Maasai village visit

Amboseli is not the greatest for wildlife compared to other game parks but it is close to a traditional Maasai village and that is where we visited this morning.

The village is enclosed by a fence made from the spiky acacia tree which offers great protection from the wildlife while keeping their cows (I think the breed is Zebu), and sheep and goats secure. We were met outside the village by the men and women dressed in all their finery with a welcoming song and prayer or blessing or chant.

Inside the village boundaries they did the Maasai dance where the men in particular were able to spring up in the air without any real effort. We observed them making fire from 2 sticks, and no, one of them wasn't a match. We looked inside their huts with mud and dung walls and thatch roof. Very tiny, no windows, no power, no water. They have members of the tribe who are the medicine men and using natural bark, roots etc. can cure anything from malaria, to headache, stomach upsets, or arthritis.

The children then demonstrated how educated they were by reciting the alphabet, days of the week, months of the year and some math problems. The children attend school which is just next door.

The Maasai live a very simple life, tending their livestock, gathering sticks and making souvenirs. Guess where the last stop of the tour was...The souvenir shop. All the women had their wares laid out and is probably the area I'm not that comfortable with . "You like this?" "How about this?" Anyway, we purchased some items after some tough bargaining (they start very high) and we have probably done our Africa shopping now.Read more