Masai Mara: Day 4 Part 3

We left at four for our final afternoon game drive, sad to realize we only had 24 hours left at Olonana. This drive was, spoiler alert, the only one of the whole trip where we did not see lions. We did, however, see the other four of the Big 5.

Shortly after entering the park we found a tower of giraffes who were very content to pose for us among the acacia trees. I don't know about you, but giraffes and acacia trees are quintessential safari images for me.

Joseph was a man on a singular mission today, hell-bent on finding a leopard. We weren't really complaining, because we saw some pretty neat things and some different areas of the park. We had two and a half hours before we needed to be out of the gates and intended to make the most of it. We headed to an area known to be home to a large male leopard. We didn't find him but had a grand time with a pair of lilac-breasted rollers and then a couple of snake eagles.

Then, heading back to the leopard area from this morning, we happened upon a colony of safari ants moving their nest. Thousands of these sizable black ants moved in impressive order to and from the old nest, ferrying larva and food to the new location. We stopped and watched them as they crossed the road for about 10 minutes. D, who adores ants in motion, got out to get a better look with Joseph; they both tried to get close enough to observe without being bitten by the soldier ants intent on keeping them away.

This was about the time when I got sunscreen in my eye. A sad tradition, I almost always have a drive on a safari when my super-duper SPF 100 (seriously) sunscreen melts on my face and migrates to my eye, irritating it to the point of not being able to see. Water flushes and time are the only antidotes, but it's painful and frustrating. My left eye was the compromised one, but this time my right eye wasn't feeling up to compensating, so I was basically visually impaired for the remainder of the drive. I was pouring water in my eyes as much as I could and doing lots of blinking, but it wasn't helping. I tried alternating covering one eye and then the other, which helped some; it was basically too painful to keep both eyes open. My eyes were watering like crazy, so I also looked like I was crying, but there wasn't a whole lot anyone could do. So, I made do.

We stopped next to another vehicle and located three rhino in a stand of trees, very close to where we'd seen the first rhino on Day 2. This was a mama and two babies. We never got great views, but we did see them again the next day. As we were watching a vehicle pulled up with two U.S. PhD students who work with a rhino tracking/protection unit from the Ann K. Taylor Foundation (AKTF). We talked to them for a few minutes - one went to Duke and noticed I was wearing a Georgetown hat, so we laughed about rivalry - and they asked Joseph for an update on a particular rhino. I looked up the AKTF later - seems like a good organization doing good things. Joseph was very positive about their impact.

It was about 6:00 by now, and we were headed for one last sweep of the leopard area from this morning before heading back. We'd been on the radio all day with people; nobody had seen any leopards for days. The only exception was a leopard that walked across the path of a few guests staying at Little Governor's Camp late the previous night. We were just passing Little Governor's Camp when another Olonana vehicle came on the radio:  leopards, on the move.

We sped up, and Joseph was beyond excited to get there in time to see not one, but two leopards. By this time I could barely see, but I was still determined to enjoy my fourth and fifth leopard sightings.

We arrived in the trees to find the other Olonana vehicle and one other there. Nobody seemed to see anything at that moment; Joseph was just asking where they'd last been seen when all of a sudden two leopards walk out of the bush and right in front of us. OMG. I have had three leopard sightings before, but nothing like this. This was a father and an adolescent son, who was really too old to be hanging around Dad still, and Dad was obviously aggrieved. They ambled around, occasionally resting in the bushes, almost out of sight, and covered a bit of distance as we tailed behind. They were EXACTLY where we'd heard the roar this morning. Amazing. Dad had a kill inside a bush and was intent on keeping the younger one away, so we were treated to a bit of roaring and growling. They were so close! I had never seen leopards so close before, even in a zoo. Unbelievable.

As I reflect now, it's easy to forget about how much pain I was in and how poorly I could see at all and how frustrated I was that it was dusk and photos weren't coming out, but this was one of the most stressful safari moments I've had for these reasons. I got some decent photos (totally by accident as I went through a million settings on my camera hoping something would come out), and I was trying to squint out of only one eye, so my vision was definitely compromised, but it still was a phenomenal experience. Our very own leap of leopards! They finally walked out of range, and we had to speed to make it to the gates, a bit late, but very energized. How amazingly cool was that? Joseph was even more excited than D and me, if that's possible. What an amazing end to the evening. Big 5, all in one day!!

We made it back to camp, and I was pretty miserable by now. I went to the bathroom and did some major eye flushes, which helped for a few seconds, and then we settled in for pre-dinner drinks. I was getting a bit cranky by now from the pain and inability to see, and I almost went to bed without eating, but I knew I was too hungry to make it to breakfast like that. D and I were some of the first to find a table, and we had a pretty quick dinner because I literally kept my eyes closed as much as possible and could never open both at once. She felt bad and told me I could leave anytime, but I stuck it out. Finally we headed back to the tents, and I managed to shower - which helped some - and lay out clothes for the next day. I settled into bed and tried to read, but my eyes were just not up to it. I put down the iPad and fell asleep quickly, relieved to be able to close both eyes and let them heal. I did feel MUCH better in the morning.

Afternoon giraffe!

This guy was just chilling, laying down in the grass.

Hello! So inquisitive.

Just gorgeous scenery.

Quintessential safari.

Lilac-breasted roller.

One of my favorite birds to see on safari.

Snake eagle - think this one was brown, but we also saw a black one.

Safari ant moving party.

Elephant crossing.

This was a very old elephant - shortened tusks, beat up ears, lots of battle scars. Still trucking along!

Mama rhino in the middle, one baby to the left, one to the right (barely visible).

LEOPARD!!!!!

This is Dad - he was much more camera shy.

And son, who did his best to pose.

Ignore the blur, focus on the pretty markings.

So incredibly gorgeous. And close!

Proof there really were two. Dad is on the left.

Last decent photo before he went into the bush to rejoin Dad.

Sunset giraffe to top things off.

Masai Mara: Day 4 Part 2

Up until now I'd been doing pretty well on not a lot of sleep. But this (late) morning I was feeling it. My body did not want to get out of bed, even though I only had an hour to rest. But I finally sucked it up and got ready and went to meet Joseph. We drove out of camp and to the nearby Olonana Maasai village. A number of villagers work at Olonana, and the camp supports it through its philanthropy - a nice synergy.

D met us there with Julius, who leads many of the Maasai village tours. He asked us if we would permit one of the women to put ochre on our faces; we both agreed and soon sported three red marks - one on each cheek and the forehead. Men and women from the village next lined up for the welcome song and dance. It was similar to what I experienced at Amboseli last year but even more fun because D agreed to join in the fun. I juggled her camera and my camera, trying to capture both video and stills. Next we all proceeded to join hands and dance into the village itself. Then the men headed off in one direction and the women formed a circle around us and asked us questions. I thought this was great fun, and it added a personal touch. They asked where we came from; we answered "Obama!" as Julius had told us to say - this got a very excited response.  "Obama!" they all repeated. They asked if we were married, how many children we had, what we liked best about Kenya. Julius translated, and we had a lot of laughs. There were lots of little kids and puppies running around and laughing and playing, all vying for attention but shying away when it came.

We saw the paddock for the cows at night and the more modern one for the goats and sheep. In an effort to cut down on predators taking livestock and becoming targets for revenge killings, several foundations supply chicken wire to make more secure enclosures in which the smaller animals can sleep safely. One of the women invited us into her home, proudly telling us how she designed and built it herself (a Maasai tradition) out of mud and cow dung. She had decorated the insides with different shades of mud, creating lovely designs.

She and Julius told us about a lot of aspects of Maasai culture and patiently answered all of our questions. We then joined the men in the Maasai Parliament. This village's main gathering place was a round enclosure built of sticks and with wooden benches built in. A number of men were gathered to speak with us and demonstrate how the Maasai make fires. It was a windy day, so this process was more difficult than usual, but we finally got there. Once again they explained about the village's decision-making processes, the judicial system, and about traditions and ceremonies.

As the final part of our visit we went to the outdoor market where the village women proudly displayed their beadwork. We walked all around and then went back to pick our favorites. I chose a beaded peace club, a beaded necklace, and a seed-bead neck decoration. D chose her items as well, and then we started negotiating prices. We were both floored by the initial prices quoted; for me, it was $180 for these three items. I appreciate the work that goes into these crafts, but this seemed ludicrously high, especially since we'd already priced out similar objects in the camp's curio shop. These were exponentially more expensive than the already-expensive curio shop. At first they didn't seem willing to negotiate too much, but I finally settled on about $50, which was exactly how much I had brought with me. I wanted to be generous but didn't want to taken advantage of. I live in East Africa and have a pretty good idea of what things cost; even adding in the artist-sold factor and the setting (catering to tourists at a high end camp), it wasn't a positive experience.

Nonetheless, we all parted on good terms and waved goodbye as we drove back to camp. D and I had a late lunch by the river and enjoyed being out of the hot sun. She went to the spa, while I settled on the deck to read before the afternoon's game drive. Stay tuned to find out whether we saw any leopards!

The lovely walkway to the tents at the camp

Stone path, well landscaped, gorgeous setting.

The entrance to my tent. Unni means three in the Maa language.

My veranda, complete with daybed.

Well-protected from the elements.

My tent.

Very comfy beds!

Welcome song and dancing. Joseph, our guide, joined in!

Asking and answering questions with the women.

Dung beetle! The only one I saw on the trip.

Puppy came to visit while we were talking.

Making fire.

Team effort.

There we go!

Entrance to our camp.

Masai Mara: Day 4 Part 1

Day 4 is broken up into three parts.

We opted for a 6:15 departure in an effort to complete our Big 5 adventure. L&M were leaving later today, so this was our last game drive together. We, of course, stayed out an extra hour longer than we should have to see things, but they still made their plane.

On our way toward the park gates we watched two hot air balloons inflate and take off - quite a beautiful sight! One was the balloon D, L, and M had taken on Day 2, so they got a new vantage point.  Farther down the road we spotted a clan of hyenas running on the road in front of us. There were 5-6; it was hard to tell once they took off into the grass. Joseph was worried they had been scavenging at a poaching site overnight, but we never did hear anything terrible, thankfully.

As soon as we entered the park gates we headed for the riverine forest area where, Joseph said, 90% of his leopard sightings occur. We were feeling good about that number until he admitted he hadn't seen a leopard in a month. We weren't deterred, though, and all five us were dead silent with our eyes keenly scanning the ground, trees, and savannah at once, hoping for a mighty leopard spotting. The old safari adage admonishes that the only time you see a leopard is when you're not expecting one. But we'd tried three solid days of pretending we weren't looking for leopards, and it had resulted in diddly squat. So we abandoned all pretenses and looked for leopards.

At one point, while I was taking a photo of a skull in a tree on the river bank, D&L swore they heard a roar. We searched all around the area but saw nothing. This moment becomes important later on, in part 3 of Day 4, so stay tuned and keep that in mind.

We looked and looked and looked and hoped until our eyes hurt, and then we moved on. We saw many ungulates enjoying their morning graze, including three baby giraffes who had clearly been told by their moms to stay in one place. One of them still had an attached umbilical cord. I have the photo below, but the cord isn't easily visible. Joseph said he was probably just a couple weeks old.

Several hippos were slowly making their way back to water, the waterbuck were out in full force, and we saw more warthogs than I can even count. It was a gorgeous morning, and there was lots to see, but we had really been hoping for a leopard.

Joseph wanted to find at least one cat before we headed back in, so we set off in search of lion. We stopped so L&M could use a bush toilet, and Joseph scanned the horizon with his binoculars. "Lions," he said calmly, pointing in the distance. L&M didn't see the point, so they hurriedly got back in the vehicle, and off we went. I saw the spots where Joseph was pointing, but I doubt I would have identified them as lions and not rocks.

We were the only ones to see them, apparently, and we drove up the side of the escarpment to get closer. There they were, a male and female pair, and almost as soon as we arrived they mated. We're pretty sure they were the first pair of mating lions I saw on Day 2. Afterward they spent a few minutes getting comfortable among the rocks. The light was spectacular, as was our viewing angle, so I took a lot of photos of this. The male lion had been in some sort of fight; he was bruised and bloody and cut up. Nothing life-threatening, probably having to do with mating, but since he had a partner I assume he may have won, at least that round.

After a while the lions go up and looked like they were going to mate again. But, instead of doing so on the rocky outcrop, they walked down to within feet of our vehicle and did it there, treating us to a true close up. Another vehicle drove up just as they finished. So funny. Exhibitionists, they are. I still don't believe Joseph that this is truly a rare thing to see - I saw three couples and eight copulations in five days.

By now we were well and truly late, so we did head back to the lodge, passing a few jackals on our way. We had a lovely breakfast and a sad goodbye with L&M. I then headed for a rest while Danette headed for a hike. We met back up a little while later at the Olonana Maasai Village, which will comprise part 2 of Day 4.

Spotted hyena.

Balloons taking off.

Not a morning person.

Beautiful sunrise on the savannah

Mara River

Skull in tree on river bank. Roar. Remember this photo for Day 4, Part 3.

Lovely mama waterbuck.

Hippo and warthogs.

Baby giraffe. The umbilical cord (hanging by front legs) is obscured by the foliage.

This zebra used the dead tree branches to scratch herself. With her oxpecker on her back it was a spa morning!

Lovely ostrich.

Joseph saw these lions from well over a kilometer away. They could easily have been rocks!

Lustrous mane.

See all the cuts on his face?

Rock pillow

Nap time

Love the paws in the air pose.

Whatcha looking at? (Buffalo)

Sleepy guy. See the blood on his mane.

And this is them deciding to mate next to our vehicle

Another stunning landscape view

Jackal sitting pretty