MY MASAI MARA ADVENTURE DAY 1

#MYMASAIMARAADVENTURE

This is the first official full day that I have spent at Mpata Safari Club. The arrival day was amazing as is and I enjoyed every bit. If you haven’t read it, then do so Right Here. So my first day involved a game drive at the Trans Mara region, which was just breath-taking in its own way and I will not forget it in the next coming years unless I create new memories of its own.

So I woke up at 4am Wednesday 2015, and this has become a norm and this is because of brain conditioning that has been very persistent due to the constant waking up of my 2015 summer semester. So I woke up to a knock on my door and Momanyi, my driver for the day was there asking me to meet him at the library section of the hotel. There I met the Japanese elderly couple and family that were also staying at Mpata Safari Club.  At the library I found a pot of tea and freshly made cookies and marble cake that was meant to be our wake up snack.

Momanyi told us that we were meant to be at the Masai Mara National Park by 6:30am, when the Olololoo Gate opens. So I wrapped myself in my Masai shuka and hoped into my day’s chariot and was joined by Noroku and her Japanese friend. Noroku is guest relations manager at Mpata Safari Club; she is Japanese but speaks and understands Swahili like it was her mother tongue. She has been in the country for 15 years and hence the familiarity to the language. I later learnt that she prefers Swahili to English.

As we waited for Momanyi to provide our details to the game park security, the early morning sun was rising and making its debut in the Masai Mara. Again I felt so lucky I got to see it set and now I see it rise. So we drove into the vast plains and a few kilometres into the drive the first groups of animals we saw were herds of elephants grazing.  Then there was the conspicuous waterbuck that were so close and seemed to stare at us questioning our existence. That feeling you get when what you watch on National Geographic is right in front of you.

Then the hot air balloons that floated around the dawn skies, one literally flew above us and the group of tourists waved at us and we at them, it was like a sign of acknowledgement. Then the walky talky that is a very important mode of communication came on the voice of another tour guide asked Momanyi whether he had spotted ‘kichwa’ . Then Noroku muttered something in Japanese and then we drove for a bit, then Momanyi muttered something and then we were speeding off. (The tour guides have a coded language that only they know.)

Then there were the animals that were unique and aroused a lot of special attention like the Bat eared fox and some red head bird, that I didn’t quite catch the name. It was more than an amazing site and the amount of activity that was going on in the wild was just amazing.

One thing I discovered was when someone spots something all the tour guides concentrate and race to find the best spot for the group of tourists. This left a lot of clouds of dusts and the running wild of the animals that were not as popular among the tourists

I was lucky enough to watch the yearly migration of the Waterbucks from Tanzania into Kenya. I also got the chance to have tea in the bush, well some people took the adventure too far by peeing in the bush but i wont judge (YOLO or You Only Do it Once) It was an amazing and breath-taking spectacle. I will let the images speak for the event.

Enjoy.

XF.

Remember my snapchat story @freddiefreedom

Thank you for reading and remember to share! Share! Share!

The nest post will be a slideshow of all the images i took. Some of them might not be the best but either way i would want to share with you all what i have and the world through my eyes.

MY MASAI MARA ADVENTURE (DAY 000)

I would like to start with “Kenya Is Beautiful and Bountiful”

This is something that I have always known and respected and shared to the outside world in all possible avenues I could be able to.

Once in a while though due to the challenges that face any country we tend to lose sight and vision of this. The past few years has left not only Kenya with scars of heartache and torture which has directly and indirectly affected us as not only as Kenyans, Africans but as humans as well.

Anyway this is not a sad touchy-touchy post. This post is one of excitement and gratitude not only as a means of congratulations to the Kenyans representing and winning at the Beijing Olympics of 2015. Hongera Kwao. Hongera Kwa Kenya.

So my summer holiday seems to have taken a turn for the better. Those that follow me on Snapchat (If you don’t why don’t you right now @freddiefreedom) So my holiday mostly comprised of meetings and new business ventures that involved more meetings, apart from this there was the daily dosage of movies rather series’ which I do not regret or want to be change.  However, Tuesday 25^th August was a change in the dynamics.

#MYMASAIMARAADVENTURE is what I have dubbed it. On Tuesday, my dad decided to give me the chance to visit the esteemed Kenyan Masai Mara. This is not the first time, but I hardly remember the first time because I was pretty young and it is just a mere fact that I was told I have been to the Mara. Not necessarily sharing part of the memories.

So the journey began at 6am, with Nairobi traffic leading to the paranoia of missing my car to Masai Mara. I got the pick-up point on time actually, however due to certain unavoidable (African Timing) circumstances we left 6 hours past the departure time. Yes we left at 1pm. I literally blew a casket but I decided that I will be a god sport since I was paying for anything why complain when I am not meant to be. Anyway it was definitely worth it, despite the fact that the road trip literally lasted 7 hrs.

The scenery from Nairobi the capital of Kenya to Mpata Safari Club in the heart of Masai Mara was like they taught it in 4^th grade Geography class. This is from the posh Westlands buildings to the Acacia plains and dry grass of the Rift Valley escarpments. In every sense I felt the very existence of the city born and bred individual in me wave off and release serotonin into my nerve and system.  The Mpata Safari club is literally found on a hill in the Mara and is in what the locals call the Trans Mara triangle.

This part of the country is absolutely different from the other part of the country. For those that have been in Nairobi, the ever busy streets and ever concentrated roads and atmosphere , the Mara is just robust and oozing of culture and uncorrupted life. The site of the traditionally clad Masai people is evidence of this, as well as maintained Manyattas and grazing cattle.  Then there are the little towns found every 60 kilometres from each other. This was so surreal and the thought of individuals living their livelihoods in a complete different world yet in the same space becomes a reality. But this is a positive aspect not like that which happened when Snapchat first decided to showcase what Nairobi had to offer.

So back to my adventure in the Mara we got to the venue at 8pm , but first the journey to the site from the main road was an experience and a taste of what I would experience for the few days that I will #EXPERIENCEMASAIMARA. There was the whispers of the driver that elephants use this path when they are crossing and feeding their calves, or the tales of the Wilderbeests that roamed freely once they had left the Tanzania Serengeti, which was only once a year. But first was the amazing sunset that could not be taken away from my memories and sight ever. I literally saw the sun go behind the hills and this was in a span of 5mins or so, the colours were too vibrant and warm that I had to ask the driver to stop and let it sink in that I was seeing this.

Seeing that I don’t have a camera I hastily took out my phone with its 10% battery low warning and shared it to the world how I know best. Then the first sighting of the waterbucks grazing amongst the local herds of goats. Yes goats. I am sure it was a waterbuck because I spotted herds of them later in the journey. I honestly think the goats were just being friendly neighbours how they know best. Then came the wildebeests grazing among the zebras (which I come to learn is a very unique and not distinct relationship) and then came the siting of the hyenas that were surprisingly large in size. There was one that actually is the size of a German shepherd!! My phone was long dead and the lighting was not really conducive for smartphone photography. Plus I had the thought that I would spot one later either way

Because I am one that doesn’t like those long blog posts I won’t bore you to death with this one. This is enough for my first day in Masai Mara!!!

Thank you for reading!!!

Enjoy the post and share!! Share !! share !!

A little teaser into the next post…My first official Game Drive in Masai Mara. It will involve the sightings of a 10 year old lion, the once in a year wildebeest migration into Kenya , and a few wildlife families here and there. Totally excited.

For more into #MYMASAIMARAADVENTURE remember to follow my snapchat @freddiefreedom and check out for the new post.

XF.

Freddieanyona@gmail.com

A little teaser for the next post…i went on a Game Drive and here are some of the images of the drive.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.