On Monday morning the Saaten students were clothed in their traditional Maasai dress, waiting excitedly for us to arrive. They had offered to welcome us with a show of their traditional songs and dance. After their enthusiastic performance they presented each member of the team with a gift of jewelry and took each of our big hands warmly in their small ones. A show of their generosity and thankfulness.
Monday is market day in the area. The day when most everyone treks to the small Nkoilale marketplace to sell a sheep or goat and buy food and supplies for the following week. The market is always bright and busy. Vendors sell vegetables, flour, rice, cooking supplies, beads, shoes and used clothing. Women look forward to market day all week as it is a chance to socialize and catch up on the news around the community.
After lunch we left the camp for the short drive to the market and got quite a treat! We took a small “short cut” through the bush and were lucky enough to see a huge bull elephant. Just around the corner we came upon a shy female lion who decided to hide for awhile in a tree. We stopped to watch her for a few minutes and continued on to the market seeing giraffe, zebra, wildebeest, impala, topi, gazelle and others along the way. All these amazing creatures within a mile of camp!
