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| 1997 |
It seems as though we have been together forever, at the same time our wedding in Shimba fourteen years ago feels as though it could have been yesterday!
To celebrate Jon booked us a photographic workshop at a safari camp, Leleshwa; a small camp in the Siana Conservancy, close to the Masai Mara - after twenty years of African holidays we thought it high time that we actually learned to take a decent photograph!
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| 2011 |
Sherry arrived back in Nairobi from Barcelona late on 8th September and so a somewhat frenetic evening was spent trying to ensure that we had all the necessary stuff packed for safari and that the feline and canine boys being left behind were well catered for. As it happened some bits and pieces were left in Nairobi when they were needed in the Mara...typical last minute packing errors!
05h15 on 9th September was heralded by the hideous and incessant screeching of the mobile phone alarm call. To say that we bounded out of bed with excitement would be pushing the facts but within an hour we were trying to persuade Wally that his butt was not a pre-requisite to starting the vehicle and getting on the road. He has mastered the sad, deprived and bewildered look that guarantees that when you leave you feel guilty as hell.
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| Through the windscreen - Wildebeest Crossing |
The drive down, about four hours, was uneventful. All of our previous complaints about Kenyan roads had to be put to bed, at least for part of the journey...the road from Maai Mahiu to Narok was a dream come true, smooth and quiet. It proves that you can have good roads here! Just after Narok the road took a turn for the worse although nowhere near as bad as we had expected.....then we caught up with the repair crew. Oh Dear. Suffice to say, the last hour of the journey was spent weaving across the road in an attempt to stay on the slim slivers of tarmac that have survived. This is not so much of a road with pot holes as a group of holes pretending to be a road. At Mwisho wa Lami (official end of tarmac) aka Ngoswani; David, our guide was patiently waiting for our arrival, greetings over, we were informed to follow him and hang back a bit due to dust! He did say he would go slowly......Michael Schumacher would have struggled to keep up!
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| Lounge tent at Leleshwa |
Arrived at camp eventually, we are sure that the promised 20 minute drive took longer but maybe that was because we were reluctant to spend more time in the air than on the ground (we could hear David and Samwel (the spotter) laughing at our snail-like progress. Arrival included much needed hot towels and cold drinks. Although we had parked, apparently at the camp, there was no immediate sign of any buildings, temporary or permanent in the vicinity. Brandy, a German Shepherd was an unexpected component of the welcoming party, later in our stay she even joined us for a morning game drive:-)
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| Scops Owl - a tiny little thing about 15cms high |
A few moments later we rounded yet another Leleshwa bush and were delighted to see rather well furnished lounge and mess tents, complete with Mike and Gary, our hosts. The camp is small, just seven tents and the only other guests were out on safari so we were able to enjoy the luxury of camp all to ourselves. Our first new species to cross off the list being the African Scops Owl, a pair of these adorable birds live permanently in camp. Mike, our host and photographic trainer, pulled out all the stops and upgraded us to a suite tent for our anniversary. The tent was at the furthermost point of the camp, surrounded by pure African bush - OMG it was huge!
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| Leleshwa Suite Tent |
At last Jon could enjoy a bed that allowed him to stretch out and still be on the bed! In an emergency, or at a party, the bed could easily accommodate five! To top it all off a bottle of champagne was waiting on ice (rapidly melting) - you couldn't ask for better.
Our first afternoon started with the theory of photography. What did we take away - photography is art, its about composition and the 5 "Fs"! Mike did a remarkable job of keeping us both under control for most of our stay.
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| Side-striped Jackal |
Game drives were full day events with breakfast and lunch in the Mara. The usual suspects were out to welcome us back to the park along with new species, for us, at least including the Side-Striped Jackal and the Steinbock. Being charged by a highly irate Leopard was a new experience too and not one we are in a hurry to repeat, unless of course an effective barrier and a machete wielding Masai are present. The migration was in full flow and so, unfortunately, were hoards of tourists in what has been become known as "Rice Rockets", hideous white mini-vans generally occupied by very loud and frequently stupid homo sapiens. We found refuge down by the Sand River, close to the Tanzanian border. For reasons that are unfathomable nobody else was there - Yay!
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| Masai Home |
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Evening milking time - women and children
do all the work |
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| Flies - no escaping them! |
Sherry did the Masai Mara village thingy. This has always been something we have avoided like the plague as canned "cultural" visits are nothing more than an opportunity to fleece visitors of hefty wads of foreign currency. Leleshwa is different. The village you visit is a real Masai community and the experience is sometimes a little too real. Seeing hundreds of cows, sheep and goats making their way back to the village for milking before being corralled for the night was incredible. We can't keep four cats and a dog under control. Humbling really. Looking at dollar signs, our animals cost more to feed for a day than an entire family lives on for a week, I am sure that this information would be the definitive proof that we are certifiably insane! Masai homes are small in the extreme, Jon would battle just to get through the door, it is overwhelming to see what they achieve with so little. Cultural issues are another subject altogether and some of their practices, female circumcision for example, are difficult to accept. It is a world apart from our own and it was a privilege to be allowed such intimate access into their lives.
Some images to finish with.......kwaherini!
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| Lunch time in the Mara - Leleshwa Style |
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| Jackal puppy - aaaaaaaah! |
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| Up close and personal to an exhausted lion |
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