Left for Kenya

We arrived early morning at Nairobi airport and, half asleep, I stepped outside the plane in the tropical heat. The smell of the frangipanea woke me up. God I thought I was back in South East Asia... until I saw a couple of giraffes just behind the tarmac fence.

I did not see much of Nairobi, a supposedly dangerous and violent capital city. The cameraman and I were escorted to a small photoshop and among young kenyan girls and boys in their best outfit, we have been portrayed so we can get a work permit.

We had to catch another plane, so we rushed back to the airport. This plane was much smaller than any other I had taken before. The pilot and his assistant were chichatting outside the cabine, waiting for us.  We were only four in the plane. And pretty soon, I would encounter Africa in all its beauty.

 

After few minutes only, we got to the Lake Natron area. Lake Natron is a salt lake located in Africa's Great Rift Valley. The lake is quite shallow, less than three meters deep, and varies in width depending on its water level. 

The alkali salt crust on the surface of the lake is often colored red or pink by the salt-loving microorganisms that live there.

Lake Natron is the only breeding location for Lesser Flamingoes because its caustic environment is a barrier against predators trying to reach their nests.

Temperatures in the mud can reach 50 degrees Celsius, and depending on rainfall, the alkalinity can reach a pH of 9 to 10.5.

We went on, over the rift valley and huge placid lakes.   

The vegetation is quite diversed and soon we came across a much drier land.

We finally got to our final destination: the land of the Masai, near the Mount Shompole. Andrew, a Luo, was waiting for us by his jeep.

Mount Shompole in Masai means "Henna head Mountain". Koike, a father of three was our guide. We could not understand each other, as Koike, beside his mother toungue only spoke Swahili. But it did not matter, his land spoke for itself.

The Masai have a colourful way of dressing and they developped the art of beads.

However, I have the feeling that, like many other ethnic groups throughout the world, Masai live in the margins of the national culture. But for how long in the future?