http://www.shareapic.net/content.php?id=8577193&owner=ontheroad100
Breakfast and we are on the road to the Masai Mara. The roads are in pretty good shape to start. There is quite a bit of construction on the way. The scaffolding on all the building projects look like small tree trunks and boards lashes together. Most likely these are not OSHA approved projects.
We stop to take a boat ride to see some hippos at Lake Naivasha. We are charged 2000 ksh each. A few days later we stay at the Lake Naivasha Country Club and they have a service to see the same hippos on the same lake for 1000 ksh per person. Oh well.
While we were being issued our life jackets I mentioned Mr. Odinga to the attendant. The hair on the back of her neck stood up and she let me know in that she was a supporter of President Kibaki and wanted nothing to do with a power sharing agreement with Mr. Odinga. She must have been a Kikuyu. Note to self: Do not get involved in the local politics.
The white and blue fiberglass boat is spotless. The skipper was giving it a last minute wipe down when we arrive at the dock. The 15hp motor starts on the first pull.
We are underway and wind through some narrow channels to work our way to the lake. I tell our driver that this reminds me of the Okefenokee Wildlife Refuge where I frequently camp in the swamp. He did not think that was a good idea but we do not have crocodiles and hippos in the Georgia swamp. The 15,000 alligators that inhabit the swamp have not been a problem.
http://www.fws.gov/okefenokee/
http://www.okefenokeeadventures.com/
An anhinga is perched on a reed that barely supports its weight. We sneak up on a floating pelican and it takes flight.
On the open water we approach a bloat of 20 or so hippos huddled together. A calf is in the mix sticking close to mom. At some point we got too close and the mother started coming towards us at a high rate of speed. She was generating a small wake. The boat caption gave the throttle a little twist and we moved away.
Hippos are mean animals and are reported to kill more people than lions or crocodiles in Africa. 
http://www.didyouknow.cd/animals/hippo.htmhttp://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mhippo.html
The boat tour continues and we see where parts of “Out of Africa” were filmed.
http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19851220/REVIEWS/512200304/1023
Many animals were brought to the island for the filming of the movie and were not moved after filming was complete. The have reproduced and prospered. Wildebeests, giraffes, impala and a hippo graze in the lush grass under the acacia trees in the idyllic setting.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Out_of_Africa_%28film%29
We pass a marsh area with pelicans, ibis, a fish eagle and waterbuck going about their daily routines.
A fisherman is on the bank, we wave, he waves back.
A Giant Kingfisher sits on a branch looking for breakfast.
http://www.kenyabirds.org.uk/giant_kf.htm
Back at the boat launch and take advantage of the facilities.
Onward to the Masai Mara! The roads get rougher. We pass the Happy Banana Hotel, Pub and Butchery and Baptist Church at one roadside village.
Further on up the road we see the Tawfiq Harbuni Hotel next to the Toa Jam Shop.
Giant Euphorbia are a regular sight. 
The roads turn to dirt and are jammed with construction equipment. Barricades and detours are marked with large rocks collected from the surrounding area. No orange day glow cones on this construction project.
We come to a small town and turn off the road. Our driver explains that his is a short cut to the park. The “Pilot’s Bar” goes whizzing. Our request to stop and check out the local pub was denied.
As we approach the Mara, a lone Maasai is gliding across the savannah tending a herd of cattle. Zebra, antelope and giraffe graze nearby. The Maasai has a spear and is wearing a red checked shuka (Maasai Blanket) and a digital watch.
We arrive at the Mara Simba Lodge where we stayed for 4 days and three nights. I will attempt to consolidate parts of this leg of the journey to reduce my endless rambling and reminiscing.
http://www.marasimba.com/section.asp?ID=2
We saw banded mongoose, Topi, Hartebeest, Grants Gazelle, hippos, wildebeest, ostrich, lions and a cheetah. If I had to come back to this planet as an animal it would be the cheetah. Lean and fast. When hungry I hunt and eat. I sleep and mate as required. By nature I am a solitary beast but seek company on occasion.
I do not ask for permission to act. 
Dinning is at an open pavilion overlooking a river. We can walk to the end of the deck and see two hippos in the water. A large crocodile is just out side of the electric fence.
Bob arrived at dinner one evening and reported that he saw a black snake crawl off a thatched roof, down a wall and across a walkway in to a storm drain. I mentioned this to our waiter Paul. As casually as saying it was just a grasshopper, Paul states that “It is a black mamba but don’t worry about it the banded mongoose will take care of it as they do the puff adders.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_mamba
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bitis_arietans
I try to maintain my best poker face but I believe Paul has won this round.
Being a fan of Animal Plant and The Discovery Channel the internal dialogue is adamant that a bite from either one of these vipers will result in intense pain, respiratory failure, seizures and convulsions for at least 100 men. I suspect that life flight is not available. Hakuna Matata.
We order dinner. It is ala Carte instead of the usual buffet due to the light guest list.
The Mara Simba has a capacity of 230 guests. Typically they have 100 guests at this time of year. Our party of six and a solo traveler are the only guests this evening.
The post election violence has taken quite a toll on the tourism industry.
Kim invites the solo traveler to join us. I am glad she did. We met Bill C. from England who is wearing an Earthwatch T-shirt.
http://www.earthwatch.org/europe/
He is a naturalist that has spent many years in Africa and has worked on several projects including rhino conservation. His current project is working with the locals in Nanyuki to encourage the planting of fast growing trees to prevent deforestation in the region. His wife is working on women’s health issues elsewhere in Africa.
I read about female circumcision and asked if it was still commonly practiced. After asking permission he explained the procedure which mirrored “Lonely Planet’s –Kenya” text on page 39;
“Female Genital Mutilation” The controversial practice of female genital (FGM) often euphemistically termed “female circumcision” is still widespread across Africa, including Kenya. In some parts Kenya more than 90% of the women and girls are subjected to FGM in some form. The term FGM covers a wide range of procedures from a small, mainly symbolic cut to the total removal of the clitoris….”
Bill goes on explain that the grandmother generally performs the procedure the night before a wedding using un-sterilized equipment and no anesthetic.
This concept is something that I cannot grasp on an intellectual or emotional level.
Many men will never know the joy of leaving ear impressions on the inside of their lovers’ thighs.
More to come...
