Olin, Lauren and Mikaela

Today our group embarked on the long journey from our camp in Kakamega to our final destination of Masai Mara Nature reserve. We woke at 6:00 packed up our camp and bags, and had breakfast. But before we could bid adieu to our home of three days, the troop of baboons made one last walk through of our camp, as if to let us know who’s home it really was. 

We began the 8 hour bus drive to Maasai Mara after the Tetris game of packing the Bunduz bus, or at least we thought we were leaving… Dr. Wang forgot his sunglasses. We proceeded to reverse approximately a kilometre, in reverse, through the forest. Dr. Wang bounded out of the bus, grabbed the glasses, hopped back on and affirmatively announced, “got it!”

Our first stop was to drop our guide Job off in Kakamega town, where we bid a tearful goodbye to our fearless guide. We wish him well in his native forest restoration efforts, and have no doubt he will reign victorious over the invasive plants!

From there we continued our venture. Our next stop was at a mall in Kisumu, a town near the famous Lake Victoria, where we stopped for a “tinkletorium” break and got snacks and some books too. Here we saw . Our merry band entered the mall to stock up on snacks for the trek to Maasai Mara – Safari Puffs, Bang Bang Chilli Chips, and the like. We trickled out and got back on the bus, on the road again. 

It’s interesting – many people on this trip dread blogging the travel days. It’s seems a daunting task to describe a 9 hour journey to you all and make it as exciting as some of our more action packed days (stay tuned for our Game Drive tomorrow). However, when closely examined it is revealed just how amazing the seemingly ordinary can be.

From the smiling faces of school children accompanied by their shouts of joy as we whizzed by, to the bustling markets of Kenyan towns, big and small, draped with colourful fabric and filled with bananas, cabbage, and trucks full of tomatoes, life in Kenya was all around. We drove through rolling hills marked by endless fields of tea, speckled with men and women tending the crop. The rich, red soil that defined the areas around Kakamega slowly transitioned to a dusty brown as the trees thinned. Forest and plantation turned to savannah and grazing herds, the colourful silhouette of Maasai herders juxtaposed against the pale yellow-green of Mara. As we approached our camp, the sun shone through the clouds, its rays dancing off the backs of zebra grazing on the endless sea of vegetation. 

We are now in the prototypical “African Ecosystem.” It is what we and all of you back home imagined when we first broke the news we’d be heading to Kenya this summer. But if this course has taught us anything thus far, it’s that Kenya is defined by its diversity, both cultural and biological. It is normal here to speak three to four languages – as Lucas from Bunduz has taught us. Lake Naivasha, Kakamega forest, and now Masai Mara each have their own unique biological order. All this is captured in the unique beauty of one country – Kenya. We’ve only just scratched the surface.

PS

Mom please answer my texts – Mikaela