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| Glenn's Journal for 10-19-02 - Masai Mara Today we have a full day game drive in the Masai Mara Game Reserve. The Masai Mara is the Kenyan section of the Serengeti Plains and is the most popular national reserve in Kenya. It covers 320 square kilometers. The park offers an extraordinary amount of wildlife along with getting a feel for how the Masai people live. We awoke at 6:30 am for a 7:00 am breakfast before departing around 7:30 am for a full day driving around the Game Reserve. Picnic lunches were prepared so we could stay out all day. We saw an amazing amount of animals (in which we will save you the fervor of trying to see all of our photos) including a pack of lions (24 or so), cheetahs, and a black rhino to name a few of the highlights. Lunch was spent at the Mara river where we viewed hippos and crocodiles before fending off the ververt monkeys while we tried to enjoy lunch. On the way back to camp we traded vans with another group just entering the park as their van had a broken spring. The driver took us to a nearby lodge where a mechanic would fix it (rig) while he had another van take us back to camp. We arrived back to camp around 6:30 pm where we showered, had dinner, enjoyed some conversation around the fireplace, and crashed out all before 10:00 pm. Tonight there were quite a few more people at the camp, as it was Saturday night, including 9 couples from Kenya that were here for the weekend. (Did I mention the Monday was Kenyatta Day, a national holiday.) We had some very interesting discussions with the locals about politics and the upcoming elections in Kenya. The 9 couples were civil servants that supported the current administration's backing of Kenyatta. I was also reminded a little later that they supported the current ruling class but were in the smaller percentage of people in Kenya making an affordable living. (60% of Kenyans live on less than $1 a day, for everything!!!) These couples were living well for Kenyans and had enough money to spend on safaris. This should be a very interesting year for Kenyans!!! I wish them well!! |
| Cheetahs are now a rare sight in the wild, so this was an exciting moment! |