Question and Answer Post

Many thanks for the questions and comments you've e-mailed. In today's post I thought I'd answer some questions that seem to be high interest.

Q: Weren't you concerned about danger?

A: Our nearest city is Washington, DC, and every time I take Metro (subway) and visit a museum or theater, I get nervous. Being in Kenya seems much safer. We work with Origins Safaris, a Kenyan travel service that has been in business for many years and our guide for two trips, Peter Liech, is fantastic--very knowledgeable and protective without hovering, and a great person with whom to talk about everything.

As far as the recent turmoil, Kenya definitely has economic problems that must be solved, but I sense most people want to solve them with peaceful negotiation and hopefully widespread violence is now a thing of the past. In the U.S., given this country's history, suspicion lurks under the surface in racial interactions. Similar suspicions of mistrust exist among tribes in Kenya, but Kenyans are friendly and helpful to Westerners and remember, there is no language barrier in the towns and cities. Again and again, people told us to be sure to tell Americans to please visit. I agree--given the weak dollar, your $ will go a lot further than in most other countries.

Q: Did you dance with the women in Jackson's village?

A: Yes, I did join in and grabbed my daughter and granddaughter so we all danced. It was great fun but I put the camcorder down to dance so I'm not in the video clip.

Q: Did you get close to the animals?

A: Absolutely. Again, we trusted Peter and his knowledge of animal behavior and also Jackson, when we were with him. For example, Peter, who did the driving, took us within a few feet of a pride of lions. The males were sprawled on the ground, asleep after having gorged themselves on a buffalo. The females and cubs were enjoying their huge meal and oblivious to us, so Peter could drive close. Needless to say, he didn't have to tell us to stay in the Land Rover!

Above is a picture Carl took at the elephant orphanage where an elephant just growing tusks is being fed. BTW, elephants take on the skin color of the dirt they roll in, so this one is very red.

Welcome to Jackson's Village

The highlight of our trip was a visit to Jackson's village. The women first welcomed us with two songs and dances, as the video clip shows. 

Then the men took their turn. Like young men in the U.S., they each show how high they can jump. Unlike young men in the U.S., they have a long stick that they call a club rather than a basketball in their hands.

Next, we went into the corral and watched how blood is obtained from a cow without harm to the animal. An arrow has a piece of leather tied about one inch up the shaft to limit it from entering too far into the cow's jugular vein (Jackson, correct me if my memory is wrong--I was so intrigued that my notes are poor). After it was shot into the cow's neck, a woman collected the blood in a gourd already holding milk. She mixed blood and milk until they coagulated. I must admit that we Americans were too cowardly to taste it, but the gracious Maasai didn't hold it against us.

We sat around a fire where a kettle of chai, or tea with sugar and much milk, was boiling, in the house of Jackson's father and mother and learned about their village and traditions. Then on to the house of Jackson and Susan Nekwama and daughter Mereso where we drank the chai. Jackson's house is a little different from his parents; Susan has hung lovely lace panels on the walls and it has a corrugated metal roof (pics tomorrow!). 

Then--I still am in a daze about this--we were made honorary members of the Liaram family, decked out in gorgeous Maasai outfits. The women formed a semi-circle and dressed Jennie, Hope, and me, and then photographer/husband Carl. Most of the village people speak Maa, some also Swahili, and a few English. Happiness, however, transcends language barriers, and being outfitted in such lovely fabrics and beaded jewelry brought tears to my eyes. We exchanged the gifts we brought them, chatted a little more, and said good-bye to new friends now half a world away.

Walking the Mara

After lunch under a tree, we decided to walk across the vast open plain called the Maasai (or Masai) Mara. Usually getting out of the Land Rover isn't allowed but this was a safe area during the heat of the day. So, from left to right, granddaughter Jennie, I, Jackson, and daughter Hope took a stroll. (Jennie and Hope were my research assistants on this trip and a huge help in asking questions during interviews, tracking finances, and generally handling nitty-gritty details.)

Two Maasai children about 8 years old were nearby herding cattle and we treated them to food from our box lunch. A little fearful at first, their smiles soon told us how much they welcomed a midday treat. Maasai boys take responsibility for herding at a young age, Jackson said, and typically eat no lunch when caring for cattle. In the evening each animal is counted, no matter how large the herd -- even 80 or 100 cows plus goats and sheep -- to assure all are present. To the Maasai, livestock equals money, and caring for cattle is serious business. By the way, Jackson's tunic is called a shuka. It always struck us Americans as funny when a cell phone went off and one of the Maasai reached up to get it from under his shuka.

Kenya!

JAMBO from Nairobi. The official web site is called magical Kenya and that says it all. We were met at the airport with happy smiles and news that the two parties had agreed on a compromise and violence is now a thing of the past as the sides try to work together for the good of the country. The weather is perfect, we have visited prehistoric sites, seen elephants and warthogs and all sorts of animals up close, seen both rare black and white rhinos by the dozen. On Wednesday we head to the Maasai Mara where I meet Jackson and his family. More later. I'm having trouble with a strange computer, but Carl is downloading pictures.

There are not a lot of visitors so to anyone thinking about a wonderful trip--you'll be treated like royalty and have a trip you can only imagine! More later.