Step into the animal world of the Masai Mara savannah
-- Fun in Kenya II
Written by Sijia Zheng
If the two trips to Amboseli were the emotion of Mount Kilimanjaro, then when you go to the Masai Mara savannah, you can truly appreciate the reputation of the "animal kingdom". Covering an area of 1,510 square kilometres, the Masai Mara is home to the most wildlife in the world. Although most of the tourists go for the annual "Great Animal Migration". But let's be honest, the great migration of animals is very difficult to see, firstly, the time and place of the migration are uncertain, and secondly, with the number of wild animals decreasing, it is difficult to see such thrilling scenes as on the Discovery Channel! I have been to the Masai Mara National Reserve twice, the first time on December 30, 2011, when my family had a very memorable New Year with the animals on the grasslands.
The Maraise were farther from the capital than Amboseli, and they had to get up earlier, but their sleepiness was washed away by their joy. The sky is getting brighter, and the scenery on the roadside is brighter. It was as if the whole land, except for the road ahead, was splashed with green watercolor. The low hills are undulating, and herds of cattle and sheep loom in the green grass, which is completely the scene of "cows and sheep in the wind blowing grass". The tea plantation on the slope of the mountain, looking from a distance, the dazzling green seems to drip down when you touch it with your fingers. Occasionally, you'll pass through a patchwork of small towns, with thatched huts contrasting with small candy-painted shops. Of course, there are also small houses with African characteristics, and these small houses "cloaked" with giraffes and zebra patterns are particularly cute. Each landscape is an incomparable painting, without paint, with only the purest colors of nature.
We weren't told we were going through the Great Rift Valley as we set off, but as we drove down the narrow road halfway up the mountainside, we were stunned by the splendid sight before us. In the towering mountains, a long hole is drawn alive, and the beauty is terrifying!
It's hard to imagine what the Great Rift Valley would look like like this, I thought it must be a lifeless ravines left by the flow of magma millions of years ago, but the endless green in front of me made me feel the power of nature! Dense primeval forests cover the peaks, and the slopes are filled with unspeakable flowers. In the swaddling clothes of the mountains are vast grasslands, and deep in the grasslands there are faintly glittering lakes. The big white clouds pressed very low, and the sunlight shone through the cracks in the clouds on this magical land.
Because the Great Rift Valley splits Kenya in half vertically and crosses the equator that crosses the country, Kenya has earned it an interesting title: "The East African Cross."
After turning the winding road, we started to drive towards the bottom of the rift valley. Our car was like a fluttering feather, fluttering through the mountains and grasslands. There will be scattered Maasai villages, cattle and sheep, and children playing along the road. When they saw our car speeding by, they would run and wave to us.
Soon, the beautiful huge curtain in front of us was draped, and what awaited us was the endless "washboard road" like hell! Our driver jokingly called it "massage". Driving on the stones scattered all over the ground, every part of the car was shaking, and every cell in my body was shaking back and forth, and my head hit the car I don't know how many times, and I didn't even have a single tooth. The vast "sea of stones" does not know when it will end. Twilight is approaching, where is the Masai Mara?
At around 4:00 p.m., we finally arrived at our camp, Fig Tree Camp. When the car drove into the large iron gate, you could see fig trees planted on both sides. Although both Mada Hotel campsites, Fig Tree Camp is very different from the Kilima Camp we stayed at in Amberseli last year. Compared with the open and bright Kilima Camp, Fig Tree Camp has a more "Chinese-style" and "winding path" charm. Countless vines intertwined with each other, forming a large "heavenly dome", and the sunlight could only jump on the stone pavement through those narrow gaps. Every once in a short distance there is a red brick stone platform, and above the stone platform is the skull of the African wild buffalo, these guys are especially scary in the dim light at night!
Although Christmas has passed, there is still a strong Christmas atmosphere here. The waiters wore Santa hats, the ceiling in the hall was covered with stars and ribbons, the dining room was lined with a Christmas tree wrapped in lights, and a huge "Merry Christmas" was hung on the wall.
When I saw the food, all I could say was that it was a branch of the Mada Hotel, almost exactly like the one at Kilima Camp! In the morning, there will be freshly made omelette, croissants, baguettes, grilled sausages, bacon slices, juices, oatmeal, ...... It's the same for lunch and dinner. The only thing that's a little new is the dim sum, but it's not as delicious as Kilima Camp.
If Kilima Camp is "built by the mountains", then Fig Tree Camp is "built by the water". The Talek River crosses the entire camp and flows deep into the steppe. Our restaurant and house felt as if they were hanging over the river. The trees by the river are filled with a myriad of small birds of stunning beauty, purple, yellow, and red. And, of course, the cute little monkeys, who are not afraid of people at all, swaggering past the balcony outside the restaurant.
The small houses in the camp were tightly blocked by vines that "obscured the sky and the sun". The hay-covered roof and wooden house are the most characteristic of African cottages. The walls of the house are painted in the shape of giraffes, and the bedside lamps are painted with Maasai villains. We dropped off our bags and it was time for the first day of Game Driving!
There is a saying in Kenya's "dabbling community" (haha, my name) that people who can see "lions and leopards" are lucky people. Although we didn't see lions or leopards in Amberseli National Park last time, we had the opportunity to see "Mount Kilimanjaro" three times, which is already a blessing from God. Whether we can open the door to luck on the occasion of the New Year this time, let's wait and see!
As soon as the car drove out of the camp gate, we saw a large number of cars gathered not far away, and the driver was alert to tell us that there was something there. When I got closer, I saw a pair of lions, who seemed to have just finished a good meal and were resting there. Little by little, our car got closer to them, and they were awakened by the sound of the car's engine, looked up, and then fell asleep again. We're really close to them, but they don't seem to be interested in us humans sitting in weird big things. Everyone held their breath for fear of disturbing them. It's really scary! Especially that male lion, full of aura! Having photographed enough lions, our car drove down the Talek River, where a few hippos with big heads and small eyes occasionally surfaced. The most common thing I saw along the way was the "little dessert of the beasts" - impala, not only in the zoo, but also on the side of the road. We didn't go very far, and it was already dark. When we happened to turn back on the way back, we were stunned by the intoxicating scenery behind us! On the horizon where the prairie meets the sky, a fiery red sun is "burning", like magma erupting from a volcanic crater, melting your heart and melting your eyes.
The next morning's game driving was also full of surprises. As soon as the car went out, I met a coyote walking towards a group of impalas. It always feels like the guys who are always evil characters in these cartoons seem to have done something unseemly, hunched over their backs, and walked by in a gray way. Not far away, there is a herd of elephants, which are very different from the elephants of Amberseli, small and dark. There is also a family of buffalo around the elephant herd, don't look at their appearance, they are quite concerned about their own image, and every day they comb their delicate parted hair, and the ends of their hair are slightly upturned. A pair of leopard brothers, the absolute protagonists of today! The two of them walked leisurely on the small dirt road, looking to the left and looking to the right. Our cars were in hot pursuit, and it seemed like a silent race, with each driver trying to find the best vantage point for his tourists. The twins stopped under an acacia tree, and they climbed a small dirt slope. More than a dozen vehicles immediately came from all directions to outflank them. The shutter sounds, the flash never stops, from digital cameras to DSLRs with long lenses! Seeing this, one of the leopards got off the dirt bag and walked to another towering dirt bag on the opposite side. He squatted down and was about to "pull the poop", when some cars immediately surrounded him, and he brewed there, brewed, and waited for a few minutes, and then gave up completely. Whether they were embarrassed or scared back, I don't know, but I just felt ridiculous and "felt sorry" for them.
If you want to say that you have never seen or heard of an animal, it is a wildebeest, ugly on a par with a wildebeest! It's like a newborn baby with a cyan birthmark on its buttocks.
On the second day of the Masai Mara, we arrived in the village of Maasai not far from the camp. Almost all visitors to Kenya are sure to visit this ancient and legendary tribe. In terms of size and political status, the Maasai are nothing to be mentioned among Kenya's 42 tribes. But why are the Maasai so famous? This is because, to date, only the Maasai have preserved their living customs and cultural traditions intact. They are the "living fossils" of African tribal cultures.
In less than ten minutes of driving, you will see a village the size of a football field surrounded by dry tree branches. The elders stood at the entrance of the village dressed in light pink sheets to greet us. The young warriors and boys, dressed in typical Maasai costume with a red checkered background, could not contain their enthusiasm and were ready to "dance"! They came out in a line and in a low voice, and then the girls and women came out dressed in all kinds of floral cloths and singing. It is difficult to tell who is male and who is female if it were not for clothes and voices, all Maasai are bald. The beaded accessories they wear are a symbol of their age and status. Like women, you can tell if they are married or unmarried by the necklaces they wear. The male dancers came to us singing and singing, and they surrounded me and my mother in the middle, and their bodies and necks were "buzzing" one after the other, and it was really uncomfortable to get closer and closer to us.
After enjoying the dance, we followed the elder into the village. Coming up is the boys' "High Jump" competition. It's a competition, but it's actually a showcase in dance, because the higher you dance, the more attention the girls will gravitate. They stand in a semicircle and then jump out one by one. The men of Marseille are natural "jumpers", with their legs together and the ability to jump more than a metre high with just a slight leap. Because of their extremely strong jumping ability, they are also known as the "flying people".
Next, we visited the "little thatched houses" of the Maasai people. These small boxy houses of about 10 square meters were built with a mixture of earth, hay and cow dung. The door to the small house was so low that even a man of my size had to go in with his back hunched. It was even darker inside, and it took a long time for my eyes to get used to the light inside. William, the owner of the house, said that the hole on the left hand side of the door was for newborn calves, and the stone stove in the middle was a place for cooking and eating. The "earthen platform" on the left side of the stove (that is, a small flat land) is where the children sleep, and the "earthen platform" on the right side of the stove behind him is where the parents sleep. The cowhide on the "bed" is their mattress, and a piece of cloth is their quilt. The room was empty, not a single piece of furniture, not a single vessel. The only thing that is "modernized" is a kerosene lamp. The room had no windows, only two small thumb-sized holes in the wall.
Leaving the cottage, we were invited to the handicraft market outside the village. I've been chatting with William, but the conversation has always revolved around the "feminist" issue of Maasai women. In ancient times, there was a clear division of labor between men and women, with men hunting and defending the clan from other tribes, while women were responsible for all household chores. With the change of times, hunting and warfare no longer exist, but women still have to build houses, cook, carry water, and watch children...... The men were not trying to help them, but were proud to be able to command the women to do this and that. I'm really upset for these women.
Here, girls are not disliked by their parents, in a sense, they are "tools to make money". The marriage of a girl would bring a considerable income to the family, ranging from a few cattle to hundreds of cattle and sheep. Of course, nowadays, in addition to livestock, the man's family also needs to give tens of thousands of shillings. Therefore, many families use the money from marrying their daughters to help their sons marry their daughters-in-law. Marseille has always used the number of cattle to measure the value of girls. They also told me that "I'm worth 11 cows", so it's not worth much! African men really still like women who can do all the housework.
Although my fellow traveler, Peter, told me that the Maasai were unwilling to compromise with modern civilization, I was still concerned about the fate of this ancient tribe. Although the Maasai can make a lot of money from tourism, which is out of step with today's society, is money really useful to this tribe living in the savannah? I don't think the living conditions of these people who depend on the "sky" for food will change. Are they really so attached to their traditional customs as the locals say they are? I don't know. The reality is that more and more young people are going to the city to go to college, work, and get married. The Maasai are disappearing! The Maasai civilization is disappearing! Tribal culture is disappearing!
The word safari in the dictionary means to refer specifically to sightseeing tours around East Africa to see wildlife. Although it is "safari", it is also "tourism". Safari also has its contraindications. One of them is "Only leave your footstep". Of course, footstep can't be kept, and it's just good memories.
It's like visiting the pyramids of Egypt, no matter how beautiful the collection for the pharaoh's funeral is, you can't take one of them, and this savannah that has been inhabited by living beings for generations is also "sacred". As tourists, we are just passers-by.
Another unwritten rule is that "you should never get off the bus in the protected area". I've been "willful" a few times in this regard. When Amberseli passed through the foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro, I wanted to pick up a volcanic rock as a souvenir, and the kind driver got out of the car to pick it up for me. This time I also wanted to get out of the car, because the car drove next to a few giraffes, and we were really close to them, and I really wanted to get out of the car and take a picture with them, but the driver refused to agree. I also retorted that there were no lions and leopards around here. Later I realized how naïve I was. The lion lying in the grass is not visible at all.
Perhaps, God saw that I wanted to get out of the car so "sincerely", so he "kindly" rewarded me with two chances. When I was really "forced" to get out of the car, I felt that my life was no longer in my hands, and it was up to me whether I would become a "snack" (dessert) of the beast or survive. Because of the rain a few days ago, many parts of the reserve have become mud pools. We got stuck on our first game driving trip, and it just so happened that this was the place where we saw the lion when we came. But there was no way, we had to get out of the car and figure out a way. We try to stand as close to the car as possible, and everyone faces in one direction. Thanks to the quick arrival of the ambulance, we didn't stay there for long. An old American man poked his head out of the sunroof of his car and said, "Be careful, the lions are hungry!" The lions are hungry). Dad jokingly replied, "We are also hungry." They dragged our car out of the mud puddle with large chains. When we went back, the driver told us about tomorrow's plans and said that we would go to the picnic (picnic) on the grassland at noon. I also suspected that my ear had heard it wrong, so I asked him, "How comes if the wild animals want to take a picnic with us?" (What if the animals want to have a picnic with us, too?) The driver grinned.
Perhaps it was because of this experience that when we encountered other cars in trouble, we also staged a "heroic rescue of beauty" that was "singing and crying". We went to game driving that day and also met a car that had been trapped. Although we were only twenty or thirty meters away, our car could not go in a straight line to rescue them because there was a deep mud pool between our two cars. So the driver had to drive around, and whenever we found a way to get to the hill, we found that there was still a big mud pool between the two hills, so we had to find another way, and in this way, after about two hours, I don't know how many miles we walked, we finally came to their hill. From afar, we saw tourists standing under the car waving to us (meaning to ask for help). It was two French families who were very grateful to us for giving up our "game driving" to rescue them.
The climax of this trip is to welcome the "New Year" on the prairie. In fact, when I think about it in China, New Year's Day has never been regarded as a holiday, but this time it is completely different. It's so exciting to think about it, we're going to celebrate the New Year with cute wild animals! The hotel held a "Midnight New Year's Party". After dinner, we decided to go back to the house for a short sleep before coming back. While we were sleeping, it was raining heavily. However, at 11 o'clock, the rain basically stopped. I was finally pulled out of bed by my mother. The cool air outside dispelled all sleepiness. As you walk on the small stone path, you can hear music in the distance.
Perhaps because of the rain, some tourists were also drenched, mainly by the hotel staff. We also joined in and danced along with them. After a while, two chefs came out carrying a large cake. The DJ said that the first prize guess of the night was to guess the weight of the cake. I checked it visually, it was about 6kg, my mother said 5kg, and my dad said it was 12kg, because this year is 2012. Other tourists also reported their guesses. Immediately, the lights went out, the countdown to the New Year's bell began, we counted down together, and then at zero o'clock everyone went to "burst" the balloons hanging on the trees, and all the people, who knew and didn't know, were hugging each other, shaking hands, and saying "Happy New Year". Then, it's the most exciting time of the night! The DJ has to reveal the answer to the first prize, the weight of the cake. It is 12 kg!! Dad took the prize and held it up happily and proudly, and the tourists came to applaud and celebrate. The first second of the new year "hit the jackpot", it seems that this year will be "full of surprises".
Next, it's time to cut the cake! I never eat sweets at night, and I also broke my vows. On the way back to my room with the prize, I kept shaking it to get a feel for what was inside. When I went back, I opened it, and sure enough, as I guessed on the road, it was a bottle of wine (Italian white wine).
Although it was already 2:00 at night, I was not sleepy at all, and I was excited and moved and happy, and this New Year was really good!
Our second trip to the Maasai Mara went to the Mara River, known as the "Crossing of Heaven"! While having a picnic on the riverside, I accidentally spotted brightly colored lizards. However, I have always been afraid of eating, and there are always brave little monkeys who come to grab food. Nearby, where Kenya and Tanzania meet, a broken stone monument has been erected. Two letters "K" and "T" are engraved side by side, representing Kenya and Tanzania.
The people in the village of Marseille who went this time were not very friendly and always wanted to ask for money. When my mother took pictures of me, many women came to take pictures with me, and they asked for money when they were done. I felt very helpless at the time, you asked for a photo with me, you should give me money! There was also a mother with a child with a face full of flies on her back pestering us to sell her child to us. However, I was pleasantly surprised to see for the first time in the meadow at the back of the village how a little calf was born from its mother's womb! It's really amazing! When this little cute thing was first born, he couldn't even stand, and he fell several times tremblingly, and as soon as he could walk steadily, he ran to feed. I was just as curious about a cute puppy. This puppy is much more daring than I am. I don't think Mother Niu likes people watching the excitement there, and she keeps looking at us with fierce eyes, so she stands far away with great interest. The puppy ran to them and watched intently, and found that the calf went to feed, and it also ran over and was pushed out by the cow's mother!
After seeing the hippos and crocodiles from the Mara River, we drove back to Lodge Sentrim. In the evening, it was slightly cool, and taking advantage of the last bit of sunshine, I jumped into the pool that belonged to me alone in the camp. The crisp sound of cowbells was heard in my ears, and the sky was a pale pink sunset. The happiest time is to sit by the campfire with a glass of hot milk in your hand, watching the moon and stars over the grassland.