Ellen in Kenya: Finally....Masai Mara

As I said... Awesome trip!!

We started off the trip leaving at 5:30a on Friday morning. We took the day off of work on Friday so we could have enough time to safari the Mara properly. We went with a new driver who we call 'Taxi Max'. He has this nickname because he is the go to guy for taxi transportation in Eldoret. We have become friends with him, and he got us a great deal for the trip. The drive from Eldoret to Masai Mara took about 7-8 hours total. The last 2 hours of the drive are hellacious. The road looks like it was paved in 1857, meaning there are crater sized pot holes. I made a video of the ride in to show just how bumpy it is, but I am not sure if it will do it justice. I ended up taking meclazine/caffeine combo called Naus-ease to settle my stomach for the wild ride.

On Safari in Africa!

When we arrived at the gate to get into the park, our van was swarmed by Masai women trying to sell jewelery and souvenirs. It was neat to see them all in their traditional dress. Their ears are the most interesting part because they have huge holes cut into their cartilage and then make elaborate beaded earings to fill in. They are VERY persistant women and will stop at nothing to make a sale. They are pretty good business women, not taking no for an answer.

Impala

Riding through the park was amazing. There were animals EVERYWHERE. I was lucky enough to be here for the great wildebeast migration. There are wildebeast as far as the eye can see. Speckled dots in the distance, and a crazy baby beast right next to the car. We were able to spot 4 of the 'Big 5' on our trip: buffalo, lion, elephant, rhino, and leopeard (which we missed out on). The leopard is the most difficult one to find, but we did get to see a cheetah up close and personal. There were many many other animals that we got to see. My favorite little guy was the Thompson's gazelle. They are small and often eaten by cheetah (meal of choice). The reason why I like them so much is because they do this tail swishing thing that is adorable. They have white kind quarters with a black tail so it is really noticable, and they swish super fast. I can demonstrate when I return to the States.