Into the Great Rift

It was totally unexpected. I hadn’t planned for it, I hadn’t anticipated it and this in itself is the perfect formula for a good travel experience.
In 1998, I threw myself into the hands of fate. Three weeks later, I was working in a travelling circus in the Middle East. These experiences teach one that self determination is an excellent way to manage life but should not prevent the extemporaneous experiences that can also enrich the soul.


The plan was to spend a leisurely weekend on the shores of Lake Victoria, taking in the acclaimed sunsets and shopping the soapstone markets that seem to be Kenya’s only remaining indigenous art not corrupted by cheap Chinese imports. Instead I met these two new friends who talked me into a weekend at Masai Mara. Up to that point I was doubtful about making this trip. The safaris at Masai Mara are expensive and require significant travel time. Sharing the expense and experience with other people made the safari a manageable experience.


Kenya changes elevation and climates quickly and frequently. Lake Victoria in one of the many sources of the Nile but is not part of the Great Rift Valley of which Masai Mara is a part. The Great Rift Valley is a deep gouge in the earth’s crust that plows it’s way from Syria to Mozambique. At Lake Victoria, it lies shadowed by the dramatic crumbling wall of “The Escarpment” and begins the journey to the holy site of Mt Kenya. We traveled in the opposite direction from this curtain wall and entered the rolling hills of Kenya’s verdant tea plantation district. Here are the homes of Kenya’s presidents and VPs and MP’s who seized these estates in the land grabs of Kenya’s recent history.
On our trip to Masai Mara, our driver stopped at one of these plantations and showed us how tea is harvested. I also had an delicious cup of coffee made by sprinkling grounds into hot milk with sugar. Here the tea plantations give way to farmland. The social issues with these farmlands are reminiscent of the Land Baron disputes with free grazers on the Great Plains of the United States during the 1800’s. This region is in frequent dispute between the owners and Masai herders. Ancient tribal disputes flare up and are often used by politicians to create grassroots support. The farmland gives way to semiarid land distinguished from the farmland by its fewer growing seasons.
Driving off of the main paved roads toward the Masai Mara is a 2 hour trip through dust and wildlife. The animals respect no boundaries and here you will find giraffes, baboons and zebras on the dusty plain along this passage.


The Mara itself was a well watered grassland that stands in stark contrast to the roadway by which you enter. Grand vistas and ancient rounded blue mountains set a backdrop for teaming wildlife that takes absolutely no notice of man. Standing in the middle of the ecosystem, one can turn 360 degrees and see half a dozen species of animals and at least as many birds languidly finding solace from the intense equatorial sun beneath scrubby brush and within the shadowed crevices and vegetation of watering holes and streams. What was most shocking is the utter disregard that these wild animals show for our presence. Many of my photos were taken within 20 feet of the subjects without so much as a glance from us even when they were eating freshly caught kill. Roaming in this living, natural zoo were beautiful healthy animals. Ostriches, foxes, lions, cheetahs, water buffalo, wildebeests, elephants, impalas, Thomson Gazelles and sparkling birds with opalescent colors inhabited the landscape.
Up to this point, I have seen poor rural Kenya and industrial urban Kenya. To say the least, I have not been impressed. Corruption, poverty, dust, pollution, greed and disease are everywhere. My day to day experience with the average Kenyan has been positive and friendly. They hold their heads high and look you in the eye with curiosity and dignity. I cannot help thinking though how much better this landscape would be without any of us. Even the masai are annoying. I’ll say it because no one else will. They are pushy and insistent upon you giving them money. For the most part, I ignored them as not representative.
I needed this breath of fresh air to renew my vision of Africa. Although I hold no illusion about the benevolence of nature, this was a much need respite from the gritty world created in Kenya by man.