Best Kenya & Tanzania Day 7
Best Kenya & Tanzania
Day 07 - Monday, September 21, 2009 - Amboseli National Park/Game Drive/Afternoon At Leisure
A very quiet little voice came to our tent this morning at 5:45 to wake us up. I took weather reading and found it to 62º and 69% humidity.
We quickly showered and got dressed so we could see the sun coming up and shining on the few snowy peaks left on Kilimanjaro. The mountain is 5,895 meters (19,341’) and we were told by the lodge staff that yesterday was the first day it had been completely visible for 31 days.
A few people had coffee, but we got right into the trucks to make an early morning visit to a nearby Maasai Village at 6:30. As we left the lodge, we saw several men walking with their colorful shuka (shawls) and long spears.
Gennie asked Leonard why they carried the spears or long sticks and he told her it was for protection from the animals in the Bush. He also said there is an African saying “a Maasai without his spear is like a zebra without his stripes”.
Just in front of the Boma or village we saw two giraffes and a herd of 4 elephants grazing in the bushes. Leonard explained that the elephant herd is matriarchal.
The lone male we saw was an isolated single who had been rejected by the alpha female to prevent in-breeding. The matriarch is very wise and has a keen sense for finding water and protecting her herd.
When we arrived at the village several men welcomed us; Joseph was our guide. He explained about many of the customs of their people and the drought that had devastated their tribe.
At one time, this was a very wealthy group with many goats and over 200 head of cattle. Now they are down to only 3 cows. The main source of food is milk from the goats and blood from the cattle. Now they are only drinking milk and supplement their diet with beans.
A few of the young men demonstrated the art of starting a fire by rubbing a stick into a piece of wood surrounded by a few pieces of grass.
Gennie brought the children super balls and yo-yos and gave her Obama souvenirs to the men and women. They were thrilled to get them, pinned them right on their shuka, and compared buttons and post cards.
As we finished our tour many of the men and women had blankets with carvings and jewelry for sale. Several people bought things to help their village.
Barikiel had brought them 50 pounds of corn flour so they could make ugali, a type of cornbread, to enrich their diet. OAT is very good about supporting local needs in their worldwide locations.
Our next Learning and Discovery was the Amboseli public school for 246 students from pre-school to 8th grade. We were greeted by the head teacher Rafael who told us about the school.
The children were on holiday today, but we saw the classrooms in the old section and also one of the new classrooms funded by a German corporation.
The children go to school from 7:00 to 4:30 five days a week. If they pass the Kenyan Certification Examination they are able to go on to secondary school in a larger town near by.
Many of us had brought schools supplies and Rafael was very happy to receive them. He said teachers were in very short supply here – almost made us want to volunteer to help these beautiful children that are so eager to learn.
We came back to the Lodge and had a late breakfast. We had the middle of day to ourselves. We looked at pictures and Gennie wrote of our morning’s adventures.
At 3:00 we met for a game drive to see more of the Amboseli wildlife. When we got into the trucks the temperature outside was 90º and 37% humidity.
We entered the east gate of Amboseli National Park and right away we saw a parade of 11 ostriches. The elephants were in the high shrubs and the zebras were trying to feed on the dry bits of remaining grass.
We were in a different part of the park this afternoon and saw many new animals including yellow baboons, a spotted hyena, and a very rare oryk; a member of the antelope family. We also saw lilac breasted rollers, and a family of tawny eagles.
This area was exceptionally dry and the smell of death was everywhere. We spoke to one photographer who was here three years ago and told us the park was a lush green, now he is photographing corpses.
It was after 6:30 and just after sunset when we returned to the camp; the golden colors enhancing the ambiance of the African Safari experience.
We had time to shower again before our meeting at 7:00 and our dinner. Leonard told us the story of his transformation from a young Maasai warrior to the educated man he is today.
We went back to our tent at 8:30 and finished the journal and packed our bags for our early morning departure.
Accommodations: Sentrim Amboseli Tented Camp - - - Meal: B, L, D
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Comments
Maasai Fire Making (1:29)
Kilimanjaro and Elephants
School Room
Giraffe Grazing
Elephant Family
Tawny Eagle
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