Neighbours...everybody needs good neigh-bours!

Well, I’m nearly two weeks in to my Leap placement in Kenya…two weeks, and I’m already looking at my departure date on the calendar, circled in a menacing shade of red. Sigh…I’ve been here at Muthaiga Safari Camp in the Maasai Mara for 12 days, and though it sounds clichéd, I’d have to say it almost feels like I’ve been here forever. There is a certain element of truth to that statement, since my current accommodation, a canvas tent hearkens back to my childhood. I spent the first few years of my life living in such a tent, and there’s a certain comfort in returning to that environment. I’m also happily surrounded by lush bushes, trees, and wildlife, just like my youth. Of course, the animals, as one can imagine are just a wee bit different here, and they definitely keep me on my toes…

My Maasai guard, "110". Named after the Land Rover model 110.

I was scolded today (not for the first time) by one of the camp askaris, or Maasai guards. He told me (again, not the first time) not to wander about without one of them in tow. Granted, it probably is far wiser to have a local warrior with spear, bow, and machete in tow, but I suppose my brazen Canadian nature makes me feel as though I can handle the African bush on my own. Nevertheless, I vowed to him that I would stay close, and not take any foolish risks. I’m quite certain that it would be bad for business (both for the camp, and the guards) if a leopard grabbed me by the neck, or a buffalo gored me, or an elephant…well, you get the idea. I suppose one should not argue with a guy who killed two lions while still a teenager.

Now that the first few days of chaos are behind me, I’ve settled into a very nice routine…wake up at dawn, grab some chai from the staff kitchen, sit and chat with the askaris, sit and read any newspaper that happens to be floating around (I just read the March 18 edition of The Standard…fascinating), and then have breakfast, which is quite civilized: toast, eggs, bacon…almost every day. Fresh fruit when it’s available, which is not that often, unfortunately. Time passes…and then we have dinner: again, quite civilized. If there are guests in camp, the food is among the best I’ve had. Gourmet everything, which is incredible when one thinks about the remoteness of the location. I suppose I should elaborate on the hours between my meals, but frankly, the meals are so good they basically overshadow everything else I do.

Daily life, and daily activities, are about as diverse as one could imagine. I spend a good part of the day doing various computer related tasks: responding to client bookings, drafting marketing emails, booking flights for clients, training staff on the computer, but do get out and about on a regular basis. While the highlight of my first week was without question going into the park and experiencing the Maasai Mara up close for the first time, this week’s most memorable moment (thus far) occurred when I was asked to plan a shopping trip to the local market, to pick up some vegetables. Now, back home, heading to the market is one of the most pleasant experiences one can imagine, and many people, myself included, look forward to market day with giddy anticipation. Of course, I realised that things here would likely be dramatically different, so I approached it with an open mind. With my (very) basic Swahili, I was able to discern from the chef that we needed 20 kg of potatoes, some onions, some “green things”, and a bunch of other things that he scribbled on a sheet. Also, he told me that I should not pay more than 4000 shillings for the lot (shockingly, he anticipated that they would try to take advantage of a mzungu). We crawled into the Land Rover (a real offroad one, not a fancy schmancy Beverly Hills-mobile) and headed off to town.

After a grueling 45 minutes, which included four darting dik-diks, a brief pause to let zebras cross, dozens of impalas trying to jump over the truck, and river to ford, we pulled into the “market”: a veritable sea of multi-patterned red “shukas”. Apparently all the Maasai for many, many miles around crowd into the small town here on the highway every Tuesday, to pick up supplies for the week. We joined the throngs of people, fighting for every inch of space. The driver and I managed to find a woman who seemed to know what she was doing, and immediately made the decision to outsource our shopping. I had expected my market experience to involve stories of haggling, pushing, shoving, yelling, etc., but instead we leaned against the truck, relaxed with a soda, and let somebody else deal with the chaos. 20 minutes later, we had a truck full of food. Mission accomplished. Some would call me a sellout for not experiencing the “true Africa.” Others would call it laziness. I prefer to call it “market-lite.” Maybe next time I’ll do the bartering myself…

The view from my office!

I’m back in camp now, enjoying the magnificent view, 50 miles out over the Rift Valley plain, while working on a laptop. Without question, the best office I’ve ever had. A great place to collect my thoughts, and share them with friends and family around the world