Lions, lions, everywhere

Dec. 23, 2011- Day 7

 

It’s 10:15 am, and I am lying on a hammock 30 yards or so from the Mara river.

 

 

 

 

 

I can see hippos popping their heads out occasionally, and a giraffe is just visible through the trees to my left. Earlier, I had spotted two giraffes from the path to my tent, heads poking curiously over the trees.

 

 

 

 

We were on the veldt by 6:20 today, and at 6:33 we spotted a large male lion ambling up the road. We pursued him, circled around and got in front of him so we could watch him approach, which he did, unperturbedly passing within 5 feet of our truck.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Three other big males were lying around, and this one joined them, and they all went back to sleep. Determining that they weren’t interested in doing anything more strenuous that yawning, we passed on.

  

Not long after, we discovered a pride of 3 adult females and about 7 cubs, the youngest Dominic said had been born Nov. 10, making him about 5 weeks old.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

The yawning rib cavity of a topi lay gaping gorily behind them, while the kittens gnawed on a few stray bits of flesh scattered about.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We were only a kilometer or two from where we’d left the males, and the females were very suspicious and nervous. Dominic said the males probably would NOT kill the cubs, because they were related, but the mothers were on the watch nonetheless.

 

A jackal scuttled by in the distance, and that brought all 3 females to their feet. The babies were full of energy and played vigorously, leaping upon one another with tiny growls and tumbling across the sward.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The cubs were very vocal and a delight to watch. We were maybe 10-15 feet from them, and occasionally one of the younger ones would take note of us, and growl “fiercely “before being distracted by something more interesting – like a gnat, or mamma’s nipple. When they finally settled down, we moved on.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We are still hoping to see a cheetah, so we headed into plains where the grass is not so high. Game is plentiful here, because the herds can spot predators easily.

 

We saw several hyenas, truly nasty looking creatures. Where a lion looks majestic and a buffalo looks tough, these guys just look like bullies. Something in their features just appears cruel. One had a collar and a tracking device on it. Dominic said there was a woman here from Michigan studying them. Another had several bloody wounds visible as though he’d recently been in a skirmish.

 

 

 

 

A little later we saw a group of land rovers gathered, and we wandered over where another pride of lions lay hid in the grass. Having just spent 30 minutes watching the very active antics of other lions we opted not to stay, but set off looking for the rhino we had spotted yesterday.

 

Along the way we hit a swampy patch and sank up to the doors in mud. I was sure we were trapped, but after about five minutes of mud-slinging sliding, we managed to get out. Even with all the windows up, Kathryn and I were fairly splattered through the open roof.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We didn’t see the rhino but stopped to watch a troop of 9 elephants feeding. We had to get back as our Japanese friends, who had stayed behind, needed to be picked up and transferred to the airport.

 

As we headed into the trees that mark our camp, we saw two giraffes and a water buck, probably 5 meters from where we would be sitting to have our breakfast of eggs, bacon, sausage, pancakes, cereal, fresh mango juice, croissants, etc.

 

All this, by 9 am...

 

Four of the Big Five in one afternoon!

Dec. 22 - Day 6 (Continued)

 

 

Big game hunters coined the term "the Big 5" to designate the most dangerous animals in Africa to hunt. Safari companies and tourist still use it today and the big 5 consists of Elephants, Cape Buffalo, Lions, Leopards, and Rhinos. I don't know the statistics, but I'm betting it's not so common to spot all five in one day, especially with the elusiveness of leopards and the rariety of rhinos. However, in one afternoon, we did spot four! AND a hippo on dry land, and a pair of crocodiles! But, I'm getting ahead of myself...

 

 

On the drive back from the Maasai villiage, we saw lots of buffalo, warthogs, and more elephants! I love elephants and am annoying my guides by making them stop every time we see some!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Driving, by the way, is like embarking on a Disneyland ride. The rain last night left the road slippery, and we slid and bounced along, sometimes literally moving sideways. Dominic took it all in stride and steered us over rivers, through defiles, and across swamps with nonchalant aplomb.

 

As silly as this sounds, the drives have made me appreciate the “authenticity” of several Disney rides more, including the jungle river ride and the Indiana Jones adventure. Both are actually very realistic now that I have experienced the real thing! But one should expect no less from Disney, anyway.

 

 

 

Because of my requesting new food for lunch yesterday, they said they had prepared a special menu today, and it was heavily meat-laden. The waiter said the starter was stuffed cabbage, and I said, “I’ll pass, I hate cabbage.”

 

His face registered hurt disbelief! “But…but…it’s stuffed with meat!”

 

Ok, I’ll try it – and I’m glad I did. I peeled open the cabbage and scooped the minced meat into fresh-baked biscuits and it was delicious.

 

Now, the afternoon drive was spectacular! First, we barely left the camp when we discovered a pride of adolescent lions and two females. However, they just lay about doing nothing, so after marveling at their beauty for a while we drove on.

 

We were heading to look-out point, a nearby hill where it seemed the whole of Africa was laid out at our feet. Truly a spectacular view.

 

 

 

After scanning the veldt with our field glasses we drove down onto the plains, passing herds of zebra, giraffe, the ever-present Impala, Topi, buffalo, water buck, etc. Dominic said during the migration the whole expanse was covered with Wildebeest and zebra. Hard to imagine. (Note: we saw this very thing in the Serengeti later and it is STILL hard to comprehend! The vastness of these herds is like looking over the Grand Canyon - impossible to capture on camera.) Also from here, the border of Tanzania is visible a mere 3 kilometers away.

 

 

We drove along the river where I spotted my first crocodile, half-submerged and looking like a gnarly tree branch. Not much further, Kathryn spotted a massive one on the shore, its nether ends obscured by rock and water.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’ve been writing by candlelight at the campfire when suddenly a low coughing, grunting sound comes from behind the main tent, approximately 50 feet behind me.

 

“Lion,” the Askari say. Cool.

 

 

We saw some more hippo heads peaking out of the water, and then one lone hippo whose body we could see. A few minutes more and we discovered a pod of about 6 whose bodies were exposed and you could actually see! So, now I can say I’ve seen a hippo rather than just their heads!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Later we came across a herd of 22 elephants!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One gigantic male with the tell-tale “mating” marks on his face – a dark line that looks all the world like a tear trickling from his eye. This indicates he is ready to mate. A quartet of adolescents played together with one trying to mount the others until another got fed up and head butted him, and then flung dirt on him with his trunk.

 

 

 

 

Then we see a large hippo wallowing through the fields and we raced around a bog and up a hill, off road now, to catch up with him.

 

We’re lying in bed with our hot water bottles warming our bottoms. To my left at the river, I hear the grunts and floundering of the hippos, to the right, behind my tent, the cough of a prowling lion.

 

The hippo was badly wounded with large lacerations around its neck and one ear bloodied. He was not amused by us pursuing him in our vehicle.

 

Now a baboon is barking outside.

 

While we are still snapping pictures of the hippo – they are amazingly huge out of the water – Dominic says “Oh, my god guys, I see a rhino!”

 

We train our field glasses across the river and sure enough, there’s big rhino, PLUS a mother and baby. The hippo is forgotten as we head off after the elusive rhino.

 

Dominique says “I think there’s a river crossing near here, I’ll try and find it.”

 

Now you have to realize, we drove off into the middle nowhere to follow the hippo, and the river is marked only by a winding strip of trees and bushes through the grass plain. The tracks that we loosely call roads are nowhere in sight. Yet Dominic heads off and unerringly steers us through bushes and around boulders to a river crossing.

 

“Wait here and I’ll check it out,” he says as he bounds out of the truck and runs forward, clearly just as excited as we are. There have been heavy rains lately, and the river is much higher than normal so there’s a good chance this crossing is flooded.

 

Dominic runs back, leaps into the truck, cranks the engine and says, “I think we can make it.”

 

We careen through a gorge, and down a cliff in what can only be compared again to a Disney adventure ride. This is not a road; it’s a river bed, full of rocks, deep ruts, surrounded by forest. The crossing is narrow, the water deep, and the climb up the other side slick with mud. We head sideways into some bushes, fishtail the opposite direction, skim past some trees, then we’re on top of the hill and into the field.

 

Creeping along now, we spot the big male lying down in a mud hole. The mother and baby have disappeared. Me and one of the Japanese girls are standing up through the roof, and Dominic hisses for us to get down. I drop immediately, but either the girl didn’t hear him or didn’t understand. The Rhino spots her and bounds to his feet, snorting. He’s huge! Easily the size of our vehicle. He dances to and fro, pawing the ground, takes a few steps toward us, his horn lowered menacingly then. Then suddenly he wheels and darts into the forest.

Dominic thinks he may be back in the morning, so we will try and spot him again then.

 

 

 

 

Just as we get about 1/4 from camp, we see 5 lions sprawled about on top of a gigantic termite mount. Nearby, another 3 snooze in the grass. It is incredibly picturesque. Add in the storm blackened sky, and a brilliant rainbow, and it was an absolutely wonderful and unique view.

 

 

 

 

Undoubtedly, these are the same lions that are even now prowling about near the camp and upsetting our Askari guards.

 

We took our gin and tonics by the campfire and wrote in our journals until supper which was sirloin steak. What a day!

Meeting the Maasai

December 22, Day 6 (continued)

After breakfast we continued to the Maasai village, passing up herds of elephants along the way. We had to leave the park, a 15000 square kilometer parcel of protected land. As we crossed the gate, a whole family of baboons wandered by, bouncing across the tiny islands dotting the narrow river.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When we arrived, the villagers all lined up in their multi-colored clothes and performed a welcome song and dance. I was pulled into the center and crowned with a conical cap made of lion pelt. I danced along with the warriors as we paraded past the women and joined in a circle, chanting and bouncing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then it was the women’s turn, and Kathryn and the two Japanese ladies joined a line of Maasai women as they danced and sang. This ended with the whole line ‘welcoming’ me, each lady going by and pressing their right hand against mine, kind of like a gentle high-five.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After this came the high jump ceremony. The warriors formed a semi-circle, one after the other stepping forward and bounding high into the air repeatedly. They also demonstrated lighting a fire by twirling a stick amongst tinder. As one warrior's hands grew tired, another knelt and took his place. They had a fire burning within 2 or 3 minutes.

 

 

 

 

 

Then they took us inside the kraal. The homes were sticks caked with a mixture of mud and cow dung which will hold together for about 5 years. It was dark as a cave inside, the only light coming from the door and the small hole punched in the wall to allow smoke from the cooking fire out. Women are responsible for building the house, while the men must build the thorn fence that surrounds the village.

 

 

The first room is for the cows, and the second room for everything else. We sat on a bed of cow hide where the parents would sleep. Another alcove served as a bedroom for children under 5 years old. After 5, they must move out into a separate house.

 

We paid $20 each to visit, half of the money going to pay the salary of the teachers at the nearby school which this year was projected to service 500 children.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We visited their market and picked out a dozen items, then dickered a bit about prices. While normally I am a ruthless barterer, the poor conditions of the people coupled with the difficulty in getting back to Nairobi in time to shop, prompted me to pay more than I would have elsewhere. But I didn’t mind. The items are still great buys, and now I have the pleasure of saying I bought them at a real Maasai village where they made them themselves. For instance, the Maasai club I bought is intricately carved, and it still cost less than totally unadorned ones I have seen elsewhere.

 

 

So, we headed back to camp to rest up for our afternoon game drive!