To Kenya - Maasai Mara

Maasai Mara, Kenya  -  3 July
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The day began early so that we could meet our guide and drive from Nairobi to the Maasai Mara. We were scheduled to leave at 7:30am, so we set alarms for 6am.

We wantted to say good bye to some of our party who were leaving, but we missed a couple people, J and J who were traveling straight back to the U.S. yesterday. P and her family we saw and said goodbye to, the 3 others we thanked for dinner and said goodbye to on Saturday night at the Ethoipian restaurant.

We met our guide at 7:30 and drove out the rift valley, the same way as the previous monday on the way to Kisumu, past the escarpment, and satellite listening station. Francis, our guide, told us how the Maasai owned alot of land and had sold some to people on the way into the Mara. He talked aboiut how the Maasai are one of the only tribes in Kenya to retain so much of their culture, not integrating into the mainstream and losing it.

Other than stopping for expensive water in place of even more expensive hotel water, and one bathroom break we drove nice, then bumpy roads to the lodge. The Sopa lodge is inside the gates of the park, but technically outside of it.

We took lunch then went out again for the typical 4pm game drive. It was typical for the guides, but entirely new for us, of course. The top of the minivan popped up so that I could almost stand, and everyone else could easily.

By the time we had returned, we had seen at least 10 lions, hundreds of wildebeasts, many water buffalo,  many birds, and over 20 elephants in the gloom of falling night. And only one elephant had almost charged us.

To say that it was really cool is an understatement!

We reached the lodge and went straight to the lobby for some refreshment. The kids got non-alcoholic drinks (Dik-Dik for Ksh-300). Then we had dinner, which looked alot like lunch, with all kinds of food on a buffet. I chose the Indian food again, plus a spare rib and some wacky pastries that looked like chocolate but weren't. The best dessert was the cheese and crackers with fruit.