Kenya Day 6
So it’s 4am in the morning and I am on the way to climb into a hot air balloon.
Just like in the movie Jurassic Park, the hotel is protected by an electric fence. Once you’re out of the security of the parameter and the armed rifle carrying guards, you’re on your own.
It took 45 minutes to drive over incredibly lumpy and rocky dirt roads in the pitch black. The safari truck felt like it was one bump away from breaking apart like a 3d puzzle that hit the table too hard.
The ride made me think about how vulnerable we were. There was nothing but road that sometimes seemed to disappear in the darkness. Every once and a while a jack rabbit, zebra or hyena would be along the side of the road, including an identified pair of eyes that were caught by the headlights. Eventually, about 50 people arrived to be grouped in baskets of about 16ish.
As the pink hues of the sun rose, so did our balloons! Once the balloons were pretty filled, we climbed on and squeezed ourselves onboard to prepare for take off. Since this was my first ride, the lift off was so smooth, that I didn’t even know that we were already in the air! Cruising at about 40-50 feet off the ground, we were floating over trees and more wildlife than we had seen on our first evening safari.
The ride took us over a pack of elephants, which included two babies who let us know that they were not happy with us flying over them. The other animals, giraffes, zebras, and cape buffalos just ignored us as we passed them by.
After the ride, we were greeted by a group of Maasai women who sang a traditional welcome song before we were treated to a champagne breakfast in the middle of the wide open plains.
Our safari guide, Reko, who is a Maasi warrior, picked us up so that our safari drive could continue. We saw several different types of other animals, including hippos, lions, gazelles and wildebeest. Our timing was perfectly aligned with the migration of the wildebeest, who were moving in line by the thousands east from Tanzania into Kenya for better grazing.
Seeing the wildebeest migration was my favorite. They are simple and influenceable animals in search of a wildebeest leader to take charge, as they were easily turned around or redirected by our vehicles. To see their incredible numbers surrounding our vehicle or crossing the river in single file with zebras tagging along was simply spectacular. Our vehicle was able to get close enough to hear them calling out to each other and smell them, including the scent of those who drowned in the river.
Knowing about the circle of life and watching the circle of life is two different things. As we were driving, we happended upon a lion stalking a fairly large wildebeest that was separarted from the herd. The wildebeest had the advantage at first, charging the lion, which kept it at bay. Eventually, the wildebeest, tried to turn around to return to the herd, which enabled 3 other lions to join in the fight for dinner. Of course, the wildebeest didn’t stand a chance and the lion took it down.
We were fortunate to see a lot of animals, but my favorites were two teenage bachelor elephants that had been expelled by their packs. For two days we passed them wandering around by themselves and after each encounter I kept hoping that they would find each other and create their own pack. On the evening of the second day, i noticed that they were actually walking towards each other and low and behold, they connected! The first elephant waited on one side of the road, while the second crossed in front of our jeep to the other side. Even though we were several feet away, after he crossed, he walked down towards us and the other elephant, which was behind us. Well, as much as I had hoped for this reunion, apparently, he was not impressed and decided that preparing to charge us was a better idea than joining his new friend! Fortunately, our warrior/guide was calm and totally unfazed, driving off before he was ready to attack us broadside!
Fun fact after the fact – elephants can run up to 40 miles an hour.
Fun fact – When a baboon is hungry, they are extremely quick and can snatch food out of your hand faster than you realize! This one must have been on the way to the movies, since he snagged some popcorn and a soda!
Before leaving Nairobi, Kenya, we stopped by the Kaburi Bead Factory, where Kenyan woman make ceramic beads by hand. The process takes a couple of days to shape the clay, fire it in a kiln and then paint and string them. Their work is simply spectacular! The beads and their work is known around the world and I was grateful to be able to shape one into a flat disc and pierce. So somewhere, my bead will is part of a necklace or earrings somewhere in the world!
My last clear view of the African landscape from the plane during this trip was, of the peak of Mt. Kilimanjaro.
It’s definitely not my last trip to the Motherland.
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