Into the Kenyan Wilderness
Travelling to Kenya has always been a life long dream. I was lucky enough to realize my dream this past Christmas as part of the big yearly trip I take each December.
Our trip begun with a short Safari-link flight from Wilson Airport in Nairobi over the Great Rift Valley. Although the ride was quite bumpy, I didn’t have time to fear for my life because the scenery below was breathtaking. We landed at Mara North airstrip amidst running Cape Buffalos, which topped any expectations we had.
Each day we were woken with a hot cup of coffee and the sounds of hippos in the Mara River in front of our tent, before dawn so that we could see the sunrise during our game drive. The scenery at the Masai Mara National Reserve is truly captivating and everything you have ever envisioned when dreaming about visiting this place. It is nature at its most primitive and unspoilt glory. We were lucky to come across a pack of lions honing in on their pray, a family of elephants walk through the reserve, a family of cheetahs feeding on poor creature; the food chain in real time!
The big treat came on Christmas day when we were woken up at 3:30 am to see the sunrise a couple of hours later over the savannah from a hot air balloon. Flying with an incredible Alaskan pilot who shared his story of how life brought him from Hawaii where he was flying hand gliders, all the way to Kenya 12 years ago to fulfill his dream of piloting large hot air balloons over the magnificent Kenyan landscape, where he later met his wife, got married and created his own life in between the land of the Masai Mara.
We said goodbye to this magnificent visit with a trip to a local Maasai village where the ladies of the village welcomed us with traditional dances and songs. We were shown how the Maasai people make fire, build their houses and live life. It is incredible to see how happy people who live without technology and with the very basics are.
Without a doubt I experienced some unforgettable moments in this trip, which was full of adventure and thrill. However what will stay with me forever was the smiles of local people and their kind hearts. By now you will know that in my life I seek to be surrounded by people with genuine smiles and pure souls. Every single local person I met during this trip was exactly like that, something which filled my heart with joy and made me dream about one day returning to this wonderful land.
