It feels so surreal that I am truly living my dream. I feel so alive with such lightness about me. I feel extraordinarily happy with a sense of adventure that I don’t want to miss a moment of it all.
The idea that I am deep in the heart of the wild plains of the vast Masai Mara, staying in a stunning luxury camp that is hidden discreetly in a ravine cosseted by twisting acacia trees and about to cook on the banks of the river Talek, has me up before sunrise.
I wake smiling, practically beaming as my sturdy thermos of steaming, freshly brewed coffee is delivered to my tent spot on 5.30am by a cheerful waiter. Even the waiter has that infectious happy Kenyan smile, wishing you a wonderful day ahead. A blessing from a complete stranger. This is the spirit of my country… Africa is still in a deep slumber and the dawn is yet to break. As I wrap the blankets closer around me and start to roll up the flaps to my tent inviting the wild darkness into my dimly lit tent, I can suddenly feel that the African night is far from quiet or asleep. There are rustlings and scrapings, soft grunts and the lugging, shifting movements of larger creatures. A sudden loud snort from the hippos grazing just on the riverbank below my tent startles my senses. I try to make out shapes and subtle, soft-footed movements as I sip on my strong brew. Although the night should feel like it is silent, the sounds of the wild are deeply exaggerated and every movement in the bush surrounding my tent is amplified. It’s magical and it describes the very few moments in life where you are completely still, feeling the rhythm of your breath and just listening quietly. It’s more peaceful to the soul than I can possibly describe.
Last night at around 3 pm, I woke to the sound of a dramatic lion roar. A deep guttural calling into the dark swampy, inky African night. It felt much closer than it probably was, so I was definitely not feeling brave enough to sit outside on my deck. My mind wondered to thoughts of this extraordinary wildlife and the sprawling bush that spans such large expanses of this country. Just sitting and listening quietly connected me in such a deep way to the beautiful rugged earthiness of Africa; I felt so special. I want the rest of the world to sense Africa like this and feel the absolute stillness of the soul that I feel in the quiet awakening of this dawn.
The first light is appearing and with it comes more life. It’s like listening to an orchestra.
I can now see the wildlife that has surrounded me as I slept. What looks like a family of red tailed squirrels appear from everywhere, scuttling, gathering, checking cautiously on their surroundings. I step out into the approaching dawn from the protective cocoon of my tent and curl up on a large sofa, placed in perfect view of the river below. I can see the shiny fat purple pink backs of the hippos swirling deep, dark whirlpools in the calm river. There is now activity all around me, in the green canopy above, amongst the rocks and thick bushes, on the riverbank, and I lose myself to the cacophony of sound. The light now comes quickly, melting darkness into intricate shadows. The first rays of sun catch the sparkle of puddles of rain left like basins of holy water. It has been raining for most of the night and the heavy mug of the humidity is still in the air. It will rain again very soon. This is April and we are in the middle of the short rains season. Not to be underestimated, this season is particularly striking, as magnificent thunder storms dramatically blaze the skies, enormous Nimbus clouds roll across the skies, unleashing rains that cause flash floods across the country.
It still did not stop us from our first adventure. Even as we packed our culinary cargo of paella pans, pots and thick rosewood chopping boards into our sturdy little Caravan, the pilot hurried us on, nodding with thickening eyebrows at the darkening rumbling horizon. We clambered on board, lugging camera equipment, parcels of carefully packed ceramic mortars and pestles, cooler boxes filled with delicate cheeses and pungent peppery salamis and of course, my lucky wooden crocodile, Swampy.
I could feel my excitement building up as we soared gracefully into the air. Here we were, four of us, my fantastic crew, jovial, smiling and winking back at me. Such a great bunch of believers in living life to the fullest! This was actually happening and they were part of this incredible journey. As we flew over the Ngong Hills and into the wilder plains, the clouds started to clear and sunlight flooded the small aircraft. It had to be done…champagne celebration! A decent and very appropriate bottle of Pink Mumm was popped and having packed all our funky champagne glasses in the cargo, we resorted to toasting in the small shot glasses sneaked on board. We shared our celebration with a lovely couple that had just got married in Tanzania, in their 50s and on their way to the Masai Mara for their honeymoon. This was a real sign for greater things to come in life all around!
Soon enough, we were on the approach into the Mara. It doesn’t matter how many times you visit this part of Kenya, the arial views are breathtaking.
With the rainy season in full flow, the plains were a livid grasshopper green, the banks overflowing and rivers full of masses of fat aubergine like lazy hippo gatherings. We could see the big jumbos as we descended, their size extraordinary even from this height. The startling black and white of the zebras shone in the sunlight as herds gathered, looking upwards toward the approaching aircraft. It’s paradise and I can’t wait to share it with the rest of the world.
Thank you, Ken, Michelle and all the lovely staff at Naibor Tented Camp, who made this cooking safari such an incredible dream come true for me. And thanks to SafariLink for flying our crew in. We couldn’t have done it without you.
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