Safari at Amboseli National Park

On Wednesday, August 5th, our Safari guide Moses picked us up at Pat's house at 8am to begin our long trek through, what we were told, "bad roads" to get to Amboseli. We were amped and prepared but man, they were not lying about bad roads....Jessie almost passed out on the way for fear of the van tipping over and the excessive amounts of dust that billowed in through the cracks on the bottom of the vehicle. As we drove it was interesting to see the change in scenery the futher we got from Nairobi. The villages became more scattered and smaller (though none less interesting). There were many more Masaai people herding on the very dry land and the savannah we were driving into was beautiful. We saw our first zebra and we kenw it was on. It was an interesting ride and we arrived safely. Moses loved that we were Americans because he was sure we were very rich and would tip him well...he told us that quite a few times along the 5 hour ride!

We checked into our beautiful hotel, Serena Lodge, and were greeted with warm hand and face towels and a glass of fresh OJ. The grounds at the hotel were amazing...a fence seperated the lush green tourist ammenitites from the dry land with many animals grazing just 5 feet from us. The room had great details with beaded lampshades and beautiful bright Masaai colors everywhere. The numerous monkeys running around the hotel was something we just couldn't get over! (We later blamed one for taking Mer's cookie while we were sitting outside reading one afternoon).

On our first game drive that afternoon we saw lots of animals: elephants, wildebeasts, zebras, hyenas, gazelles, buffalo, tons of birds, and much more. Because of the three year drought, the savanna is dangerously dry with one big lake completely dried up, leaving only a couple small lakes, more accurately described as marshes. Sadly, this is having a hugely visible impact on the animals. They appear more dejected or weak than one might think (Moses, our guide, agreed) and the amount of dead zebras was alarming. Many carcuses litter the land, not from animal kills, but from starvation. It makes us see "global warming" in a much different way now. Despite this, there were literally hundreds of animals roaming about, and we kept pinching ourselves to see if we were, in fact, experiencing this very personal safari. It was just the two of us in our vehicle, standing up out of the roof, watching the sun set in the west and reflect pink light on Mt. Kilimanjaro just to the south. That evening was among the most beautiful sunsets either of us had ever seen.

We headed back to the hotel after our two hour game drive for a great buffet dinner that was part of our package and some card playing and drinks. It was such a great atmosphere in which to chill out and reflect. One thing we both found a bit odd, however, was the 4 or 5 Masaai men that Serena Lodge had hired to stand around and talk with the guests. We get it...it's a nice opportunity for guests to talk with people rather than just stare at them out their windows, but in some ways it exacerbated the feeling that Masaai people were "things" to look at and be studied. We did chat with quite a few of the guys and by the end of our 3 day stay we enjoyed talking with one in particular. It just felt odd at first. Of course, Mer had no qualms about asking whether or not strethcing the lobe of the ear hurt (which, of course, they said it did), at what age different cuttings were done (multiple ages...coming of age rituals which begin around age 8), the signifigance of the different bright colors, and whether or not men still had to kill lions in their late teens (yes...two of the men had killed lions with spears and hands, while others had not because the government offers compensation to tribes when a young man comes of age to not kill a lion).

On Thursday the 6th, we were up at the crackof dawn to embark on one of the best mornings of our lives. W were picked up by a different safari vehicle at 5am to go for a hot air balloon ride. We went off-roading into the darkness of the savannah, dodging shurbs as they entered the headlights. It is very cool to be driving around before the sun comes up but also a bit scary too!

We arrived to the take off spot where we met our pilot, Riz, a third generation Kenyan of Indian descent, and the 7 other passengers...those balloon baskets are big! We were amazed as we watched the balloon blow up and apprecieated the warmth of the fire going into the baloon...it's cold in Kenya at this time of year! (maybe 58 degrees at that hour). Guys from the Masaai tribe all work for the company and they thought Jessie, and her fear of heights as she prepared to get in a hot air balloon, was cute. Up and away we went, and it was cool as hell. Just lifting upwards in complete silence (except for Jessie's "oh my god, oh my god") was amazing. The sun was just about up...we were rising moments before it.

We lifted into the clouds, looked around for some CareBears but didn't see any, and 15 seconds after rising above the clouds, we looked East to see the orange sun slowly rising. It was truly the most amazing sight we'd ever seen. We turned around to see the peak of Mt Kilimanjaro...a peak that many don't ever get to see while there because the clouds are so heavy and always present. It was breathtaking and awe-inspiring....an experience we will not forget for a lifetime. We were "in flight" for prob 45 minutes before we had a smooth landing (though pretty close to landing on a "manyatta" (Masaai village). About 10 kids came running up to the balloon and it was cute to see their giggles and fascination.

We then hopped in vehicles to drive us to where we would go for an awesome "champagne breakfast". The drive was as bumpy and dusty as ever but AMAZING...we encountered giraffe and elephants (and of course the many zebra and gazelles) up close and personal. Since we were not on roads, we would just come across the animals eating and the driver pulled right up next to them! (which was cool but scary as I don't know what to be that close to a momma elephant and her baby...). The bacon and eggs and champagne in the middle of the savannah was awesome and we felt like the luckiest people in the world.

We then had the whole late morning and afternoon to relax and read before another game drive at 4pm. We enjoyed the great hotel and on our afternoon drive, saw many hippos chillin out...those things have HUGE mouths! Moses, our driver, who was such a character, was all about trying to get us to spend money, and just HAD to show us another resort where we might stay "the next time we came". Ha...it was really pretty though.

THat night we had a "bush bbq" back at the lodge. We were served many skewers of meat and enjoyed the candle lit tables set up down the hill and in the savannah. They monkey's down there wanted food too...a woman at the table next to us shrieked as one tried to join her for dinner before one of the employees could chase it away...very funny! The BBQ concluded with a traditional Masaai dance, one that is performed at weddings. It was quite interesting...lots of jumping...you'll have to see the video of that! (um....we forgot the camera cord that enables us to upload pics and video at home...you'll get flooded with them all when we get home...sorry bout that!). That night, we also had a great convo with a security guard named Phillip. We were the last ones up at the place, just playing cards and hanging out, so we got to have a nice chat with him. He told us about the difficulty of being Masaai and living in modern Kenya, his dreams of being a marathon runner, the challenge of saving money to buy 5 more cows so that he can offer 10 to the father of his future bride, and many other things. It was a great chat, and we felt lucky to have met him.

The last day we had a relaxing morning, one last game drive, and the 5 hour trip back to Nairobi. Pat greeted us and we told her how nice it was to come "home" and how grateful we were to have her home as our home base. We had a nice homecooked meal, unpacked and repacked, and went to sleep, ready for our next journey which would start at 9am the next morning.

Our time at the computer is up now...we are behind on our blogs but plan to catch up as soon as we have more internet time. We are keeping notes and will be sure to provide more reflections later. We are in the western part of Kenya now, in Kisumu, getting ready to head to Kogelo, Obama's father's village. More updates coming! We are loving Kenya!
(no time to proofread...sorry bout the errors!)
PEACE