Our Travelationship in Review: October 2023 Part 1

Last Updated on February 19, 2024 by Travelationship

Our October was all about animals, family, and friends. It started with an incredible Trustedhousesitter sit in Nairobi, Kenya, and ended at a petsit in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. Those were the only two petsits we did for the month because the month was b-u-s-y!

We are breaking our monthly update into two parts because Kenya was so fantastic it deserves its own update!

For our updates regarding the mid to end of October, see Part 2.

Where We Went

The Stops

• Nairobi, Kenya
• Masai Mara, Kenya

What We Did

Nairobi, Kenya

On October 1, we started a five-day housesit where we sat on a deck overlooking the Nairobi National Park. We observed wild rhinos, giraffes, zebras, impalas, warthogs, and many more animals. We spent most of our first week on that deck watching wild animals and taking care of Boko, our first of two TrustedHousesitters sits of the month. 

Matt’s parents met us in Nairobi on the 8th. For the next two weeks, we were on a nonstop adventure. Once they landed, they dropped their bags off, ate breakfast, and we had them out the door to visit the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust Nairobi Nursery (https://www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/about). SWT is a local rescue, rehabilitation, and conservation charity in Nairobi. They’re famous for their rescues and their daily midday baby feedings. The day we went, they had 27 young elephants and the tiniest little rhinoceros.

Next, we headed down the street to the Giraffe Center. The GC is a nonprofit organization that educates the public about wildlife and conservation. Going into it, we thought the giraffes at the center were there because they couldn’t live in the wild. We were wrong. GC was started as primarily a breeding center to increase the numbers of the Rothschild giraffes in the wild. Although we support GC’s educational and conservation programs, we did not enjoy the Giraffe Center. The giraffe feeding was chaotic and loud. There were too many people and insufficient staff looking out for the animals. We don’t support untrained people directly interacting with wildlife (that’s a whole other post to write), and it was precisely that. It was a big disappointment for us, and we were disappointed in ourselves for not researching better. 

After the GC, it was past lunchtime, so we drove over to Langata Links and Tin Roof Karen for lunch and window shopping. We had planned to visit the Karen Blixen Museum (think Out of Africa), but we had all run out of energy and went back to the hotel instead. Plus, we had to prepare and rest up for a long drive.

The next day, we met Cyrus, our driver for the week, and made the 6+ hour drive to Mara Safari Lodge in Maasai Mara National Reserve. 

Maasai Mara

We stayed at the Masa Safari Lodge while in Maasai Mara. It was a wonderful place located in the Mara Triangle of reserve. All our meals were buffet style with new dishes from around the world every day. The views from our patio doors and the main lodge were stunning. From our patio, we saw animals up close every day, including a baboon who tried to sneak in, but I was sitting at the window, and we scared each other.

In total, we went on eight safari drives in six days. For the most part, we stuck to the two safaris a day schedule. The morning drives started at 6 am; we’d then return for breakfast around 9 am, then go back out at 10 am until 12 pm-1 pm. Breaktime consisted of hanging out at the lodge and the pool, working, watching for animals out our patio door or from the lodge viewing areas, naps, showering, and lunch. Afternoon drives started around 4 p.m. and always ended at park curfew at 7 p.m. One of the days, we did change to an all-day drive. We took our boxed breakfast and lunches, departed at 6 a.m., and did not return to the lodge until around 4 p.m. We lost out on one drive because of the flying tire (keep reading). 

Overall, we saw a ton of animals. Within minutes of entering the park, we saw a cheetah with four cubs. It was so cute to see their super furry faces through the grass. The only animal we hoped to see and did not was a rhino. We tried, but luck was not on our side. Our luck was full of big cats and hippos on land. 

Elephant Families are the Best

An incredibly special experience was watching an elephant family cross the Mara River from the Tanzania side to the Kenyan side. We went to Mara River to see the hippos and the crocodiles. As we watched a bloat of hippos sun themselves on the beach, a family of elephants appeared from the bush. They all made their way down to the waterfront, much to the chagrin of the hippos.

As a group, they played in and drank the water. A herd of elands, including a new baby, came in from the bush. They wanted to reach the water’s edge, but the elephants weren’t having it and didn’t allow them to get close. The elands left, and the hippos started to get restless. They knew the elephants weren’t a match, so a few started to enter the water. One crabby hippo went after some ducks, landing on the beach. Shortly after, the elephants began to cross the river.

The largest female went first. She moved her trunk from side to side underneath the water, feeling for anything dangerous. The smallest baby was staying very close, but the older babies were starting to play. One of the mothers let out a trumpet, but the youngsters didn’t mind. They kept playing in the water. It was so cute, but you could see the mothers getting frustrated. One mother tucked the littlest baby between her front legs and pushed her forward through the water and up the bluff. At some point, the youngsters decided they should follow and made it to the edge and up the bluff, too. It was amazing to see how they assessed the situation, devised a plan to cross, looked for danger, 

communicated, and worked together to cross and get up the bluff. One of the bigger elephants had stood at the water’s edge, which we think was to help push the smaller elephants up the bluff. We couldn’t see what that elephant was doing, but as the elephants approached the bluff’s edge, it looked like they were getting help from below. The whole thing was fascinating, and we were so glad there weren’t any hungry crocodiles in the immediate area. 

A New Friend

A once-in-a-lifetime moment was as we were stopped watching two warthogs eat, a lilac-breasted roller flew over and landed on the roof of our vehicle. It stayed and watched us as we took photos and watched it. The bird stayed with us for a long time. It perched about ⅓m/1ft from my face. It didn’t startle as we moved around or when the truck started moving. Crazily, it stayed on as we drove down the road. It called a buddy over who didn’t land on the truck but landed on the ground next to us. They chirped at each other. A truck drove by us, and the roller remained on the roof. And then it gave us a bit of a chirp and flew off. It was a unique experience we were lucky to be a part of. 

Comedy is Everywhere

Two of the funniest sightings were probably the hippo amongst a herd of cape buffalo. A lone hippo was hanging out on land, and it decided to take on two cape buffalo. In what was barely a two-minute showdown, the hippo won. But not to be outdone, two junior elephants came from across the field directly at the hippo. The hippo tried to defend itself but had no chance and quickly backed down and walked away from the elephants. The elephants seemed to celebrate a bit and then went elsewhere. 

The other funny sighting was a junior elephant separated from his family (they were on the other side of a tree line, so not far). He came charging out of nowhere, trumpeting loudly and throwing his trunk around. There were two warthogs and a Thomson’s gazelle in his way, so he chased after both of those to show them he was the boss. Then he came upon some plastic barrel and kicked it twice as he snorted and trumpeted. It was so similar to a child’s temper tantrum that it had us laughing pretty hard. 

How Did That Happen!?!

Our craziest drive was the night our back tire flew off the truck. Yes, you read that correctly. We were on the border of Tanzania (Serengeti National Park) and Kenya (Maasai Mara National Reserve). It had rained hard in the afternoon, so the savannah and the roads were wet and muddy. We were caravanning with other trucks from our lodge, and we had all stopped to take pictures at the border markers. We could see the heavy rains in the distance coming our way. As we all piled back into our trucks and drove off, we came upon two lions. We watched for a bit and then drove to see what we could all find closer to the lodge.

We were in the back of the line, and Cyrus was having a good time four-wheeling through the mud. I looked out the left side of the truck and saw a wheel fly by. A few thoughts went through my head, and in a split second, I yelled, “That’s our tire!”. A second later, Bill saw the tire and said the same thing. We stopped in the savannah as the other trucks drove out of sight. We got out of the truck to see that the lug nuts had broken off, and there was nothing we could do to fix it. Also, we weren’t far from the lions we had just been watching. The weather looked like it was turning quickly, Oh! And our radio was on the blitz, and cell service was pure luck. Let me tell you, it was an exciting WTF few minutes.

Luckily, Cyrus got service and called one of the drivers, and three trucks circled back. Even more lucky, each truck had extra room for all five of us and our equipment. Bill and Marilyn split into two trucks, and Matt and I rode in the most fun truck. We met @powerofthewind and @vitachka6969 and enjoyed chatting about travel and photography. But wait, the night isn’t over yet; on our way back, our luck changed. We saw two cheetahs together in the grass. As we were watching, it started to rain, so we all packed it up and headed back to the lodge.

It was too late to fix the truck that night, so Cyrus and the local mechanic worked all morning and early afternoon the next to fix the tire. Sadly, we missed out on that morning’s drive (when everyone saw rhinos), but we had a safe truck for the remainder of the trip. 

Memorable Moments

Depending on which one of us you ask, the most exciting drives were between the two big cats hunting drives. One day, we spent most of the morning watching a pride of lions dig for a warthog hiding in a hole. We left before the capture and killing and returned to the tail end of the feasting. The parts we saw were pretty incredible. Three female lions were digging at the hole, and one of the male lions arrived to assist. The power of their paws and legs while digging was extraordinary. As they continued to dig, the other two males eventually sauntered over. An additional crowd of two jackals, a few storks, and several vultures started to arrive and hover around the scene. From what others who witnessed the entire thing said, it got dramatic and intense. 

Leopards, Leopards, Leopards

On a different day, we encountered a leopard at the top of a small bluff waiting out an impala hiding on a ledge about halfway up the bluff. Not long after we arrived, the leopard pounced on the impala, took it by the neck, held it at the water’s edge, and killed it. Luckily, there was no sound to the killing other than dry grass rustling, the other observers gasping, and a water splash sound.

She then dragged the impala up the bluff then quickly back down the bluff, where she started to eat it. She didn’t eat much of it at all, then climbed out of the ravine, cleaned herself, and walked away. Cyrus informed us she would probably find a tree to store the carcass. However, one of our new friends told us she went out the next morning, and the impala carcass was still there. No scavengers had found it, and it didn’t look like she had returned to do anything with it. Nature is so interesting!

That was our last night, so all we had left was our drive out of the park, which didn’t disappoint. We saw two more leopards, and they crossed the road in front of us. And one of the most notable sightings was just as we reached the gate. We ended our trip with the honor of seeing a Ranger and his sniffer dog.  

There was so much more in between, and I’m probably forgetting a main highlight or two. But that’s what our photos are for, right? To remind us of the incredible time we had in the Maasai Mara. 

The Great

Favorites

• Everything about Maasai Mara National Reserve
• Our Nairobi housesit. Nira, Andy, and Boka could not have been more awesome.
• The baby rhino at the Nairobi Nursery.
• We met new friends on our truck ride and at the lodge.
• Watching the elephant family cross the river.
• The leopard catching an impala. 
• The lilac-breasted roller that hung out on the truck with us.
• Seeing so many hippos out of water. They are ridiculously cute out of water.
• Spending time with Marilyn and Bill. 

The Not-So-Great

• Missing the Karen Blixen Museum again…one of these days, we will visit.
• The cardholder in Matt’s camera broke. Luckily, it was after the safari. He sent it home with his parents to take to get it fixed.
• The long grass made it nearly impossible to get pics of the four cheetah cubs.

The Least Favorite 

• The Giraffe Center was too crowded, not monitored enough, and not our thing.
• The sounds that are made when a big cat makes a kill.

The Oops

• Matt’s wheel on his suitcase is failing, so he filled out a long and detailed form with the company to get the correct wheel per the warranty, and they sent him the wrong one. 
• Matt forgot his expensive headphones in the room at Masa Safari Lodge.
• Of course, the tire flying off our truck in the middle of the savannah. Although now, it’s a funny story.

The LOLs

• The baby rhino and elephants at SWT Nursery were beyond cute to watch
• The babies in the wild. Especially the baby warthogs running through the lodge.
• The baboons trying to steal stuff (sugar packets) out of the rooms at the lodge.

What We Learned

• Not so much that we learned, but we were reminded how much we love Eastern Africa. 
• We learned that when we take shortcuts in our research, we are always disappointed—referring to the Giraffe Center.
• We were also reminded that we are really, super, fricking lucky to be able to experience nature and see the world. 

Up Next

Part 2 of our October 2023 Monthly Update. I know…how can there be more? That was already a lot, and that was just the first two weeks of November.

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