When You Hear Hoofbeats, Think Zebras

            

In medicine there’s an expression used to remind us to think of common diagnoses, rather than rare and exotic ones: “when you hear hoofbeats, think horses —not zebras”. Well not in Africa!

                

I decided to go on another safari to Amboseli National Park (which is in the foothills of Mt Kilimanjaro) this weekend. I swear I was as much looking forward to taking a hot shower and eating really good food and not dripping with sweat for a couple of days as I was seeing the animals! 

Along the drive one can see many ancient baobab trees, which provide water and habitat to many species including humans. And the famous flat topped acacia that are iconic for Africa dot the parched landscape. Every now and then you’ll see a 3-4 foot mound of packed dirt, which is actually a hill of biting ants.

                                       


It was a lovely lodge and the staff and my guide were very solicitous but I was a bit busier than I expected. I’d hoped to lay around and read and talk on the phone and swim in the pool but I ended up on game rides, sightseeing and visiting a Maasai village all day long. They try to conserve electricity and water for the sake of the environment, so even though it was a pretty swanky place, it was dark and there was no hot water or internet until 6:00 PM so there was not much goofing off. Didn’t have more than a few minutes to swim in the pool.





The animals didn’t disappoint of course, especially the elephants. 









And my visit with the Maasai was fascinating. The Maasai people are a tribe that has managed to keep their traditional ways. They used to be known as warriors who killed lions, but mostly they are peaceful nomadic herdsmen now. They are very tall and wear their famous red plaid wraps. They performed some traditional dances and chanting for me.  But perhaps the most interesting moment was when the Maasai guide took me into a dark clay hut and we just talked. About the coming of age rituals (including hunting and circumcision) and other religious and healing practices. At some point we shared some pretty personal stories, like that we were both parents of twins, about his late wife and my late son. It was very heartfelt and did not feel at all like a tourist show.





I’d run out of cash, which I felt bad about because I was unable to buy much in the way of tribal crafts. Their livestock are suffering from the drought so they support themselves partly by tourism, but even though I couldn't spend much, I got a lively welcome and send off anyway. And a lifetime of memories.


                  






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