Maasai Village
We woke st 4:30 A.M. for a long, bumpy ride to the sight of balloon rides. However, when we arrived it was raining and windy. The ride was canceled until the next day. Instead, we took a long game ride where we saw 2 exquisite cheetahs, a mother and a baby sunning themselves on a low mound. We saw many lions roaming the savannah. Several clans of spotted hyenas clustered around a new kill(a Wildebeest). Many vultures were waiting around them to finish the leavings.
The Widebeest along with the Zebra are the two main animals of the Great Migration. We saw thousands of them headed toward the Mara River crossing. In fact, the includes an estimated 1.4 million Wildebeests and 500,000 zebras. The wildebeest is a member of the antelope family. Unlike most gazelles, which are beautiful, they are very unattractive with long faces, thick horns, mouse gray or brown color and long straggly manes. The Great Migration was not like National Geographic showed it. It slower with fewer animals at a time or should I say splash. At first the animals seemed shy of the water but finally many just jumped right in and swam across the crocodile filled water.
After this great safari drive, we arrived at the Maasai village. We were greeted by a small group of Maasai men and women outside the round village.
The men can take many wives but must give the bride’s father 2 cows. The women build the round houses of wood twigs cemented together with cow dung paste. The houses are built in a circle leaving the center open for their herds of cows and goats. Dogs are the alarm system to notify the villagers of predators. The men lead the very large herd belonging to the village out to the plains everyday to graze.
The visit was lots of fun. Several of us were pulled into their native dance with beaded necklaces were placed around our necks as red paint was put on our cheeks. After the dancing, mostly jumping, we were led to a huge tent filled with native items to purchase.
