Everyone should be so lucky to have a birthday safari and I will never forget my 31st birthday celebration in Kenya. My trip to the Masai Mara this weekend has been so magical – let me share with you the details!
We left out of Nairobi’s Wilson airport Saturday for a 45-minute flight to the Serena land strip in the Masia Mara. This was my first time every being in a plane that landed on dirt strip. The “airport” looked more like a bus stop. A vehicle picked us up and we were off to our lodge, which is set up on a hill overlooking the mara. The view was breathtaking and you could see giraffe and gazelles grazing over the savannah.
The Masai are the tribes people that live in this part of the world (more on them and why they should be in the NBA later) and mara is the name given to the land because there are a lot of bushes speckled about. This differs from the nearby Serengeti in Tanzania has more of a savannah landscape.
We relaxed by the pool and read our books for a while, a much welcome change from the insane work schedule. Around 4:30 we took our first game drive with Sampson, our faithful guide. We saw loads of gazelle and other grazers. We saw giraffe, elephants, wildebeests, zebras, warthogs, baboons and beautiful birds. Pictures can’t capture the magnificence of seeing these animals cohabiting in their natural habitat. The mara is hilly and you could just round a curve and see hundreds of animals eating, playing and running. I am always stunned at the peacefulness and intrigue I feel when “in the wild” in Africa.
One very neat part of this game drive was our trip across the border into Tanzania. I’ve never left a country without my passport and though I was only in Tanzania a few minutes, it was really neat to step foot across the border without going thru customs. I even got a picture of my literally straddling the border.
Post dinner entertainment, we joined the other safari goers to watch the England vs. USA World Cup match. Most fans here were pulling from England but Cathy, Leigh and I were representing the US proudly. Since the World Cup is such a global event and taking place in South Africa, it is easy and exciting to get swept into the spirit of football. Last night’s match, as you know, ended up tied 1-1.
Before crawling into bed I heard a horrible snoring. I was thinking how loud our neighbors must be but after some investigating I learned this was no human snoring. Warthog maybe? It was too dark to tell.
Sunday morning, my birthday, we woke early for a 6:30 am game drive. The difference from the game drive the day before was this was the ideal time to see the cats. We were not disappointed. A pack of lions walked right beside our car - literally. Sampson said they must not have made a kill the night before because they were up moving around and looking for food. These were of course female lions because they do the hunting for the males. After the females kill their prey, the males get to eat it first – typical. Around the lions we also saw hyenas. I can’t help but think of Disney’s the Lion King. Here I was seeing Nala in real life, just a few feet from me.
After driving around a bit, Sampson asked if we’d like to take a walk along the river with a Masai warrior. Sure, why not. Our warrior, Dixon, led us by the river where we saw crocs and loads of hippos (in the water). Next, we came upon tables with waiters and damn if we didn’t have breakfast by the river with the hippos. We also had champagne. It felt unreal and amazing. The hippos were snorting and bobbing up and down in the water while we dined on omelets and fresh mango. Happy birthday indeed.
Leigh treated me to a pedicure in the lodge spa and what girl doesn’t love to be pampered! After lunch, I heard singing and drumming – the whole staff came out to sing happy birthday to me. They even made me a beautiful cake. The whole restaurant was clapping and strangers became my safari friends as they greeted me with happy birthday salutations.
We heard that the great migration had started but we left before seeing any of the herds make their way into the Mara. There is a lot of work to do this week and I feel extremely confident in my ability to help our team meet our goals. After all, I’m another year wiser now.
We left out of Nairobi’s Wilson airport Saturday for a 45-minute flight to the Serena land strip in the Masia Mara. This was my first time every being in a plane that landed on dirt strip. The “airport” looked more like a bus stop. A vehicle picked us up and we were off to our lodge, which is set up on a hill overlooking the mara. The view was breathtaking and you could see giraffe and gazelles grazing over the savannah.
The Masai are the tribes people that live in this part of the world (more on them and why they should be in the NBA later) and mara is the name given to the land because there are a lot of bushes speckled about. This differs from the nearby Serengeti in Tanzania has more of a savannah landscape.
We relaxed by the pool and read our books for a while, a much welcome change from the insane work schedule. Around 4:30 we took our first game drive with Sampson, our faithful guide. We saw loads of gazelle and other grazers. We saw giraffe, elephants, wildebeests, zebras, warthogs, baboons and beautiful birds. Pictures can’t capture the magnificence of seeing these animals cohabiting in their natural habitat. The mara is hilly and you could just round a curve and see hundreds of animals eating, playing and running. I am always stunned at the peacefulness and intrigue I feel when “in the wild” in Africa.
One very neat part of this game drive was our trip across the border into Tanzania. I’ve never left a country without my passport and though I was only in Tanzania a few minutes, it was really neat to step foot across the border without going thru customs. I even got a picture of my literally straddling the border.
After dinner, the Masai warriors gave a dance presentation. They are known for their colorful red wraps, beautiful jewelry and inhuman jumping abilities. The warriors sing and chant, encouraging each other to jump with excitement. It honestly looked like some of these guys were on a trampoline. I’ve never seen anyone jump so high.
Post dinner entertainment, we joined the other safari goers to watch the England vs. USA World Cup match. Most fans here were pulling from England but Cathy, Leigh and I were representing the US proudly. Since the World Cup is such a global event and taking place in South Africa, it is easy and exciting to get swept into the spirit of football. Last night’s match, as you know, ended up tied 1-1.
Before crawling into bed I heard a horrible snoring. I was thinking how loud our neighbors must be but after some investigating I learned this was no human snoring. Warthog maybe? It was too dark to tell.
Sunday morning, my birthday, we woke early for a 6:30 am game drive. The difference from the game drive the day before was this was the ideal time to see the cats. We were not disappointed. A pack of lions walked right beside our car - literally. Sampson said they must not have made a kill the night before because they were up moving around and looking for food. These were of course female lions because they do the hunting for the males. After the females kill their prey, the males get to eat it first – typical. Around the lions we also saw hyenas. I can’t help but think of Disney’s the Lion King. Here I was seeing Nala in real life, just a few feet from me.
After driving around a bit, Sampson asked if we’d like to take a walk along the river with a Masai warrior. Sure, why not. Our warrior, Dixon, led us by the river where we saw crocs and loads of hippos (in the water). Next, we came upon tables with waiters and damn if we didn’t have breakfast by the river with the hippos. We also had champagne. It felt unreal and amazing. The hippos were snorting and bobbing up and down in the water while we dined on omelets and fresh mango. Happy birthday indeed.
Leigh treated me to a pedicure in the lodge spa and what girl doesn’t love to be pampered! After lunch, I heard singing and drumming – the whole staff came out to sing happy birthday to me. They even made me a beautiful cake. The whole restaurant was clapping and strangers became my safari friends as they greeted me with happy birthday salutations.
We heard that the great migration had started but we left before seeing any of the herds make their way into the Mara. There is a lot of work to do this week and I feel extremely confident in my ability to help our team meet our goals. After all, I’m another year wiser now.
so happy you had a wonderful birthday! a safari is still on my list of "must-dos". :) beautiful pictures...the lioness makes me giddy because I want to see one in person in the wild so badly!
ReplyDeletebe safe and talk with you soon! keep up the great work on the pics. :)