When I was in Nairobi on a short assignment in the nineties, the first thing I did was to plan a visit to Masai Mara. Luckily, a colleague agreed to join and we booked our seats in a safari run by a tour operator. But when we reached the pick-up point on Saturday morning, we were in for a disappointment. A group of tourists with whom we were to travel had backed out, and the tour operator was unwilling to arrange the safari just for the two of us. However, after some persuasion and haggling, he agreed to take us on a two-day trip at an extra charge. Our driver was also to be our tour guide; he was very informative and fluent in English.
The visit to Masai Mara was sheer bliss. Unforgettable. As soon as we entered the heaven on earth, we could see herds of wildebeest grazing and moving about; it was as if we were watching a National Geographic documentary. We spent the whole day driving around, watching thousands of wild animals in their natural habitat. There were plenty of Cape buffaloes, gazelles, hyenas, several giraffes and zebras, ostriches and elephants. The afternoon happened to be the most exciting: sighting a pride of some 17 or so lions, a couple of them with huge manes surrounded by females and cubs. The cubs were playing around and the older ones just relaxing, perhaps after a hefty meal, giving a magnificent view to the tourists watching from their safari vehicles.
Bollywood at Masai Mara
In the evening, we drove to a tourist camp reserved for us in the middle of acres of unending tall grassland, on what looked like an island in the midst of it. As darkness fell, one could hear the barking of hyenas and the trumpeting of elephants amidst other animal sounds, from all sides. The camp had tiny tents into which one could crawl in to sleep, listening to animals, hoping that none of them would manage to cross the fencing around the camp.
The camp had a fireplace in the centre where we could sit and enjoy a quiet drink. A little later, as if by design, a small group of Masais made their appearance in their traditional costumes. We were a bit apprehensive sitting in the middle of nowhere with tough-looking strangers in unfamiliar surroundings and cries of animals in the background. But the Masais seemed to be happy to meet visitors from India and accepted our offer of a drink, with apparent pleasure. Their familiarity with India was gathered from occasional tourists and Bollywood movies, their favorite hero being Mithun Chakraborty. Spending an evening with the Masais, who talked to us about animal behaviour observed in nature, was a wonderful experience.
The next day, we were to visit a rivulet which was the favorite resort of hippos, where tourists could watch them in a playful mood, rollicking in the water. But unfortunately, on the way, our vehicle started giving trouble. With apologies, our driver-cum-guide decided to take us back to Nairobi before it was too late. We were disappointed but considered ourselves lucky that we could see and enjoy most of the Masai Mara in all its glory.
On the way back, late in the afternoon, bad luck would visit us again when the vehicle stalled on the way. Our helpful driver suggested that we take a public bus from a nearby town to Nairobi and accompanied us to the nearest bus stop. We were waiting for a while when a well-dressed, middle-aged man came hesitantly towards us and introduced himself as a lecturer in the local college. He cautioned that it was a dangerous area and that it was risky for us to wait there any longer. He also spoke to our guide in Swahili and urged him to make some arrangement to take us to Nairobi instead of waiting for the bus indefinitely.
The driver became alert and stopped a safari vehicle that was passing by and requested its driver to take us to Nairobi. His agency would pay the charges, if any. We were happy to get away since what was told by the good Samaritan had started sinking in us. Masai Mara was a great and a soulful experience; but getting mugged in an unknown land would be no fun.
Looking back, it was not the wild animals that put fear in us, it was our own species. Animals attack only when they need food or when they confront danger to themselves. But what about humans? We instil fear and anxiety in the minds of our brethren all the time. Excepting for good souls like the stranger who volunteered to help us with sane advice!
thayyil_sethumadhavan@yahoo.com
