Finally, I
thought, traveling would be so easy - no matatus to squeeze myself into, no chickens as fellow passengers, just a nice safari van. But part of me was not so surprised when, about three hours, into our trip, I saw smoke oozing out of the engine (which is located un
der the front seats, so smoke blows right onto the passengers.) Our guide's initial response was - "Oh, just open the window and it won't bother you." Ummm. yeah. Luckily we stopped before actual flames erupted from the engine. And so 10 hours later and lots of quality time spent in the not-so-booming metropolois of Narok (the town just outside the Masai Mara preserve), we were rescued by a new car and fabulous driver, Julius, who would become our best friend over the next ten days as we negotiated mud puddles and night drives 
through herds
of elephants.So we arrived in the Masai Mara, one of the most beautiful areas of wild life preserve in Eastern Africa, just before dusk. We got stuck in mud for the first time just outside a Masai village where a large group had gathered to raise money to send one of their children to school. They were more than happy to welcome the mzungus (and their shillings) into the gathering. The Masai dress distinctively in red blan
kets (to scare off animals) and elaborate bead work on their necks, through their ears, on their wrists. They loved seeing their pictures on our digital cameras. The woman holding the camera is Janneke, who is a fourth year medical student in Holland, currently working at the CDC in Kisumu doing tuberculosis research.After being
pushed and dragged out of the mud by the very helpful Masai we continued bumping along the roads as night fell over the Masai Mara. The area is undeveloped and incredibly beautiful and much more so seen by the light of the full moon. Unfortunately this makes it difficult to see the road and it wasn't long before we were stuck again. Although we seemed to be in the middle of a totally empty plain, we were soon surrounded by a group of Masai who said they were out hunting lions. Makes being outside of your safari van at night a little more exciting. After trying unsuccessfully to push our van out 
of the mud, we soon gave up and had far more fun with the Masai dressing us up in their blankets and spears and taking pictures while we waited for the rescue jeep to drag us out of the mud. And (unfortunately?) we didn't see any lions that night.
The most striking thing about the Masai Mara is the open-ness of the space - the quiet, the endless blue skies, the fields covered with animals - antelope, buffalo, giraffe, zebra, a pride of lions resting below the trees, a cheetah wandering by the side of the road, a herd of elephants grazing nonchalantly as we stare open mouthed, a rainstorm moving towards us across the previously sun-drenched plain
s.
One of the most beautiful views was on an early evening trip to the hippo pools. Hippos make some of the strangest noises - a bizarre mix of a roar, grunt, and squeal;
something like lion crossed with pig. They also have very big feet - this is my foot next to one of their foot prints. On the drive back, as the sun set in a blaze of red between dark grey rain clouds, ahead of us the full moon cast the thunderheads
in silver and lightning flashed across the sky, intermittently bathing the landscape in bright light as our safari van hurtled through the night - and nearly ran into a herd of elephants.
Being a tourist in Kenya is an entirely different experience from working alongside Kenyans in clinic. Although we had a great time with Moses and Julius (our guide and driver), most of our interactions with Kenyans were clearly based on an expectation that we were there to spend our money, take our pictures, go on safari, and go back to our homes in the developed world. Everyone was still warm and gracious and welcoming but I was very glad I had started my trip with such wonderful relationships with the people I was working with in clinic.
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