Upon recommendation by our hosts, Better Me, we visited the Maasai region. The goal was to visit the Maasai Mara National Park, a large park shared with Tanzania, Kenya’s neighbour to the south.

Already the trip to there was very nice and at times challenging. Basically it was a day trip to get there, starting in the early morning. We went by car including a driver, all organised by Better Me. Of course we had to pay for it as it was a kind of private event.

For the first time we have left our “Kisumu Bubble” and we saw much more of the beautiful country: different landscapes, from green tea plantations to semi dry steppes and mountainous regions. The more we got closer to the Maasai Mara National Reserve the more we were excited and could not wait to arrive.

The evening before our safari in the Maasai Mara National Reserve we were invited to visit a traditional Maasai village. Despite a short walk to there it was highly recommended be guided to get there. We got company by a Maasai man and it was the first day that I got in touch with Maasai people. Exciting.

At the village we had a very warm welcome. Until now I only knew a Maasai village from a distance, like documentations. After getting to know each other briefly, the Maasai villagers have a kind of traditional welcome dance.

It didn’t take long until I was “dressed” by the Maasai and encouraged to join their dance. Thanks to Shin and Sumi to capture these special moments. 😁

Basically, Maasai live from agriculture. According to them, running errands requires long walks. Same for a walk to the school. Other than that, the villagers stay in their villages all their lives.

The traditional way to make a fire is to use a wooden stick from a local tree. They use it to create a torrid piece of wood that burns dried hay. Surprisingly, it has worked in no time. I was speechless.

Later each of us was invited to visit a villager in their hut. These are made from solid cow dung. Yes, really. For a conversation I sat down in the junior boss’s house. Along with two of his wives. Who else can claim that? 😎

It was a little dark inside due to almost no windows. It was a very simple place, a small place for sleeping, a small kitchen niche and a kind of community area to hang around. And to explain: in Kenya, bigamy is allowed. Usually a man must provide an individual house (hut) for each of his wives. The man may change the house daily in order to stay with another woman.

Maasai people also use to jump high during a traditional dance. It can be a competition to measure how much a man must pay to be allowed to marry a woman. Payment is made in cows. Seriously. In Kenya, cows are considered a sign of prosperity. Bigamy, to marry multiple wives is quite common here.

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What else do Maasai people for a living? They sell stuff to tourists, any kind of traditional jewelry. From bracelets to chains to rings et cetera. This helps them to buy food and to pay school fees for the children. The school is some 7 km away, that’s a long way to cover each day. They only walk in the morning and evening because of the heat over the day. Overall, a completely different world. What remains is the memory of a great journey and huge experience.

On the morning after our safari in the park I went for a short walk outside our hotel area. Which was not recommended without a guide. Now I should learn why: because there could be a wild animal that has found its way out of the huge park. In fact, many of the wild animals there are gathering at specific places over night, sometimes close to the gate or at the edge of the entire area. However, if there’s any danger, let it be caused by a lion, a small snake or anything else, those Maasai people know the best to anticipate and avoid any dangerous situation. Hence I was grateful for company. A potential danger caused by lions is also a reason for the red dresses, apart from tradition. It is being said that lions do not like the colour red. That simple.