A Morning Safari in Kenya’s Amboseli National Park
But First, Breakfast at Ol Tukai Lodge
We got to wake up later this morning, only at 6:45 AM. We were going to leave on the safari at 8:30 AM, and we had to be at breakfast at 7:15 sharp. I got into some warmer clothes because yesterday I was freezing. When I had finished getting ready, I headed over to breakfast. They were cooking them up. We gave them the gluten-free pancake mix so we could have gluten-free pancakes for breakfast.
Meanwhile, I got some other food, like rice, steak, and other things. When I returned, I started eating, but the pancakes came out right then. They were cut into little half circles, and I went to the pancake bar. There was chocolate and vanilla sauce. I put some chocolate sauce on mine. When I finished my pancakes, I decided I was done.
While Waiting, I Love to Sketch
I went to the lobby to wait until 8:30; I drew a house in my sketchbook to pass the time. When the car arrived, we headed out to get in it. Our driver was the same as yesterday but was a different car.
Elephants, Lions, Hyenas, and Birds on the Amboseli Morning Safari
The first thing that we saw was a few elephants. We looked around the area and saw that the elephants had demolished the trees. The reason for this catastrophe was a three-year drought that left the elephants with little food to eat.
We drove around a point and saw a lion in the bushes. It was hard to spot, but we saw it eating a wilderbeast. It spotted us and then slunk off in the bushes with its kill. We decided to go then and went back on our way. We saw the same herd of elephants when we drove the other way, and one of them got super close to our car.
Visiting a Maasai Village near Amboseli in Kenya
Today we were going to go to a Masai village and see how they lived life. We first went to a male lion that was sitting in the shade. It had a tracking collar on it, and it looked ancient. We then headed over to Masai village. It was a dirt road all the way there. If you looked down, it looked like you were driving on a cloud.
Arriving at the Maasai Village
When we came upon the village, the walls were made of an extensive stretch about 3 ft wide and 4 ft tall of thorn bush branches. We got out of the car and waited because they were going to do a welcome dance for us and were getting ready. When they came out, they were all wearing cool beaded clothes. Zeb, Emmy, and KB all joined in on the dance. I did not because it involved a lot of jumping, which I couldn’t do because of my back injury from skiing this last summer.
Going Inside the Village Walls
When they had finished dancing, we went inside the village. They showed us where they kept their livestock, where and how the houses were made, and even what the places were like inside.
Inside a Maasai House
We got to go inside the little huts. They said it takes about three weeks to create one of the huts, which I thought was not that long.
The Maasai Village Market
When we finished the house tour, we went to the market. It was a little road thing with blankets with stuff on either side. Mom and I started at the end, but I am unsure where the others began. I picked up bone bowls and wooden salad tongs in the first few stalls. I like wooden or bone things, and there were lots of those.
Later on, I got a bracelet and a necklace. You would choose what you thought you wanted, and then they would tell you the price at the end. You do not have to buy everything you select, but wait to hear the costs and decide. I had already picked out many things by the time I got to the end of our line, and I felt terrible about not getting stuff from every stall.
I went to the other side to look just a little more and found a gourd. It is a kind of water bottle; it is just made of hyde. It was very cool, and I put it in with the stuff I wanted to get.
When all of us had finished looking at things, we went to this spot where we would hear the prices. Zeb and the other kids did not have a lot of stuff, but I did. After hearing the prices, I had a lot of trouble choosing what I wanted. Everything was costly. I chose a bracelet and the gourd, with a total of $35. The gourd costs $25, and one bracelet costs $10.
Baby Goats!
While mom and dad were paying, we kids went to see a little two-day-old baby goat. We did not know if we could hold it, but one of the Masai ladies picked it up and gave it to me. I loved holding it. I had a turn, and then KB, Emmy, then Zeb.
Saying Goodbye to Our New Friends at the Maasai Village
They called us back, and we got all of our things, and mom deducted the money from our spending chart. Patrick, who came to meet us and did the tour, gave me a necklace for free. I thanked him and hugged him. We all got into the car, and so many flies were there! We were ready to head back to the hotel, so we did. It was short and bumpy on the way back, but we made it to the hotel.
Back at the Lodge for Lunch, Blogging and Ping-Pong
When I got out of the car at the hotel, I took the boardwalk to the main lobby. I went to my room to refresh. I had lots of blogging, so I went to the bar and worked on that. When it was lunchtime, I was the first one in there. There was the usual rice and pork, and I got mango juice. When I was done with that, I went back to blogging. I played a little ping-pong with my dad, so that was fun. It was sunny, so we returned to the bar and continued our work. Dad helped me with my blog and getting things in order.
Later that evening, I sat by a roaring fire that the Masai men had made. Mom came walking up, and she ordered some potato chips. We were waiting for Emmy to get out of her massage, and then we could go to dinner. Soon Emmy came out of her massage looking refreshed. We were now ready to go to dinner. We all walked in and went to our usual table. I went and got some food. I ate all of it and was done quickly. I went to the room to get ready for bed. The others came soon after, and we all got into PJs and brushed our teeth. I got into bed, and soon all the lights were out.
Leaving Amboseli, Going to Arusha
Today I woke up at 7:30 AM. Today we were going to leave and Amboseli to go to the hotel we were staying at before our climb of Mt. Kilimanjaro. We were going to revisit the Masai Village to take pictures of their things for IFAM.
Packing Up from Ol Tukai Lodge
I packed up my bag and got all my stuff in order, making sure to check under the bed for loose items. I took my bag out to the lobby to wait. We would keep our bags there, run out to the Maasai Village, take pictures, load up all the bags and head out.
Visiting the Maasai Village Again
Our driver came and pulled up. This time we were in a different car. We did The short drive out to the village, and the other kids and I got our cameras ready. We climbed out and headed over to where the market was last time. They were getting their things set up when we came, so to wait while they finished setting up, we went to see the baby cows. I got lots of photos of the cute cattle, which also smelled terrible.
We went back over to the market, and they were ready. I started taking pictures of the things, and my mom showed me which items were good to photograph. The time flew by, and we only had about an hour to take photos. We finished faster and had to leave. I said my last goodbyes and then hopped into the car.
The Drive from Amboseli in Kenya to Arusha in Tanzania
We had a four-hour drive to Arusha, where we would stay at the Mt Meru hotel. I am glad the car we rode in had good suspension and soft cushioned seats. We drove to the bordering place, where we had to fill out many papers. There were a lot of really pushy ladies, and it was hard to get by them. When we returned, we transferred to a different car, where we would be driven for two hours. The drive felt short.