Photo Diary- Maasai Mara Safari

I went on a safari (it means journey in swahili) with my teammates and 2 more people from UBC joined us from Uganda after they finished volunteering.  Expect a lot of photos in this post. 

Driving to Maasai Mara from Kisumu 

Kericho. This is where all the Kenyan tea is produced.  It's one of the most beautiful places I've ever been to. 

 Working on the tea farm

  We've arrived!

 Jumping shot before entering the park

GIVE Health/ Education team 2014

 Of course, I am the only one looking at my camera. haha

 Elephants!

 Zebras stand like this for some odd reason

MORE elephants!! 

Best photo of the trip 

 Wildebeest

 A lion resting. Our safari guide found this gal somehow even though she was hidden.

My 2nd favourite photo of the trip. It feels so calm. 

 Wildebeest getting off the road as we approached. 

Safari was definitely a great experience but a lot of the times, I felt that the tourists are disturbing the natural habitats of these animals.  We're coming into their homes and distrupting their daily activites. There were times when the safari vans were extremely aggressive in approaching the animals.  When the wildebeests or buffaloes were migrating to a different spot, the vans would end up cutting the line off and the animals became confused to where they were supposed to go.  I felt really bad.  

Try to leave the animals alone if you're on a safari. Don't disturb them! 

 A lone hyenas.  Hyenas were bigger than what I had expected.

 Baboons. They are vicious!

 They kind of look like big rocks from far

 Baby hippos are adorable.

 Tanzania/ Kenya border. Of course, I am the only one looking at my camera, again.

 Secretary  bird 

 Young lions are patchy just like leopard/ cheetahs. 

 A cheetah.  Leopards hunt at night and they don't like to be seen while cheetahs are friendly. 

 Buffalo

  Stargazing in Maasai Mara. It was utterly beautiful.  I met 3 people from Canada on this trip.  We met up with 2 of them later on in Kisumu and Nairobi. 

 Sunrise. We went for a game ride on our last morning

Intense photographer.  

We also visited a Maasai village.  Unfortunately, the system seemed very corrupt.  We paid 1000 KSH per person to enter but we don't really know where the money is going (Most likely to the men in power). Definitely not to the children because they are horribly neglected. Same occurs when people from developed countries donate money to a charity.  If you're going to donate money, please do your research before doing so. 

 They did a Maasai dance for us

Our friends Tin and Nick joined them for the jumping dance. Jackson can sure jump very high. 

 Village Chief's son and I.  Goats are seriously so so adorable.  This one was so calm.

 Maasai men making fire

 Children are horribly neglected.  Polygamy is of practice among the Maasai people and one man told us that they can't keep track of their children so they just let them run around. What?

I almost cried when I saw this child.  There are a lot of flies around this area and they just stay on the children.  

 Souvenirs

 Maasai man talking on his phone.  I guess they are joining the "digital trend" 

Selfie with Jackson, the Maasai

I purchased this painting on our way back. I liked it. 

 Pineapple ladies.  Best pineapples I've ever tasted. 

 I am not quite sure what kind of trees these are

Heading home