Maasi Mara

A huge highlight from our week in Kenya was our trip to the Maasi Mara. We left early Monday morning from Kisumu and returned late Wednesday evening. We had around 6 hours to the Mara, but those hours we not boring at all. On the way to the Mara, we tossed story books out the window to eager recipients. On the way home we enjoyed sitting on the roof till the rain chased us inside. We tossed candy to children that we passed along the way. It was great fun watching them race to pick up the treats.

So many memories were made and many wonderful sights were seen. If time would allow, we would tell you about every detail and post boat loads of pictures, but for now this will have to do. Hopefully one day, we can show you more pictures and tell you more stories. Maybe even in person...

We will let this interview by Markus Beachy tell you a bit about our time in the Maasi Mara.

What comes to your mind when you think of the Mara?
Deb: I think of animals, thousands of beautiful animals. It's like a zoo on steroids. Only way cooler, because all the animals are free to roam in their natural habitat.
Beth: The Mara is a seemingly endless wild open plains full of gloriously beautiful creatures and a sense of freedom and serenity

Lora: Somehow it feels like I see more of who God is through this experience; He's wildly creative and must have a wonderful sense of humor. When I think of the wild beauty out on the open plains of the Mara; the tall, lumbering giraffes; elephants and hippos; the pattern of the coats of Zebras, cheetahs and leopards. The funny way warthogs run with their tails straight up in the air!
Were you ever scared, while out on a game drive? (if so, describe why)
Deb: Yeah, there were several times when my heart rate increased slightly. A few times some of the fiercer animals of the Mara got slightly unhappy with us, like the time a hippo jumped up and showed us his fierce teeth. Occasionally while riding on top of the rover, I got tossed about a bit more than I cared too. :/

Beth: On the first game drive we were on, a cape buffalo charged us. That got my blood pumping a bit, but as a whole, it was amazing how safe it felt to be so close to some of the world's most dangerous animals.

Lora: Now there were just a few times when I may have been a wee bit frightened, but for the most part those animals seemed fairly docile. The time the cape buffalo charged, and the time Reuben (our guide) goes cruising right up to the elephants only moments after someone had explained that if elephants are disturbed or angry they could very easily turn over the rover! Ok then!

What was your all-time favorite sighting (or one of the many)?
Deb: This is a hard one. It was all so wonderful! Some of the highlights for me though were the elephants and the male lions. Both of these I had been praying to see and when we found them, it felt like a special gift from God.

Beth: This one is super hard to narrow down! One of my dreams was to see lions, and wow! We were gifted to see around 40, including male, female, and cubs. Warning: don't be surprised if I come back with a pet baby lion. :)

Lora: It's hard to say what my favorite sighting was because they were all so wonderful to see in the wild like this. The lions and elephants were some of the favorites. All the little cubs we saw were just the best: The cheetah had four, the leopard had one, and the lions had to many to remember the count. The night we were looking for elephants and couldn't find any. Then as were were leaving, on the far horizon we saw the silhouettes of a whole family of elephants. We went back and watched them for awhile. It was such a gift!

Back at camp, did you hear anything really cool in the early morning?

Deb: The first morning I got up early and went out on the porch to read my Bible. It was early enough that it was still dark. I saw a spot light across the river shining about. As it came closer, I could hear the clanging of cow bells. I sat in wonder as I watched the herdsmen lead their cattle through the forest. The herdsman in the back was whistling a neat little tune as he kept the cattle in line and onward to yonder pasture land.

Give your impression of Kichakani, the camp where we stayed.

Deb: Kichakani perfectly met our needs. It was somewhat primitive with key luxuries, such as hot showers, real toilets, electricity in the evenings, and a swimming pool. Having the place to ourselves was awesome!

Beth: It was camping at it's finest! A beautiful spot of paradise a midst the wilderness.

Lora: Camp Kitchakani was a pleasant place to stay; camping style and this I loved. Just a little primitive, but plenty of provision. Army style tents under thatched roofs with a nice porch to have “rare” quiet moments

Our cabin

Care to describe any humorous experiences back at camp?

Beth: Late one evening, we were having a grand time doing some singing. It eventually led to some very lively Southern Gospel-style selections. One of the security officers at the camp stood nearby taking it all in.

Lora: Humorous experiences?!! Ahhh! There was always people's hilarious narratives and commentaries of everything happening! Very entertaining! There were very few times when someone wasn't being a bit humorous. And yes, we laughed too much! Not!

Which animal is called the Kenyan Express? Why?

Beth: Hmmm, that would be the warthog. As soon as they're startled just a little, they take off and run for all they're worth, which isn't very much, all the while sticking their tails straight up in the air, don't know if it gives them more wind speed or not?!

Were you afraid of the rangers, the police of the Mara?

Deb: Not afraid, but I sure hated the thought of getting fined. You could probably say it was something similar to the relationship between cats and mice.

Beth: I wasn't afraid; but I really had no desire to provoke them to anger either.

Lora: The rangers were a bit of a constant alert in our minds as we sat on the roof and went off-roading quite a bit. But with Micah's keen eye for little white rovers, we made out fine.

How would you describe our guide, Reuben?

Deb: Reuben was a splendid guide who knew his stuff. It was nice having him with us to talk us out of trouble and get us good deals, etc. It pays to have friends! He also has a great sense of humor and did well to join in with our group as one of us. Apparently, he regularly texts the animals to discover their current location. The Rhino must have lied, because we never did find him. *harhar

Beth: Reuben was the absolute BEST tour guide a safari trip could ask for! He was very knowledgeable, adaptable, and hilarious. The perfect addition to our group!

Lora: Reuben did a splendid job of making us feel very at home on the Mara! He spoke such excellent English. We didn't miss much! He was always off-roading so as to give us a true experience.

And how was the group, with whom you were at the Mara? Was more time spent in awkward moments, or just plain dying with laughter?

Deb: Awkward? Never! In all honesty, I couldn't ask for a better group. Being able to spend so much time directly interacting with my “long, lost brother” and “African” relatives, plus two dear friends was truly the greatest! When I think of the trip in a nutshell, I definitely have mostly memories of laughter. So much laughter!

Beth: So what kind of a question is this?! A big shout out to the wildest,  craziest, and most adventurous safari group ever! Y'all know who you are. We just mostly laughed so much that there wasn't time left for many awkward moments to creep in!

Lora: Oh! The group was splendid as well! Plenty of laughter all around! Thanks ya'll! I'd say more moments dying with laughter than awkward, thankfully!

This amazing group:  (top from l-r) Markus Beachy, Lora Stoltzfus, Austin Lapp
(bottom from l-r) Reuben (our guide), Mark and Mary Ellen Beachy, Deb Lapp, Micah Beachy, Beth Smucker, and Marcellus Beachy

Deb and her brother, Austin.

Marcellus did an amazing job at organizing this trip for us. He's also a great chef! ;)

Thanks to the Mark Beachy family for making our first week in Africa one that we won't easily forget. We loved being with you all and are looking forward to seeing you again in about 6 weeks!