Lake Nakura to Masai Mara

Lake Naivasha to Masai Mara

Security and the War

Up at 6, off at 7 is becoming a too common refrain. I asked the porter about the fireworks I heard as I was preparing to go to bed last night - I even went outside to see if I could see them. The porter said there were no fireworks, those were guns, security people shooting at thieves. It went on for about 20 minutes so it must have been some kind of pitched battle. But everywhere we stay is behind a gated entrance and we certainly feel safe. As we drove to Lake Naivasha, I read about the area and the huge disparity between rich and poor, leading to home invasions, armed robbery and murder. And remember the trip to Samburu, we encountered cattle being driven by soldiers down the road and Mario told us that those cattle had been recovered from rustlers. Then yesterday at a pit stop at a curio shop, we read in the paper that the soldiers had gotten into a firefight with the rustlers and several were killed in the Samburu area. They have recovered over 800 cattle, but 100 more were stolen, usually stolen by those in northern Kenya who are starving.

And then we passed some refugee camps on the main highway between Nakura and Naivasha, and Mario explained that these people had been driven out of their homes during the War following the last election about a year ago, and they had become “displaced persons.” They were not going home There were numerous white tents in each camp. When Kabika, a member of the Kikuyu tribe won, Odinga, a Luo, claimed that the election was stolen, triggering a intertribal war that lasted for two months - it was resolved when Odinga was offered the post of Prime Minister or some such powersharing arrangement brokered by outside leaders. And the frontline of that war was the highway we were on which is the boundary between the Kikuyu land and the Masai land. Thousands were killed, the Masai fighting with their spears, the Luos throwing rocks, and the Kikuyu slaughtering them with their guns and then beheading them with machetes. The Kikuyu tribe is the most populous and the first Kenyan President, Jomo Kenyatta, is a Kikuyu. Mario told us every other President since Kenyatta has also been Kikuyu. “They are very dangerous people. And they say that it is wrong to steal, unless of course you don’t get caught.” So it appears that the dominant tribe is using its power to enrich itself at the expense of the others. Mario is a member of the Gomba (sp?) tribe from southeastern Kenya, and their weapon is a poison-tipped arrow that causes you to faint and then die. I guess I better stop calling Mario “cheese mon.”

Have I mentioned that some in our group think she is a scientist and that she looks like Cybill Shepherd in “Moonstruck” and that she had very white teeth? Bay wanted to make sure I passed that along so I didn’t want to forget (actually I can’t forget because she keeps asking if I have passed this along yet).




Lake cruise

We turned down the road to a lodge, paid our tickets for the boat ride and then drove down to the lakeside. The lake is quite shallow, especially within 50 yards of the shore, so shallow that we, in our grand canoe-like vessel, had to wallow through the mud for 100 yards or so before we were out of the mud. And what a treat it was. It was cool at 9 AM because we are at about 6000 feet elevation and the lake is surrounded with grassy hills, and plenty of trees. We saw several groups of hippos in the water, resting and keeping cool, so close together that one would have his head on another’s back. “Excuse me, do you mind if I lay my head on your butt.” And there were birds on some, eating insects and such off them. We were also fortunate to see a hippo grazing on land. I reached my hand in the water to feel the temperature (it was very warm), and Bay was horrified, getting out her bottle of hand sanitizer. I held out my hands and she poured copious amounts of the sanitizer in them and I immediately cleaned my hands lest I contaminate anyone. We also saw amazing birds, including a Goliath heron, eagles, etc.

“Spotted land”

On we went, this gallant group of 7, Riz and Jane, Dave and Jackie, Bay and I, from the main highway onto a “shortcut” being a dirt road, then gravel, then big rocks, but ever forward toward Narok, the gateway to Masai Mara. Dust devils to left and right of us, dust kicked up by vans or trucks ahead of us or meeting us, the strong wind sweeping across the plains - you didn’t know whether to leave the window all the way down due to the heat (about 90) and let in the dust, or put it partway up keeping out most of the dust but heating up the vehicle. We refueled in Narok - the girls had to pick up toilet paper on the way into the ladies room, and everyone had to put some coins in the box when they exited. The toilets were filthy and although we had water, there were no towels to dry our hands. Of course, we were besieged by those seeking to sell us trinkets but we’re much more experienced now and can keep them at bay - “Niko sowa” (sp?) meaning “I’m okay.” Only 100 km left, with the last 60 km on a dirt road, and before we could leave civilization, Mario had to buy a lottery ticket. With his promise that I would have a real job with him if he won, I punched in the numbers on his cell phone. Alas, he did not win. He should have let me buy the ticket if he really wanted to win.

When the white men came, they drove the Masai, were living in the beautiful Mt. Kenya territory all the way to the southwestern border of Kenya and into Tanzania. Iti is as beautiful here as anywhere, with large vast open spaces with 2-3 foot high grass, trees spotting the open landscape (“spotted land” or “masai mara”), abundant trees and bushes next to the streams in the valleys between the hills. It reminded Bay of New Zealand, and me of South Dakota. You all must come here - it is heaven on earth, and you see abundant wildlife as it has been for thousands of years. The migration of hundreds of thousands of wildebeests starts near our lodge, Keekorok Lodge, the first lodge in Masai Mara, built in1963. We cleaned up, had lunch and reboarded our van for a safari.

“Go to the top of the hill and take a left”

Off we went in the beautiful, sunny, hot afternoon, accompanied by James who is filming some of the trip for Friendly Planet.