In the Land of the Maasai 2

Since I promised a continuation under the last post, I certainly want to fulfill that. The photos for this report were taken on the way from Nairobi to Narok (another town in Maasailand northwest of Ewaso Kedong).

With Benson, an acquaintance of Philo as our guide, we visited several small villages and met many people; we were even invited to Benson's home for tea, which is common in Kenya, particularly among the Maasai. After tea, I was allowed to wear a shuka, the traditional attire of the Maasai.

Later, we wanted to head back to the village but were informed that elephants had been spotted in the opposite direction. We couldn't miss the chance to observe elephants in the wild and promptly turned back. Along the way, we picked up Benson's uncle and foster father, Daniel. Together with him, we set out to track the elephants. Daniel, who has spent a lot of time with animals, led us as close to the giants as was safe. It was simply breathtaking to come so close to the animals in their natural habitat and observe them; for me, it was a little highlight of the vacation.

After the 'elephant watching,' we continued on in high spirits. Our next stop was a village with manyattas, the traditional homes of the Maasai. A manyatta is built from a wooden framework and then secured with a layer of clay, dirt, and cow dung as walls. The roof is protected from rain with various grasses and leaves, often supplemented by plastic sheeting nowadays to improve water resistance. In the village, there were many small children who had never seen a white person before. Accordingly, their curiosity was great; however, some very young children were frightened, as they weren't quite sure what 'I was.' After that, we headed back to Ewaso.

After a very eventful day, it was now time for rest.

But the next day was also to be very eventful. First, we were at a cattle market in Ewaso, where different crafts and agricultural products were also sold. At first, I wondered why we drove the few hundred meters to the market in the car with closed windows, but after being surrounded by a crowd of people as soon as I stepped out, who had dollar signs in their eyes at my sight, it became clear to me why. After browsing the market and having some tea, we returned to our accommodation, where a hearty lunch and lots of conversations awaited us.

Later that same day, the return trip to Nairobi was planned. Before that, we wanted to 'have a quick beer.' The beginning of an evening with 'having a quick beer' might seem familiar to some readers, as well as what happens afterward 😉. From a small group, over 20 people gathered by the end of the evening; together we sang, danced, drank, and laughed a lot. The Maasai present even decided to give me a name in their language. After a brief discussion, they chose Olomayiana, which means 'the Blessed.' With this honor and a new name, I departed from the land of the Maasai, for now.