Shinkou

June 30, 2011
Maasai Mara, Kenya

Up at 5:30, in a matatu by 6am. It's pitch black - I'm up before the sun! It's weird because back in California the sun is up at this time. But I'm in a different hemisphere and it's winter! There are hot air balloons filling up with a lot of Asian tourists who are paying over $400/person for a ride.

Wow - what a day! My matatu was driven by Paul. We had myself, Wendy, John, Katie and Brita. The other matatu had Richelle, Scott, Abbey, Torie, Steve and Dave. Melissa and Tammy decided to sleep in and catch the next safari later in the day. There are paths to stay on while driving and the drivers are in constant communication with other drivers. When someone reports wildlife, everyone takes off. We saw giraffes, elephants, antelopes, zebras. And then the call came in- there were lions near a creek. Then there were rhinos grazing near some bushes. And then our matatu got stuck in a ravine. Wendy, Katie, Brita and myself jumped out while John and Paul tried to drive/push it out. While they were working, we all noticed there were lions in the distance. Okay - they were probably 100 yards from us but "lion candy" came to mind! Andrew and Paul got some rope and figured out how to pull our matatu out, only to cause the other matatu to perch vicariously over another ravine! When all 8 tires were on the ground, we proceeded to tour the plains until around 9am. Then back to The Fig Tree for breakfast.


After a divine breakfast of omelet and fruit, I spent some time touring the place, reading on my iPad, journaling. It was nice to have some private time to collect my thoughts and digest my experiences. Time passed so quickly because soon it was time for our 3pm afternoon safari! The plains look so different in the afternoon light. The tall grasses rippled in the wind which reminded me of waves. The breezes came up and it was very Pacific Ocean minus the salt. I know that sounds odd.

We saw so many animals! And then we heard that there were cheetahs on the prowl! We dashed over to see a pack of three cheetahs. They actually used the matatus as cover while stalking a huge herd of zebras. They walked within a few feet of our matatu. We were downwind of the herd and these cheetahs got within 20 feet of the herd. And then the attack! One cheetah struck quickly but missed. The other two joined and they parted the herd. And the first cheetah took down a baby zebra. The zebra cried for a few moments and then was silent. The herd didn't really move too far away - perhaps 50 yards. And then a few of them started crying. In our minds, it was the parents who were crying at the loss of their child. It was difficult to witness but it is nature. What our matatu did not realize was when the cheetahs began their strike, the other matatu moved quickly to get a better view. They hit a huge hole and Scott lost his cell phone out of the vehicle. Dave, who was perched on the top of the vehicle, got launched into the matatu. People were thrown about. When the two vehiclesmet up after the kill, we were shocked to see Tammy in pain from her shoulder, Scott's chest hit the roof, Richelle's side hit the vehicle, Abbey and Tori struck their heads. We decided to slowly drive back to The Fig Tree. While driving back, Wendy and I stood in front looking out. We both commented that this was heaven-like, surreal. The sun was going down, there were incredible shadows on the waving grasses, the breezes were up and felt ocean-like. The plains were dotted with groups of animals. All Wendy and I could say was "God is good".

The sun was going down and everything had a glow. It left everyone speechless. Our drive back to The Fig Tree was in silence, reverence and wonder.

Back at the lodge, the doctor was summoned. Tammy was in the worst pain, fearing a dislocated shoulder. Abbey and Torey were checked out and sent to rest with possible minor concussions. Melissa, a nursing student, spent the evening in their tent monitoring them. Everyone else checked out with just minor bruising.