Note: You can click on any of Malcolm’s beautiful pictures to see them in a larger format

Today’s Swahili Lesson – The beauty of Swahili is that it truly is a phonetic language, just sound it out! The difficulty is that anything spoken in Swahili at 1000 miles per hour (I should say kilometers), to my ear, sounds like: xxmuHa%&****!!!—-saWA–+++==!:?!~

Jambo-Hello          Asante Sana-Thank you very much            Simba-Lion            Leopard- Chui              Giraffe-Twiga

Our first night in Nairobi was spent at the Fairview Hotel. Evidently, the breakfasts there are famous in Nairiobi and we can attest that they should be. There is a beautiful buffet laid out the entire length of the dining room with so many delicious things, it makes a body swoon. Some highlights were the fresh mango juice, a selection of teas that would make any British citizen blush, the otherworldly passion fruits, paper thin crepes, and roasted potatoes with some magical, mystical gravy. Needless to say, we waddled rather than strode to our taxi to head to the small national Wilson Airport. This was our first experience of African Time. The plane leaves at ten means that the plane leaves somewhere in the vague vicinity of ten. We enjoyed every moment of the waiting trying to guess which countries the plethora of exotic accents belonged to.

The process of dividing out numerous small groups of tourists to get them onto a number of Cessnas to go to various safari lodges and camps seemed chaotic and mysterious but everyone appeared to get where they were meant to go and with the proper luggage to boot. It’s a 45 minute flight from Nairobi into the Maasai Mara, a large game reserve in Southwestern Kenya, covering close to 600 square miles. It is named after the Maasai people (the traditional inhabitants of the area) and their description of the area when looked at from afar: Mara means spotted, and it is an apt description for the circles of trees, scrub, savanna, and shadows cast by the clouds that mark the area. It is famous for its exceptional populations of lions, leopards, cheetahs, elephants, and giraffes, and for the annual migration of zebra, gazelles, and wildebeest every year from July to October, known as the Great Migration.

We landed as light as a pin dropping on a rather rough looking (and short!) runway where we were met by the knowledgeable and personable Leleshwa Camp manager, Simon. Leleshwa Camp is a permanent tented camp outside of the Maasai Mara Reserve in a conservancy called Siana. The land is leased from the Maasai community in the area and set up based on an understanding that the camp will employ local Maasai men as cooks, porters, spotters, guides and guards. It is comprised of 6 tents along the Oropile River and has a dining tent and a commons area tent for reading, playing games and socializing. Leleshwa is named after the fragrant and abundant Leleshwa trees in the area. A tree that looks suspiciously like a cross between a Spanish Olive tree and giant sage brush.  Eco-friendly camps like this that employ the locals are much in evidence all around the Mara.

On our drive to camp we came within yards of the resident herd of male elephants and several bachelor giraffes. Because we were the only two guests at the time, Malcolm and I each got our own tents (think: tent that is nicer than my house) and a staff of about 10 people that included a guide, animal spotters, two chefs, a server, porters, and guards that patrol the camp throughout the night on the look-out for animals. I liken the experience to that of being a child that has her every need and whim attended to but gets to be an adult at the same time.

We became so cozy with the staff during our 4 days there, I cried when we left and felt like I do when I say good-bye to my family and close friends. We enjoyed great food, gorgeous and comfortable accommodations, and excellent company. Especially near and dear was David, the guide extraordinaire, and John, the impeccable server with kind eyes and an impish smile.

Things we won’t forget:

-The gorgeous Yellow Fever Acai trees along the river banks of the camp (see Malcolm’s photo)

-Turning in each night to find a hot water bottle wrapped in a velvety fabric waiting under the covers and being awoken each morning with a steaming thermos of black tea and a plateful of home-made biscuits, tent flap unzipped, gazing at a family of velvet monkeys frolicking in the trees (yes, we refrained from feeding them!)

-I begged to go on, not a traditional walking safari (getting to know the local topography and flora and fauna), but on a real hike and was granted a 3 1/2 hour trek to the highest ridge in the vicinity. We were accompanied by two Maasai warriors armed with spears who showed us how to start a campfire in the bush without matches (no way could I replicate the process). The views were breathtaking.

-Malcolm appeared at breakfast one morning looking bleary-eyed and worse for wear. He had been up the entire night, camera light on, heavy tripod close at hand, listening to noises that he described as snorting, snarling, and gurgling sounds about 5 feet from his tent. He was sure warthogs had been cavorting outside of his tent all night but the Maasai guards said that what he heard was the resident leopard, probably hunting (dik dik or gazelle) in the vicinity of his tent. I was green with envy!

“The beautiful Yellow Fever Acai”
Photographer by Malcolm King-Fontana

The Picture that isn’t labelled below: David, Leleshwa Camp Guide with Kari and Malcolm

“John, a true personality”
Photo Cred – Malcolm King-Fontana

“And they call this a tent?”
Photographed by Malcolm King-Fontana