. Pole pole (slow) like one keeps saying in Swahili a lot. At least I have been hearing the expression from day 1 repeatedly. Pole pole ;o)
No comments:
Post a Comment