November 10, 2014 Maasai Mara Day 2, long ride to see special animals

Last night I decided to get an hour massage for $24US it was quite a bargain. I actually fell asleep half way through the process.  Then I strolled over to the dinner venue and had another fabulous meal.  I had spaghetti with meat sauce that was as good as any Italian place.   I had invited Lucky to join me but he passed, I think to hang out with his fellow safari drivers. 

My second day at this camp I hope is as exciting as the first.  Last night, Lucky makes a suggestion to take a box lunch with us instead of having to come back.  He says it wastes 2-3 hours of valuable time we could be in the bush.  He also says he can go farther out to areas where most safari tours do not attempt to run.  The reason most tours do not travel too far is that tours must be completed by sunset, meaning back to you camp/lodge sites.  Tour operators can be heavily fined and the driver can be decertified. But, without going back to the camp for lunch, we can venture further into the bush. 

We take out about 8AM and again the paths, not exactly roads, are bumpy and a bit treacherous.

I find Lucky very good about sharing information about animals, Kenyan society, politics (which he despises) and general culture.  He tells me animals like humans get ill/sick and know what trees/bushes to eat to correct their ills.  For instance, acacia trees/bushes have medicinal value, but only certain species.  Most animals tend to have gastric problems, so they will find a particular acacia tree to help them with digestion. 

He also mentions that the Maasai tribes have been getting better education for their children.  They had agreed with the government not to move as often and as far every 4-5 years, as is there culture.  Maasai tribes generally relocate for a couple of primary reasons. First, the homes they build are made of strong sticks, which are the foundation, supported with sand, water and cattle dung.  Termites are a scourge to the tribes because they destroy the strong sticks that support their homes. Second, they need to move to better grass areas for their goats/cattle, which again is the lifeline for the tribal families.

We got to a discussion about charity work when we had stopped under an acacia tree for lunch.  I had asked him if he does any other work other than as a guide.  He got on a discussion of a charity group he has pulled together to help his tribal village, Kitui.  He said it troubles him to see so much poverty and suffering amongst his people.  I told him that charities and churches in the US seem to have programs to help other countries such as Kenya.  He just laughs, with that infectious smile, and gives me a dose of reality.  He says the politics of Kenya is such that the agencies that receives the help from organizations in the US and other countries hardy gets to the poor.  He says that the agencies that are hired to dispense funds or products take a large “administration fee”, have relatives on the payrolls that hardly do anything and other “hidden costs”.  This has always been this way.  I ask him does the government know this?  He laughs again and says they are the ones that “certify” these agencies and usually do so with under the table bribes.  He said the agencies were created to correct the problem of getting the help to the poor, but it just made it worse.  So, seems bureaucracy is abundant wherever you are in the world. He says agencies that try and do the right thing tend to lose their certifications because of pressure from the other “bad” agencies to the government to decertify the “good apples”. He works to try and get cash directly to his agency, generally under the table.  He said it is very difficult without working with an agency, which technically is not required.  He thinks the agencies are still around to make foreign charity groups feel better that their donations are being administered properly. 

Back to the safari today, finds us spending a lot of time driving to an area that is a different direction of where we were yesterday, near the Kenyan/Tanzania border. Our goal is to get to the Masa River, where many animals cross to get to “greener pastures”. Before we get too far, Lucky notices a few safari vans around an acacai tree.  Looking up in the tree, we notice a beautifully spotted gold and black spotted leopard.  It is sleeping and it is very hard to get a good photo of this beautiful animal.   We are now four hours into our drive and I notice the paths are not as worn, since most tours do not come out this far because they cannot get back to the camp/lodges before dark.  We stop under an acacia tree to have our box lunches that were prepared by the lodge kitchen.  In the box was 3 small sandwiches, a croissant, juice box, a hard shelled green fruit when peeled tasted little a tangerine, a turkey leg …I do get acknowledgement from Lucky that it is as such, apple and a candied dessert of some type.  I can only eat about half and Lucky wants what I do not finish. He has a problem with people not finishing the food that is served to them.  He takes my extras puts them in his box and says he will take them home tomorrow to his family.  It really hit me that wasting food is so ingrained in our American culture...it made me feel guilty.  
As we approached our lunchtime tree location, which sat atop a hill with a tremendous view, a baboon was at its base.  It scurried off, as we got closer, but stayed in the vicinity as we were having lunch.  Every few minutes it would move closer at the some time continuing to circle us.  The large rust colored baboon never took his eyes off of us the entire time.  The view, the quite of the day (except for a few animal sounds), and the good company made a great lunchtime. I can't remember the last time I had been on a picnic. I remember as a kid going to a lot of picnics with the neighbors.

Lucky hurries us on so that we can get to our destination.  The further we traveled the less animals were present.  There has been little vegetation and almost a desert like look.  Then, as we pass over a small hill, the landscape started to get greener.  I noticed in the distance a green swath of trees crossed over the horizon, this was to be the Masa River, the largest river in the park.  As we got closer, I noticed a lot more animals: gazelles, zebras, giraffes, elephants, pretty much most that we had already seen., but more of them in a consolidated area due to available water.  From the time we had lunch to arriving at the river was about an hour, so it took us, counting lunch, about five hours to get here.  We did not see another tour vehicle in that time.  Lucky is pushing the envelope on time.  As we approached the green oasis, the river started to come into view.  The river area looked like a small canyon.  The water was low as compared to the banks and this was due to the fact the area was just about to come out of the dry season, so it was at its lowest point.  
We stopped at the edge of one of the cliffs and I noticed some very odd-looking large grey/black rocks in the middle of the river.  Wait a minute, they are moving and realized they were hippos, about 20 of them.  I watched for a few minutes hoping to see some movement from these sleeping giants. They did move some over about the 20 minutes we spent at this location. The thing about Lucky is that he never says anything unless asked.  He says the less talk the more one can enjoy the scene and remember what you see. He says the best pictures are not ones you take with a camera, but the ones that you see with your eyes. 

We continue across the rim of the canyon and notice the several crossing points where animals move from one bank to the other.  He also points out the alligators that hang out near the crossings.  This is apparently where the alligators wait for their prey.  If you see pictures of animals crossing rivers or streams you will notice that they always run across…alligators are the reason why they are swiftly moving across to the other side.  Usually, the alligators will wait for animals to slip in the water or wait for the youngest animals that may have to swim. 

We can’t stay long because we need to get back before sunset, around 6PM and its about 1:30PM.  So we start our trek back to the lodge and notice we are going must faster than when we were coming out.  So for the next 4 hours it’s like riding a bucking bronco in places.  I continue to assure Lucky that I’m okay when we hit large batches of rough road.  Along the way we continue to see animals, but we don’t have the luxury of stopping to take pictures. We made it back to the lodge with 30 minutes to spare.  It is only at dinner tonight that I find out you can safari at night, but it is very expensive and you are required to have an official military ranger with you at all times.  When taking a night safari one can not have you headlights on and can only use a vehicle that has a moveable search light.  And then I find out if you are caught after sunset you can get arrested and heavily fined.  Those that are caught and don’t have the special $80US per day permit for being allowed in the park…. most likely will get shot.  Ah what?  Rangers are to assume a vehicle after sunset that doesn’t have a permit is a poacher.  The government doesn’t have patience for poachers so the rangers can shoot them, without repercussions.  Now that is what a call a deterrent. 

We make it back to the lodge and ask Lucky to join me for dinner.  Usually, he prefers to go back to his quarters and hang out with the other drivers/guides.

We have a very enjoyable dinner and discussion.  I get to find out more about his fledging foundation. Also, he helps me go through my pictures to be sure I’ve designated them correctly.  I also get a little more complete or verification of the information that I’ve been writing.  He tells me about his two sons.  The eldest is studying music and hopes to go to Nairobi University next year, their Harvard/Yale/Stanford/Marshall (had to throw in my college). His wife helps with the foundation.  He says they always seem to have someone or their children at their home.  Seems they are strong community members, and people know they will help the down and out when they need help.  Lucky says when his wife and him walk in their village children follow them.  He says this makes them feel wonderful that the children think that much about him and his family.  I’d say this guy has a real character to go along with that smile and laugh. We agree to stay in touch…I think I like that idea.