Features: World View

Impressions of Kenya

by Irene Ravitz
Photos by Sally and Larry Ravitz

In February 2005, the Ravitz family hosted a Maasai music group in their Takoma Park home. In December, they visited their friends in Kenya. Irene Ravitz (at left, with Maasai friend Agnes, in February; at right, in Kenya in December) writes about her experience.

Kenya Part 1: Maasai country
We arrived in Nairobi from New Delhi on December 15, 2005. We had friends in Kenya: a Maasai family and an American family. A surprising number of people in Kenya wear American clothing.

Scarf bazaar at Diani Beach on Kenya's Indian coast.

Let me tell you about the Village Market. In Nairobi, when we shopped for food with our American friends, it was European-style. That market was for rich people, but it was safe, and near our friends’ house. If you moved to Kenya from America or Europe you probably would be happy to see your favorite foods, even at a high price, and you might be happy to go to an American movie. We saw King Kong there! But I was wishing for the traditional lifestyle of the Maasai.

Our Maasai friends are singers who toured the U.S. last year. They invited us to visit in their town of Kiserian. We took our American friends and all of us stayed with Sironka, Seleina, Timothy, Amos, and May. There was a goat roast and a party in our honor. We played games and sang. I showed them a tickling game and we played with the baby goat.

Sargay’s family made a traditional meal for us, too. It was a house warming party and a “welcome to Kenya” party – greetings are important in Kenya. The house was new and made from metal. We saw all of our dancer friends: Tumpes, Tarimo, Sargay, Matura, Koilel, Sayonga. We did not see Agnes because she has a new baby and traveling is hard for her. But we met another Agnes, Sargay’s mother. I love the Maasai. My Maasai friends and the animals were my favorite part of Kenya.

Above & below, wildlife at the Masai Mara Reserve.

To see some animals, we went on safari to Kichwa Tembo, a tented camp in Masai Mara Reserve. Kichwa Tembo means “head of the elephant” in Swahili. The camp was beautiful – each tent was spacious and had a toilet, shower, sink, hot water, and nice beds.

The drive there took all day and it was dusty! We were in a Land Rover with a top that popped up for animal viewing in the park. Still, we almost never got out of the car. It was dangerous! The guide only let us out in one place.

We saw two cheetahs on out first day. There were also elephants, nursing elephants, and giraffes. We saw thousands of zebras and wildebeest. Wildebeests are also called gnus. They have beards. We even saw Cape buffalo – one of the Big Five.

We learned the difference between an impala and a waterbuck: the impala has curvy horns and is tan, and the waterbuck has straighter horns and is dark. We used binoculars to see the details.

Hippos are not often seen on dry land. Mostly they are underwater. It’s hard to see them in water and you can’t tell how big they are. Some other animals are very hard to spot in the grass. Our guide, Sammy, was good at finding rare things, like a serval cat mother nursing her baby. They were hidden.

We got used to seeing dead animals; usually killed by lions. When the lions are done, hyenas, vultures, storks, hawks, and jackals come to eat what’s left. There were lots of lions — playing, sleeping, eating, and ignoring us.

We saw at least one lion every day. And we were lucky to see the only two rhinos in the Masai Mara: a mother and child. The mother had a scar on her shoulder from a fight. The rhino is another one of the Big Five, along with the leopard, lion, and elephant. We saw all of them except the leopard. The animals were awesome. I will never forget them.

Kenya Part 2: The coast
We had a tropical Christmas morning in Nairobi. The tree was in a pot and we decorated it. Then we flew to Mombassa and took a car and ferry to Diani Beach, which is on the Indian Ocean in southern Kenya.

When we got there, Mom went in the water to show us that there were no jellyfish. Within two minutes she was screaming — she had been stung by a jellyfish! After that, we swam mostly in the pool. We played on the beach. I made friends. Every day we ate lunch at the same place. Nomad - on the beach, under a tent, pizza!

There was a scarf bazaar on the beach near Nomad. At the end, they gave me a skirt. I had spoken to them every day and we became friends. The beach was spectacular.

One local tribe was the Ribe. They have their own language and music and dance. They performed at our hotel, and we walked from the beach to their village. We saw their store, the inside of a house, and the village water well. The well is 45 feet deep!

They call their community hall “the disco.” It was made of sticks and thatch. They wanted us to try their instruments. They played drums, metal plates, and a horn, and my mom taped. They were excited about my mom’s recording equipment and the chance to listen back. They almost never get to hear themselves play. They were all musicians but no one in the village had a pair of headphones or a cassette or CD player. They had made a speaker from a plastic jug.

We were taken to the village bar. They made me taste the coconut wine. I was polite. That was a new experience. So was scuba diving. We started in the pool then went to the reef. My ears hurt at the reef. I was scared. Maybe I will try it again – later!

Kenya is a very big country. I had different impressions in different places. When I was with my Maasai friends I was ready to stay forever – except that it was so hot! In Nairobi, I never felt at home. Living in the American community there was expensive. The neighborhood had high security. You couldn’t go to your neighbor’s house without calling because everyone has gates and guards and locks. That many locks make me feel unsafe because suddenly I think there must be something to worry about. Life on Diani Beach was fun, but I could never live there. I might not go back there – because I hate jellyfish. For me, the heart of Kenya is the Maasai country.

Want to read more about Kenya? Irene's brother Cheney gave his travel diary, too!

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