Jambo from Masai Mara

After spending three great days in Nairobi, we flew out to the Masai Mara for a three day safari excursion. As our Air Kenya flight glided over the scenic Mara we were treated to herds of elephants, giraffes, zebras and gazelles! This was just a hint of what the next three days had in store for us. We stayed at the Serena Lodge, which is tucked away on a hillside overlooking the Masai Mara. The property perfectly blends into its environment and you would hardly notice it if you didn’t know it was there. It was lovely. Every room had wonderful views of the Mara and in the lot below the hotel we had daily visits from elephants, buffalo, a lion, giraffes, baboons and a hippo, not to mention the fantastic variety of birds. Our game ride guide for the three days was a sweet, funny and knowledgeable man named Julius. The four of us, along with another really fun couple from France, piled into the green safari jeep and took off for our first two-hour game ride. We had incredible luck on our first day out and all four of us were thrilled by the experience! Over the course of the six game rides we took, we observed cheetahs with their cubs, male and female lions with their cubs, hippos, crocodiles (huge!), elephants, giraffes, zebras, topis, warthogs, jackals, buffalos, gazelles, ostriches (the Masai Mara breed are massive), eagles, vultures, hyenas and cute little hyrax. Spotting the animals is one experience, but to sit in the open jeep and observe sixteen lions just twenty feet away from you, is quite another. To hear the sound a baby cub makes when it’s nuzzling its mommas face is remarkable. The zebras use big rocks as scratching posts and it’s pretty comical to watch. A lone buffalo was making a mess out of himself while he cooled off in a giant mud puddle – he almost seemed embarrassed when he saw us watching him. The male ostrich’s body slam each other as they try to get attention from the female! Two baby cheetah cubs sat patiently on a termite hill, anxiously awaiting the return of their momma as she stalked off for her morning hunt. As hippos emerge from the water, they twirl their ears to clear the water and blow water out of their noses with great force. Giraffes are pristine, graceful and perfectly silent. An entire herd of topis bowed their heads rhythmically, like a Japanese salutation, as we drove away from them. The entire jeep cracked up hysterically. The 6:30 am rides were so serene. The air is clean and sweet, the sunrise is breathtaking, the bird songs are delightful and the animals are ready for another day of survival. Every hour was a new adventure.

Here’s a good story. On our second day, Madeline decided to take a nap after our morning ride, while Matt, Alex and I went to the pool. As we were sitting at the pool, Matt happened to notice a very large (at least my size, with a much bigger butt!) baboon hopping up onto the hotel room decks, looking for an open door. As he approached our room, he hopped over the deck railing and disappeared! We had left our sliding door open – and Madeline was sleeping in the room next to us with the adjoining room door open! Everyone began yelling and running to the room and as the staff opened our door, the baboon was scared off and jumped out the sliding door! Madeline slept through the whole event (luckily). The baboon had just enough time to pull my carry on bag down from the desk and find a pack of gum that he apparently planned to chew!

On our first day we met three lovely men, Adam, Phil and Nawaz from BBC news based in Nairobi. They were in the Masai Mara doing a story on the effects of tourism after the post-election violence. They asked us if they could film us on our afternoon game ride and we agreed. We shared some beers and laughs with them later that night by the fire and we really enjoyed their company. We’ll keep you posted on the segment and when it will air so you can see our 15 seconds of fame!

We had breakfast with the hippos, danced with the Masai men, and generally had the time of our lives. I don’t think I have ever seen the girls so happy. The Kenyans are warm, funny and some of the most beautiful people we have ever met. Their hospitality is genuine and appreciated. Our French safari partners were hilarious and we fell in love with our guide, Julius. As our flight pulled away from the Mara Serena airstrip we looked out the window and there was Julius, jumping up and down, waving his hands in the air at us. It was sad to leave this special place behind, but as we flew over the Masai Mara, we got one last look at this miraculous site.