A walk in lion country...

THANK YOU!

First of all I want to say thank you to David and Susan for the wonderful care package. The package arrived in one piece and in great condition.

I was very excited when it arrived. When the post office lady told me I had to show my passport I tried to persuade her to give it to me because of course I didn’t have my passport on me. So then I tried to see if I could pay extra to make sure it was actually my name on the package. I didn’t get anywhere with that approach though, so I had to make my way back to the house via taxi then back again.

But it was a most welcome taste of home and I am truly grateful for it. It quells my homesick feelings :)

Also, we said good bye to Mat and Jane Bailey who are returning to New Zealand after six months of work at Selian and ALMC. The hospital was much quieter Monday morning as their continued presence had lifted the spirit of everyone around. Safari njema M&J!

A Maasai Weekend

This past weekend was memorable. I have been working hard to process and understand all that I saw with Eric in a little longer than one day. Eric’s former guard Mbutway invited us to his home in what we believed to be the Serengeti. His home was actually next to the southwest corner of Lake Manyara on the fringe marshes. The background was an incredible view of the rift valley and distant mountains. A better stage would be hard to find.

We left Arusha on a mini-bus heading southwest at about 6:30-7:00. Mbutway and his “brother” Leboni escorted us to the bus and towards his home. By the time we were out of Arusha, it was late dusk. We didn’t know exactly how long it was to his home but we knew we had a hike after we arrived. The bus bounced to a stop at a small village at the turnoff to Terangire National Park. There, Mbutway’s brother Kimani and four friends met us in the dark with three Chinese bicycles. Ahead of us was a 6 km (3.5 miles) in the dark through lion country.

I have always wondered what it would be like to walk around where the lions roam, but I never knew that I would do it at night.

I remember distinctly walking at one point half way through, holding my flashflight when Kimani stopped in his tracks and pointed to his left, he said, “there”. He wanted me to shine my flashlight in a spot where lions could ambush us from the thick bushes. Gulp.

We made our way for what seemed to be a long time when they attempted to put me in the passenger position of the bicycle. Here I was in the middle of the night trying to sit on the back of a Chinese bicycle in the middle of what seemed blanketed middle earth, a place I have never experienced, having a 135 pound Maasai warrior trying to pedal us to freedom in the boma.

I promptly fell off kicked my shins against the jagged pedals drawing blood. “Great”, I thought as I pictured the feeding frenzy of the shark when blood has been sensed. Well, finally after a few more tries and a continued throbbing shin we agreed to give me two packs and one bicycle. I struck out 50 yards ahead of the other bike by myself while the rest of the group was scattered. Eric was already at the boma since his frame could be accommodated by the bicycle.

• *In this picture is Mbutway (middle red) with his very shy wife Simeyan and his small child Kapasoi which is next to their grandmother Taakai. Leboni on the left with Naishooki (in the blue) who is their uncle's wife. In the background you can see the rift valley and the palm trees which gives the village its name.*

The next day was filled with activities one can only experience when you are genuinely welcomed not by tourism but by mutual respect. We participated in the Maasai life communicating through broken Swahili and Mbutway’s cousin as an interpreter through English. The village’s name was Oltukai (Palm Tree village) because of the tall palm trees around his boma (Maasai house). We hiked around boma to boma and had tea with elders and neighbors.

We laughed and wondered around as a Maasai warrior.

You see, our friends were part of the maran warrior class. They were the protectors of cattle and family. When lions or trouble was near, it is this class who deals with it. They are on call 24 hours a day with spears and knives firmly at hand. They greeted us as one of their own and shared with us their food and culture. The rest of the classes were elders, women and children with subdivision for duties. They too greeted us with utmost compassion and hospitality.

• Pictures above are us bringing the cattle back home after the day and Takaai washing the gord which is where the put the milk for the day. After they wash it, the milk is very sweet and its special to drink. They gave us the freshly washed gourd milk after this, quite a treat.
  

• This picture is of Kimani, Loboy and Ali. Ali is a talented singer who leads the dancing. Their are holding their malalak (sticks). They are always with them.
  

We filled our day with climbing a baobab tree, throwing spears, and taking tea.

The warriors bathed and dressed in their nice cloth and danced for a while to celebrate the day. The celebrated because they were happy we had come to their village and they showed the utmost genuine respect and treated us as one.

They wore my hat, they used my camera, and we taught them English.

• Mbutway and I taking our tea during the first morning.
  

We told stories and looked at the stars together and explained their moon was the same as our moon.

Eric and I were truly touched with the spirit of the Maasai culture and we have the utmost respect for their ways. Eric quipped they are the modern jedi. Clothed with their sticks in hand, they walk with pride and patience and incredibly deliverance to ideals.

Our day closed with a small ceremony where Eric and I gave gifts of tea and sugar to the mammas as well as snickers to the children. We also provided a few other special gifts to Mbutway the next morning and I gave them my Swahili to English dictionary as they could not stop using it! They in return gave us special Maasai jewelry.

• Mubutway's Family. His parents have passed on but his uncle and grandmother from his mother's side took care of him. His closest family is pictured but his wife is not present.
  

• Mbutway's grandmother Taakai placing our gifts on us. (Shown necklace)
  

The morning we had our tea again, more gifts were given to them and we walked back towards the highway where Sunday’s market was taking place. We passed the neighbors and elders who greeted us along the way. We left for Arusha a few hours later and Eric went to a nearby village to work with a Doctor Friedburg at Mosquito River Town.

Kimani escorted me all the way to my house in Arusha and I fed him tea and chai using the fresh milk they gave us hours before. To use on quote, “we set sail for a point on the map, and found a point in our heart.” So it went for our day in the Maasai land near Lake Manyara.

• Here is our return trip before with split. Kimani really enjoying the camera.