I think it’s going to take me a while to get used to camping. It’s still pitch dark when we get up and there’s no lighting as we try to pack away our stuff and the tents. We have a long drive to the Masai Mara and the reports are that there is not much left of the tarmac road that leads there. But we make good progress on the main road out of Nairobi, and the kids dancing and waving as we pass make us smile.. As cloudy skies clear and the sun comes out, we roll up the tarpaulin windows to get better views of the Rift Valley and there is great excitement as some baboons race across the road their bounty of bananas in hand. Then we turn off the main road at Maimaihu (which means Hot Water), and we start to realise just what it means when you’re sat 8 foot off the ground with the truck lurching from side to side as Dixon, our driver, swerves to avoid the worst of the potholes, letting us gently down into those he can’t. No toning table or exercise class could match the contortions this puts our bodies through. Approaching the Mara in early afternoon there is great excitement as we get our first glimpse of zebra and Thomson’s gazelle. Then we spot giraffe in the distance. We have a brief stop at the entrance (no leaving the truck under any circumstances once you are in!) and almost immediately are wetting ourselves with excitement. Impala, Grant gazelle, topi and zebras everywhere we looked. Then warthogs and wildebeest. Cameras are going mad and we don’t know which way to look first. Dixon is as good as us at spotting and ensures he stops at the best photography spots. Secretary birds, maribu stork (also known as the Undertaker for reasons I don’t think I need to explain), we can’t keep up there are so many. It’s incredible. It’s getting close to the time we have to leave when Kanyo suddenly calls for someone to hit the ’Stop’ button. We can’t see anything but he has spotted lions in the grass less than 50m away. A lioness stands up and looks round. Beside her are 3 cubs. 20m behind her is another lioness. The cubs are playing close by. We turn around to make our way back so as not to disturb the lions. As we watch entranced, other jeeps and trucks spot us and start to drive over. We try to move past them as the lioness gets twitchy and moves off, the cubs trotting behind. As she tries to cross the road, one of the cubs becomes separated from the rest by all the jeeps and gets distressed. The poor lions are surrounded by matutos, jeeps and overland trucks, all trying to turn and chase them across the savannah. We have no wish to be a part of this and move off towards the exit. The rain starts to fall, harder and harder till we are soaked inside the truck and have to bring the tarpaulin down. The roads become rivers and the truck is slipping and sliding all over the place. There’s no way we’re going to be able to push this baby out of a rut, but Dixon is an expert and gets us safely to the exit as the rain ceases. Our campsite is not far and is hidden in trees on a hillside. The truck struggles to get down the track and we pull up in virtual darkness. This is going to be fun. Bush camping in the rain. Yay! Toni have our tent up in record time just before the next downpour. Dinner is on. We are all shattered after such an exciting day and go early to bed, safe in knowledge that Maasai warriors will protect us from marauding lions, hyenas, and leopards, but with strict instructions not to leave the tent under any circumstances, on pain of death. OMG. Please don’t let me need to go to the toilet in the night. Please. Please. Please. I lie awake all night, listening to twigs crack, hyenas calling and the following the torchlight of our Maasai protectors, desperate for the loo.
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