I’ve been very blessed
to show a lot of the world to group travelers. When folks ask me where my
favorite place is, I answer “Kenya”. Eyebrows go up, and I try to explain
without sounding cheesy, that one is changed after a visit there. It’s the
people, it’s the animals, it’s the simplicity, it’s the surprises... you never
come all the way home from Kenya, you leave part of your heart there. I think
our recent and return travelers would agree with my sentiment.
Our 2018 Kenya Wing
Safari proved every aspect of these wonderful feelings. “Wing”, meaning we
cover more ground in a shorter amount of time with a flight from the northern
part of the country to the Maasi Mara in the southern area. The experience is
as different as the landscape is
completely different. The animals
and people are unique to each area.
The border of Tanzania
goes through southern Kenya. It is the Maasi Mara on the Kenyan side and the Serengeti
on the Tanzania side. Serengeti will conjure up images of “The Lion King”, the
wildebeest (aka Gnu), the hyenas, the gazelles and of course, the lions. It
doesn’t take long to be immersed in the beauty of umbrella tree dotted
landscape, where wild life is abundant and free.
Hunting has been banned since
the 1957. Even the king of the jungle has realized he and his pride of
lionesses aren’t threatened by the safari jeeps as they roll up, turn off and
just watch Wild Kingdom happen yards away. It is amazing.
Sometimes it gets even
closer.
We stayed in tents on
the Maasi Mara River. Luxury tents. Beautifully furnished tents with a hot
shower and flushing toilet and a mini-bar tents. We lay in canopied beds and
listened to the grunting of the hippos in the river below. We heard the screech
of birds calling out in the night. Unusual sounds obviously not something we’d
hear on Grand Lake. We tucked our toes under our hot water bottles, pulled the
blanket up a little higher and pinched ourselves to assure ourselves that “we really
are here”. Sometimes it occurs to us that the only thing between us and all
this wildlife… is about a quarter inch of tent canvas and a zipper.
Mindy and Susie’s tent was next to ours. As it
turned out, theirs was the party tent. Susie was taking a nap and thought she
heard sister Mindy return to the tent. The zipper slid gently up. Then she
heard the door to the refrigerator open and a bottle of water come out. Susie
then heard Mindy’s carry-on suitcase being quietly rummaged through. Only a
sister would understand that this made her suspicious, because her sister
wouldn’t be that considerate. So she opened her eyes to see a big baboon at the
foot of her bed digging through Mindy’s bag. She shouted and the intruder took
off out the tent flap grabbing the water bottle. He only paused long enough to
leave a little primate “parting gift” on the step. The next day they were entertained
by a lizard on the wall.
Kenya is a magnificent,
wild place. Full of beauty and surprises that one can never forget.
