East Africa: Love at first sight

The Masai children showing us a traditional hut

Well, there is a Swahili saying used consistently throughout East Africa. “Pole Pole” or “slowly slowly” could arguably be the motto of most places in this region. If a bus is supposed to come at 5, it will probably come at 8, and if you order food, don’t expect it for an hour! Life in Africa is several paces behind life as I know it and there is definitely something very charming about it! So, I must say, I adopted the “pole pole” lifestyle since arriving in Africa which may explain why it has taken me this long to write an entry! That and the fact that the internet goes “pole pole” EVERYWHERE!

It has been four months since I arrived in East Africa but it would be completely unfair to skip out on my adventures in this stunning region. During my five and a half weeks here I went to four countries: Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and Rwanda. The trip began with my mother joining her daughters for the first two weeks of our East African adventures. First, we stayed with a local family at a Masai village about two hours from Nairobi. It was a unique experience to be in a small village and see how the Masai people maintain their simple way of life.  Daily, the woman were hard at work with their intricate beadwork while the children were eager to show us around when they didn't have school.  The Masai lifestyle is completely different from life as I know it but I truly enjoyed all of its simplicities.

After two days, we were Serengeti bound and met up with our wonderful guide, Rashid, and our camping cook, Faraji. These two guys were awesome and made our Serengeti safari unforgettable! Rashid had a lot of experience as a safari guide so he went above and beyond to ensure that we would see every possible animal in the Serengeti! It was unbelievable driving through the game parks. Every minute Rashid was pointing out a new site. During the few days of game driving we managed to see tons of elephants, zebras, gazelles, wildebeests, vultures, leopards, cheetahs (including little babies), hippos, crocodiles, warthogs, hyenas, a pride of 25 lions, and the list goes on. Our tour guide said that the pride was the largest he had ever seen. We literally pulled up to a small pond and were within 10 feet of these lions…you could almost pet them, although I wasn’t daring enough!

Here is a taste of what we saw on the safari:

                                

                       

Apart from game drives, we had a great time hanging out at our camp sites. Faraji prepared us some surprisingly delicious meals, and every meal was a feast! I must say that if you are up for it, camping is the best way to enjoy the Serengeti. The view of the stars is perfect, the breeze is refreshing and you are truly among the wildlife. At one campsite, there was elephant dung everywhere, which actually was quite intimidating when I thought of the possibility of an elephant stomping on our tent in the middle of the night. All in all, the Serengeti safari was such a unique and unforgettable experience.

From the Serengeti, we made our way towards Uganda to begin the second part of our trip with my mother. We took a night bus to Uganda’s capital city, Kampala, where our next tour guide, Brighton, waited for us. Churchill Safaris organized our entire trip so we were taken to their headquarters in the city to get our itinerary for the week. Brighton was hilarious and provided endless entertainment during our 8 days with him. We headed south from Kampala towards Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, which is home of the silverback mountain gorillas. The drive on the way to the park was breathtaking, full of stunning mountains with villages embedded into them.
The actual trek began by meeting local guides who took us into the jungle with their rifles and other armed goods! It was unreal! And then, just when I felt like we were not going to find the gorillas, there we were, standing within touching distance of these massive creatures. We had an hour with them, and had to keep quiet and not use a flash so that we wouldn't disrupt their natural environment. I couldn't believe how little they cared about us. It was as if we were invisible. They would literally walk right past us as we froze, not moving a muscle. This was definitely the most   unique wildlife experience I have ever had in my life.

Apart from our crazy wildlife excursions, there was a lot of interaction with the local culture, including purchasing some beautiful artwork and playing with the local kids.

Our final stop before mom had to return home was Uganda's capital, Kampala, which was a blast. We stayed at a great guesthouse run by two wonderful ladies who had their children around.Our guide Brighton also took us to a cultural dance performance which was absolutely incredible!

So all in all, mom's visit to East Africa was a huge success! Stay tuned for the rest of my crazy African adventures! Still left: more Uganda, Zanzibar, Kenya, as well as West Africa and Egypt!

Ugandan dinner with our new friends!