TRAVEL Anniina and three Maasai warriors – Olopiro, (meaning ‘Wet Season’), Saitoti (‘Big Family’), Sumulek and Isaac, a Maasai chef – travelled everywhere with us, and soon became great friends. Maasai music, which blared from the Land Rover’s sound system the moment the engine started up, became the theme tune to our road trips, which took us through Arusha to Ngorongoro Conservation Area and back again.
INSIDE THE MAASAI BOMA We stayed in a boma in Ololelai, Olopiro’s village, inside the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. We had our own tent but everyone else slept in houses – round structures made from cow dung, with one central room for cooking plus two or more separate bedrooms on raised mud floors. There is no toilet – though ‘authorities from the city’ have recently insisted on digging holes in the ground, which we never saw the Maasai use. They were full of flies and posed a far less appealing option than finding a bush a good distance away. There were no windows inside the houses and, like most other Maasai villages, there was no electricity (not to mention wifi or phone signal). The only light came from a small door and the fire when it was lit for cooking. Unpolluted by artificial light, the Maasai’s eyesight seemed superhuman; each time we entered a
OUR VISIT NATIVES ITINERY DAY 1: DAY 2: DAY 3: DAY 4: DAY 5: DAY 6:
Pick-up from Kilimanjaro, travel to B&B in Mto Wa Mbu Travel to Ololelai, Maasai village in Ngorongoro Conservation Area Maasai warrior bush camp Ngorongoro Crater safari Get married in Ololelai, travel to Monduuli, second Maasai boma Travel back to Arusha RIGHT With Anniina, Saitoti (left) and Olopiro from Visit Natives BELOW Our dining table – with the best view in the house – in the bush in Ngorongoro Conservation Area
house our eyes took several minutes to adjust in the darkness, and even then we needed to suspend a torch from the roof to make out faces and objects deeper inside the home. Night vision is vital for protecting family and valuable livestock from wild animal attacks; armed with no more than a traditional spear, Maasai warriors keep watch over their village at night. The cows, goats and donkeys are herded into circular pens when the sun goes down, so they spend the night in relative safety. The animals provided the soundscape for our nights – bleating and changing position, melodic bells ringing from collars with every movement. It was a hypnotic and soothing way to fall asleep, in a spot beautifully distant from lights, cars and emails.
BUSH CAMP We weren’t aware of any visiting wildlife until we camped out in the bush to witness an Olpul, a ritual that sees Maasai warriors head out to the wilderness to build their strength. A short drive from the village across open scrubland, the spot used for the Olpul could well be the most romantic place on Earth. From our spot high in the Ngorongoro bush we could just make out the Serengeti, the endless plains. They cover 14,800km2 of incredibly beautiful landscape that can be rich and fertile or a dry wilderness, depending on the season. For this reason animals have to migrate to follow the rains and find green pastures to graze. No photograph or words could do justice to the sublime landscape at the door of our tent – and we and the Maasai had the view all to ourselves. During the Olpul, fire is made from friction before being carried to the village to light a fire in each house, and a goat is slaughtered, skinned, cooked and shared out for dinner. Wild herbs are collected and cooked in a large pot on the ground; the intoxicating (but delicious) bubbling concoction is consumed by the warriors to build their strength. Plants required for healing purposes are also collected from this rich medicinal herb garden. Like every night with the Maasai, our body clocks in the bush were set by the sun. Each evening we settled down round a camp table for a tea or coffee, while Isaac prepared delicious vegan
34 WINTER mygreenpod.com