Adventures in the Masai Mara

Last night we returned from a wonderful weekend in the Masai Mara! After reviewing my pictures tonight, I am still amazed about all we were able to see in just three short days.

We left the hotel 11AM Friday morning with our safari guide, Sammy, for the long drive from Machakos to the Masai Mara. While the road from Machakos to Nairobi was relatively painless, the conditions became a little more complicated as we got closer to the Masai Mara; let's just say I have a whole new appreciation for paved roads. The last two hours of the seven hour drive were spend avoiding potholes, and the rain did not make the drive any easier. However, we arrived safely at the campsite, and enjoyed a wonderful meal cooked by our safari guides and a much-needed beer by the campfire. Below is a picture of our van (our group of 13 split into two different vans) with our guide Sammy.

The next morning we were up bright and early for a twelve hour day of game hunting; it was an amazing day. We saw every animal I could have hoped to see (and more!). Although the whole day was wonderful, my favorite moment was when our van was next to a herd of elephants ten feet to our right, and a pack of lions ten feet to our left. However, I also enjoyed when a monkey jumped on Camy and stole a banana right out out of her backpack! I took over 200 pictures, and have included a highlight of my favorites below.

      

             

On Sunday, we did two more hours of game hunting and then went to visit a Masai village before heading back to Machakos. We experienced a traditional Masai welcome dance, were given a tour of the village, and were able to explore one of the Masai huts. Following the tour, we were given the opportunity to buy some of the handmade Masai items, and I may have allowed myself to be talked into at least one or two more souvenirs than I planned on buying :) Below are some pictures from our visit of the Masai village.

Masai before the traditional welcome dance.

Camy and I inside a Masai hut

Me with some of the children of the village

Following the Masai village, we headed home to Machakos, where we were all able to enjoy a long-awaited hot shower. No rest for the weary though; we were up this morning at 4:45AM for a full day of meetings in Nairobi. It was a productive day, and now we have a lot of information to organize and analyze to begin our recommendations.  We hope to accomplish a lot this week so that we are able to present a mid-term report to the client early next week.