Notes from Africa: Day 7

Day 7
July 15, 2011

This morning we got up early for our drive and visit to the Masai village. Everyone really enjoyed this. We took a nature walk to the village, where they explained the footprints of the different animals. That was followed by a dance, which Jon and Sarah took part in. They then took us into the village and showed us one of their houses. They were very dark, small, with a a few small rooms. One bedroom for the parents, one for the kids, and one central room for cooking. The Masai believe in polygamy, with each woman having her own house. The man plants his spear outside the home of the woman he will spend the night with.
We then got to meet the Medicine Man- pretty scary. He showed us the different pieces of wood that he uses to treat different ailments. If after weeks of this treatment, the patient does not show improvement, they will try to get him or her to a nearby clinic.
Finally, they took us to an area that they set up with their trinkets to sell- all handmade jewelry and carvings. Each family had their own area and we had to negotiate to get a decent price for our trinkets.
We then returned to the hotel for a rest, breakfast and lunch. After breakfast, Cathy and I took a nap outside near the pool, looking out onto the park. It was wonderful.
When we arrived at this property, we were warned by Abby to not leave our door open because of the chimpanzees. While we were fairly diligent, we have a connecting room with the kids. Jon just left the screen door closed to the patio in the back. We were talking among the four of us in our room, when Jon looked at the door to his room and found a chimp just sitting there, staring at us. We chased him out.
Before leaving for our afternoon tour, we decided to get a drink at the tables looking out at the park. It was delightful! We were able to talk with one of the Masai, whose job is nothing but to use a slingshot to keep the chimps away. They have two of these guys on the property around the clock! It is pretty funny. Well, he walked away, and we started talking. Next thing we know, a chimp ran to our table, knocked over my glass of wine, and grabbed a piece of pineapple from Sarah's drink to enjoy in the tree. They are amazing!
We then left for our afternoon drive. We saw some animals, then climbed a hill to a beautiful observation point, including seeing Mt. Kilimanjaro. This whole area is in the shadow of the mountain and it is incredible.
On the ride back to the hotel, we saw more great animal sites. This is the area for elephants and we saw a ton of them again (no pun intended). We saw one with just one tusk and a pair fighting. The males will fight for dominance. We also came across a mother gazelle with her baby that couldn't be more than a few hours old- so precious! Also, plenty of birds and more.
We returned to the hotel for a late evening dinner. It was very nice- they had the buffet set up outside which created a very enjoyable atmosphere.
We are now packing up for our early departure tomorrow to the Mt. Kenya Safari Resort. It is supposed to be magnificent and we are very excited. We will be taking two flights to get there.