We were collected from Kifaru House by Fred and Jerom to make the two-hour over land trek to the Il Ngwesi Eco Lodge, the only lodge in Kenya entirely operated and owned by the Maasai people. Our Kifaru guide Philip had been happy that our next stop was Ngwesi. His brother was a lodge founder and they grew up nearby. You got the sense that this place and its singular success were an immense source of pride for the local people.
On the drive, we passed through the Lewa gates into residential areas with villages, waving children, goats, cattle, local people washing in the river, and ever-increasing heat as we descended. Just the drive made us happy we pushed to have this place included in our itinerary. It was clearly well off the "beaten track" of a typical safari. Being enormously out of place as the only white person for miles was a humbling experience. The young children waved exuberantly, slightly older children hesitantly smiled, and adults seemed to glower. I'm sure the relationship with white people is complex and complicated with layers of history I can't even begin to understand. Already it felt really important to have had this experience.
We arrived at the lodge and trekked up and down a bunch of steps to settle into our entirely open-air "honeymoon suite" with views out over the local watering hole then beyond across the vast valley. This place was an adjustment after the luxurious Kifaru House with lunch leaving a bit to be desired prior to loading back into the jeep to head to the local village.
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The village tour was...I don't know...eye opening? Profound? Huge? I can't explain it. We started by learning history of the local Maasai, a tribe with a semi-nomadic lifestyle centered on their cattle herds. We witnessed a hunting demonstration, then honey gathering and fire starting operations outside the village walls before moving inside where the women greeted us with singing and dancing (I participated). It was simultaneously fascinating, amazing, and uncomfortable. Cattle and people mingle within the village walls, designed to protect the goats and cows from evening predators. We toured a dwelling made of sticks and dried dung that was probably over 100 degrees inside, entirely dark, with a non-ventilated fire constantly burning. Three dirt floor rooms, an itty bitty "kitchen," and a platform with cow hides for sleeping.
I was struck by the contrast of this place with my two homes, space, car, furnishings, possessions, electricity, etc. It made me feel a lot of things none of which I can put into words, but aside from the wonder of the animals and vistas, I have been most affected by what appears to be, based on this one little experience, the dramatically different role of women in these cultures. That has really stuck with me long after we departed.
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Unfortunately, later that evening, Simon developed a stomach issue so after an exciting night sleeping under the stars in the roll out "star bed" (highly recommend but perhaps not when it starts to pour at 2am) we hung pool side most of the next day. He felt well enough for a late afternoon trip to their rhino sanctuary where we came face to face with a rhino on foot. Holy. Moly. It felt immensely different to stand next to this animal instead of watching him from the safety of a vehicle. We were grateful for the armed guide and ravine standing between us and Mr. Rhino.
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Without Il Ngwesi, our trip to Kenya would've, likely unbeknownst to us, lacked "Kenya." By exiting those gates, we saw people living their lives in very different ways than our own. This was surely just the tip of the iceberg for seeing and understanding a new culture, but it is more than we would've gotten if we hadn't ventured beyond the typical safari path. It left me wanting to know more, learn more, and understand more about the Maasai, their traditions, culture, and history.
As ignorant as it sounds, it made me realize I had been programmed to visualize "Africa" as dry land sprinkled with huts of starving children and flies buzzing their faces. While the village tour affirmed that image, the Maasai way of life is just one of Kenya's many cultures as we were reminded by our dinner conversation with Il Ngwesi's new manager. She lives in Nairobi, where her teenage son is now. "He would never come here," she told us. "He would hate the rural isolation." Just like a teenager in New York.
As ignorant as it sounds, it made me realize I had been programmed to visualize "Africa" as dry land sprinkled with huts of starving children and flies buzzing their faces. While the village tour affirmed that image, the Maasai way of life is just one of Kenya's many cultures as we were reminded by our dinner conversation with Il Ngwesi's new manager. She lives in Nairobi, where her teenage son is now. "He would never come here," she told us. "He would hate the rural isolation." Just like a teenager in New York.
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