Mimi Ni Maasai

After a few sub par experiences leading to a few sub par blogs, allow me to pick up the tempo a little bit and fill you in on some great adventures!

To begin, the Maasai people are some of the coolest in the world. I first learned about them a few years back and thought "wow, it would be cool to get to meet them." So when I was planning this trip, I made sure to mark down Arusha, a Maasai hub, as a place to stop and experience their culture. Arusha is known mostly for being the base camp for Tanzania's Safari curcuit. The serengeti and Ngorogoro only 50 K's away, host some of the best wildlife veiwing in the world. Everybody goes to tanzania to visit one of the many parks at the doorstep of Arusha. Consequently, the prices are ridiculously high and out of the range for yours truly. It is a new goal of mine to return here one day and visit one of these famous parks.

But our trip to Arusha was all about the Maasai. We arrived late at night and stayed in a real hole in the wall place named "menjas hotel" 20 Meters away from "Menja's hotel," and "Menja's hotel." We met a guy named "biggie" who is no doubt one of the millions of scams in Arusha who sold us a cultural experience tour with the maasai. Our original plan was to go to the maasai market, talk with some maasai and offer money in exchange for letting us hang out with them for a few dyas, but we were pressed for time and so "biggie" took advantage.

We met our guide, Godfrey and to my surprise, he was not like the maasai that we saw in Dar es Salaam, dressed in red blankets (shukas) and with piercings and weapons. Instead, he was a modern "larusa" maasai. Basically a mixture of traditional culture and modern ways of life. The larusa farm and dress modernly and seem like almost every other group of people in Africa but still keep a few traditions, like the circumcicion ritual that takes place when a child is 15!

One of the things that you read about the maasai is how they fight to preserve their culture. So when our first day involved a walk through a very modern neighborhood and a very modern guide, I was a bit worried that this would not be what I hope for. Speaking with Godfrey I learned that he, and many larusa's are now Christian, thanks to the several groups of missionaries that come through preaching the gospel. Add this to the mcDonalds t-shirt he was wearing and you can see where I was disappointed. The problem I have is in the way that our guide, Godfrey, talks about the maasai culture. Their creation stories and folklore is told with a hint of shame and embarrassment. I find these stories very interesting but Godfrey almost has a bit of shame, quickly letting me know that he no longer believes these and that he is christian. For me, it seems out of place for a maasai to be christian, at least culturally. Maasai have such a different way of life, or at least the nomadic, traditional ones do. To show how the cultures clash, I saw several signs that read "Mgaga wangu ni Yesu" (Jesus is my witch doctor). It is upsetting for me to think that a culture is ashamed of their culture and religion. But that was the feeling that I got.

But let me say that Godfrey is one of the joys of our trip. He was not only a guide, but a true friend. I hope to keep in contact with him for a long time and hopefully see him again, either in Tanzania or in the US.

The next day Godfrey guided us to a crater that was very lovely but the highlight of the day and the trip was going to the maasai market, also called the colorful market because of the sea of red that you see. Maasai wear red shukas and so everything is red. Nathan and I decided that the maasai look so cool in their shukas that we had to go ahead and get some for our selves. It started with buying a sword (machete) for about 5 dollars. Then we went and got 3 shukas each (the typical amount that one wears), a belt and a stick.

Immediately, we were the hit of the market. Where before people gave us cold stares (the maasai are intimidating people), now everyone, old men and women, children, everyone, greeted us with enthusiasm. They were so happy to see that we too could dress as maasai. I told everyone "mimi ni maasai, mimi ni morani." I am a maasai, i am a warrior. And they all love it. Old women would come to us and sing for us, encouraging us to dance and also jump. Maasai men jump to see who can get the highest. For a good 5 hours, everyone came to talk to us, in some cases, followed us around. They were very pleased that we embraced their culture so.

It was truly a highlight of the trip. A much needed one after the sub par days in Zanzibar (although I am not complaining, I have nothing but fun, if not bitter sweet memories). The maasai are truly beautiful people. Despite the fact that the women make holes in their ears big enough to fit a baseball, they shave their heads, tattoo their faces, and neither the men nor the women brush their teeth, they are still beautiful. It is truly the feeling that drives you to understand that our differences are what make us beautiful. I could spend a year with the maasai, I enjoy them so much.

The following day Godfrrey took me on a hike to see the colobus monkeys. Nathan could not go because of blisters on his feet. I dressed in full maasai gear. Godfrey, like all maasai, is very tall and very thin. Probably 6'3" with a 26 inch waist. Together, we walked at a ridiculously fast pace, covering 5 miles in about1.5 hours, mind you that it is uphill, on a rough trail. When we got to the top of the hill where the colobus are, there were many maasais and the monkeys were no where to be seen. So Godfrey led me into the jungle. We would have to use my machete (how cool is that?) just to blaze a trail. Finally we saw them. They are amazing animals, monkeys that are black and white. They look like skuns only really hairy and they jump around the tops of trees. No pictures to show but it was great to get to see them.

We walked back, again to the amusement of the maasai as they saw their mzungu maasai morani. Godrfry told me that the women are "tempted" by me. It was fun!

Again, the trip is something that I will always remember. A perfect guide, a great experience and millions of great memories. It was once again sad to leave a place that we got so used to and enjoyed so much but that is the theme of our trip.

We took a bus from Arusha to Nairobi and I thought for sure I was on my death bus. The roads were the worst we've seen and the driver went 120 kph the whole way, passing trucks by going offroad which to be honest was as good as the main road). We would speed up for 40 meters and then slam on the brakes for a peed bump, over and over again. It was crazy. Once I hit my head on the roof because we hit a bump so ahrd.

We arrived and started planning for Lake Turkana, the alst great adventure of the trip, and to our surprise, were told that it would take at least 10 days round trip. since the famous scientist, Louise leakey, told me that I must be gone by the 15th, we will have to leave ASAP. So, without further announcement, Nathan and I will truly be in the bush, on the greatest adventure of our lives, beginning in just a few hours.

I am sorry that I cannot say more about it but I encourage you to research koobi fora and sibiloi national park to find out where we are going. We rented a rav4 and will be driving off road for about 1000 k's. Only a compass and a map as our guide. If you think of us in the next few days, know that we are probably somewhere in the desert taking the adventure of our young lives. Don't expect a blog for the next 10 days.

Lots of love to family and friends. I will enjoy your emails, messages and prayers.