On the weekend the SE101 team travelled to the Masaai Mara for a two night safari. It was a very memorable trip from start to finish. The drive there was very bumpy to say the least. I was able to sleep for the first hour but after that the entire drive consisted of so many potholes that the road was not even visible! I think we were all very bruised by the end of it. That evening we went on a drive in the reserve and saw many animals. I was surprised that there were so many zebras and wildebeest! We were able to see a lioness and buffalo, which are two of the big five. I was looking forward to the next morning in hopes of seeing the remaining three (leopards, rhinos and elephants).
On Saturday we were in the reserve from 8am to 5pm and were able to see many more animals in their natural habitat. Having never been on a safari before, I was very excited to get the chance to see them in the wild as opposed to in the Greater Vancouver Zoo! My favourite part of the safari was seeing Simba (male lion)! I think the entire team knew that by the end of the day since it was all I could talk about. Our driver, Joseph, was amazing, although at times a little crazy with his driving. When we spotted rhinos, the only one of the big five Barry had yet to see, he drove off the path to get us closer! It was absolutely amazing and we were very grateful since none of the other drivers were willing to do the same.
In the evening we went to the Maasai Village. We were given a tour the village by the eldest son of the Chief. It was a very interesting experience, especially seeing the dance that some of the Maasai did for us. My favourite part was when one of the Maasai pushed Eon in to dance with them! The look on his face, while wearing a hat made of lion’s fur, was priceless (look for a youtube video of it coming soon brought to you by Jacky So). After that we were shown how to make a fire using two pieces of wood and Eric and Eon were given the chance to try to make
one on their own. Although it did not result in a fire, Eric did manage to burn one of the Maasai. After that we decided it would probably be better to leave the fire making to the experts.
By the end of the weekend we were able to see four of the big five. I was a little disappointed that I did not get to see a leopard, but seeing Simba numerous times definitely made up for it. Although I loved every moment of the weekend, I was glad to be back in Nairobi and looking forward to class on Monday.
Being the last week of class is bittersweet because I am so happy to see how far the students have come, but will be sad to see it end. Working with them for the last 12 days has been an experience I will never forget. Having had the opportunity to work closely with all of the students in our class, I have been able to see them develop their plans throughout the three weeks. I am excited for the next few days as Eon, Eric and I will be able to listen to them present their complete business plans. I can’t wait to see how far they have come since the first day of class!
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