Day Eight

Day Eight: ///caravans.raptor.excludes. Get to sleep in a little bit, because today we head to the local village to learn about the day to day lives of the people. It was very warm last night and I found myself dreaming about diving into a snowbank. I imagine by the end of this trip we will acclimate a bit, but right now it's pretty darn warm! A beautiful drive to the village and a tour given by our driver really opens your eyes to how life is here in Samburu. Nomadic herders who live and die by the land and the health of their flocks. Afterward we drive back to the lodge for a wonderful breakfast. Later we drove to the landing strip where we arrived from Nairobi (only just two days ago!?) to browse the local handicraft. You all know by now that I'm a sucker for that kind of thing and let's just say ... purchases were made! A slow drive back looking for animals before we get a rest before lunch. It's a lazy afternoon and we do some prepacking for our journey tomorrow morning to a different lodge. We change up the Sundowner by riding ATV's down to the dry riverbed.

We were then very fortunate to be invited to watch a very special National Geographic moment! Because the rains are now over a month late in arriving, the local tribes are having a difficult time. Only during times of hardship, do a group of matriarch women from several villages get together and do a dance to pray for fertility. In this case, fertility of the land through rain. We were allowed to stand in the dry riverbed and watch the ceremony!

Drinks while watching the sunset follow the amazing dance before we head back to the lodge for our final dinner here at the Sassab Lodge. We pack up and hit the sack.Read more