I dreamt that bombs went off in my sleep last night. It turned out that a herd of cattle and goats has walked right past my tent around that time, according to my guide, so my subconscious may have interpreted the ground shaking in a slightly more shell-shocked way.
Because it was a bit of a shock when we left the car behind yesterday, and started walking across the vast plains towards some distant hills. The sun was blazing and the wind throwing sand whirlwinds at us. “We are in animal territory now” said my guide. We certainly were. Shy gazelles, enormous wildebeest, desert hares with the largest ears I have ever seen bolting out of bushes, dozens of different bird species, and a sun-bleached turtle shell twice the size of my head!
Red dots on the horizon were other Maasai wandering from village to village. They wear their red shawls so the animals know they are coming, to give them a warning. Everything else out here is dusty brown, dry yellow and wilted green. It’s like walking in the middle of a wildfire waiting to happen.
Then we reached Majo Moto, “hot springs” in the middle of tree thickets. The Maasai use them like a communal bath, women in one thicket and men in the other. Being an adventurous sort of chap and all that, I followed my guide down there with the intention of having a wash. As I walked into the thicket, I was suddenly surrounded by tall Maasai men of all ages, very naked and very curious about a white man in their territory! I tried not to look anywhere at all, and made it known to my guide that maybe I should wash in the morning instead… So yes, I bottled it, overcome with self-awareness of being the only touch of (fully clothed) white in a sea of black forest thicket, black hot spring water and black Maasai men!
Now it’s time to pack up camp and set off behind the Loita Hills. More wild experiences await for this selectively shy adventurer, no doubt. I am just grateful for wet wipes so I can set off on a clean note today, without giving the Maasai a unintentional lesson in white-skinned anatomy…
