Two Australians pose with one Ma’sai in Amboseli National Park, Kenya.
Sweet Connections Without Words
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The beauty of the world lies in the diversity of its people. ~ Unknown.
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We may have different religions, different languages, different colored skin,
but we all belong to one human race. ~ Kofi Annan
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One of my favorite parts about going to Kenya for R&R was visiting different parks to see the animals. Only once did I go on safari through a travel company. In that case, I stayed in a tent camp with other tourists, had a guide, plumbing in the tent, an endless buffet in the lodge, and so on. It was okay but very expensive and very organized.
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After that, I did it differently. On my first ‘solo’ trip, I traveled with an Australian friend and her two young children. Her husband worked for an NGO and they couldn’t afford the travel company route. Yet, she really wanted her kids to see the animals of Africa. It would be a wonderful adventure!
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We rented a jeep in Nairobi and headed south to Amboseli National Park. If you have seen the movie Out of Africa, think of Meryl Streep and her first encounter with Robert Redford. She was on the train from Mombasa to Nairobi. It stopped in Amboseli.
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It was really amazing to have the freedom – to be able to pause and notice – whenever, whatever, and wherever we wanted. We found a cabin in the park. When we went outside to look at Mt. Kilimanjaro the first morning, we saw huge mounds of elephant poo within a few feet of the cabin. We had had some big visitors at some point during the night!
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This is the rustic but cozy cabin we found – and our jeep. I’m looking at Mt. Kilimanjaro from the cabin.
Mt. Kilimanjaro
The kids, yours truly, and Mt. Kilimanjaro
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We spent our time driving on dirt roads in search of animals and we saw many – from hippos to giraffes to elephants. Wonderful! And more than wonderful was a big surprise that was in store for us….
We spent our time driving on dirt roads in search of animals and we saw many – from hippos to giraffes to elephants. Wonderful! And more than wonderful was a big surprise that was in store for us….
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The children brought a very special quality to the experience. Throughout our time in Amboseli, they offered all of us a way to connect with the Ma’sai – innocently, without effort or pretense. It was such a blessing. Every so often, we encountered people walking along the road. I have no idea where they came from or where they were going. I don’t remember seeing any villages. Still, we saw a number of people!
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The first – and far from the last – people we encountered as we drove around in the park.
Notice how he has almost no shadow. We were near the equator and perhaps it was around noon.
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One moment in particular remains with me. I slowed down. And then stopped. Two people came close to the car to have a look through the windows – especially at the children. For what seemed like a long time, we all just stared at each other. And smiled. No words were exchanged. There was some kind of mutual agreement to stare. We were fascinated with them in their uniqueness to us. They were fascinated with us in our uniqueness to them.
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I remember thinking to myself, “Don’t rush this. Savor it and let it play out. It is so precious!”
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Ma’sai girls going where?
Ma’sai men. Where did they come from? The landscape looks empty.
Tourist shops where the organized safaris would stop. Authentic Ma’sai handcrafted goods.
Notice that the Ma’sai vendors are wearing Western clothing.
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Photos by Barbara
Amboseli National Park, Kenya
Scans of 35 mm slides