Thursday, September 15, 2022

Day 6 - Maasai Mara

I'm throwing caution, what's it gonna be?
tonight the winds of change are blowing wild and free
if I don't get out, out of this town
I just might be the one who finally burns it down
Caution - The Killers

This is going to be a long post with a lot of pictures. Day 6 started super early because I was doing the hot air balloon. Okay how I came to that decision may not be that interesting, but I'm just going to just write it all. At 450 USD, the hot air balloon is expensive and initially I was like, okay maybe skip this since you have done it before, like how many times in your life do you need to do hot air balloon. If some thing is once in a lifetime thing, well that means once right? But then when talking to mom ahead of her trip to Turkey back in April and I was encouraging her to do the hot air balloon when she wasn't sure and also because she thought it's expensive (side note: it's way cheaper in Cappadocia and she thought it was the most memorable thing of her trip), it got me all excited and that got me reading what I wrote that time when I was doing it. I actually had the audacity to write that I hope God let me do it again - what?!? So that became a thing that got stuck in my head and when things get stuck in my head, oh darn. The hot air balloon in Cappadocia was like my 30th birthday present, so this year when I turn 40, I rationalized that I could get another one? Then another thing that kinda made me think it might be a good idea was when I wanted to have a change of lodge in Mara because reviews are not that favorable for this place I was staying in. The new place being suggested would require me to pay an extra 450 USD and I thought the money would be well spent for a hot air balloon instead and I could rough it out for 2 nights so that's how the decision making went down. I'm not the most logical person out there, or am I? :D

Pick up time for me was 04:15 AM, arrggghh that's early for me but I made it. The day before the staff at the lodge told me there wouldn't be electricity all the time but that day there was electricity so it's good that I could get ready and put lenses into my eyes with light. The guy picking me up was David and he was the closest in guessing where I'm from. He guessed Thailand :D No one got it right, we need more Indonesians out in the world. I was the first to be picked up and we were going to another lodge to pick the other people. I don't know how he knew his way in the dark. We talked all the way there. He was telling me stories about stuff, like difficult tourist. Surprise! They're not from China :D Side note: though the world may have complains about Chinese tourists but let's face it, people working in the tourism industry do need them and hope they could get out soon and travel. I did witness the difficult tourists from the country he mentioned behaving rather unkindly during breakfast after the balloon ride and it really bothered me :( David also told me other stories like when a couple was having a bad fight that the guy left the girl to do the hot air balloon alone and the girl pretty much cried throughout, gosh! I think that would made the whole experience bad for everyone. Anyways, the other people to be picked were an american couple and an Indian family. When we have collected all of them, off we went to the take-off place. Along the way we saw a group of hyenas eating an elephant carcass. One of the young hyena was sleepy and it kinda was fighting sleep, very cute.

In the take-off area, there were quite a number of balloons being lined up. While waiting, I took pictures of the orange glow of early sunlight. It turned the sky purple-ish as the day broke, very very pretty. Despite of having done this before, I kinda forgot and was reminded that the first step of setting the balloon was having a fan to blow inside it and getting the shape first before firing.

David's job was not just to drive us, he also got us all assembled and took us to meet the pilot which upon hearing him speak, I guessed he was Turkish and I was right. He got his experience in Cappadocia. The kind David was like telling me, get in the basket last so that you get to be in the corner :) which I did. I was in the same compartment as a french family - daughter Leila, mother Magalie (very nice unique name), and I didn't catch the son's name. The process is a bit different than in Cappadocia, there's actually like a bench and they asked us to sit down first as we took off. By the way we're also allowed to bring backpack here. Then once we floated a few metres up, we could stand up. Leila was pretty brave that she sometime stood on the bench. For me, I just kept movement to the minimum.

I think in terms of what you'll see is depending on luck. I wouldn't say I saw many animals from up there. I saw an ostrich running really fast and that was interesting and made me wonder why and what it was running from. There was one part where we were nearing a group of elephants and I think many balloons tried to go down and get as close as possible and that and the sound of the balloon's fire were distressing for the elephants, to the point that I did see one of them running and actually making sound. Looking at my pictures, I feel sadder because it's evident that they're distressed and were trying to get all the elephants in the group especially young ones close. So that part wasn't good, it's bad tourism *sigh* I think the zebras that we saw were also trying to get away from us.

Landing was another thing that I didn't enjoy. You may think of it as being exciting, but I just didn't like it. Unlike in Turkey where you land upright, somehow over here the basket is tilted. They would ask you to sit down again closer to landing time and somehow the basket is tilted so that you ended up on your back and then you made the awkward climb out. I guess luckily my compartment ended up on top. Then David drove us to the breakfast place and he was like let me get you quick so that you don't have to queue long. The breakfast was perhaps another great thing about this hot air balloon experience in Kenya. Somehow they have gotten trucks with all the equipments that you have proper tables with place settings and chefs who would cook your eggs for you. Not only that, there were 2 temporary toilets. I saw the lady of the American couple using it and when I saw the guy standing alone, I asked him which table David assigned us to and told him let me tag myself with you guys. They were really nice. The guy is B and the lady is C and they're married - I would rather use their initial instead of their names. I asked C about the toilet situation and she reassured me it's fine. So I used it after breakfast. There's a sitting toilet, it flushes, and the most important thing for me was that I could wash my hands. Seriously, I'm just glad there's like a decent toilet to use :D B has a really cool job and I told him I was impressed. First impression was that he's a bit nerdy and when he told me the reason that one time he almost went to Bali, it kinda solidified that perhaps there's something there :D C was laughing with me when I heard the whole story because she's more in my wavelength. Maybe it's a bit bad of me laughing at him because sometime you gotta do what you need to do for your sanity. I wonder if characterizing him like Richard Splett in Veep would be on point ;) It was really nice talking with B & C. Sometime you kinda never know what would make an experience great and I would say having that good conversation made this whole hot air experience greater. Before we said goodbye that day as we were dropping them back, I told B to please do the fun things when he eventually goes to Bali, like river rafting just like what Obama did :D Last thought about this hot air experience - I did one when I was 30, then 40, it's only logical that I do another one when I turn 50 right? I need to be looking for a place to do it then :)

So David dropped everyone back in their lodge, but for me he was driving me to meet K. Again I don't know how they coordinated where to meet, somehow he made it happen and delivered me to K :) Back with K, among the first thing we saw was a lion eating then drinking and then there were these cheetahs. Back in Amboseli, the cheetahs were far off and these ones were nearer. They're cute just lazing around as they normally do.

Then there was this group of Wildebeest running in a group and when they're reaching this ditch, they kinda stopped. There's actually no water in the ditch, but I don't know if they knew. One of them (the one of the right) was really taking aim and making an effort to cross quickly which he did. We kinda waited for the rest to follow suit, but they didn't.

K heard of a leopard sighting so we went there. This leopard was hard to see. It's kinda in a ditch below us and I was having a hard time seeing it and I really couldn't get a good look which I thought well okay, not meant to be. I was telling K that I could see it, but can't really take its pictures. It was more like glimpses. Then it moved and K was like quickly get the pictures - ah this boy. Not a good picture, but there you go. Some things are just beyond your control, but God the great had other blessings for us that day, just wait.

Next was this lion who was taking shelters from the hot sun by the different jeeps / vans. People were kinda playing with it, moving the cars around as it came close. It was panting and I asked K if it's okay, like was it going to pass out? He said it's normal for lion to breathe heavily.

After that was lunch. Okay, I've been with K for a few days and by then I would say we're close enough that we can talk about stuff, but still this time lunch alone with him, I was thinking if it's going to be awkward. He found a tree and laid out cloth and took out our lunch boxes. I'll admit that perhaps I'm a busybody, but for some people (generally the ones I like) I am interested in getting to know their lives, so I just shot out questions at him. I asked him to show me photo of his wife and kid. My line of questioning was perhaps too personal that I'm thankful he just accepted them. It was going to grow to even better conversation (like I haven't told him about B & C), but 2 different groups decided to have lunch at our same tree that I had to kinda stop. I was thinking there are other trees in the savanna and you guys chose this one, but then K was saved from further interrogation by me, so good for him I guess :D Really it was another good conversation of the day. What defines a good conversation? Perhaps some good conversations are the ones that make you laugh together, some are when you learn something and when people are willing to be open with you. I truly am thankful for the many good conversations that day that I tweeted this below.

Had around 13-hour day today, did and saw marvellous things but the things I also treasure are the good conversations which unfortunately were too short - turns out I have interest in human after all pic.twitter.com/69HX7GWllg

— Eka (@ekabuntoro) August 20, 2022

After lunch, it was to Mara River where there were quite a number of hippopotamus and there were also crocodiles. I wondered, since the hippos are big and it doesn't look easy to get out of the river, how do the hippos get out to eat grass. K said they could do it.

Then we saw this giraffe drinking water. K had actually given me a bit of a lesson in giraffe and one of the things he said was when a giraffe drinks, it's funny looking because they would stretch out its legs. I thought it was only the front 2 legs but apparently all 4. Kinda lucky that we actually saw this. He also told me that the giraffes are quiet, even when they're being eaten, there's no sound. It's very interesting.

Then K took me to a borderland area between Kenya and Tanzania and he said we could get out, yay! There's a marker, one side is Kenya and the other side is Tanzania. Looking at the direction of Tanzania, I was actually looking at Serengeti. Tanzania's Serengeti and Kenya's Maasai Mara is actually just one big savanna land; they're just named differently depending which country you're in. I don't know, maybe I'm weird, but being there is its own special experience for me :) I'm glad K took us there. Now this is a picture of rocks which I found to be super interesting because it looks like ornamental rocks. I've been seeing it since the day before and I found it fascinating which perhaps K found weird because they're just rocks. He told me maybe you should take one. I was like, no, better leave them like corals on the beach.

When we saw the leopard earlier, K was telling me that leopard could climb trees and sometime they would chill there. Lo and behold, God let us see that. This time the leopard was easier to see. I think we're both excited when we saw it :D K said this completed the big 5 list (lion, leopard, rhinoceros, elephant, buffalo) and so this trip was a success. I told him it's his list, not mine :D He said that leopards sometime also bring its kill up the trees so that the hyenas don't eat them. I told him that's one thing he still needs to show me :D Seriously though, I have just a very basic goal going to Kenya, which was to get in and get out okay (which is pretty much my goal everytime I travel alone); all the other things I get to see would be like blessings and I did see quite a number of wonderful things. God has been great. He has taken care of me through and through, through every trips I have ever done everywhere. It's all God. So I'm just thankful. Anywho, so many people were watching this leopard that I felt bad for it. It most probably just wanted to chill in its tree - why are all these humans making so much commotions all around me :( When it finally got down the tree and went away, we all scattered away too. I have to say, its spots are cool.

Below are some of the last things we saw that day. The sky was getting darker which strangely kinda made my pictures to be properly lighted, well at least I like how they turned out. Pictures below are of a male impala and his group of female impalas and children. Before we saw this group, we actually saw a group of male impalas with no female, so they're just grouping together :D Then below the impala is a picture of a group of wildebeest and then another lion. I forgot that I saw another lion that day and was only reminded when I saw the pictures. I asked K if he's ever been there when it rained and he said yep and it made driving more difficult. As God would have it, it started to drizzle when we were leaving. It's like God was saying, experience this :D I remember the smell changed. It might be interesting to see the animals in the rain, but being stuck wouldn't be good. It was a long day that day, but a really good one and I managed to hold my pee for the whole day :D For pictures from Maasai Mara, please go here.

:) eKa @ 9:22:00 PM •