The Week that Was .... Whirlwind ! We begin with Masai Mara ....

We are all organized and ready to take on the Wilderness with their inhabitants of Kenya. And, it is Mom , Shilpa & I , who begin this trip by flying to Masai Mara. The flight is a  12 seater ( maybe 14 ) , which reminded me of Vayudoot Airlines which Dad called Yamdoot airlines , coz it was tiny , hardly held 10 passengers , and when it flew around the mountain , one could touch the trees!!! ;-)

 

We reach safe & sound , in what looks like someone's field , cleared for this landing . One tiny room , with a veranda like space , is what you can call the Masai airport!! ahem!

 

The 7 seater Van with pop up Roof , is already there and will be with us for the entire Safari Masti!

 

It's 2 days of making sure that the wildlife , has no clue that I have arrived & we do get to see them !!!  Although going across to check out the river crossing ( since it would mean a full day trip & I was flying back the next day to Nairobi ) , was not possible .However,  we did 3 outings and managed to see a decent number of animals and birds.

 

The wild one's, in their Savannah surroundings, is an experience not to be missed. To spot the pride of Lion , or the Majestic Cheetah is not the easiest , with the grassland acting as the perfect camouflage. The driver/guide , made sure we also spotted Elephants,Thompsons Gazelle, Wild Buffalos, Wildebeests,Giraffes , Zebras and some interesting Birds! Was a real treat, to witness the Lion Cubs, upto all kinds of badmashi , under the lazing but watchful eyes of their mommies!

 

The Sarova Mara Game Park , is a lovely lodge & it was a first time ever that we stayed in a Tent , albeit , tres luxurious style, with a lovely view , where we actually had a few gazelles and birds visit us at the tent , not scared to give us some company !! Friendly staff , super food (lots of Indian dishes), Daru ,the Curio shop was well stocked & a nature trail for inquisitive walkers!!

 

For me personally , I would have preferred staying in a Lodge nearer to the River ( unless I was spending like a good 2 full nights at Sarova)   , such that the crossing of, mainly the Wildebeest  & a few other animals from Serengeti to Masai is easily accessible . And be a witness to this migration , jahan crocodile infested Masai River se bachte bachate , apni jaan hatheli pe le kar , doosri taraf aana , is an adventure by itself for them!

 

The Wildebeest , walking in a straight line behind each other in perfect military formation , was amazing . Guess, the Army all over the world has learnt about Disciplined  Marching from them! ;-)

 

Time for me to take off after one night stay at Masai . If only I had stayed another night , the 3 of us would have gone and checked out the river crossing..... sighhhhhhhhh !!!!

 

Points to be noted :

If interested in River crossing aka Migration, one must plan between mid Jul to mid Aug, best bet , be here mid July ( Serengeti to Masai) . Else between mid Oct to mid Nov , best bet , mid Oct ( Masai to Serengeti, homeward bound ) .

 

Minimum stay ( at any of the Game Parks ) should be 2 nights, if you want an easy pace, and to completely enjoy the property that you are staying at , else one night is also fine!

 

Highlight :

 

Aircraft to Nairobi takes forever to arrive & we wait in the sweltering heat . Couple of airlines have come & gone but not mine. Already an hours wait & we ask the driver to ask the Pilot of the charted flight, that is waiting very patiently, since the last 15mins for some passenger of theirs , to check if they might have any information about my flight.The driver speaks with the pilot & comes running back to check if my full name is Rita Patnaik. When I say it is , he picks up my bags and runs towards the aircraft saying , the Pilot has been waiting for you.

Strange as it might seem , it is a regular practice to cancel a flight, without informing the passengers & then requesting another airline to collect them !!! How the co-ordination between the new airline & passenger takes place , is beyond me ! Unlike everyone goes through the same experience as I did!!  And how does it matter to me , I got a better 12 seater for Nairobi & a real good looking American twenty something year old to give me company!!! :-)