Aitong

Earlier this week we left Narok and headed to Aitong, on the other side of the Mara. If Ole Keene is quiet then Aitong is silent. It is almost too quiet here. It was hard to get used to the silence and to allow myself to become one with the Mara. The only loud thing here is the wind. At night it blows so hard that I think that our tent will fall apart. It is amazing how windy it is here at night. We have not blown away…..yet.

I have definitely had to step outside myself during my stay in Aitong. The latrine here has not lived up to my standards. It has three sides that are covered by plants on the bottom half and sheets on the top. It does have a toilet seat, which is unusual for the wilderness. The door, though, is nonexistent. I was almost ready to tell Jamey to drive me back to Narok to the hotel. But, I sucked it up and made it though. I don’t think I will ever complain about the bathrooms in America again.

On Thursday, we took some of the kids from the village to the Rhino Sanctuary. I have never seen so many kids pile into one car. I think there were about 10 of them in one row of seats. This was a very special opportunity for them to visit the Rhino Sanctuary. Field trips do not happen often for them. We met up with a group of Rangers who were watching about 4-5 Rhinos. Rangers watch the rhinos every day all day to make sure they are not poached. The Rhinos are not fenced in so they are free to move as the Rangers watch them. We were able to get about 20 feet from the Rhinos. The kids seemed like they were afraid to move or speak because they didn’t want to upset the Rhinos. On the way back to the village one of the mother’s stopped our car and told us that next time the mothers in the village want to go see the Rhinos. It is quite a big deal to be taken out of the village on a trip! They were jealous that the kids got to go and they didn’t.

On our last day of camping in Aitong I had the unlucky fortune of seeing a Black Mamba snake, one of the deadliest snakes in Africa. It was almost 6 feet long and had its head about a foot up in air with its black tongue flicking out at the car menacingly. About an hour earlier, Jamey and I had been walking in that same exact spot. As we watched the snake slither off into the bush I turned and told Jamey I was ready to go home. I do not want to meet any more snakes in Africa.

I don’t think I will miss Aitong when we leave. Next time I will make sure I check that a real latrine has been built before coming back here. Oh yeah, and a shower might be nice too.