Kenya's finest

Since living in Kenya I have always prioritised doing the cultural things as opposed to the touristy things. So, I have mostly travelled direct from Nairobi to Kimilili and seen little else along the way. However as most of the visitors who come to see more of Kenya than I do, I decided now was the time to check out some more of this beautiful country that I have spent almost two and a half years in.

My sister and I decided to hit the Masai Mara…..

On travelling through Masai land in a vehicle, I felt a bit frivolous - at the mission our much needed fuel takes us to many far flung communities, reaching all kinds of needs - yet here we were burning petrol going up and down the vast Mara landscape for nothing but our own pleasure…

I put unnecessary pressure on myself… (like I always do, when I have paid a fortune to see my favourite band perform, and just hope those few hours will be worth the money).. Would this adventure really be worth it?  Especially like so many things, when bigged up so much, they often end up being a disappointment.

The Mara itself was beautiful and for miles and miles one could see millions of blades of orange grasses and some still, solitary trees scattered across the wide span of landscape…now and again you would see a red speck in the distance, of the cloth of a Masai guarding his cows. The Mara was so peaceful, so huge, so different to any other landscape I have ever seen before.

My sister was so excited and loving it after a few seconds…as she saw the hyenas looking just as sly as you would expect, or the funny wart hogs collectively doing a merry little dance…

It was indeed special to see many animals in their natural habitat, the rhino waddling along going about his business, the lion prowling the area, living up to his kingly status and the Giraffes gracefully strolling the horizon with their beautiful silhouetted frames. 

                           






But then, there He was, probably my most favorite of all, the magnificent elephant who majestically shadowed the vast landscape with his massive frame, like a gentle giant he passed us, almost blocking out the sun completely. It was one of those moments where words escape you and all you can feebly mutter is "wow". There I was, armed with my long lens camera and multiple sketchbooks, but for what? How could I possibly document this moment and do it justice?

 . It is a moment that I can not attempt to do justice with words, but if I was to try, I would say, you realise how big the world is, how small we are, and what deeply considered beauty surrounds us, so much of it untapped. I felt closer to my creator for just being there because somehow standing within a few feet of a lion or an elephant I had no choice but to acknowledge how magnificent our God the creator really is. I felt small, humbled and in no way wanted to compete with a perfect piece of work by trying to photograph it myself. I just stood, looked up, gulped for a second time and admitted defeat. There are parts of this world that are just too beautiful to photograph, too perfect to draw and too overwhelming to write about, this was one of them.