Once again today we drove out of Nairobi and saw a variety of different landscapes that the Kenyan countryside has to offer – luscious green mountains, fields of trees and vegetation, as well as acres of dried landscapes. The drive to the Massai Mara was interesting as we drove further away from Nairobi and closer to rural villages, signs of poverty were more present – litter on the sides of the road, people living in mud huts, and rocky roads rather than tarmac.
As we reached the Massai Mara we checked into our accommodation. The campsite was beautiful with colourful flowers and trees surrounding the tents. Our tents were big and had two double beds in each tent, which the connected to a concrete bathroom. I was excited to stay here for the night, although with the amount of flies and bugs that filled the tent in the evening, it turned out to be problematic! After putting our stuff in our tents, we went to the Massai village. The male villagers performed there traditional dance, showed us around their huts and how they make fires, as well as educating us about their traditions and lifestyles. Afterwards the selling of their handcrafted jewellery commenced! I wanted to buy some handcrafted gifts to give people back at home, so I was interested to see what they had. I did buy some jewellery, however my haggling skills were not great as I felt the pressure of the men waiting for me to name my price. After I bought some items we met the women and they greeted us with a song. Round the corner from where they were standing, more women were waiting for us in wooden frames with more handcrafted items that they wanted to sell. People swarmed around us putting different items in our faces with the hope of a sale. I wanted to buy some items from the village in particular as I wanted the villagers to receive my money rather than someone looking to rip off tourists, however the forceful sale was too intense for me! We then took a short drive in the Massai Mara safari and saw some wonderful animals such as zebras, giraffes, antelopes, and hyenas, although my favourite was seeing the lions and their cubs! This short taster trip into the safari was amazing and I can’t wait to see what animals we see tomorrow!
Community Media 4 Kenya 