Happy New Year/Back to Nairobi

Today we headed back to Nairobi, but not before taking a cultural tour with some of the Masai. 

Lemashon gave us a tour of his village, which included seeing their animal pens, where they keep 50 cows and 70 sheep (which we got to pet - so fluffy :)), and touring his home. The structure of Masai homes is first outlined with wood sticks, which are then covered in a mixture of mud and cow dung to form the walls and roof. Women are responsible for building the homes and caring for them, while men are responsible for hunting.

In addition, we got to watch some of the men make fire from scratch with just a piece of "sandpaper" wood and a piece of cedar wood, which was quite incredible. They took turns twirling the wood in their hands in order to create smoke, and then blowing on it in order to make it a bit of smoke become a flame.

Lemashon also taught us how to shoot a bow and arrow. I needed a few practice shots to make the arrow go about 10 feet. Jon nailed his first shot with his arrow sailing about 40 feet. Lemashon's arrow probably went about 100 ft... No surprises there!

The men also performed a ritual dance, which they do when they go out on a hunt. And which Jon got to join in on! They kind of skipped in a circle while chanting. They then had a jumping competition to see who could jump the highest. I know you're all curious so I'm just gonna let you know. Jon did not win. He came in last. But I think he just needs more practice :). Lemashon told us that the jumping competitions are used by the Masai as part of marriage determinations. Masai culture is polygamous, with men paying a fee to marry women. The winners of the competition get a "discount" on their new wife by showing their strength and skill through jumping. Pretty fascinating.

Lemashon then showed us some of the herbs Masai use in daily life, including one that helps to repel mosquitos, and one that, when crushed, becomes a burnt orange color which they use for ceremonies...and which he then promptly applied to my face.

As we were getting ready to leave, some of the men asked if we wanted to purchase necklaces and such. We politely declined but after a few back and forths, one of the men looked and Jon, pointed at Jon's watch, then to the club he was carrying in his hand and said "We trade?" To which Jon replied, "...yea, why not?" I'm not quite sure why, but I found the entire interaction HILARIOUS. Jon was super pumped about his club (which is more than a little terrifying if you ask me), as he showed the Masai man how to use his newly acquired technology.

I'd like to say I am VERY sorry that there are no pictures of any of the above, but I only had my Nikon camera and not my iPhone. I guess you'll all just have to wait until they're edited!

After the tour, we got in the car and began the 6 hour drive back to Nairobi, jamming to some American tunes circa the early 2000's thanks to James :) About an hour into the drive, we encountered an obstacle. A rather large hill to be conquered! Fortunately, there were two trucks at the top of the hill that had just succeeded and were able to help us along.

Jon and I got out of the car to watch as the men figured out the best course of action, placed large rocks in the tire ditches, and then as James conquered the hill!

After that it was a fairly uneventful journey back to the city, although we were lucky enough to meet James' wife, Njoki, on a short stop near their home (Hi, Njoki!) 

We arrived at our hotel around 3 pm and then sadly it was time to say goodbye to James. He had been SUCH a wonderful tour guide during our three days in the Masai Mara and we are SO LUCKY that we got to meet and spend time with him. If anyone ever finds themselves in Nairobi looking for a tour guide, let us know and we will get you in touch with James!! THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING, JAMES!! We certainly hope our paths cross again one day!

Next stop was our hotel room...which was slightly different than our accommodations from the last 2 nights...

Including...INTERNET ACCESS! It took me quite a while to update our blog and save all my pictures in between lunch, a walk to Nairobi city center, and dinner.

Looking forward to seeing what our three week tour has in store for us tomorrow! (Side note: not sure what internet will be like over the next three weeks but we will try to update the blog as much as we can!)

Jess' highlight of the day: watching Jon dance with the Masai

What Jon previously thought his highlight of today would be: a nice bed and hot shower

Jon's REAL highlight of the day: trading his watch for a Masai club!