31 May, Tuesday,
Soon after we woke up the Massai ‘warrior’ joins us accompanied
by a friend. Both are very friendly, but communication is difficult. We soon
understand or derive that the friend could be the owner of the land and he wants
something from us for staying there which is fair. Willie gives him money and
they seem to be satisfied with it, but stay to watch how we make everything, us
and Sammie disappear into and on top of the car. Hugo decides that, if he was a
Massai ‘warrior’, who lives in a rural village in the bush and tends to his
livestock, he would also have given himself over to shameless staring – “think
about it, ”he says – “a car, with ‘muzungus’ (white people) and a black dog,
stops and half an hour later a compound has appeared from the car…they carry
their house, fire and food with them?”
The bumpy, potholed, powder-dusted back road takes us through
breathtaking scenery: rolling savannah grasslands and valleys, under a canopy of
thick, bulging white clouds, carry our eyes to the end of its reach –an endless
kaleidoscope of color, texture, shapes, lines, contours, silhouettes and forms.
A taste of the Serengetti, but without the animals…We’ve decided not to go to
the major parks, because it is extravagantly expensive – especially if you
arrive with a foreign licensed car – a decision which I know is the right one
for our circumstances, but I am sad that we are so close and we cannot
go.
The off the beaten track campsite surprises us with green grass,
big shady trees, running water showers and toilets and even a gazebo. A friendly
Massai, Israel, runs the campsite called Moses’camp. He speaks perfect English
and is kind and helpful. He joins Hugo and Andrej after his day’s work and they
have an interesting conversation exploring Kenyan politics, government and world
affairs.
Soon after we woke up the Massai ‘warrior’ joins us accompanied
by a friend. Both are very friendly, but communication is difficult. We soon
understand or derive that the friend could be the owner of the land and he wants
something from us for staying there which is fair. Willie gives him money and
they seem to be satisfied with it, but stay to watch how we make everything, us
and Sammie disappear into and on top of the car. Hugo decides that, if he was a
Massai ‘warrior’, who lives in a rural village in the bush and tends to his
livestock, he would also have given himself over to shameless staring – “think
about it, ”he says – “a car, with ‘muzungus’ (white people) and a black dog,
stops and half an hour later a compound has appeared from the car…they carry
their house, fire and food with them?”
The bumpy, potholed, powder-dusted back road takes us through
breathtaking scenery: rolling savannah grasslands and valleys, under a canopy of
thick, bulging white clouds, carry our eyes to the end of its reach –an endless
kaleidoscope of color, texture, shapes, lines, contours, silhouettes and forms.
A taste of the Serengetti, but without the animals…We’ve decided not to go to
the major parks, because it is extravagantly expensive – especially if you
arrive with a foreign licensed car – a decision which I know is the right one
for our circumstances, but I am sad that we are so close and we cannot
go.
The off the beaten track campsite surprises us with green grass,
big shady trees, running water showers and toilets and even a gazebo. A friendly
Massai, Israel, runs the campsite called Moses’camp. He speaks perfect English
and is kind and helpful. He joins Hugo and Andrej after his day’s work and they
have an interesting conversation exploring Kenyan politics, government and world
affairs.
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