The Magic of Amboseli

Jambo! Hello from the Horn of Africa and Amboseli National Park. Making our way to our first safari, we flew into a dusty desert airstrip with piles of wildebeest dung scattered about. Luna was thrilled by our small 10 seat plane and the delights of seeing into and out of the cockpit during our 40 minute flight from Nairobi to Amboseli National Park.

We landed within the park, so we had to go on a game drive to reach our lodging. Every moment some magical new animal emerged- we first saw wildebeests, then flamingos, hippos, ostriches, elephants, zebras and lions. We discovered that giraffes are supremely shy, that baby elephants are the cutest animals on earth and that ostriches dance. I don’t know what I expected from being on safari, but this exceeds any expectations I had. Everywhere we look on our game drives, we see animals- I anticipated seeing one type of animal at a time, but we’ve seen flocks of birds share the savanna with herds of impala and zebra (pronounced zehhhbra here) and elephants. We’ve been lucky enough to see lions on several occasions, one where two lionesses were out and about for a stroll with 4 cubs- them romping and playing and jumping on each other was worth the trip.

Our days here consist of getting up before the sun, getting on an open air Land Rover with different levels for seating and feeling the dusty air as we ride through the park. It’s much colder here than we anticipated, and we’re dressed in 4-5 layers, scarfs & hats, with blankets over us to keep warm. We usually head out on 2 game drives a day, lasting 3-7 hours each.

Elephants live in herds and Amboseli National Park is known as the place where elephants roam. We are seeing multiple herds of 50+ elephants- it’s insane to see so many of these majestic creatures at once. I didn’t know that nature like this still existed, or ever did for that matter.

I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves, but wanted to share that giraffes have big hearts, weighing in at 9 kilos/20 pounds. They have such long necks that the blood often has difficulty getting to their brain, so if they run or drink water for a long time, they can just fall over and pass out. We found this quite funny.

Yesterday we were able to visit a Maasai village and meet the elders. When we arrived they began to sing and dance, chant and share blessings. As soon as we stepped out of the vehicle they dressed us in Maasai regalia, donned us with necklace after necklace, gave Josh a talking stick and told us we were now “white Maasai”. It was a very interesting experience, to say the least. They invited Josh to do a dance, which he didn’t know was the mating dance in Maasai culture. The men who have become warriors typically jump and the highest jumper is seen as the most attractive within their culture. Well, luckily he jumped high enough for me. The Maasai showed us their homes made of mud and cow dung, small, dark and cavernous places which protect from the lions which sometimes roam their camps. There was a young bride inside who we spoke with for a bit and she had a baby named “Blessing” at her breast. She was 17 when she got married and is 18 now. It’s quite common for Maasai girls to wed as young as 12 years old. Needless to say, when we came home, Luna was pensive about her life compared to the young woman we met, and how grateful she was for the opportunities that come with education, agency and being able to use your voice to create your own path.

We walked through the conservancy around our lodge with a Maasai warrior and learned about medicinal plants and what zehhhbra poo looks like, as well as the tracks of ostriches and warthogs, just in case anyone needs our assistance in the bush- we can now help. There are huge thorns everywhere here, and when we come in at night, we have to pick 1/2 inch thorns, sometimes longer out of the bottom of our shoes, which are now comically peppered with holes. Flip-flops certainly wouldn’t last long out here. We asked our Maasai guide on our walk about his shoes and he said all Maasai people wear sandals made from recycled tires. Being very durable & very tough, one pair of shoes worn every day can last up to a year.

Luna asked the Maasai warrior about his spear, as she has done training in martial arts and archery. She asked if Maasai women have ever been trained as warriors. At first, he didn’t even understand the question, when she asked again, he bent over laughing so hard, explaining that women would NEVER want to be warriors. Luna was very diplomatic, but it was clear that it was quite possible no one had ever asked the Maasai women if they wanted to be warriors. The Maasai culture is beautiful in that you are so known, surrounded by family and friends at every moment, know how you fit into the society and what you can do to help. When you live in a Western society like our’s, our individuality is often focused on so much that the ties to the community suffer, yet we are observing the opposite of that here.

Travel opens our eyes, makes us question the world we live in and the decisions we’ve made. I am grateful for the new people we’ve met, the new friendships we’ve forged and how our differences and similarities inspire new ways of looking at the world. I’m full of gratitude for the choices we’ve made and lives we’ve created.

We’re off to Tanzania (pronounced Tanzaaaahhhnia in Africa) tomorrow!

Sending love your way,

Carly